“He shall honor
The god of fortresses,
Instead of these,
A god whom his ancestors
Did not know.
He shall honor
With gold,
With silver,
With precious stones,
With costly gifts.
He shall deal
With the strongest fortresses
By the help
Of a foreign god.
Those who acknowledge him,
He shall make more wealthy.
He shall appoint them
As rulers over many.
He shall divide
The land
For a price.”
Gabriel went on to tell Daniel about how King Antiochus IV worshiped foreign gods, probably the Greek gods of Jupiter at Olympus, not the Syrian gods of his ancestors. Apparently, King Antiochus IV had more respect for these Greek gods. Jupiter was a god of strength. His ancestors knew nothing about these Greek gods. However, he honored them with gold, silver, precious stones, and costly gifts. He relied on these foreign gods to maintain his stronghold positions. King Antiochus made people wealthy, if they agreed with him. In fact, he may have practiced a form of bribery, by dividing up the land for a price.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 