Daniel 11:6
And in the end of yeeres they shall ioyne themselues together: for the Kings daughter of the South shall come to the King of the North to make an agreement, but she shall not retaine the power of the arme, neither shall he stand, nor his arme: but she shall be giuen vp, and they that brought her, and he that begate her, and he that strengthened her in these times. Daniel 11:6 (KJV)
The book of Daniel is a prophetic book in the Old Testament that contains visions concerning the rise and fall of various empires. Chapter 11 records a series of conflicts between the “king of the South,” generally associated with the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt, and the “king of the North,” generally associated with the Seleucid kingdom of Syria. In this verse the king’s daughter of the South is identified by many scholars with Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, while the king of the North is identified with Antiochus II Theos of Syria.
The passage describes a political alliance: the king’s daughter of the South comes to the king of the North to make an agreement, which historically took the form of a marriage between Berenice and Antiochus II Theos. This marriage was intended to cement a diplomatic partnership between Egypt and Syria, joining the two kingdoms together “in the end of years.”
However, the alliance proved short‑lived. The text notes that the daughter “shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm,” indicating that Berenice’s influence and Antiochus II’s reign did not endure. Historical accounts confirm that Berenice’s political power waned and that Antiochus II’s rule ended shortly thereafter. Both Berenice and her young son were later murdered, leading to the collapse of the intended Egyptian‑Seleucid partnership.
The verse concludes by mentioning “them that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times,” implying that those who supported or facilitated the marriage also suffered adverse consequences. The turbulent aftermath affected many of the parties who had backed the alliance, resulting in further instability and conflict in the region.
