II Maccabees

1 9.9

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

proper noun
/ˈtuː ˈmækəbiːz/

: II Macabeos

Many historians refer to II Maccabees when discussing the Jewish resistance against Hellenistic rule.

Examples

Many historians refer to II Maccabees when discussing the Jewish resistance against Hellenistic rule.
The story of the martyrdom of seven brothers is vividly recounted in II Maccabees.
Some Christian denominations include II Maccabees in their biblical canon, while others do not.
The book of II Maccabees provides insight into Jewish history.
Have you read II Maccabees for your class?
The story of the martyrdom of seven brothers is vividly recounted in II Maccabees.
Some Christian denominations include II Maccabees in their biblical canon, while others do not.

Synonyms

2 Maccabees

vsII Maccabees

1 9.9

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

is identical in content but differs in title style using roman numerals

Surface Forms

II Maccabees main

Morphology

II + Maccabees

The meaning is compositionally clear: 'II' is the Roman numeral for two and 'Maccabees' names the work, so together they denote the second book of the Maccabees. Numbering of books with Roman numerals is a common convention across languages and registers, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer this.

Etymology

II Maccabees literally means the 'second book' about the Maccabees, a Jewish family of fighters led by Judas Maccabeus. It is a book written later that tells their revolt, battles, and brave deaths, so II Maccabees names that biblical book about Jewish resistance.