Cheshvan 21 – Fill them with cowardice, melt their boldness, let them tremble…

Cheshvan 21, 5785; from sunset November 21, 2024, to sunset November 22, 2024

(The twenty-first day of the eighth month)

Below is the story of the battle between the Maccabees and the army of Lysias. This is a part of the Hanukkah revolution initiated by the Maccabees. The success of this conflict opened the door for the retaking of Jerusalem and the cleansing of the Temple. The encounter occurred in 164 BCE, three years after Mattathias took a stand against Antiochus (which began the revolution) and about a month before the rededication of the Temple which we remember in our Hanukkah celebration today. Though an exact date is not mentioned, it would have occurred somewhere in this timeframe.

Lysias, a general acting under the order of Antiochus IV (Epiphanes), was instructed

“to conquer Judea, enslave its inhabitants, utterly destroy Jerusalem, and abolish the whole nation.”

It is in this setting that Lysias meets up with Judah Maccabee near the city of Bethzur (about 15 miles SW of Jerusalem).

They (Lysias’ army) came into Idumea and encamped at Bethzur, and Judah met them with ten thousand men. When he saw that the army was strong, he prayed, saying,

“Blessed are You, O Savior of Israel, who crushed the attack of the mighty warrior by the hand of Your servant David, and gave the camp of the Philistines into the hands of Jonathan, the son of Saul, and of the man who carried his armor. So may You hem in this army by the hand of Your people Israel, and let them be ashamed of their troops and their cavalry. Fill them with cowardice; melt the boldness of their strength; let them tremble in their destruction. Strike them down with the sword of those who love You, and let all who know Your name praise You with hymns.”

Then both sides attacked, and there fell of the army of Lysias five thousand men; they fell in action. And when Lysias saw the rout of his troops and observed the boldness which inspired those of Judah, and how ready they were either to live or to die nobly, he departed to Antioch and enlisted mercenaries, to invade Judea again with an even larger army.

“…let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it.”

Then said Judah and his brothers, “Behold, our enemies are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it.” So all the army assembled and they went up to Mount Zion. – 1 Maccabees 4:29-37 (RSV)

To see all of our posts revolving around the history of the Maccabees, just click on the image above.