“And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.”
My Notes
What Does Daniel 11:22 Mean?
"And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant." The prophetic vision describes a military force — 'arms of a flood' — sweeping away opposition and breaking everything, INCLUDING the 'prince of the covenant.' The flood-arms overwhelm all resistance. The breaking is comprehensive. And even the covenant-prince — a figure of special religious or political significance — is broken alongside everyone else.
The phrase "arms of a flood" (zero'ot hashsheteph — arms/forces of the overwhelming flood) combines military and natural-disaster imagery: an army that operates with the unstoppable force of a flood. The 'arms' are military forces. The 'flood' is their method. The army doesn't fight like soldiers. It overwhelms like water — sweeping, drowning, carrying away everything in its path.
The "prince of the covenant" (negid habberit — the leader/prince of the covenant) is the most debated figure in the verse: interpreted as a high priest, a political leader, or a messianic figure, the 'prince of the covenant' is someone defined by their COVENANT relationship. And even THIS person is broken. The covenant-connection doesn't protect from the flood-arms. The special status doesn't prevent the breaking.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What person or institution you assumed was protected has been broken by overwhelming forces?
- 2.How does military force operating like a flood describe indiscriminate, all-consuming destruction?
- 3.What does even the 'prince of the covenant' being broken teach about the limits of special status?
- 4.What flood-arms are operating in your world — and who is being swept away?
Devotional
Arms like a flood. Everything swept away. Everything broken. Even the prince of the covenant — the leader defined by sacred relationship — is broken alongside everyone else. The flood doesn't discriminate. The breaking doesn't check credentials.
The 'arms of a flood' describes military force operating like a natural disaster: the army doesn't advance in orderly formations. It FLOODS — sweeping, overwhelming, drowning resistance the way water drowns everything in a floodplain. The flood doesn't fight individual battles. It overwhelms entire landscapes. The military force has the indiscriminate, all-consuming quality of rising water.
The 'shall be broken' is the universal outcome: everyone who stands before this force is broken. The resistance isn't just defeated. It's BROKEN — shattered, structurally compromised, incapable of reassembly. The breaking is the opposite of bending. Bending preserves the structure. Breaking destroys it. The force doesn't push people aside. It breaks them.
The 'yea, also the prince of the covenant' is the detail that makes the breaking TOTAL: even the covenant-prince — the figure who should be most protected by sacred relationship, most shielded by special status, most immune to ordinary destruction — is broken. The 'yea, also' (vegam) is the emphatic addition: even HIM. Even the covenant-connected one. Even the religiously significant leader. The flood-arms break everyone. Including the one you assumed was safe.
What 'prince of the covenant' — what person or institution you assumed was protected — has been broken by overwhelming forces?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken,.... That is, by the help of…
And with the arms of a flood - The refercnce here is to some mighty invasion of some country by Antiochus, which would…
And with the arms of a flood - The arms which were overflown before him were his competitors for the crown. They were…
All this is a prophecy of the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, the little horn spoken of before (Dan 8:9) a sworn enemy to…
General description of Antiochus" character and dealings. The verses have often (from Jerome onwards) been referred to…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture