11:40 “At the time of the end the king of the south will attack 1 him. Then the king of the north will storm against him 2 with chariots, horsemen, and a large armada of ships. 3 He 4 will invade lands, passing through them like an overflowing river. 5 11:41 Then he will enter the beautiful land. 6 Many 7 will fall, but these will escape: 8 Edom, Moab, and the Ammonite leadership. 11:42 He will extend his power 9 against other lands; the land of Egypt will not escape. 11:43 He will have control over the hidden stores of gold and silver, as well as all the treasures of Egypt. Libyans and Ethiopians 10 will submit to him. 11 11:44 But reports will trouble him from the east and north, and he will set out in a tremendous rage to destroy and wipe out many. 11:45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas 12 toward the beautiful holy mountain. But he will come to his end, with no one to help him.
1 tn Heb “engage in thrusting.”
2 tn The referent of the pronoun is most likely the king of the south, in which case the text describes the king of the north countering the attack of the king of the south.
3 tn Heb “many ships.”
4 tn This most likely refers to the king of the north who, in response to the aggression of the king of the south, launches an invasion of the southern regions.
5 tn Heb “and will overflow and pass over.”
6 sn The beautiful land is a cryptic reference to the land of Israel.
7 tn This can be understood as “many people” (cf. NRSV) or “many countries” (cf. NASB, NIV, NLT).
8 tn Heb “be delivered from his hand.”
9 tn Heb “hand.”
10 tn Or “Nubians” (NIV, NCV); Heb “Cushites.”
11 tn Heb “Libyans and Cushites [will be] at his footsteps.”
12 sn Presumably seas refers to the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea.