Mattathias and his sons rise in revolt
Daniel 11:32–35; Hebrews 11:32–34
Ordered to sacrifice to idols at Modein, the priest Mattathias refused, struck down a Jew who stepped forward to do it, and fled to the hills with his five sons. His son Judas, called Maccabeus, led a guerrilla war that defeated army after army.
He will corrupt those who do wickedly against the covenant by flatteries; but the people who know their God will be strong and take action.
Daniel 11:32 (World English Bible)
Mattathias told the king's officer that even if every nation obeyed the king, he and his sons would keep the covenant of their fathers. When another Jew came forward to offer the pagan sacrifice, Mattathias killed him and the officer, tore down the altar, and called on everyone zealous for the Law to follow him.
He died within a year, and his son Judas took command. With small, poorly armed bands, Judas defeated one Seleucid general after another. Daniel had written that in the time of persecution “the people who know their God will be strong and take action” (Daniel 11:32), and Hebrews remembers those who by faith “grew mighty in war” (Hebrews 11:34).
Ancient witnesses outside the Bible
Historical sources, not Scripture.
Dating notes
Soon after the temple was desecrated: 167 or 166 BC in most histories, 167 BC in Ussher. Modein lay about 17 miles (27 km) northwest of Jerusalem. The name Maccabeus probably means “the hammer.” The family is also called the Hasmoneans, after an ancestor named Hasmon.