He: in most languages it will probably be better to translate the pronoun by a full noun phrase, either “the king of Syria” or “the king of the north,” depending on the decision made earlier. See verse 5.

Return to his land: since this king stopped for some time in Jerusalem on his way home, it has been suggested that this be translated “he will leave for his country” (Bible en français courant) or “he will start back home.” Essentially the same phrase is used again at the end of the verse, where he continues and completes his journey back to his own country.

Great substance: compare verses 13 and 24. But here the same term is applied to booty or loot captured in war.

His heart shall be set against: the heart is here seen as the seat of intelligence and will (see 1.8, “resolved,” and 2.30, “mind”) and therefore symbolizes his plans against the people of God.

The holy covenant: in verse 22 the “prince of the covenant” referred to the leader of the Jewish religion, the High Priest. The expression used here refers to the religion itself or the people who adhere to that religion. It involves the agreement between God and his people about their relationship. In many languages the concept of religion is difficult to translate directly. If this is the case, translators may consider “the proper worship of God” as a valid translation.

He shall work his will: literally “he will do (or act).” According to some interpreters the Hebrew translator of the supposed Aramaic original misread it or had a faulty copy. The original is presumed to have meant “as he passes through,” which fits the context and the known historical facts much better (see Anchor Bible). But most versions accept the text as it stands and translate something like “he will take action” (New Jerusalem Bible) or “he will do as he pleases” (Good News Translation). The latter takes it to have the same meaning as “do according to his own will” in verses 3, 16, 36.

Return to his own land: this is essentially the same expression as earlier in the verse. Bible en français courant avoids the repetition by translating the first occurrence as indicated above. Another possibility is to translate this second occurrence as “then he will complete the journey back home” or something similar.

At the end of his Egyptian campaign, Antiochus IV returned with a large amount of captured loot. On his way home he carried out an attack on Jerusalem and the Jewish religion in particular.

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René & Ellington, John. A Handbook on Daniel. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .