Introduction: The Prophetic Journey from Antiochus to the End of Days
In this part of Chapter 11, the angel continues to reveal the unfolding of generations to Daniel: from the rise of the wicked Antiochus, through his wars in Egypt, the decrees of forced apostasy against Israel in the days of Chanukah, and subsequently the severe tribulations brought about by Rome, the Churban, the days of Bar Kochba, and ultimately the rise of an insolent kingdom in the End of Days and the final wars. It is important to emphasize a fundamental principle established by the Malbim: this entire prophecy is not intended to recount salvations, but rather to chronicle the troubles, wars, and grief that Am Yisrael would endure throughout their exile.
The Rise of Antiochus: "And in his place shall arise a contemptible person"
וְעָמַד עַל־כַּנּוֹ נִבְזֶה וְלֹא־נָתְנוּ עָלָיו הוֹד מַלְכוּת וּבָא בְשַׁלְוָה וְהֶחֱזִיק מַלְכוּת בַּחֲלַקְלַקּוֹת׃ - And in his place shall arise a contemptible person, upon whom they did not confer royal majesty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom through flatteries.
"And in his place shall arise a contemptible person" - this is the wicked Antiochus, the last, who was vile in his character and despicable in his deeds. "Upon whom they did not confer royal majesty" - for his older brother had left behind a son as heir to the throne, and as seen in the earlier vision, a small horn emerged from him. "But he shall come in peaceably" - when his brother died, he was in Rome, and he returned from there. "And seize the kingdom through flatteries" - through sycophancy and smooth talk he seized the monarchy: he flattered them with smooth speech, saying in effect, "It is to your benefit that I rule; I will bestow gifts upon you," and the like, until he secured the kingdom in his grasp in this manner.
The Sweeping of Armies and the Treachery in Egypt
וּזְרֹעוֹת הַשֶּׁטֶף יִשָּׁטְפוּ מִלְּפָנָיו וְיִשָּׁבֵרוּ וְגַם נְגִיד בְּרִית׃ - And the arms of the flood shall be swept away before him and broken, and also the prince of the covenant.
"And the arms of the flood" - none of the armies of the nations could withstand him; he swept over and vanquished them all in battle, and they were swept away before him like a flooding river. "And also the prince of the covenant" - even the king of Egypt, with whom he had an alliance, was likewise swept away and overrun by him.
וּמִן־הִתְחַבְּרוּת אֵלָיו יַעֲשֶׂה מִרְמָה וְעָלָה וְעָצַם בִּמְעַט־גּוֹי׃ - And after making an alliance with him he shall practice deceit; and he shall rise and become powerful with a small nation.
Now Scripture explains how this alliance came about. Antiochus went to Egypt to visit his sister - Cleopatra, who had been sent there to arrange matters but failed to do so - and the son of the king was actually his nephew. Out of that closeness and association with the king of Egypt, "he shall practice deceit." "And he shall rise and become powerful with a small nation" - with only a small force he overpowered them, because the Egyptians did not guard themselves against him, and thus he prevailed over them.
בְּשַׁלְוָה וּבְמִשְׁמַנֵּי מְדִינָה יָבוֹא וְעָשָׂה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־עָשׂוּ אֲבֹתָיו וַאֲבוֹת אֲבֹתָיו בִּזָּה וְשָׁלָל וּרְכוּשׁ לָהֶם יִבְזוֹר וְעַל מִבְצָרִים יְחַשֵּׁב מַחְשְׁבֹתָיו וְעַד־עֵת׃ - In tranquility and into the richest parts of the province he shall enter, and do that which neither his fathers nor his fathers' fathers had done; booty, spoil, and wealth shall he scatter among them, and against strongholds he shall devise his schemes, but only for a time.
He entered there "in tranquility," because they did not suspect him - after all, he was the brother of the king's mother. "And into the richest parts of the province he shall enter" - he went to the most affluent regions, to the wealth, the silver, and the property. Nor was he content with this: "and wealth shall he scatter [yivzor] among them" - either in the sense of plunder [yivzoz], or from the language of dispersal, as in "He dispersed [pizer] nations." "And against strongholds he shall devise his schemes, but only for a time" - he further schemed how to conquer their fortresses; and during the winter months, when armies did not fight, he returned to his land and calculated how to attack again the following year in the spring season.
