Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Daniel 11:36 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 36. 36And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Whether this king continues Antiochus or opens an extended eschatological horizon is disputed and must be labeled.
The king magnifies himself above every god
This verse is one part of that explanation in Daniel 11:36-39. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Daniel 11:36–39
Read Daniel 11:36 with 11:36–39. Whether this king continues Antiochus or opens an extended eschatological horizon is disputed and must be labeled. The complete unit establishes this movement: The king magnifies himself over every claimed deity, speaks against the God of gods, and honors an unfamiliar fortress power until indignation is complete.
Why This Verse Appears Here
11:29-35 completes “Covenant Attack and Suffering Teachers”; the text now turns to “The King's Self-Exaltation.” Its final verse prepares “A Final Campaign Ends without a Helper” in 11:40-45. Within that movement: Whether this king continues Antiochus or opens an extended eschatological horizon is disputed and must be labeled.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify…”
In plain language: Whether this king continues Antiochus or opens an extended eschatological horizon is disputed and must be labeled.
The king magnifies himself over every claimed deity, speaks against the God of gods, and honors an unfamiliar fortress power until indignation is complete. Whether this king continues Antiochus or opens an extended eschatological horizon is disputed and must be labeled.
Why it matters: This wording carries a material lexical, historical, theological, reception, or misuse boundary.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
Daniel 11:36 does not stand alone from Daniel 11:36–39. Daniel 11:36 does not identify a living ruler or make one disputed historical or eschatological horizon explicit and uncontested. Its verse-specific role is: Whether this king continues Antiochus or opens an extended eschatological horizon is disputed and must be labeled.
What Remains True
Intrigue, militarized ambition, coerced worship, and flattery damage communities, while truthful teaching can endure without controlling outcomes. Daniel 11:36-39 keeps that truth tied to this claim: The king magnifies himself over every claimed deity, speaks against the God of gods, and honors an unfamiliar fortress power until indignation is complete. In this unit: Whether this king continues Antiochus or opens an extended eschatological horizon is disputed and must be labeled.
Teach It Back
Explain Daniel 11:36's role in 11:36–39. Name the ancient setting, quote or paraphrase “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify…”, state one material uncertainty, and name one conclusion the verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Daniel 11:36-39 — The King's Self-ExaltationSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
Daniel 11:36 must be read with this unit-level uncertainty: Exact king identifications, campaign details, verse 14's violent ones, covenant language, the referent of every pronoun, start of a possible eschatological shift, and verses 40-45 are disputed. Traditional predictive readings and critical ex eventu reconstruction should each be labeled.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: Daniel 11:36-39, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew aramaic text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Daniel
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew-Aramaic wording, morphology, language boundary, names, repeated roots, clauses, and lexical controls.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Dan.xml, 11:36-39; Hebrew 1:1–2:4a and 8:1–12:13, Aramaic 2:4b–7:28
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Daniel with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Verse-level Hebrew-Aramaic, textual, historical, translation, chronology, angelic-language, and duration notes.
Exact location: NET Bible Daniel PDF, printed pp. 1665–1668, translation and translator notes on 11:36-39
Open source ↗