Daniel 11:30

For Kitian ships shall come against him The allusion is to C. Popillius Laenas and the other Roman legates, who, as described above (p. 181), obliged Antiochus, when within sight of Alexandria, to withdraw his forces unconditionally from Egypt. Kittim, properly the Kitians, or people of Kitti(in Phœn. Inscriptions כתי), a well-known town in Cyprus, the Greek Kition; hence in the O.T. the name of the inhabitants of Cyprus, Genesis 10:4; Isaiah 23:1; Isaiah 23:12; somewhat more widely, in Jeremiah 2:10; Ezekiel 27:6, -isles (or coast-lands) of the Kitians," of the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. By the later Jews it was used still more generally for any western maritime people (cf. Jos. Ant.i. i. 1); thus in Malachi 1:1; Malachi 1:1; 1Ma 8:5 it denotes the Macedonians, and here -Kitian ships" means Romanships (so LXX. καὶ ἥξουσι Ῥωμαῖοι). The expression is suggested by the terms of Balaam's prophecy in Numbers 24:24 (where, however, it is not certain what exactly is denoted by it).

and he shall be cowed, and return -cowed" (a rare word: Psalms 109:16, A.V., R.V., badly, - brokenin heart"), viz. by the summary manner in which Popillius treated him [382]. Cf. the terms used by Polyb. (xxix. 11), -Antiochus accordingly withdrew his forces to Syria, βαρυνόμενος καὶ στένων, εἵκων δὲ τοῖς καιροῖς κατὰ τὸ παρόν "; and Livy - Obstupefactustam violento imperio" (the demand of Popillius).

[382] The word (נכאה) might possibly, however, have here its Syriac sense of rebuked: cf. LXX. ἐμβριμήσονται αὐτῷ, a word which in Matthew 9:30 is represented in the Pesh. by כאא.

have indignation&c. a stronger expression than was used in Daniel 11:28; he will this time be incensed against it.

and he shall do] viz. his pleasure, as Daniel 11:28.

and he shall return(viz. home to Antioch), ana have regard unto (Daniel 11:37 Heb.) them that&c. After his return home he will fix his attention upon the apostate Jews, and use them as his agents, for the purpose of carrying out his designs. Shortly before the time of Antiochus there had arisen a party among the Jews, whose object was to Hellenize their nation, and obliterate its distinctive characteristics (1Ma 1:11-15, in Daniel 11:15 -and they made themselves uncircumcised, and forsook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the Gentiles, and sold themselves to do evil"). Jason, the renegade high-priest (see on Daniel 9:26), was one of the leaders of the movement; and he and others obtained Antiochus" sanction and authority to construct in Jerusalem a -gymnasium," or exercise-ground, after the Greek model, and introduce other Greek customs. The result was that Greek fashions became popular; even the priests, we read, neglected the services of the Temple for the purpose of amusing themselves in the palaestra. See 1Ma 1:11-15, 2Ma 4:4-17.