Albert Barnes Commentary Daniel 11:39

"And he shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god: whosoever acknowledgeth [him] he will increase with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for a price." — Daniel 11:39 (ASV)

Thus shall he do in the most strong holds – The margin reads, “fortresses of munitions.” The reference is to strongly fortified places; to those places which had been made strong for purposes of defense. The idea is that he would carry on his purposes against these places, so to speak, under the auspices of this strange god. It was a fact that in his wars Antiochus came into possession of the strong holds, or the fortified towns, of the nations which he attacked—Jerusalem, Sidon, Pelusium, Memphis—then among the strongest places in the world.

With a strange god – a foreign god whom his fathers did not acknowledge; that is, according to the supposition mentioned above and according to the fact, with the god whom he had adored in Rome, and whose worship he was ambitious to transfer to his own empire—Jupiter of the Capitol. He seemed to be acting under the auspices of this foreign god.

Whom he shall acknowledge – by building temples and altars to him. And increase with glory. That is, with honor. He would seem to increase or extend his dominion in the world by introducing his worship in his own country and in the lands which he would conquer. Before, his dominion appeared to be only in Rome; Antiochus sought that it might be extended further, over his own kingdom and over the countries that he would conquer.

And he shall cause them to rule over many – that is, the foreign gods. Previously, only one god had been mentioned, but the introduction of the worship of Jupiter would naturally be connected with that of the other gods of Rome, and they are therefore referred to in this manner. The conquests of Antiochus would seem to be a setting up of the dominion of these gods over the lands which he subdued.

And shall divide the land for gain – The margin says, “a price.” The reference here is probably to the Holy Land, and the idea is that it would be partitioned among his followers for a price, or with a view to gain. Perhaps it would be “farmed out” for the purpose of raising revenue, and with this view, as often occurred, it would be set up for sale to the highest bidder.

This was a common way of raising revenue: by “farming out” a conquered province; that is, by disposing of the privilege of raising revenue in it to the one who would offer most for it. The consequence was that it gave rise to vast rapacity in extorting funds from the people.

Compare 1 Maccabees 3:35-36, where, speaking of Lysias, whom Antiochus had “set to oversee the affairs of the king from the river Euphrates to the borders of Egypt,” it is said of Antiochus that he “gave him (Lysias) charge of all things that he would have done, as also concerning them that dwelt in Judea and Jerusalem: namely, that he should send an army against them, to destroy and root out the strength of Israel, and the remnant of Jerusalem, and to take away their memorial from that place; and that he should place strangers in all their quarters, ‘and divide their land by lot.’”