2 Maccabees Chapter 10: Meaning

Judas purifies the temple and celebrates for eight days, then wins more battles with God's help.

Summary

Judas Maccabeus and his men took back the temple in Jerusalem. They tore down the pagan altars and cleaned everything out. They made a new altar, lit a new fire using flint, and offered sacrifice for the first time in two years. They set out the incense, the lamps, and the bread of the presence. Then they fell down and prayed that God would never let this happen again.

The purification happened on the exact same day of the year the temple had been made unclean, the twenty-fifth of Kislev. The people celebrated for eight days with great joy, carrying branches and singing hymns. They voted to make it a yearly celebration for all Jews everywhere. This became the festival of Hanukkah. This chapter also notes the death of Antiochus Epiphanes and introduces his son Antiochus Eupator.

New troubles came quickly. Nearby enemies kept attacking the Jews. Judas and his men prayed again and then launched a fierce attack on the Idumean strongholds. They captured twenty fortress positions and killed over twenty thousand enemies. But some of Simon's men took bribes and let enemies escape, which made Judas very angry. He had the traitors executed.

Then a general named Timothy came with a huge army of hired soldiers. As Timothy drew near, Judas's men prayed and put on sackcloth as a sign of humility. In the battle, five riders on horseback with golden bridles appeared from heaven. They protected Judas on every side and helped his men win. Twenty-five thousand enemy soldiers were killed. Timothy was later found hiding in a well and was killed too. After the victory, Judas and his men praised God.

Historical Context

The purification of the temple in this chapter is the event that Hanukkah celebrates to this day. It happened in December of 164 BC, about three years after Antiochus had made the temple unclean. For Jewish people, this was a miraculous restoration of their most holy place.

The battles against the Idumeans and Timothy show that even after the temple was cleaned, the Jewish people still faced enemies on many sides. Judas had to keep fighting to protect what they had won.