“One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. 8 He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. 9 Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country. 10 His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress.
Even the casual reader of these opening verses of chapter 11 will be struck by the bitter opposition growing up between these two powers of the North and the South. The next chapter in that rivalry was written by Berenice’s brother, “one from her family line,” who arose “to take her place.” He took the Egyptian throne under the name Ptolemy III, also called Euergetes. He invaded Syria, defeated its army, and killed Laodice, who had been involved in the murder of his sister. Ptolemy’s smashing success can be measured by the statement that after defeating the Syrians on the battlefield, he would also seize their gods and their metal images, in addition to their temple treasures, and carry them off to Egypt. This was a complete victory, since a nation’s gods were looked upon as protectors of the country.
Syrian power was not broken permanently, however. Two years later, Seleucus II rebuilt his army and invaded Egypt, only to be defeated. His sons Seleucus III and Antiochus III, in turn, accomplished what their father had been unable to. A huge Syrian army recaptured territory along the eastern Mediterranean coast that had been lost to the Egyptians and penetrated far enough south to attack the Egyptian fortress.
11 “Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated. 12 When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. 13 For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped.
Enraged at losing territory he had occupied, Ptolemy IV, also called Philopator, fought back. He moved north against the armies of Antiochus III (the Great) and forced them to retreat. He retook the cities in Palestine and Phoenicia, and slaughtered many thousands of Syria’s finest.
Although he was proud of his impressive victories, Ptolemy IV did not remain victorious for long. Instead of pressing his advantage, he forfeited it by returning to the easy and dissolute palace life he preferred, a fact which lost him the respect and the loyalty of many of his citizens. Another result was that despite earlier defeats, Antiochus III was able to raise an even larger army, which several years later would move toward Egypt.