There are lots of biblical and related links, especially in the Book of Daniel, to the kings who produced the coins covered in this article. The title "the king of the south" is used, confusingly, for several of them.
Alexander the Great is the he-goat from the west who strikes down the ram with two horns (the Medo-Persian Empire) in Daniel 8:5-8, 21. He is also the mighty king of 11:3-4.
Ptolemy I is one of Alexander's generals who vied for his kingdom after the death of the latter (Daniel 8:8, 22; 11:4). He is also the king of the south in 11:5.
Ptolemy II Philadephus is the king of the south whose daughter (Berenice Syra) is mentioned in Daniel 11:6. And according to the legend in the Letter of Aristeas, he commissioned the Greek translation of the Pentateuch.
Ptolemy III is the branch from the roots of the daughter of the king of the south mentioned in Daniel 11:7-9.
Ptolemy IV Philopater is the king of the south mentioned in Daniel 11:11.
CoinWeek had an earlier three-part series on the Ptolemaic coins, which I noted here, here, and here. I discussed their biblical and ancient Jewish connections in those posts. And for still more on the Ptolemaic coinage, see here.
NOTE: I have updated this post in May of 2024 to correct some information about Berenice Syra.
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