Daniel 11:22-24 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

And with the arms of a flood, &c.— Or rather, more agreeably to the Hebrew, And the arms of the overflower shall be, &c. The arms which were overflown before him, were those of his competitors for the crown. They were vanquished by the forces of Eumenes and Attalus, and were dissipated by the arrival of Antiochus, whose presence disconcerted all their measures. The prince also of the covenant, that is, the high-priest of the Jews, was broken. As soon as Antiochus was seated on the throne, he removed Onias from the priesthood, and preferred Jason the brother of Onias for the great sums of money offered by him. But though Antiochus had made a league with Jason, yet he did not faithfully adhere to it, but acted deceitfully, and substituted his brother Menelaus in his room by means of an armed force; because he offered him a greater sum than that which he had received from Jason. As what follows in Daniel 11:23 does not assign a reason for any thing that preceded, it might have been translated, And he shall come up, &c. Antiochus Epiphanes had been many years a hostage at Rome; and coming thence with few attendants, he appeared little in Syria at first; but soon received a great increase, and became strong with a small people. By the friendship of Eumenes and Attalus, he entered peaceably upon the upper provinces: he likewise entered peaceably upon the provinces of Coelo-Syria and Palestine; and wherever he came he outdid his father, and his father's father in liberality and profusion. He scattered among them the prey, and spoil, and riches. The prey of his enemies, the spoil of temples, and the riches of his friends, as well as his own revenues, were expended in public shows, and bestowed in largesses among the people. We are told, Genesis 3:30 that in the liberal giving of gifts, he abounded above all the kings that were before him. He enriched with presents people whom he had never seen before; and sometimes, standing in the streets, would throw about his money, and cry aloud, "Let him take it, to whom fortune shall give it." His generosity was the more requisite to fix the provinces of Coelo-Syria and Palestine in his interest, because they were claimed as belonging to the king of Egypt. Ptolemy Epiphanes and his queen Cleopatra were now dead. Eulaeus and Lenaeus, who were administrators of the kingdom for the young prince Ptolemy Philometor, demanded restitution of these provinces. Antiochus rejected their claim; and, foreseeing that these demands would prove the grounds of a new war between the two crowns, came to Joppa, to take a view of the frontiers, and put them in a proper state of defence. In his progress he came to Jerusalem, and was ushered into the city by torch-light with great rejoicing. Thence he went into Phoenicia, to fortify his own strong-holds, and to forecast his devices against those of the enemy. The LXX and Arabic read, To forecast his devices against Egypt. This he did even for a time, and employed some years in his hostile preparations. See Newton.