Page 326 - Daniel

THE RISE AND FALL OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT (11:3–4)

11:3–4 “Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great
dominion and do as he wills. And as soon as he has arisen, his
kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of
heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with
which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others

besides these.”

One of the by-products of the attack on Greece by Xerxes I is that he
incurred the undying hatred of Greece. Montgomery and other critics
believe this is the ultimate meaning of “he shall stir up all” in verse 2.
Montgomery translates it, “‘and he will stir up all, namely the kingdom
of Greece,’” and comments, “But the point is not that he made war
against Greece (as far as Asia was concerned, Persia remained mistress,

n.b., the Peace of Callias 449 B.C.), but rather that the world was aroused
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against the king.” Although there may be question whether this
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translation is justified, the facts are that Alexander the Great in
conquering the Persian Empire was repaying Persia for the attack by
Xerxes I. Alexander was indeed “a mighty king” and the remaining

description fits him perfectly. He had great dominion and was absolute
ruler who did as he wished.

As previously revealed (Dan. 8:8), Alexander died prematurely. The
expression in verse 4, “as soon as he has arisen,” may be translated
“while he was growing strong,” that is, while still ascending in power.
Another rendering, perhaps more normal Hebrew, is “as soon as he shall
have stood up,” indicating the brief duration of Alexander’s reign. The
word “arisen” has the same military connotation as in the preceding
verses.

The angel predicted that Alexander’s kingdom would be broken and
divided “toward the four winds of heaven.” This was fulfilled literally in
that his kingdom was shattered after his death and divided among his

four generals instead of given to his posterity. His half brother Philip
Arrhidaeus was not mentally competent and was murdered in 317 B.C. His
oldest son Hercules, born to Barsina, was illegitimate and therefore not
accepted as heir to the throne; and his youngest son, Alexander, born