"An international movement originally for the establishment of a Jewish national or
religious community in Palestine and later for the support of modern Israel."
("Zionism," Webster's 11th Collegiate Dictionary). See also "Zionism", Encyclopedia
Britannica, which describes it as a "Jewish nationalist movement that has had as its
goal the creation and support of a Jewish national state in Palestine, the ancient
homeland of the Jews," and The American Heritage Dictionary of the English
Language, Fourth Edition, which defines it as "A Jewish movement that arose in the
late 19th century in response to growing anti-Semitism and sought to reestablish a
Jewish homeland in Palestine. Modern Zionism is concerned with the support and
development of the state of Israel."

Gill
Dan 11:14 And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of
the south,.... The king of Egypt, Ptolemy Epiphanes being a minor; and while he was

such, Antiochus king of Syria, and Philip king of Macedon, joined in alliance together,
as before observed, to seize upon his kingdom, and divide it between them; and
accordingly Antiochus began the war in Coelesyria and Phoenicia, and Philip went
against Egypt and Samos, or Caria, according to Polybius(q). Agathocles and
Agathoclea, favourites of the former king of Egypt, laid a scheme of taking the
regency into their hands during the minority of the young king; and these, being
persons of dissolute lives, were hated by the Egyptians, which caused insurrections
and seditions among themselves; and Scopas, a principal general in the army of the
king of Egypt, formed a design of taking the government to himself:

countrymen, at least some of them, refractory persons that broke through all laws of
God and men; seditious men, disturbers of the public peace, and who lived upon the
spoil and plunder of others; these either took the advantage of the disturbances in
Egypt, and went thither, and plundered what they could, in a bold and audacious
manner, and so helped to fulfil this prophecy; or during the troubles in their own land,
through the kings of Egypt and Syria, took the opportunity of committing thefts and
robberies in a very daring manner, whereby they brought upon them those evils
threatened in the law to such persons; and particularly when the Egyptians prevailed,
they sided with them against Antiochus, especially such who apostatized from their
religion to please the king of Egypt; but were afterwards punished by Antiochus, as it
follows:

Ptolemy's party were by Antiochus, when he invaded Judea, and became master of
Jerusalem; see third Maccabees chapter one. Some understand this of the apostate
Jews, who fled with Onias the high priest to Egypt, and were there honourably
received by Ptolemy, and obtained leave to build a temple there, under pretence of
fulfilling the vision or prophecy inI sa_19 : 19, which continued many years to the
times of the Romans, by whom it was destroyed; but this does not agree with the
reign of this king of Egypt; for it was in the times of Ptolemy Philometor that this
affair happened, as Josephus(r) relates. Sir Isaac Newton interprets it of the
Samaritans(s).

always opposed to him, and who was constantly waging war with him, but also others
with whom he would be particularly involved, or who would be opposed to him. The
reference is especially to Philip, king of Macedon, and to Agathocles, who excited a
rebellion against him in Egypt. See Jerome on Dan. 11; Polybius, xv. 20; Lengerke, \u201cin

agreement to invade the dominions of Ptolemy Epiphanes, and to divide them
between themselves. At the same time a treasonable plot was laid against the life of
Ptolemy by Scopas the AEtolian (Polyb. xvii.), who had under his command the army
of the Egyptians, and who designed to take advantage of the youth of the king, and
seize upon the throne. This project was defeated by the vigilance of Aristomenes, the
prime minister. - Prideaux, iii. 181. See also the account of the conspiracy of
Agathocles, and his sister Agathoclea, against Ptolemy, when an infant, in Prideaux,
iii. 168, seq. These facts fully accord with what is said in the passage before us.

to Daniel, and states what would be done in these circumstances by his own people -
the Jews. It is to be remembered that, in these times, they were alternately under the
dominion of the Egyptian and the Syrian monarchs - of Ptolemy and of Antiochus. The
principal seat of the wars between Syria and Egypt was Palestine - the border land
between them and Judea, therefore, often changed masters. Ptolemy Philopater had
subdued Coelo-Syria and Palestine, and Ptolemy Epiphanes came into possession of
them when he ascended the throne. But the angel now says that a portion of his
people would take occasion, from the weakness of the youthful monarch of Egypt,
and the conspiracies in his own kingdom, and the foreign combinations against him,
to attempt to throw off his authority, and to become independent. That part of the
people who would attempt to do this is designated in the common translation as \u201cthe
robbers of thy people.\u201d

This, however, is scarcely a correct version, and does not properly indicate the persons that would be engaged in the plot. The marginal reading is, \u201cchildren of robbers.\u201d The Latin Vulgate, \u201cfilii quoque proevaricatorum populi tui.\u201d The Greek renders it \u03bf\u03b9\u0314 \u03c5\u03b9\u0314

\u201cviolent, rapacious; an opressor, robber.\u201d - Gesenius, Lexicon The reference here
seems to be to the mighty ones of the nation; the chiefs, or rulers - but a name is
given them that would properly denote their character for oppression and rapacity.

It would seem - what is indeed probable from the circumstances of the case - that
the nation was not only subject to this foreign authority, but that those who were
placed over it, under that foreign authority, and who were probably mainly of their
own people, were also themselves tyrannical and oppressive in their character. These
subordinate rulers, however, preferred the authority of Antiochus to that of Ptolemy,
and on the occasion of his return from the conquests of Coelo-Syria and Samaria,
they met him, and professed submission to him. - Josephus, \u201cAnt.\u201d b. xii. ch. iii.
Section 3. \u201cThe Jews,\u201d says Josephus, \u201cof their own accord, went over to him, and
received him into the city (Jerusalem), and gave plentiful provision to his army, and
to his elephants, and readily assisted him when he besieged the garrison which was
in the citadel of Jerusalem.\u201d On this occasion, Josephus says that Antiochus bestowed
many favors on the Jews; wrote letters to the generals of his armies commending
their conduct; published a decree respecting the piety of the Jewish people, and sent
an epistle to Ptolemy, stating what he had done for them, and what he desired should
be further done. See these statments and letters in Josephus, \u201cut supra.\u201d

what had been predicted in regard to the Hebrew people. Their conduct in this matter
shall have an important bearing on the fulfillment of the prophecy pertaining to that
people - shall be one of the links in the chain of events securing its accomplishment.
The angel does not say that it was a part of their \u201cdesign\u201d to \u201cestablish the vision,\u201d
but that that would be the \u201cresult\u201d of what they did. No doubt their conduct in this
matter had a great influence on the series of events that contributed to the
accomplishment of that prediction. Lengerke supposes that the \u201cvision\u201d here refers
to that spoken of inDan_9 :2 4.

Their conduct in the affair will indeed promote the fulfillment of the \u201cvision,\u201d but it
will not secure the ends which \u201cthey\u201d have in view - perhaps their own
aggrandizement; or the favor of Antiochus toward themselves; or the permanent
separation of the nation from the Egyptian rule, or the hope that their country might
become independent altogether. As a matter of fact, Antiochus subsequently, on his
return from Egypt (198 b.c.), took Jerusalem, and killed many of the party of Ptolemy,
who had given themselves up to him, though he showed particular favor to those
who had adhered to the observance of their own law, and could not be prevailed on
by the king of Egypt to apostatize from it. - Prideaux, iii. 198; Jos. \u201cAnt.\u201d b. xii. ch. v.
Section 3.

house of Jehovah, thegate which faces eastward. And, behold, at the opening of
the gatew e re twenty five men. And I saw among them Jaazaniah the son of
Azzur, and Pelatiah, the son of Benaiah, leaders of the people.