2 Maccabees

1 9.9

A book of the Bible that tells about Judas Maccabeus and the Jewish revolt ending in 161 BC

proper noun
/ˈtuː ˈmækəbiːz/

: 2 Macabeos

Unlike 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees focuses more on religious themes and martyrdom.

Examples

Many scholars study 2 Maccabees to better understand Jewish history during the Hellenistic period.
Unlike 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees focuses more on religious themes and martyrdom.
In their research, they compared the accounts found in 2 Maccabees with other ancient sources.
The book of 2 Maccabees provides insight into Jewish history.
Have you read 2 Maccabees?
In their research, they compared the accounts found in 2 Maccabees with other ancient sources.
Many scholars study 2 Maccabees to better understand Jewish history during the Hellenistic period.

Synonyms

II Maccabees

vs2 Maccabees

1 9.9

A book in some Christian Bibles that tells of a Jewish revolt led by Judas Maccabeus

is written with Arabic numerals in its title instead

Surface Forms

2 Maccabees main

Morphology

2 + Maccabees

The expression is a straightforward combination of the numeral '2' (indicating the second item) and the proper name 'Maccabees' (the title/group), so its meaning as 'the second book titled Maccabees' is directly derivable from the parts. Numbered book names are a common, cross-linguistic convention (e.g. 2 Corinthians), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily interpret this as the second volume.

Etymology

2 Maccabees is named for the Maccabees, the Jewish family led by Judas Maccabeus. One popular story says 'Maccabeus' came from a word meaning 'hammer', a nickname for Judas because he fought strongly, so the title simply means 'the second book' about those fighters.