“Then the king of the south
Shall be strong.
But one of his officers
Shall grow stronger
Than he.
He shall rule
A realm greater
Than his own realm.”
The king of the south was Ptolemy I (305-283 BCE), a general who had served with Alexander the Great. He took over Egypt and Hellenized it with the important Greek speaking city of Alexandria. Seleucus I Nicator (305-281 BCE) was his officer who grew stronger than Ptolemy. He then became known as the king of the north.