Bible Strands
Daniel 11:3
Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great authority and do as he pleases.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Daniel receives a prophetic revelation detailing the succession of Persian rulers and the immediate rise of a dominant monarch. The vision addresses the historical transition of Persian power while projecting forward to a singular figure who will exercise absolute control.
The words — The Hebrew terms גִבּוֹר (gibbor, mighty) and רַב מִמְשָׁל (rav mishal, great dominion) emphasize the ruler’s overwhelming power and expansive control. The phrase כִּרְצוֹנוֹ (ki-r'tzono, according to his pleasure) appears alongside וְעָשָׂה (ve-'asah, and he will do) to describe his unchecked autonomy.
The thread — The pattern of a sovereign acting without opposition or constraint reappears in Daniel 11:16 and Daniel 11:36, where invading or exalting kings similarly do as they please. These passages track the recurring biblical theme of human authority operating independently of divine restraint.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that political power, regardless of its scale, remains a temporary instrument subject to divine sovereignty. Readers are called to observe how human autonomy consistently meets its limits rather than to romanticize earthly dominance.
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
And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
Cross-references
- Daniel 11:16 The invader will do as he pleases, and no one will stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand.
- Daniel 11:36 Then the king will do as he pleases and will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will speak monstrous things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been decreed must be accomplished.
- Daniel 8:21 The shaggy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king.
- Daniel 5:19 Because of the greatness that He bestowed on him, the people of every nation and language trembled in fear before him. He killed whom he wished and kept alive whom he wished; he exalted whom he wished and humbled whom he wished.
- Daniel 7:6 Next, as I watched, suddenly another beast appeared. It was like a leopard, and on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.
- Daniel 4:35 All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”
- Daniel 8:4 I saw the ram charging toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and there was no deliverance from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.
- Ephesians 1:11 In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,
- Hebrews 2:4 and was affirmed by God through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.
- James 1:18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.