Daniel 11:4

But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the authority with which he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and given to others.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The declaration addresses the fate of a mighty king who has just arisen and consolidated his rule, positioned within a prophetic sequence tracking successive geopolitical powers. It states what will occur to his realm immediately after his establishment.

The words — תִּשָּבֵ֣ר (ti.sha.Ver) means "it will be broken up," and מַלְכוּת֔/וֹ (mal.khu.T/o) means "his kingdom." These terms frame the verse's direct claim of sudden imperial fragmentation and loss of centralized authority.

The thread — The pattern of a dominant ruler's power being shattered and divided among multiple successors runs through Daniel 8:8 and Daniel 8:22, where a broken horn yields four horns representing new kingdoms. Jeremiah 12:17 also mirrors the mechanism of divine uprooting when a nation persists in disobedience.

Why it lands — The text states that political dominion is neither permanent nor hereditary, but subject to external redistribution. It requires readers to assess earthly authority by its finite nature and to recognize that succession follows divine allocation rather than biological right.

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

וּכְעָמְדוֹ֙u./khe./'a.me.D/oand/ just as/ arises/ he תִּשָּׁבֵ֣רti.sha.Verit will be broken up מַלְכוּת֔וֹmal.khu.T/okingdom/ his וְתֵחָ֕ץve./te.Chatzand/ it will be divided לְאַרְבַּ֖עle./'ar.Ba'to/ [the] four רוּח֣וֹתru.Chot[the] winds of הַשָּׁמָ֑יִםha./sha.Ma.yimthe/ heavens וְלֹ֣אve./Lo'and/ not לְאַחֲרִית֗וֹle./'a.cha.ri.T/oto/ posterity/ his וְלֹ֤אve./Lo'and/ not כְמָשְׁלוֹ֙khe./ma.she.L/olike/ dominion/ his אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.Sherwhich מָשָׁ֔לma.Shalhe had dominion כִּ֤יkifor תִנָּתֵשׁ֙ti.na.Teshit will be plucked up מַלְכוּת֔וֹmal.khu.T/okingdom/ his וְלַאֲחֵרִ֖יםve./la./'a.che.Rimand/ to/ others מִלְּבַד־mi./le./vad-<from>/ <to>/ besides אֵֽלֶּה׃'E.lehthese

King James Version

And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.

Cross-references

Daniel 8:8 Thus the goat became very great, but at the height of his power, his large horn was broken off, and four prominent horns came up in its place, pointing toward the four winds of heaven.
Daniel 8:22 The four horns that replaced the broken one represent four kingdoms that will rise from that nation but will not have the same power.
Jeremiah 12:17 But if they will not obey, then I will uproot that nation; I will uproot it and destroy it, declares the LORD.”
Jeremiah 12:15 But after I have uprooted them, I will once again have compassion on them and return each one to his inheritance and to his land.
Jeremiah 18:7 At any time I might announce that a nation or kingdom will be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed.
Daniel 7:2 Daniel declared: “In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea.
Daniel 7:8 While I was contemplating the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like those of a man and a mouth that spoke words of arrogance.
Job 20:5 the triumph of the wicked has been brief and the joy of the godless momentary?
Psalms 37:35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,
Psalms 39:6 Surely every man goes about like a phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he heaps up riches not knowing who will haul them away.