complete verse (Daniel 11:18)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Daniel 11:18:

  • Kupsabiny: “But/And then (he) will turn to the many countries which are at the shore of the ocean and fight (them) and take (them). But a foreign army commander/leader will rise against him and defeat him so his brutality ends there.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Later he will succeed in conquering many countries situated beside the sea. But a commanding general will destroy his arrogance. And send his arrogance back to his place. [Revised BT: And turn his arrogance back upon him.]” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So the king in the north will-attack first the towns near the sea, and he will-conquer many of them. But a leader/[lit. head] will-put-a-stop to his humiliation-caused to others, and in-return he himself will-put-to-shame.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “After that, the army of the King of Syria will attack the regions that are close to the Mediterranean Sea, and his army will conquer many of them. But the army of a leader from another country will defeat the army of Syria and will stop their king from continuing to be proud. He will do to the King of Syria what he deserved for being very insolent.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Daniel 11:18

Turn his face: or “turn his attention” (New International Version), or simply “turn,” as in many English versions. But since his turning or his attention inevitably means hostility, it may be better in some languages to use a more precise verb like “attack,” as in Good News Translation.

The coastlands: the corresponding Hebrew term means “regions with borders on the sea.” In Gen 10.5 the inhabitants of these areas are described as people “who live along the coast and on the islands” (Good News Translation). Here the word is translated “coasts and islands” by New English Bible/Revised English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible, and this may be a good model for other languages. In other cases it will be more natural to speak of “nations by the (big) water,” “peoples (or tribes) living by the (salt) water,” or something similar.

Shall take many of them: this refers to the capturing of many of the lands or peoples just mentioned. Some may prefer to translate “he will take control of many of these lands” or “he will capture many of those peoples.”

A commander: the Hebrew word used here is an archaic and poetic word similar in meaning to the more usual term for “judge” or military leader found in Josh 10.24; Judges 11.6; Isa 10.1. It has been variously rendered “consul” (New Jerusalem Bible), “leader” (New American Bible), “magistrate” (New Jerusalem Bible and Anchor Bible), and even “a certain Roman general” (Moffatt). New English Bible, Bible en français courant, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch as well as Good News Translation all retain the idea of a commander but add a qualifying word meaning “foreign,” since the reference is to a Roman consul.

Insolence: the corresponding Hebrew word denotes the “contempt” with which a person may be treated, and by extension the “shame” or “dishonor” that the victim feels. It may also be used for the “insults” that are poured out on the despised person. On the other hand, in this context the term seems to qualify the attitude of the person who treats others contemptibly. It is therefore probably best translated “insolence” as in Revised Standard Version, or “arrogance” (Good News Translation), or “impudence.”

He shall turn his insolence back upon him: the meaning of the Hebrew text is uncertain at this point. Several textual changes have been proposed. New English Bible follows one of them with “by wearing him down.” But it is best to understand this expression in the way suggested by Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament: “a ruler will cause his insolence to cease. It will be only his insolence that will pay him back.” It is also possible to translate “make him suffer the consequences of his arrogance.” The expression seems to contain the idea of retribution for arrogance. Some other possible models are “put an end to his insults, nay pay him back for his insults” (New Jerusalem Bible) and “put a stop to his defiant insults and pay him back for them” (Moffatt).

This verse seems to refer to the conquests of Antiochus III along the coast of Asia Minor and Greece. The commander is probably the Roman Consul Lucius Cornelius Scipion, who defeated Antiochus between 191 and 189 B.C.

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 .