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Daniel 11:18
ESV Afterward he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him.
NIV Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him.
NASB Then he will turn his face to the coastlands and capture many. But a commander will put a stop to his taunting against him; moreover, he will repay him for his taunting.
CSB Then he will turn his attention to the coasts and islands and capture many. But a commander will put an end to his taunting; instead, he will turn his taunts against him.
NLT After this, he will turn his attention to the coastland and conquer many cities. But a commander from another land will put an end to his insolence and cause him to retreat in shame.
KJV After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him.

What does Daniel 11:18 mean?

Daniel's writing in this section records prophecies he received in 536 BC (Daniel 10:1), during the reign of Cyrus in Persia. This set of predictions involved various wars fought over the territory of Judea after the end of the Persian Empire (Daniel 11:2–12). Eventually, the northern Seleucid Empire established clear control over Israelite territory. Rather than fighting a two-front war with Egypt and Rome, the king of Syria, Antiochus III, attempted diplomacy. He married off his daughter to the king of Egypt. He seemed to have hoped she would weaken Egyptian hostility. However, when she died, the advisors who succeeded her soon declared war (Daniel 11:13–17).

Now Daniel speaks of wars over "coastlands," ultimately thwarted by a commander who turns the "king of the north" back. This involves some reversal of "insolence." The Hebrew word used here is from the root herpāh, which suggests contempt and scorn. In this case, it seems to mean that the king of the north is being bold and arrogant in his attacks: he is being "insolent." Then a commander will turn that same arrogance back on the king of the north.

History confirms this prophecy. The figure described here, the "king of the north," is the King of Syria, Antiochus III, or "Antiochus the Great." After his daughter's marriage to the king of Egypt, Antiochus engaged in conquest through Asia Minor and Greece, a region famous for its coastlines. This was successful, at first. Then the Romans gained naval dominance. Ultimately, Rome sent the general Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus to drive Antiochus back. This aggressive tactic eventually forced Antiochus back across Asia Minor, where he agreed to peace terms. Those included being forced to pay restitution to Rome for his attacks. He was also obligated to leave his son, Mithradates, as a political hostage. This boy would eventually become Antiochus IV Epiphanes, infamous for his spiteful persecution of Jews (Daniel 8:23–25).

The next verse predicts what came next for Antiochus the Great: a return home shortly before his death (Daniel 11:19).
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