Bible Strands
Daniel 11:15
Then the king of the North will come, build up a siege ramp, and capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will not stand; even their best troops will not be able to resist.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Daniel records a vision detailing future military campaigns between rival geopolitical powers. The text describes the king of the North advancing against a fortified city held by the forces of the South.
The words — The Hebrew noun סֽוֹלֲלָ֔ה (so.la.Lah) literally denotes a siege mound or ramp constructed to breach defensive walls. The verb וְ/לָכַ֖ד (ve./la.Khad) specifies the subsequent capture of the fortified city (עִ֣יר מִבְצָר֑וֹת).
The thread — The construction of a siege ramp appears as a standard military tactic in Jeremiah 6:6 and Ezekiel 17:17. The motif of an unstoppable advancing force parallels the promise in Joshua 1:5, though applied here to a hostile invader rather than divine protection.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that human fortifications and elite troops cannot withstand the specified military advance. It calls for sober recognition of geopolitical shifts without offering personal comfort or spiritual application.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 6:6 For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Cut down the trees and raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; there is nothing but oppression in her midst.
- Ezekiel 17:17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and vast horde will not help him in battle, when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives.
- Joshua 1:5 No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
- Proverbs 21:30 There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.
- Ezekiel 4:2 Then lay siege against it: Construct a siege wall, build a ramp to it, set up camps against it, and place battering rams around it on all sides.
- Jeremiah 5:10 Go up through her vineyards and ravage them, but do not finish them off. Strip off her branches, for they do not belong to the LORD.
- Jeremiah 33:4 For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the houses of this city and the palaces of the kings of Judah that have been torn down for defense against the siege ramps and the sword:
- Jeremiah 52:4 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.
- Daniel 8:7 I saw him approach the ram in a rage against him, and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him, and the goat threw him to the ground and trampled him, and no one could deliver the ram from his power.
- Daniel 11:6 After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to seal the agreement. But his daughter will not retain her position of power, nor will his strength endure. At that time she will be given up, along with her royal escort and her father and the one who supported her.