At the time appointed: compare 8.19 and verse 27 above. The whole of chapter 11 is presented as a prediction of future events. These events are considered fixed in advance by a divine master plan. This explains why this expression is used. It avoids any precise time reference. In translation it is possible to use a very vague statement like “Some time later,” but it is also possible to maintain the notion of a divinely fixed time by saying “In God’s time” or “When (God decided that) the time was right.”

He: in some languages it will be prudent to say clearly here “the king of the north” or “the king of Syria.”

Return and come into the south: the comings and goings of the Syrian king may be made clearer by translating here “travel again to the kingdom in the south” or “go back to the land of Egypt.”

It shall not be this time as it was before: the word before refers to the first incursion into Egypt (verses 25-28), while this time speaks of the second campaign. The expression as a whole indicates a fundamental difference in the two expeditions. The first was a success and the second ended in failure. It is legitimate to translate “but this time he will not be victorious as before,” or “but he will not do as well as he did the first time,” or “but the result will not be the same as his other campaign.” Revised English Bible translates “but he will have less success than he had before.” Further details are given in the following verse.

The second campaign of Antiochus IV against Egypt took place in 168 B.C. It did not go well for him, because the Romans intervened and forced him to leave the country (see verse 30).

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 .