“When Antiochus Epiphanes saw that his kingdom was established, he determined to become king of the land of Egypt, so that he might reign over both kingdoms. Thus he invaded Egypt with a strong force of chariots and elephants and a cavalry with a large fleet. He engaged King Ptolemy of Egypt in battle. King Ptolemy turned and fled before him. Many were wounded and fell. They captured the fortified cities in the land of Egypt. He plundered the land of Egypt.”

King Antiochus Epiphanes is known as King Antiochus IV. He decided to invade Egypt and combine it with Syria. He had a huge invasion army. This appears to be the first biblical mention of elephants and a fleet of battle ships. He took on the Egyptian King Ptolemy VI (186-145 BCE), who apparently fled. This Ptolemy VI had a strange history. His mother was called Cleopatra I. He married his sister called Cleopatra II. He had a daughter named Cleopatra III, who would marry a Syrian king. He was 6 when he became king with his mother until she died when he was 10. Thus he would have been 16 when this invasion by King Antiochus IV took place in 170 BCE, while the invading king was 45 years old. Some 25 years later in 145 BCE, this same Egyptian King Ptolemy VI, when he was 41, would invade and capture Syria. Now back to our story, King Antiochus IV has captured and plundered Egypt.