Albert Barnes Commentary Daniel 11:43

"But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps." — Daniel 11:43 (ASV)

But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver - See the notes at Daniel 11:28. Having seized the most important places in Egypt, and having possession of the person of the king, he would, of course, have the wealth of Egypt at his disposal, and would return to his land laden with spoils.

And over all the precious things of Egypt - The rich lands, the public buildings, the contents of the royal palace, the works of art, the monuments, books, and implements of war. All these would, of course, be at the disposal of the conqueror.

And the Libyans - The word Libyans, in the Hebrew Scriptures, is everywhere joined with the Egyptians and Ethiopians. They are supposed to have been a people of Egyptian origin, and their country bordered on Egypt in the west. See Tanner’s Ancient Atlas. A conquest of Egypt was almost in itself a conquest of Libya.

And the Ethiopians - Hebrew, Cushites - כשׁים kushı̂ym. On the general meaning of the word Cush or Ethiopia in the Scriptures, see the note at Isaiah 11:11. The reference here, undoubtedly, is to the African Cush or Ethiopia, which bounded Egypt on the south. This country comprehended not only Ethiopia above Syene and the Cataracts, but likewise Thebais or Upper Egypt. A subjugation of Egypt would be, in fact, almost a conquest of this land.

Shall be at his steps - Gesenius renders this, "in his company." The word properly means step, or walk. Compare Psalms 37:23; Proverbs 20:24. The Vulgate renders this, "And he shall pass also through Libya and Ethiopia." The Greek: "and he shall have power over all the secret treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the desirable things of Egypt, and of the Libyans, and of the Ethiopians, in their strongholds." Lengerke renders it, "And the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow his steps."

The proper sense of the Hebrew would be that they accompanied him, that they marched with him or followed him; and the phrase would be applicable either to those who were allies or to those who were led captive. The more probable idea would be that they were allies, or were associated with him, rather than captives.

I do not know of any distinct historical facts that show the truth of what is predicted here concerning Antiochus, but it cannot be considered improbable that the prophecy was fulfilled, for

1. As already observed, these nations, naturally allied to Egypt as being part of the same people, bounded Egypt on the west and on the south;

2. In the days of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 30:4–5), we find that they were actually confederated with Egypt in a "league," and that the calamity which fell upon Egypt also fell directly upon Ethiopia and Libya; and

3. The possession of Egypt, therefore, would be naturally followed by the subjugation of these places, or it might be presumed that they would seek the alliance and friendship of one who had subdued it.