1 maccabees 4:59 - And Judas and his kindred and the whole congregation of Israel ordained, that the days of the dedication of the altar should be kept in their seasons from year to year by the space of eight days, from the five and twentieth day of the month Chislev, with gladness and joy.
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What does "1 maccabees 4:59" mean?
This verse from 1 Maccabees 4:59 describes the institution of the festival of Hanukkah. Let's break it down:
"And Judas and his kindred and the whole congregation of Israel ordained...": This highlights that the decision to establish this holiday was a collective one. Judas Maccabeus (the leader of the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid Empire) and his family, along with the entire community of Israel, all agreed and formally declared it. This suggests a unified decision-making process and a sense of national consensus.
"...that the days of the dedication of the altar should be kept...": This refers to the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes had desecrated the Temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar and erecting a statue of Zeus. After Judas Maccabeus led the successful rebellion, the Temple was cleansed, and the altar was rededicated to the worship of God. "The days of the dedication" refers to this rededication ceremony.
"...in their seasons from year to year...": This establishes that the festival was meant to be an annual event, a yearly commemoration to be celebrated "in their seasons," meaning at the appropriate time each year.
"...by the space of eight days...": The celebration was to last for eight days. The reason for the eight-day duration is often associated with the legend that a single day's supply of oil miraculously burned for eight days when the Temple was rededicated, but this is a later explanation. The eight days could also reflect other Jewish festival celebrations of the time.
"...from the five and twentieth day of the month Chislev...": This pinpoints the exact date for the start of the celebration: the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev (usually falling in November/December in the Gregorian calendar).
"...with gladness and joy.": The festival was to be celebrated with happiness and rejoicing, reflecting the victory and liberation from oppression.
In Summary:
The verse records the establishment of Hanukkah as an eight-day festival, to be celebrated annually starting on the 25th of Kislev, as a joyous commemoration of the rededication of the Temple after its desecration by the Seleucids, led by Judas Maccabeus and the Jewish community. This was a deliberate, collective decision to remember and celebrate their victory and the restoration of their religious freedom.
1 maccabees 4:59 - And Judas and his kindred and the whole congregation of Israel ordained, that the days of the dedication of the altar should be kept in their seasons from year to year by the space of eight days, from the five and twentieth day of the month Chislev, with gladness and joy.
What does "1 maccabees 4:59" mean?
This verse from 1 Maccabees 4:59 describes the institution of the festival of Hanukkah. Let's break it down:
"And Judas and his kindred and the whole congregation of Israel ordained...": This highlights that the decision to establish this holiday was a collective one. Judas Maccabeus (the leader of the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid Empire) and his family, along with the entire community of Israel, all agreed and formally declared it. This suggests a unified decision-making process and a sense of national consensus.
"...that the days of the dedication of the altar should be kept...": This refers to the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes had desecrated the Temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar and erecting a statue of Zeus. After Judas Maccabeus led the successful rebellion, the Temple was cleansed, and the altar was rededicated to the worship of God. "The days of the dedication" refers to this rededication ceremony.
"...in their seasons from year to year...": This establishes that the festival was meant to be an annual event, a yearly commemoration to be celebrated "in their seasons," meaning at the appropriate time each year.
"...by the space of eight days...": The celebration was to last for eight days. The reason for the eight-day duration is often associated with the legend that a single day's supply of oil miraculously burned for eight days when the Temple was rededicated, but this is a later explanation. The eight days could also reflect other Jewish festival celebrations of the time.
"...from the five and twentieth day of the month Chislev...": This pinpoints the exact date for the start of the celebration: the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev (usually falling in November/December in the Gregorian calendar).
"...with gladness and joy.": The festival was to be celebrated with happiness and rejoicing, reflecting the victory and liberation from oppression.
In Summary:
The verse records the establishment of Hanukkah as an eight-day festival, to be celebrated annually starting on the 25th of Kislev, as a joyous commemoration of the rededication of the Temple after its desecration by the Seleucids, led by Judas Maccabeus and the Jewish community. This was a deliberate, collective decision to remember and celebrate their victory and the restoration of their religious freedom.