John Calvin Commentary Daniel 11:21

"And in his place shall stand up a contemptible person, to whom they had not given the honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in time of security, and shall obtain the kingdom by flatteries." — Daniel 11:21 (ASV)

Historians agree in describing Antiochus Epiphanes as having had a very crafty nature, and some state that his departure from Rome was secret. He was most probably dismissed by the Romans when news of his father’s death arrived, as they were content with his brother Demetrius. They had other hostages as well, who were among the leading nobles of the land, in addition to this third son of the king.

Whatever the case, all agree in recounting his cunning. He was so cruel and fierce that Polybius says he was called Epimanes as a nickname; and since he assumed the name Illustrious, he was called the Madman because of his turbulent nature. He was a monster filled with various vices; having a servile and flattering temperament, he endeavored to acquire Rome's favor by trickery, as we will later discover.

But when he was not driven by fear, his cruelty and ferocity were boundless. For this reason he is called contemptible. He was held in some regard at Rome and was received by some of his people with great applause. But he was not endowed with any heroic or even royal qualities, for he always flattered the Romans and ingratiated himself with the citizens in this way, until he came to his kingdom as a petitioner; and then the angel calls him a contemptible or despicable person.

Another equally probable reason can be offered: namely, his seizing the throne by fraud and wickedness after setting aside the legitimate heir. For Seleucus left a successor whom this treacherous plotter deprived of his rights, and thus fraudulently acquired the kingdom for himself. We know the importance God places on everyone’s calling, and how He restrains people from rashly arrogating anything to themselves, as they should always be satisfied with the station that God assigns them.

Therefore, since Antiochus seized the kingdom without any right to it and expelled the lawful heir, he was contemptible before God. He would never have been king at all except by violence and tyranny on his part, as well as by deceit and cunning schemes. I have no hesitation in stating that the angel here censures the perverse conduct of Antiochus by calling him despised due to the absence of all nobility of character.

He next adds, They shall not confer upon him the honor of royalty. By these words, he announces the injustice of his reign, as he was not chosen by the people's votes. We have stated that the son of Seleucus should have reigned without dispute, but the very person who should have been his nephew’s guardian wickedly deprived his ward of his paternal inheritance.

Therefore, the angel speaks of him as a robber rather than as a king, because he seized the kingdom and was not elected by popular choice. It follows: he shall come in peace, and seize the kingdom by flatteries. This is the explanation of the last clause.

It might be asked, how did he deprive his nephew of his kingdom? The reply is: he shall come peacefully, meaning, he would lay aside everything he was planning in his mind, and would not openly boast of being king, but would deceitfully act as a guardian until he had the power to ruin his ward.

He shall come, then, peacefully, and shall seize the kingdom by flatteries. Thus we see the angel’s meaning in these words.

Moreover, although Daniel did not see all these things, nor even many of the chosen people, yet they tasted enough of these prophecies to satisfy them and to banish anxiety from their minds. They were allowed to perceive God speaking through His angel, and experience taught them the truth of everything contained here, even if many events were hidden from them.

But it was God’s purpose to support the spirits of the devout, even until the advent of Christ, and to keep them in tranquility amid the greatest disturbances. Thus they would acknowledge the value of the promise of the Redeemer, after He had been revealed, as will be mentioned at the end of the chapter. I will now proceed to the next words.