John Calvin Commentary Daniel 11:19

"Then he shall turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found." — Daniel 11:19 (ASV)

Here, either the ignominious end of Antiochus is indicated, who was killed in a popular uprising while plundering the temple of Belus, or else the outcome of the war between him and the Romans is described. This war was conducted under the leadership of Lucius Scipio, because Gnaeus Scipio, the conqueror of Africa, had offered himself as his brother’s lieutenant-general, and after his death, that province was entrusted to him.

But, as we have said, the resources of Antiochus had been cut off before this time. He had lost the cities of Asia, and if he had surrendered them at first, he might have quietly retained the greater part of Asia Minor. But as he extended his reach over Greece, and hoped by this means to become completely master of all Greece and Macedonia, he could not be persuaded to withdraw his garrisons from those cities, but eventually was compelled to give up Asia Minor.

In this way, then, the angel describes the progress of the war by saying, He will turn his face towards the fortifications of his own land; that is, when compelled to relinquish Greece, he will retreat to fortified places. He was very safe there, and in a region peaceful enough; he had almost impregnable towns on all sides and appeared to be free from warfare.

Historians report that this was done through the skill of Gnaeus Scipio. For his son was then a captive under Antiochus, and Gnaeus Scipio knew he had greater authority than his brother, although he only possessed the title of lieutenant-general. They record his persuading Antiochus not to risk a decisive battle.

Whatever the case, it is quite evident that he delayed fighting until he was compelled by a sense of shame, as everyone accused him of cowardice for not daring to engage in battle when he had such a large army. The Romans had hardly ever taken the field against so strong a force, and yet, according to the narrative of Titus Livius, they never displayed less terror or concern.

The extent of Antiochus's forces is clear from the slaughter that occurred; in one day 50,000 men perished. This would be almost incredible unless it were confirmed by numerous and trustworthy testimonies. In this way, the angel said, Antiochus should return, as he did not go out to meet Lucius Scipio but allowed him to pass.

Had he given the least sign of resistance, Philip would undoubtedly have had the whole Roman force in his hand and power. Many indeed declared L. Scipio's conduct to be rash in daring to allow Philip such freedom, as Philip had been recently conquered and was still angered by the loss and disgrace he had suffered.

For if Antiochus had been vigilant in restraining the enemy, it would have been the end of the Roman army in those narrow and rugged defiles. But, as we have stated, he kept his army in idleness and luxury among fortified towns. If another and probable interpretation is preferred, the sentence applies to his base retreat to further Asia, where he fell, killed by the local population.

He shall fall, and shall not be found. Antiochus, in fact, continued to reign after the destruction of his army and his acceptance of the terms the Romans imposed. He obtained peace, but not without paying a large fine, while he retained the title of king.

Although he made an honorable treaty with the Romans, he was nevertheless forced to retire beyond Mount Taurus, pay a large sum of money for the war expenses, give hostages, and divide the ships equally with the Romans. In this latter case, he was grossly and fraudulently deceived, for L. Scipio commanded all the ships to be cut to pieces and delivered the materials to Antiochus, to whom they were utterly worthless. He knew the man to be deceptive and restless, and so he treated him with brutality, as he deserved.

Regarding the hostages, we find his sons Antiochus and Demetrius as hostages in Rome even after his death. He was indeed left in peace but was deprived of the cities of Asia Minor and was ordered to confine himself beyond Mount Taurus. Those mountain passes were the boundary of his empire; a part of Asia was assigned to Eumenes, and many cities became independent.

Antiochus, to conceal his disgrace, made a joke of it, saying he had managed cleverly because the government of Asia Minor was a great trouble to him. He had another large and wealthy kingdom with which he might well be content. "I have until now been only a steward in Asia," he used to say, "and the Romans have relieved me of that burden."

When, therefore, the angel says, After his fall, he should be no longer king; this may be understood of his ignominious death which followed soon after.

His greed was insatiable, and when compelled to pay a large tribute to the Romans, he pretended to be reduced to extreme poverty. Then he wished to plunder the temple of Jupiter Dodoneus and was killed there during an uprising.

The concluding phrase of the prophecy, and shall not be found, should properly be referred to this event, for King Antiochus was not found because these local people killed him in the uprising that arose.

So much for Antiochus the Great. Seleucus now follows, who was his first successor. He had three sons: Seleucus, whom many call Ceraunus; then Antiochus Epiphanes; and Demetrius. Concerning Seleucus, the angel speaks as follows: