What does Daniel 11:25 mean?

During the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the 2nd century BC, his Seleucid Empire defeated Ptolemaic Egypt in a series of conflicts. Among these was a counterattack near the city of Pelusium which ambushed an incoming Egyptian army (Daniel 11:21–24). That resulted in the Seleucid Empire effectively controlling Egypt. Some scholars view aspects of Daniel's prophecy (Daniel 10:1) as predictions of those early battles. While these prophecies are less poetic than many in the Bible, they are not overly specific. History helps us fill in gaps in our understanding.

Throughout this series of prophecies, references to the "south" have pointed to the nation of Egypt (Daniel 11:11–19). The "north" is the Seleucid Empire, also referred to as Syria. Many of the Egyptian leaders of this era carried the name Ptolemy, while the Seleucid rulers passed down the name Antiochus.

As Antiochus continued to thrash Egyptian armies, using his "great army," he was aided by political intrigue in the Egyptian ruling classes. This would correspond with the "plots" mentioned here. The following verse will refer to close associates of the Egyptian ruler participating in his downfall (Daniel 11:26).