John Calvin Commentary Daniel 11:24

"In time of security shall he come even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers` fathers; he shall scatter among them prey, and spoil, and substance: yea, he shall devise his devices against the strongholds, even for a time." — Daniel 11:24 (ASV)

The history is continued here: The angel shows how Antiochus, in a short time and with a small band, would acquire many cities, as he should come in peace upon the fatness of the province, implying his oppressing them while they were sleeping in security. He also shows how he would become conqueror, not by any hostile invasion of Egypt, but by cunning and stealth he would deprive King Ptolemy of his cities when he least expected it.

There would be no appearance of war; hence he says, he shall come in peace upon the fatness of the land. The word “fatness” is used metaphorically for “richness.” When the Egyptians supposed all danger to be far removed, and were persuaded of Antiochus's friendship towards them, and relied on him as an ally should any adversity arise, they indulged themselves in luxuries until Antiochus came suddenly and subdued them.

He next adds, He shall despise the spoil, and prey, and goods, which belonged to them. Some take the words for spoil and prey to mean “soldiers,” and join it with the verb יבזור ibzor, “he shall disperse,” meaning, he will distribute their possessions among his soldiers, to win their goodwill and to prepare them for new wars, as we know how easily soldiers are enticed when they receive the rewards of their service; for they are actuated solely by covetousness and avarice.

Some writers expound it in this way: Antiochus will divide the prey among his soldiers. But I prefer the other sense: he shall disperse the prey, and the spoil, and the goods, of the Egyptians. After suddenly oppressing the Egyptians, he will proceed to spoil them like a robber.

He afterwards adds, And against the fortifications shall he devise machinations, meaning, he will lay his plans for seizing the fortified cities. For at first, he penetrated as far as certain cities, and occupied first Coelo-Syria, and afterward Phoenicia, but could not quickly possess the fortified towns; hence he deferred the execution of his plans to a more suitable time.

Therefore, the angel says, he shall arrange his plans against the fortified cities, but only for the time; meaning, he would not immediately bring forward his intentions, hoping to oppress his nephew when he was off his guard. Thus, under the disguise of peace, access to these cities would always be open to him, and he would win over all whom he could corrupt by either gifts or other devices.

We perceive, then, how a summary is presented to us here of the arts and schemes by which Antiochus would deprive his nephew of a portion of his territory and its towns: how suddenly he would invade some of the weakest in a state of unsuspecting tranquility, and how by degrees he would invent machinations for seizing upon the stronger towns as well as he could. He also says, for the time. The cunning and malice of Antiochus were always apparent throughout these transactions. He did not engage in open warfare but was always endeavoring to add to his possessions by indirect frauds—a course which was not without its success.

When it is said, He shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers’ fathers did, this must be restricted solely to Egypt. For Seleucus, the first king of Syria, enjoyed a wide extent of dominion; he then prospered in warfare, and his fame flourished even into a good old age. And though at last he was unsuccessful in battle, yet on the whole, he was a superior and celebrated warrior.

Besides this, we know he was one of the chief generals of Alexander the Great. As for his son Antiochus, we have previously observed the wide extent of his dominion and how highly he was esteemed for prudence and valor.

The angel does not compare Antiochus Epiphanes generally with his father, his grandfather, or his great-grandfather, but only with respect to Egypt. For his ancestors always longed for Egypt, but their designs against it were entirely frustrated; he, however, was more successful in his aggression where his ancestors had failed in their attempts.

Hence it becomes clear how God overrules the events of war, so that the conqueror and the triumphant hero is not the man who excels in counsel, prudence, or valor, but he who fights under the heavenly leader. It pleases God at one time to afflict nations and at another to set over them kings who are really his servants. Thus, God wished to punish Egypt by the hands of this robber.