»News from the East and the North« in Daniel 11:44: The Motif of the Fall of Babylon

Abstract This article reinterprets the enigmatic »news from the east and the north« in Dan 11:44, arguing its symbolic rather than literal geographical meaning. It posits that these alarming messages echo prophetic announcements of the fall of Babylon found in biblical literature (Isa 13–14, 21, 47–48; Jer 25, 50–51) and within the book of Daniel (Dan 4–5). By connecting Dan 11:44 to Isa 41 and Jer 51:46, the article concludes that the »news« functions as a divine warning, signifying judgment and offering hope for deliverance from tyranny, consistent with the broader biblical motif of the fall of Babylon.