Verse 13: “And the king of the North will return, and he will cause to stand a great multitude – greater than the first time. At the end of times in years he will certainly come with a great army and with abundant assets.”

Cause to stand: Establish.

At the end of times in years: This is an expression that leads us to the conclusion that we are reading about the last days.

A great army: Once more, the king of the North is going to want to wage war against the king of the South.

Note: This constant backwards and forwards of wars and rumors of wars fits in with what Yeshua taught in regard to the last days – according to Matthew 24:6-7, Mark 13:7-8 and Luke 21:9-10.

This also agrees with the prophets who taught that in the last days there are going to be numerous battles and conflicts – with Israel stuck in the middle of them.

Verse 14: “And in those times many will stand ל ַּע the king of the South; and the sons of those who burst forth, among your own people, in order that they might lift up and establish the vision. But they are going to fail.”

In those times: At the end of times of years i.e. in those last days. ל ַּע: Some translators translate this word as ‘against’ other translators will translate it ‘with’.

Baruch translates it “with” or “concerning” – the reason being that the king of the North is the problem king and the North is where the antichrist will come from. Many are going to stand with the king of the South against this Northern kingdom.

South: The word used here is ‘Negev’.

Sons: Children

Burst forth (י ָ֣ ֵיצ ר ָפ(: Some Bibles translate this word as ‘robbers’ or ‘violent ones’ but it is literally the word for bursting forth.

If someone bursts into a place, they may be considered a robber, but the word here is literally speaking about those who transgress or who do not obey the law of God. Those who are violators.

Your own people: In order to defeat the king of the North some Jewish people are going to side with the king of the South. This is a wrong decision.

Vision: The vision of establishing the kingdom of Israel. Historically, Israel, because of a lack of faith in the faithfulness of G-d, try to make alliances with Egypt. They are constantly turning to Egypt (and others) for security and here, in order to establish their kingdom, we see them doing it again.

We know that the Kingdom of God is not going to be established because of assistance from Egypt.

Israel is going to be brought to a place where they are going to realize that they can trust no one else but G-d to deliver them.

Going to fail: The establishment of the kingdom is not going to be done through trusting in and helping the king of the South.

Verse 15: “The king of the North will come and will pour out a siege ramp, and he will take the fortified city. The forces of the South will not stand, nor his chosen people. They will have no power to stand.”

Siege ramp: He is pouring out a siege wall in order to go right over the wall of the city.

Fortified: Strong

Forces: Military forces

Chosen people: Those ones who are the most powerful, specifically chosen to be part of the king of the South’s confederacy.

Stand: Resist

Note: The king of the North is triumphant this time around. Notice, though, that these victories never last long. This is a unique feature in this chapter. Just when the king thinks he has been victorious, he has defeated his enemies, and he has power he loses. These kingdoms are never firmly established but are in a constant state of flux. Victory does not produce the desired results.