The Second War and Bribing the Egyptian Officers
וְיָעֵר כֹּחוֹ וּלְבָבוֹ עַל־מֶלֶךְ הַנֶּגֶב בְּחַיִל גָּדוֹל וּמֶלֶךְ הַנֶּגֶב יִתְגָּרֶה לַמִּלְחָמָה בְּחַיִל־גָּדוֹל וְעָצוּם עַד־מְאֹד וְלֹא יַעֲמֹד כִּי־יַחְשְׁבוּ עָלָיו מַחֲשָׁבוֹת׃ - And he will arouse his strength and his heart against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south will stir himself up to battle with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he will not stand, for they will devise schemes against him.
וְאֹכְלֵי פַת־בָּגוֹ יִשְׁבְּרוּהוּ וְחֵילוֹ יִשְׁטוֹף וְנָפְלוּ חֲלָלִים רַבִּים׃ - And those who eat his royal food will break him, and his army will sweep away, and many slain will fall.
The second time, Antiochus came immediately with a large force. The king of the south, Ptolemy Philometor, stirred himself to battle against him, but Antiochus was exceedingly shrewd and bribed the army commanders of the king of Egypt. Pat-bag refers to the royal portion allocated to a person from the king, the royal meal - as we saw with Daniel, where the steward brought them the king's pat-bag. "And those who eat his royal food will break him" - it was the king of the south's own courtiers, who ate at his table, who broke him. This is what was stated in the previous verse, "for they will devise schemes against him": Antiochus devised schemes and plots on how to hire those men and pay them to assist him. And through this, "and his army will sweep away, and many slain will fall" - many casualties fell from the army of the king of the south, because the men of the king of the north bribed the men of the king of the south to aid them.
"At One Table They Will Speak Lies"
וּשְׁנֵיהֶם הַמְּלָכִים לְבָבָם לְמֵרָע וְעַל־שֻׁלְחָן אֶחָד כָּזָב יְדַבֵּרוּ וְלֹא תִצְלָח כִּי־עוֹד קֵץ לַמּוֹעֵד׃ - And both of these kings, their hearts will be set on doing harm, and at one table they will speak lies, but it will not succeed, for an end is yet to come at the appointed time.
King Philometor then fell into his hands, and the Malbim explains that he was not an actual captive, but rather under his close influence. When the Egyptians crowned his younger brother, Euergetes, it was claimed that the king of the north had come solely for the sake of his sister. This was also what the people of Egypt believed: since his sister was there, he had come merely to assist her and her son, after which he would return to his land in the north and they would restore their king. Thus Philometor dined with him at one table amicably, but this was only on the surface; inwardly, their hearts were set on war and harming one another.
"And at one table they will speak lies" - Antiochus king of the north ostensibly promised him: I will secure the kingship in your hand; would I not help my own sister? But it was all deceit and falsehood, for his true intention was for the kingdom of Egypt to be conquered under his sway and for him to rule over everything. And the king of the south, for his part, told the king of the north: I will walk hand in hand with you and submit to your authority - and this, too, was a lie. Neither did one intend to make peace, nor did the other intend to submit to his authority.
"But it will not succeed" - for the plan was to foment a quarrel between the two brothers over the crown, so that the kingdom of Egypt would fall into his hands. After all, if the two heirs to the throne fought each other, what could be easier than conquering a divided and fractured nation? But the scheme did not succeed, because the brothers were wiser than he; they resolved to make peace between themselves in order to defeat the king of the north. "For an end is yet to come at the appointed time" - there was still time before his end would arrive, and all of this was preparation for the downfall of Antiochus, king of the north.
"And His Heart Will Be Against the Holy Covenant" - The Onset of the Decrees
וְיָשֹׁב אַרְצוֹ בִּרְכוּשׁ גָּדוֹל וּלְבָבוֹ עַל־בְּרִית קֹדֶשׁ וְעָשָׂה וְשָׁב לְאַרְצוֹ׃ - And he will return to his land with great wealth, and his heart will be against the holy covenant; and he will take action and return to his land.
Three times he marched against them, and on the second occasion he returned to his land with great wealth. At that time, a rumor spread in Yerushalayim that Antiochus had died. The Kohen Gadol whom Antiochus had deposed and replaced with another returned there, seeking to expel the Kohen Gadol whom Antiochus had appointed. When it became clear that Antiochus was not dead, he was furious that his appointment had been overturned. Seeing that the former Kohen Gadol had forcefully seized the High Priesthood and authority from his appointee - "and his heart will be against the holy covenant" - he decided to come, wage war against the Jewish people, and harm them: "and he will take action and return to his land."
לַמּוֹעֵד יָשׁוּב וּבָא בַנֶּגֶב וְלֹא־תִהְיֶה כָרִאשֹׁנָה וְכָאַחֲרוֹנָה׃ - At the appointed time he will return and come into the south, but it will not be as the first or as the last.
After hearing that the brothers in Egypt had made peace between themselves, he decided to take off the gloves and drop the pretense: he was no longer putting on a show of coming to assist his sister or having peaceful intentions, but came with the overt aim of waging war. "It will not be as the first or as the last" - he was no longer coming tentatively, but to annex parts of Egypt to his own kingdom with a high hand. Historical chronicles record that the people of Egypt then sent to request help from the Roman Senate, and Rome dispatched an emissary to him: If you do not leave the king of the south and return to your own land, we will wage war against you.
"Ships of Kittim Shall Come Against Him" - And Rage Against the Holy Covenant
וּבָאוּ בוֹ צִיִּים כִּתִּים וְנִכְאָה וְשָׁב וְזָעַם עַל־בְּרִית־קוֹדֶשׁ וְעָשָׂה וְשָׁב וְיָבֵן עַל־עֹזְבֵי בְּרִית קֹדֶשׁ׃ - Ships of Kittim will come against him, and he will be disheartened and turn back; he will rage against the holy covenant and take action, and he will return and give thought to those who forsake the holy covenant.
Tziyim are ships, a fleet; and Kittim are the Romans, who arrived against him in ships. "And he will be disheartened and turn back" - he was forced to withdraw from Egypt to his land. "He will rage against the holy covenant" - he sought to vent his fury on the Jewish people, for the Roman Senate did not object to his fighting us, since their concern was solely for Egypt. He sought to make the Jews abandon their Torah - and these are the days of Chanukah. "And take action and return" - he attacked them repeatedly to force them to abandon their religion, annihilating anyone who wished to observe the faith of Israel. "And he will give thought to those who forsake the holy covenant" - many among the Jewish people allied themselves with him, and he treated them favorably; these were the Hellenists who followed the wicked Antiochus.
The Malbim notes: Here, the verse does not recount the end of the episode - that the Chashmonaim prevailed, drove him out, and restored Jewish sovereignty. This is because that was already stated in the second prophecy, where it says, "it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground and trampled them," and it stated that this would continue until the prince of the host grew great - and we explained there that the prince of the host is Matisyahu and his sons, through whom the daily tamid offering was restored, the kingdom returned, the tamid sacrifices resumed, and they purified the Temple and restored it to its former state. Therefore, it does not repeat the description of Israel's triumph here, for this entire prophecy was intended solely to recount the tribulations, not the salvation.
The Next Stage: The Roman Destruction
וּזְרֹעִים מִמֶּנּוּ יַעֲמֹדוּ וְחִלְּלוּ הַמִּקְדָּשׁ הַמָּעוֹז וְהֵסִירוּ הַתָּמִיד וְנָתְנוּ הַשִּׁקּוּץ מְשֹׁמֵם׃ - Forces will arise from him and desecrate the fortress sanctuary, remove the daily tamid offering, and place the desolating abomination.
Now Scripture begins to recount the severity of the tribulations and the destruction wrought by Rome, for after the Greeks were driven out, the Romans came, and they were the ones who destroyed the Temple - Titus and his companions. Here he explains to him what he saw in the vision, that the foundation of His sanctuary was cast down, and what had been shown to him: "and the people of the prince who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary." "Forces" (zero'im) are men of might: warriors stronger than him, than Antiochus, will arise - these are Titus and his legions, who were mightier than the Greek kings. Proof of this: when they wished to drive Antiochus out of Egypt, a single letter from Rome was enough to make him turn back, for he was terrified of them - Rome possessed far greater power and might than he did.
"And desecrate the fortress sanctuary" - in Roman times, the Temple was truly a stronghold and fortress, for this was the Temple rebuilt by Herod, who renovated and expanded it in tremendous splendor and glory, about which the Sages said: One who has not seen the building of Herod has never seen a beautiful building in his life. This stood in contrast to the Temple initially built in the days of Cyrus by Ezra and Nechemiah, which was small and modest; Cyrus did not want a fortress-like Temple built, fearing it might be used against him if he were to besiege them and they fought back from within. In Herod's day, however, it was built with immense grandeur and served as a veritable fortress - which is why the Roman legions destroyed it. "And remove the daily tamid offering" - this corresponds to what we learned, "and a host was given over with the tamid in transgression," meaning they halted the tamid sacrifices. "And place the desolating abomination" - this occurred later, in the days of Hadrian, when they erected an idol on the site of the Temple, as we saw earlier: "and upon the wing of abominations shall be desolation" - kanaf meaning a flank or side, as they placed a desolating abomination alongside it.
Flattery for Covenant-Violators and the Steadfastness of Those Who Know Their God
וּמַרְשִׁיעֵי בְרִית יַחֲנִיף בַּחֲלַקּוֹת וְעַם יֹדְעֵי אֱלֹהָיו יַחֲזִקוּ וְעָשׂוּ׃ - And those who violate the covenant he will seduce with flattery, but the people who know their God will remain strong and take action.
Here he explains what was seen in the previous vision: "and he will confirm a covenant with many for one week." Titus would flatter the lawless elements (peritzim) that unfortunately existed among our people - those who act wickedly against the covenant - and speak to them with smooth words to convince them that it was worthwhile to forge an alliance with the Romans. "But the people who know their God will stand firm and act" - these are people like Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai and his colleagues, who held fast and tried to prevent the city from falling into the hands of Titus and his cohorts. On the other hand were the zealots (biryonim), those who violated the covenant, who went and set fire to all the storehouses of wood, straw, and oil - and all of this because he had flattered them with deceitful smooth talk.
וּמַשְׂכִּילֵי עָם יָבִינוּ לָרַבִּים וְנִכְשְׁלוּ בְּחֶרֶב וּבְלֶהָבָה בִּשְׁבִי וּבְבִזָּה יָמִים׃ - And the wise of the people will give understanding to the many, yet they will stumble by sword and by flame, by captivity and by pillage, for days.
"And the wise of the people will give understanding to the many" - these are the sages of the generation, where "yavinu" comes from the root of discernment and insight; they guided the multitude to remain steadfast in their faith. "Yet they will stumble by sword" - many were martyred after the Destruction by the sword, by fire, in captivity, and through plunder.
The Days of Bar Kochba: "They Will Be Helped with a Little Help"
וּבְהִכָּשְׁלָם יֵעָזְרוּ עֵזֶר מְעָט וְנִלְווּ עֲלֵיהֶם רַבִּים בַּחֲלַקְלַקּוֹת׃ - And when they stumble, they will be helped with a little help, but many will join them with flatteries.
"And when they stumble, they will be helped with a little help" - this took place in the days of Bar Kochba, when they experienced a brief respite of support, and many joined them to cast off the Roman yoke.
וּמִן־הַמַּשְׂכִּילִים יִכָּשְׁלוּ לִצְרוֹף בָּהֶם וּלְבָרֵר וְלַלְבֵּן עַד־עֵת קֵץ כִּי־עוֹד לַמּוֹעֵד׃ - And some of the wise will stumble, to refine them, to clarify, and to whiten until the time of the end, for it is yet for the appointed time.
"And some of the wise will stumble" - even towering Torah scholars, such as Rabbi Akiva, were mistaken and followed after this Bar Koziva. His name itself reflects his nature: Bar Koziva is associated with a dried-up, deceitful brook (nachal achzav) - great hopes were pinned on him in the belief that he was the Messiah, but in the end he brought profound disillusionment. "To refine them, to clarify, and to whiten" - through this, the sins of Israel were purged, serving to clarify and whiten their iniquities until the end of time, as holy and righteous figures were martyred, thereby atoning for the sins of the generation.
"For it is yet for the appointed time" - this cycle would repeat itself time and again until the era of Redemption arrives. Throughout all the terrible persecutions and decrees of destruction across the generations, exalted holy souls were martyred, and this always provided a measure of protection for the Jewish people so that they would not be utterly consumed. When the Holy One, blessed be He, descends to His garden to gather roses, the remainder of the vineyard is spared - the rest of the nation is saved. Sadly, as history has shown, this continues until the appointed time when the final Redemption arrives.
The King Who Exalts Himself Above Every God
וְעָשָׂה כִרְצֹנוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ וְיִתְרוֹמֵם וְיִתְגַּדֵּל עַל־כׇּל־אֵל וְעַל אֵל אֵלִים יְדַבֵּר נִפְלָאוֹת וְהִצְלִיחַ עַד־כָּלָה זַעַם כִּי נֶחֱרָצָה נֶעֱשָׂתָה׃ - And the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and against the God of gods he will speak monstrous things, and he will prosper until the wrath is completed, for what is decreed will be done.
Now he explains what was shown in the second vision: that at the end of their dominion an insolent king will arise - this is the rule of that "little horn" seen emerging and exalting itself above all others. This king will exalt and magnify himself above every deity, do as he pleases, and seek to change times and law. "And he will prosper until the wrath is completed, for what is decreed will be done" - he will succeed until the divine wrath passes. According to one interpretation cited, this refers to Muhammad: he is the little horn that exalts and magnifies itself; "and against the God of gods he will speak monstrous things" - claiming to be the prophet of God; "and he will prosper until the wrath is completed" - meaning that until Hashem's wrath is spent, Islam will, unfortunately, enjoy widespread success.
וְעַל־אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתָיו לֹא יָבִין וְעַל־חֶמְדַּת נָשִׁים וְעַל־כׇּל־אֱלוֹהַּ לֹא יָבִין כִּי עַל־כֹּל יִתְגַּדָּל׃ - "And he shall not pay regard to the God of his fathers, nor to the desire of women, nor shall he pay regard to any god, for he will magnify himself above all."
"Nor shall he pay regard to the God of his fathers" - he will not set his heart toward the God of his fathers, Who is the Holy One, blessed be He, to believe in His faith transmitted through Moshe. For he too ostensibly believed in the prophecy of Moshe and that the Torah was given through him, yet they claimed that he was His prophet; nevertheless, he did not contemplate this. "Nor to the desire of women" - he will not perceive the stature of Israel, who are called "the fairest among women." "Nor shall he pay regard to any god, for he will magnify himself above all" - he will not honor any god, because he magnifies himself above everything, declaring that this matters above all gods and above all else. For this reason they went out to wage war against every other religion and faith, and anyone who does not believe as they do is defined by them as an infidel; whoever does not believe in that fool known as Mohammed, whom the Rambam refers to as "the madman," is called an infidel in their eyes.
The God of Strongholds
וְלֶאֱלֹהַּ מָעֻזִּים עַל־כַּנּוֹ יְכַבֵּד וְלֶאֱלוֹהַּ אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יְדָעֻהוּ אֲבֹתָיו יְכַבֵּד בְּזָהָב וּבְכֶסֶף וּבְאֶבֶן יְקָרָה וּבַחֲמֻדוֹת׃ - "And he shall honor the god of strongholds on his pedestal, and a god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold, silver, precious stones, and costly things."
Yet he will honor the god of strongholds - asserting that he has strength from Allah, from his Father in Heaven. "On his pedestal he shall honor" - he will claim to be His emissary on earth, that the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, sent him here to be His prophet. "And a god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor" - here he explains who this "god of strongholds" is: a god whom his fathers did not know and did not believe in, who was not from their people or their family, and yet they will honor him with gold and silver; those who were not raised with him nonetheless went and accepted his religion and faith.
וְעָשָׂה לְמִבְצְרֵי מָעֻזִּים עִם־אֱלוֹהַּ נֵכָר אֲשֶׁר יַכִּיר יַרְבֶּה כָבוֹד וְהִמְשִׁילָם בָּרַבִּים וַאֲדָמָה יְחַלֵּק בִּמְחִיר׃ - "And he shall act against fortified strongholds with a foreign god; whomever he acknowledges he will heap with honor, and give them dominion over many, and divide the land for a price."
He made high and towering fortified strongholds, showered them with honor through gold and silver, and gave them dominion over the multitude so that everyone would pay him tribute; for in order to impose his religion, he needed to acquire prominence and authority.
The Wars of the End of Days
וּבְעֵת קֵץ יִתְנַגַּח עִמּוֹ מֶלֶךְ הַנֶּגֶב וְיִשְׂתָּעֵר עָלָיו מֶלֶךְ הַצָּפוֹן בְּרֶכֶב וּבְפָרָשִׁים וּבׇאֳנִיּוֹת רַבּוֹת וּבָא בַאֲרָצוֹת וְשָׁטַף וְעָבָר׃ - "And at the time of the end, the king of the south shall lock horns with him, and the king of the north shall storm against him with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overflow, and pass through."
Now he begins to describe what will take place at the End of Days: the king of the south will come and wage war against him, and the king of the north will storm against him. The Malbim explains that the king of the north, on the contrary, will actually come to champion his cause, to aid him and rescue him. In the chapters dealing with the War of Gog and Magog, we saw that the king of the south will wage war with Gog and Magog, who comes from the northern land; the king of Gog and Magog will come to conquer Jerusalem, and the king of the south will stand against him. "And he shall enter the countries, overflow, and pass through" - he will enter the lands of Yishmael, overflowing and sweeping through.
וּבָא בְּאֶרֶץ הַצְּבִי וְרַבּוֹת יִכָּשֵׁלוּ וְאֵלֶּה יִמָּלְטוּ מִיָּדוֹ אֱדוֹם וּמוֹאָב וְרֵאשִׁית בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן׃ - "And he shall enter the beautiful land, and many shall fall; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the foremost of the children of Ammon."
"And he shall enter the beautiful land" - according to the Malbim, this refers to the land of the east, where they will be weaker, whereas according to other commentators, it refers to Eretz Yisrael.
וְיִשְׁלַח יָדוֹ בַּאֲרָצוֹת וְאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לֹא תִהְיֶה לִפְלֵיטָה׃ - He will stretch forth his hand upon the lands, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
He will stretch forth his hand against the lands to strike them and destroy them, as well as to take plunder and carry off booty; and the land of Egypt too will not be able to stand before him and will not escape.
וּמָשַׁל בְּמִכְמַנֵּי הַזָּהָב וְהַכֶּסֶף וּבְכֹל חֲמֻדוֹת מִצְרָיִם וְלֻבִים וְכֻשִׁים בְּמִצְעָדָיו׃ - He will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and Cushites will follow in his footsteps.
The people of Cush will come to aid the people of Edom, and he will dominate them all: over all the precious treasures of Egypt, over the Libyans, and over the Cushites. He will plunder them all, and they will become an aid to the sons of the East.
וּשְׁמֻעוֹת יְבַהֲלֻהוּ מִמִּזְרָח וּמִצָּפוֹן וְיָצָא בְּחֵמָא גְדֹלָה לְהַשְׁמִיד וּלְהַחֲרִים רַבִּים׃ - But reports will alarm him from the east and from the north, and he will go forth with great fury to destroy and to annihilate many.
Afterwards, armies will be aroused to come and take vengeance for their brethren against whom he fought, just as is written in the Book of Yechezkel - and he will go forth with great fury to destroy and battle against them.
וְיִטַּע אׇהֳלֵי אַפַּדְנוֹ בֵּין יַמִּים לְהַר־צְבִי־קֹדֶשׁ וּבָא עַד־קִצּוֹ וְאֵין עוֹזֵר לוֹ׃ - And he will pitch his royal palace tents between the seas and the beautiful holy mountain, but he will come to his end, with none to help him.
Then he will pitch and set up his royal tents, as appears in Yechezkel which we have learned: "the valley of those who pass through, east of the sea," before Jerusalem. And there "he will come to his end" - there the multitude of Gog will fall and all his horde, when they come to wage war against Jerusalem, may Hashem strike them down speedily in our days, Amen.
In summary:
In this section of the chapter, the angel laid out the chain of tribulations before us: the contemptible Antiochus who seized the monarchy through smooth flatteries, his deceits and his wars against Egypt, the bribing of those who partook of the southern king's royal fare, the deception spoken at a single table, and then his rage against the holy covenant culminating in the decrees of extermination prior to Chanukah. From there the prophecy ascends to Rome - "arms" mightier than he - to the desecration of the fortified Sanctuary built by Herod, the removal of the Tamid, and the desolate abomination in Hadrian's day; to the flattery directed at those who violate the covenant and the firm stand of those who know their God, to the days of Bar Kochba and the failure that refined and purged the generation's sins. And finally, to the End of Days: a kingdom magnifying itself above any god, a god of fortresses, and the end-time wars that culminate in the fall of Gog before Jerusalem. And the fundamental principle that the Malbim teaches us: this prophecy does not come to recount salvations, but tribulations; yet the refining and purging within them are themselves the safeguarding of the vineyard until the appointed time when the Redemption arrives, speedily in our days, Amen.