Judah Maccabee

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Pronunciations

Judah Maccabee (JOO-duh MAK-uh-bee) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A son of Mattathias who led a rebellion against King Antiochus of Syria in the 1st century B.C.E. after his father died.

Example Sentences

  • "Judah was the eldest son of Mattathias (the son of Jochanan), the High Priest, who instigated the revolt by killing the Greek official Nikanor after a pig was slaughtered in the Holy Temple." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • יהודה המכבי

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

      Alternative Spellings

      Maccabee, Judas Maccabeus

Notes

  • "Nicknamed 'Maccabeus'—the hammer—because of his strong fighting style, Judah led the revolt against the Syrians that eventually returned control of Jerusalem and the Temple to the Jews. The Maccabean rebellion and the rededication of the Temple are the basis for the story of Hanukkah." (JPS)

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