Albert Barnes Commentary Daniel 11:16

"But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him; and he shall stand in the glorious land, and in his hand shall be destruction." — Daniel 11:16 (ASV)

But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will - That is, Antiochus, who “came against” Scopas, the Egyptian general, sent out by Ptolemy. The idea is that Antiochus would be entirely successful in the countries of Coele-Syria and Palestine. As a matter of fact, as stated above, he drove Scopas out of those regions, compelled him to take refuge in Sidon, and then besieged him and compelled him to surrender.

And none shall stand before him - That is, neither the forces that Scopas had under his command, nor the choice and select armies sent out from Egypt for his rescue, under Eropus, Menocles, and Damoxenus.

And he shall stand in the glorious land - Margin, “the land of ornament,” or, “goodly land.” The Hebrew word צבי ts^ebı̂y means, properly, “splendor, beauty,” and was given to the holy land, or Palestine, on account of its beauty, as being a land of beauty or fertility. (Compare Ezekiel 20:6, Ezekiel 20:15; Ezekiel 26:12; Jeremiah 3:19). The meaning here is that he would obtain possession of the land of Israel, and that no one would be able to stand against him. By the defeat of Scopas, and of the forces sent to aid him when entrenched in Sidon, this was accomplished.

Which by his hand shall be consumed - As would be natural when his invading army should pass through it. The angel does not seem to refer to any wanton destruction of the land, but only to what would necessarily occur in its invasion, and in securing provision for the needs of an army. As a matter of fact, Antiochus did many things to conciliate the favor of the Jews and granted them many privileges. See Josephus, “Antiquities,” Book 12, Chapter 3, Section 3.

But, according to Josephus, these favors were granted subsequent to the wars with Scopas, and as a compensation for the injuries their country had suffered in the wars waged between him and Scopas within their borders. The following passage from Josephus, respecting the effect of these wars, will justify and explain what is said here by the angel:

“Now it happened that, in the reign of Antiochus the Great, who ruled over all Asia, the Jews, as well as the inhabitants of Coele-Syria, suffered greatly, and their land was severely harassed. For while he was at war with Ptolemy Philopater, and with his son who was called “Epiphanes,” it happened that these nations suffered equally, both when he was beaten and when he beat the others. So they were like a ship in a storm, tossed by the waves on both sides; and they were in exactly such a situation, in the middle between Antiochus’s prosperity and its change to adversity.” (Josephus, “Antiquities,” Book 12, Chapter 3, Section 3).

When Antiochus was successful against Scopas, however, the Jews “went over to him,” says Josephus, “of their own accord,” and received him into Jerusalem. As a consequence of the aid they rendered him, he granted them the favors and privileges Josephus mentioned.

The immediate consequence of the wars, however, was widespread desolation, and it is this to which the passage we are considering refers. Lengerke, however, supposes that the meaning of the passage is that the whole land would be subdued under him.

The Hebrew word rendered “shall be consumed” - כלה kâlâh - means, properly, “to be completed, finished, closed;” then “to be consumed, wasted, spent, destroyed” (Genesis 21:15; 1 Kings 17:16; Jeremiah 16:4; Ezekiel 5:13). The destruction caused by invading and conflicting armies in a land would correspond to all that is properly implied by the use of the word.