Daniel 10:20

With the prince. The KJV may be understood as meaning either that the angel was to fight on the side of the prince of Persia, or that he was to fight against him. The Greek versions are likewise ambiguous. The preposition meta, “with,” which it employs, may imply either alliance, as in 1 John 1:3, or hostility, as in Rev. 2:16. The Hebrew of this passage, however, seems to give a clear indication of its meaning. The verb lacham, “to fight,” is used 28 times in the OT, followed, as here, by the preposition ‘im, “with.” In these instances the context clearly indicates that the word is to be taken in the sense of “against” (see Deut. 20:4; 2 Kings 13:12; Jer. 41:12; Dan. 11:11). It seems certain, then, that the angel is here speaking of further conflict between himself and the “prince of Persia.” That this struggle did continue long after the time of Daniel’s vision is shown by Ezra 4:4-24. “The forces of the enemy were held in check all the days of Cyrus, and all the days of his son Cambyses, who reigned about seven and a half years” (PK 572).

Prince of Grecia. The Hebrew word here for “prince,” sar, is the same as that employed previously (see on v. 13). The angel had told Daniel that he was returning to continue the struggle with the powers of darkness that contended for control of the mind of the king of Persia. Then he looked further toward the future and indicated that when he finally would withdraw from the struggle, a revolution would ensue in world affairs. As long as God’s angel held at bay the evil forces seeking to dominate the Persian government, that empire stood. But when divine influence was withdrawn and the control of the leaders of the nation was left entirely to the powers of darkness, ruin for their empire quickly followed. Led by Alexander, the armies of Greece swept over the world and quickly extinguished the Persian Empire.

The truth stated by the angel in this verse throws light on the revelation that follows. The ensuing prophecy, a record of war upon war, assumes greater meaning when understood in the light of what the angel has here observed. While men straggle with one another for earthly power, behind the scenes, and hidden from human eyes, an even greater straggle is going on, of which the ebb and flow of earthly affairs is a reflection (see Ed 173). As God’s people are shown to be preserved throughout their troubled history — recorded prophetically by Daniel — so it is sure that in that greater straggle, the legions of light will have the victory over the powers of darkness.