“Then the king of the north
Shall come.
He shall throw up
Siege works.
He shall take
A well-fortified city.
The forces of the south
Shall not stand.
Not even his picked troops
Shall stand.
There shall be
No strength to resist.
But he who comes
Against him
Shall take the actions
He pleases.
No one shall withstand him.
He shall take a position
In the beautiful land.
All of it shall be
In his power.
He shall set his mind
To come
With the strength
Of his whole kingdom.
He shall bring terms of peace.
He shall perform them.
In order to destroy the kingdom,
He shall give him
A woman in marriage.
But it shall not succeed.
It shall not be to his advantage.”
Then the king of the north, King Antiochus III (222-187 BCE), took possession of the beautiful land of Israel or Judah. He would set up a siege against the fortified city. The southern forces from Egypt would not be able to stand up against him, even their special troops were not good enough. No one had the strength to resist. He set his mind to it and he was able to do it. Then he arranged a peace treaty. King Antiochus gave his daughter Cleopatra to the young King Ptolemy V (204-181 BCE) in marriage in 194 BCE, but it did not work.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 