Charles Ellicott Commentary Daniel 11:25

"And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall war in battle with an exceeding great and mighty army; but he shall not stand; for they shall devise devices against him." — Daniel 11:25 (ASV)

The south. Here, for the first time in the second portion of the prophecy, the southern king is mentioned. It is highly probable that the deceit mentioned in the last three verses had this king and his provinces as its object. This verse and the next two are thought to describe the war of Antiochus with Ptolemy Philometor (see 1 Maccabees 1:16-19), or his war with Physcon (see Livy xliv. 19).

His power and his courage. i.e., his military skill as well as his personal energy.

But he shall not stand. (Compare to Daniel 8:4.) The subject is the king of the south, who finds that the devices of his opponent are more than a match for him. The "devices" are explained in the next two verses.