Charles Ellicott Commentary Daniel 11:17

"And he shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and with him equitable conditions; and he shall perform them: and he shall give him the daughter of women, to corrupt her; but she shall not stand, neither be for him." — Daniel 11:17 (ASV)

He shall also. He has further plans for subduing the dominions of the southern king. He brings together all the forces he can amass, and then attempts by means of a political marriage to establish peace; but this also proves a failure.

Upright ones. Literally, all that is right; therefore, the words have been explained as “straightforward pleas.” If “persons” are intended, it is not impossible that there may be a hint at the Jews taking the part of the northern king in the contest.

Daughter of women. That is, a woman (compare the phrase son of man, Ezekiel 2:1). The rest of the verse is obscure. It seems to mean that the consequence of this marriage was the destruction of the woman mentioned. Or it is possible that “her” refers to the southern kingdom. St. Jerome explains it, “ut evertat Ptolemœum sive regnum ejus.” This has been supposed to point to the marriage of Ptolemy Epiphanes with Cleopatra, the daughter of Antiochus the Great. However, the language is very general .

But she shall not stand. These words form an explanatory clause, meaning that the plan will not succeed.