Deeper Reflection
Verses 36 to 45 is a difficult text to interpret. “The difficulty is that there is no clear transitional statement between verses 35 and 36 or later between verses 39 and 40.”⁷⁴ Clearly, Daniel 11:21-35 is about Antiochus, but the description of “the king” (v.36) in verses 36 to 45 does not fit Antiochus historically. The issue is, who is this “king”?⁷⁵ It is wise to heed this helpful word of caution: “Anyone who does not acknowledge a difficulty here is a polemicist in the worst possible sense. That is, he or she knows better that this is a difficult passage one way or the other, and to not acknowledge the difficulty and not to allow for tolerance for the other view is simply bad faith.”⁷⁶ We should not be too dogmatic in our interpretation of difficult biblical texts.Obscurities and ambiguities exist in Scripture. They are meant to keep us humble in our interpretation of the Bible, as Saint Augustine of Hippo puts it: “But hasty and careless readers are led astray by many and manifold obscurities and ambiguities, substituting one meaning for another; and in some places they cannot hit upon even a fair interpretation. Some of the expressions are so obscure as to shroud the meaning in the thickest darkness. And I do not doubt that all this was divinely arranged for the purpose of subduing pride⁷⁷ by toil, and of preventing a feeling of satiety in the intellect, which generally holds in small esteem what is discovered without difficulty.” It is necessary to hold a theological position for clarity, but with the theological posture of humility.

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⁷⁴ Tremper Longman III, 281 ⁷⁵ Tremper Longman III, 280 ⁷⁶ Tremper Longman III, 280 ⁷⁷ Emphasis mine