דניאל, פרק י״א, פסוק מ״א

A sweeping military campaign led by a powerful northern king brings widespread destruction to the region, yet strangely leaves specific territories untouched. [אבן עזרא] identifies this conqueror as the king of Constantina.

The king directs his forces into the beautiful and highly desired land of Israel. The primary motive for this invasion is outright territorial conquest [מלבי״ם]. However, another perspective views this as a brutal punitive mission. According to [יוסף אבן יחיא], Israel was already under the king's control but seized the opportunity to rebel while he was distracted by a campaign to subdue Edom. In response, the king returns filled with intense anger to crush the uprising.

As the invasion unfolds, massive casualties and downfalls occur. There are different views on who exactly suffers this fate. One approach suggests that many surrounding nations, particularly in the East, will simply be too weak to withstand the king's power and will be destroyed [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם]. Another view narrows the focus to the land of Israel itself, explaining that numerous cities within its borders will be completely wiped out as a direct punishment for their rebellion [יוסף אבן יחיא]. This devastating downfall can take the form of physical slaughter on the battlefield, or it may manifest as forced religious conversion [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Despite the overwhelming devastation, certain areas manage to escape the king's grasp. The territories of Edom and Moab remain safe. This refers specifically to the inhabitants of Mount Seir [מצודת דוד], or more broadly to the people living in the historical lands that once belonged to Edom and Moab [אבן עזרא, יוסף אבן יחיא]. Alongside them, parts of the Ammonite territory are also spared. The primary approach among commentators is that the finest and most elite cities of Ammon will be saved [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, this survival may apply only to the outer edges and borders of the Ammonite land [ביאור שטיינזלץ].