Daniel 11:5 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

The king of the south, &c.— The LXX render the words, And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes shall be strong above him; or perhaps it may be better rendered thus, And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and the king of the north shall be strong above him, and have dominion: His dominion shall be a great dominion. [Houbigant reads, Afterwards the king of the south shall be powerful; but yet one of his princes shall be more powerful than he, and shall have a dominion far greater than his dominion.] The king of the south was indeed very strong: for Ptolemy had annexed Cyprus, Phoenicia, Caria, and many islands, cities, and regions, to Egypt. He had likewise enlarged the bounds of his empire by the acquisition of Cyrene; and was now become so great, as not so much to fear his enemies, as to be feared by them. But still the king of the north, or Seleucus Nicator, was strong above him; for, having annexed the kingdom of Macedon and Thrace to the crown of Syria, he was become master of three parts in four of Alexander's dominions. After Alexander, he possessed the largest part of Asia; for all was subject to him, from Phrygia up to the river Indus, and beyond it. Seleucus Nicator, having reigned seven months after the death of Lysimachus, was basely murdered; to him succeeded in the throne of Syria, his son Antiochus Soter, and to Antiochus Soter, his son Antiochus Theus: at the same time Ptolemy Philadelphus reigned in Egypt. There were frequent wars between the kings of Egypt and Syria; particularly between Ptolemy Philadelphus, the second king of Egypt, and Antiochus Theus, the third king of Syria. See Bishop Newton.