With the arms. — More correctly, and the arms in a flood; that is, the overwhelming forces of invading armies are swept away by the troops of this terrible king. But besides the enemy, the “prince of the covenant” is to be destroyed also. This expression is most readily explained by observing that it stands in contrast with the hostile armies mentioned in the first clause. It is an expression similar to “men of covenant,” “lords of covenant,” and means “those who were at peace with him,” “prince” being used as a collective noun (see Daniel 11:18). This has been supposed to refer to the murder of Onias III. (2MMalachi 4:1, &c., 2Ma. 4:33, &c.); but there is no reason for supposing that the high priest was ever called by such a title as “prince of the covenant.”

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