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and Syria. These two were by far the greatest and most considerable: and these two at one time, were in a manner the only remaining kingdoms of the four; the kingdom of Macedon having been conquered by Lysimachus and annexed to Thrace; and Lysimachus again having been conquered by Seleucus, and the kingdoms of Macedon and Thrace annexed to Syria. These two likewise continued distinct kingdoms, after the others were swallowed up by the power of the Romans. But there is a more proper and peculiar reason for enlarging upon these two particulars; because Judea, lying between them, was sometimes in the possession of the kings of Egypt, and sometimes of the kings of Syria; and it is the purpose of the holy Scripture, to interweave only so much of foreign affairs, as hath some relation to the Jews: and it is in respect of their situation to Judea, that the kings of Egypt and Syria are called the kings of the south and the north. Verse 5: And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes,' that is, of Alexander's princes, and he shall be strong above him.' There is manifestly either some redundance, or some defect in the Hebrew copy; which should be rendered as it is by the Seventy, And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes shall be strong above him: or perhaps may be better rendered thus, And, the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and the king of the north shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion. The king of the south was indeed very strong; for Ptolemy had annexed Cyprus, Phoenicia, Caria, and many islands, and cities, and

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regions to Egypt, as Jerome here commemorates out of the ancients. He had likewise enlarged the bounds of his empire, as Justin testifies, by the acquisition of Cyrene, and was now become so great, that he was in a condition not so much to fear, as to be feared by his enemies. But still the king of the north, or Seleucus Nicator, was strong above him; for having annexed, as we have seen, the kingdoms of Macedon and Thrace to the crown of Syria, he was become master of three parts out of four of Alexander's dominions. All historians agree in representing him not only as the longest liver of Alexander's successors, but likewise as the conqueror of the conquerors. Appian in particular enumerates the nations which he subdued, and the cities which he built, and affirms, that after Alexander he possessed the largest part of Asia; for all was subject to him from Phrygia up to the river Indus, and beyond it; and afterwards he denominates him expressly 'the greatest king of Alexander.'

"Seleucus Nicator, having reigned seven months after the death of Lysimachus, over the kingdoms of Macedon, Thrace, and Syria, was basely murdered; and to him succeeded in the throne of Syria, his son, Antiochus Soter, and to Antiochus Soter succeeded his son, Antiochus Theus. At the same time Ptolemy Philadelphus reigned in Egypt after his father, the first Ptolemy, the son of Lagus. There were frequent_wars between the kings of Egypt and Syria. There were so, particularly between Ptolemy Philadelphus, the second king of Egypt, and Antiochus Theus, the third king of Syria. Verse 6: And in the end of years they shall join themselves together'; for

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the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north; to make an agreement; but she shall not retain the power of the arm, neither shall he stand, nor his arm; but she shall be given up, and they that brought her; and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.' And in the end of years; that is, after several years, for these wars lasted long; Jerome reports out of the ancients, and Antiochus Theus fought against Ptolemy Philadelphus with all the forces of Babylon and the east.' They shall join themselves together, or shall associate themselves: at length they agreed to make peace upon condition that Antiochus Theus should put away his former wife Laodice and her two sons, and should marry Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy Philadelphus. For the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make rights, or an agreement and accordingly, Ptolemy Philadelphus brought his daughter to Antiochus Theus, and with her an immense treasure, so that he received the appellation of the dowry-giver. But she shall not retain the power of the arm, that is, her interest and power with Antiochus; for after some time, in a fit of love, he brought back his former wife, Laodice, with her children, to court again. Neither shall he stand, nor his arm, or his seed; for Laodice, fearing the fickle temper of her husband, lest he should recall Berenice, caused him to be poisoned; and neither did his seed by Berenice succeed him in the kingdom, but Laodice contrived and managed matters so as to fix her elder son, Seleucus Callinicus, on the throne of his ancestors. But she shall be given up; for Laodice, not content with poisoning her husband,

caused also Berenice to be murdered. And they that brought her; for her Egyptian women and attendants, endeavoring to defend her, were many of them slain with her. And he that begat her, or rather as it is in the margin, he whom she brought forth; for the son was murdered, as well as the mother, by order of Laodice. And he that strengthened her in these times; her husband, Antiochus, as Jerome conceives; or those who took her part and defended her; or rather her father, who died a little before, and was so very fond of her, that he took care continually to send her fresh supplies of the water of the Nile, thinking it better for her to drink of that than of any other river, as Polybius relates.

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"But such wickedness should not pass unpunished and unrevenged. Verses 7, 8, 9: But out of a branch of her root shall one stand up in his estate,' or rather as it is translated in the vulgar Latin, out of a branch of her root shall stand up a plant; and he shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress,' or the fenced cities, of the king of the north, and shall deal,' shall act, against them, and shall prevail; and shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes,' or rather their gods, with their molten images, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north,' or more literally, he shall continue some years after the king of the north. So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.' This branch which sprung out of the same root with Berenice, was Ptolemy Euergetes, her brother, who no sooner succeeded his father, Pto

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lemy Philadelphus, in the kingdom, than he came with a great army, and entered into the provinces of the king of the north, that is, of Seleucus Callinicus, who with his mother, Laodice, reigned in Syria and he acted against them, and prevailed so far, that he took Syria and Cilicia, and the upper parts beyond the Euphrates, and almost all Asia. And when he had heard that a sedition was raised in Egypt, he plundered the kingdom of Seleucus, and took forty thousand talents of silver and precious vessels, and images of the gods, two thousand and five hundred among which were also those which Cambyses, after he had taken Egypt, had carried into Persia. And for thus restoring their gods, after many years, the Egyptians, who were a nation much addicted to idolatry, complimented him with the title of Euergetes, or the benefactor. This is Jerome's account, extracted from ancient historians; but there are authors still extant, who confirm several of the same particulars. Appian informs us, that Laodice having killed Antiochus, and after him both Berenice and her child, Ptolemy, the son of Philadelphus, to revenge these murders, invaded Syria, slew Laodice, and proceeded as far as to Babylon. From Polybius, we learn that Ptolemy, surnamed Euergetes, being greatly incensed at the cruel treatment of his sister, Berenice, marched with an army into Syria, and took the city of Seleucia, which was kept for some years afterwards by the garrisons of the kings of Egypt. Thus did he enter into the fortress of the king of the north. Polyænus affirms that Ptolemy made himself master of all the country from mount Taurus, as far as to India, without war or battle; but he ascribes it, by

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