Daniel 11:34

“Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help, etc.] When the Jews shall be thus harassed and distressed by Antiochus and his armies, to the ruin of many, by the several sorts of punishments inflicted on them; they should be helped and eased a little by Mattathias, a priest of Modin, and his five sons, commonly called the Maccabees; Porphyry himself interprets this of Mattathias: the help and assistance which he and his sons gave to the Jews was but “little”; if we consider they were persons of a small figure, began with a handful of men, and could do but little, especially at first; and though great exploits were done by them, considering their number and strength, yet…”

“a little help--The liberty obtained by the Maccabean heroes for the Jews was of but short duration. They soon fell under the Romans and Herodians, and ever since every attempt to free them from Gentile rule has only aggravated their sad lot. The period of the world times (Gentile rule) is the period of depression of the theocracy, extending from the exile to the millennium [ROOS]. The more immediate reference seems to be, the forces of Mattathias and his five sons were originally few (1 Maccabees 2:1-5). many shall cleave to them--as was the case under Judas Maccabeus, who was thus able successfully to resist Antiochus. with flatteries--Those who had deserted the Jewish cause in persecution,…”

“Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help - By small accessions to their forces. The armies of the Maccabees were never “very” numerous; but the idea here is, that when they should be persecuted, there would be accessions to their forces, so that they would be able to prosecute the war. At first the numbers were very few who took up arms, and undertook to defend the institutions of religion, but their numbers increased until they were finally victorious. Those who first banded together, when the calamities came upon the nation, were Mattathias and his few followers, and this is the little help that is here referred to. See 1 Macc. 2. But many shall cleave to them - As…”

“11:34 A little help came when the family of Mattathias and those around them, who were called Maccabees, instigated a national revolt which Antiochus, occupied elsewhere, could not put down. In 164 BC, three years after the Temple had been desecrated, the Maccabees recaptured Jerusalem, removed the sacrilegious object (the statue of Zeus), cleansed the altar, and restored the daily sacrifices (8:11-14, 26; 1 Maccabees 1:59). This event is commemorated at Hanukkah (see John 10:22).”

“they shall be: Rev 12:2-6, Rev 12:13-17, Rev 13:1-4 cleave: Mat 7:15; Act 20:29, Act 20:30; Rom 16:18; Co2 11:13-15; Gal 2:4; Ti1 4:1, Ti1 4:2; Ti2 3:1-7, Ti2 4:3; Tit 1:11; Pe2 2:1-3, Pe2 2:18, Pe2 2:19; Jo1 2:18, Jo1 2:19, Jo1 4:1, Jo1 4:5; Jo2 1:7; Jde 1:4; Rev 2:20, Rev 13:11-14 Daniel 11:35”