Home › Glossary › Letter J

Judas Maccabeus

Historical Figure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Jewish priest and military leader who led the Maccabean revolt against Seleucid rule in the second century BCE.

Detailed Definition
Judas Maccabeus stands in poetry and sacred verse as a figure of religious courage, resistance, and national deliverance. His struggle to restore Jewish worship made him an emblem of faith defended against tyranny. Poets and hymn writers invoke him when celebrating martyrdom, zeal, liberation, and the heroic defence of a people’s spiritual inheritance.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poet might use Judas Maccabeus to evoke resistance, faith, and national liberation; His name can stand for courage against overwhelming imperial power; A poem about religious survival might place him among lamps, temples, and winter fire; Handel’s oratorio also lets poets connect Judas Maccabeus with triumphant music
Additional Notes
Judas Maccabeus can be used in poetry as a figure of resistance, religious zeal, liberation, and national memory. His story is connected to the Maccabean revolt and the rededication of the Temple, later commemorated at Hanukkah. Poets may invoke him to explore martyrdom, revolt against empire, sacred violence, or the complicated boundary between piety and warfare.
Also Known As
Judah Maccabee Judas Maccabaeus Judah the Maccabee Yehudah HaMakabi
Skip to main content