Bible Strands
Daniel 11:40
At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships, invading many countries and sweeping through them like a flood.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Daniel records a vision concerning future conflicts between rival northern and southern monarchs. The narrative situates this confrontation specifically "at the time of the end" within a broader sequence of dynastic struggles.
The words — The Hebrew phrase וּבְעֵת קֵץ (u./ve./'Et qetz) literally translates to "and at the time of the end." The verb יִתְנַגַּח (yit.na.Gach) denotes a violent collision or waging of war between the opposing kings.
The thread — The phrase "time of the end" recurs in Daniel 11:35 to mark a period of refinement before final events. The imagery of armies advancing "like a flood" echoes Daniel 11:10, while the description of chariots and horsemen parallels the military details in Isaiah 5:28.
Why it lands — The passage demands recognition that human military alliances and overwhelming force remain bound to a fixed prophetic timeline. It requires the reader to observe how geopolitical shifts unfold according to a predetermined sequence rather than human strategy.
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 at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 5:28 Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.
- Daniel 11:10 But his sons will stir up strife and assemble a great army, which will advance forcefully, sweeping through like a flood, and will again carry the battle as far as his fortress.
- Daniel 11:35 Some of the wise will fall so that they may be refined, purified, and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.
- Revelation 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East.
- Isaiah 21:1 This is the burden against the Desert by the Sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the Negev, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror.
- Jeremiah 4:13 Behold, he advances like the clouds, his chariots like the whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined!
- Ezekiel 38:4 I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and bring you out with all your army—your horses, your horsemen in full armor, and a great company armed with shields and bucklers, all brandishing their swords.
- Daniel 12:4 But you, Daniel, shut up these words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam to and fro, and knowledge will increase.”
- Zechariah 9:14 Then the LORD will appear over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning. The Lord GOD will sound the ram’s horn and advance in the whirlwinds of the south.
- Isaiah 66:15 For behold, the LORD will come with fire—His chariots are like a whirlwind—to execute His anger with fury and His rebuke with flames of fire.