to totter or waver (through weakness of the legs · conjunction + preposition + verb, niphal infinitive construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
holpen
יֵעָזְר֖וּye.'a.ze.Ru
H5826
to surround · verb, niphal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
little
מְעָ֑טme.'At
H4592
a little or few (often adverbial or compar.) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
help
עֵ֣זֶר'E.zer
H5828
aid · noun, common masculine singular absolute
many
רַבִּ֖יםra.Bim
H7227
abundant (in quantity · adjective, masculine plural absolute
cleave
וְנִלְו֧וּve.nil.Vu
H3867
properly · conjunction + verb, niphal sequential perfect, 3rd person common plural
flatteries
בַּחֲלַקְלַקּֽוֹתba.cha.lak.la.Kot
H2519
properly · preposition + noun, common feminine plural absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Romans 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the s…
Acts 20:29-30 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
Galatians 2:4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they…
1 Timothy 4:1-2 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines…
2 Timothy 3:1-7 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Daniel 11:21–end
All this is a prophecy of the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, the little horn spoken of before (Dan 8:9) a sworn enemy to the Jewish religion, and a bitter persecutor of those that adhered to it. What troubles the Jews met with in the reigns of the Persian kings were not so particularly foretold to Daniel as these, because then they had living prophets with them, Haggai and Zechariah, to encourage them; but these troubles in the days of Antiochus were foretold, because, before that time, prophecy would cease, and they would find it necessary to have recourse to the written word. Some things in this prediction concerning Antiochus are alluded to in the New Testament predictions of the antichris…
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 persecut…
Now when they shall fall - When the storm of the tenth persecution under Diocletian, which lasted ten years, fell upon them, they were sorely oppressed.
They shall be holpen with a little help - By Constantine; who, while he removed all persecution, and promoted the temporal prosperity of the Christian Church, yet added little to its spiritual perfection and strength. For many, now seeing the Christians in prosperity: -
Cleave to them with flatteries - Became Christians Because the Emperor was such.
The Church Fathers
But after he heard these things, Matthias and his sons lamented concerning their brothers and they spoke to one another, saying, "If we all should do just as our brothers did, our enemies shall come and quickly remove us from the earth. And so if war comes upon us on the Sabbath let us stand and make war on behalf of our souls and on behalf of our customs." [1 Maccabees 2:39-40] Then after that point they ran down upon them and they pursued them from their boundaries and they entered into the city and circumcised the young boys, as many as they found uncircumcised, and they threw down the altars and all the sacred places and the deed brought prosperity into their hand. [1 Maccabees 2:45-47] But Daniel says, "they shall be held with little help." [Daniel 11:34] For then, after Matthias arose, Judas the Maccabee arose and helped them and delivered them from the hand of the Greeks and what was spoken in Scripture was fulfilled.
Verses 34, 35. "And when they shall have fallen, they shall be relieved with a small help; and many shall be joined to them deceitfully. And some of the learned shall fall, that they may be refined as by fire and that they may be chosen and made white even to the time before appointed, because there shall yet be another time." Porphyry thinks that the "little help" was Mattathias of the village of (variant: mountain of) Modin, for he rebelled against the generals of Antiochus and attempted to preserve the worship of the true God (1 Maccabees 2:1-41). He says he is called a little help because Mattathias was slain in battle; and later on his son Judas, who was called Maccabaeus, also fell in the struggle; and the rest of his brothers were likewise taken in by the deceit of their adversaries. Consult the books of Maccabees for the details. And all these events took place, he asserts, for the purpose of testing and choosing out the saints, that they might be made white until the time before appointed, inasmuch as victory was deferred until another time. Our writers, however, would have it understood that the small help shall arise under the reign of the Antichrist, for the saints shall gather together to resist him, and afterwards a great number of the learned shall fall. And this shall take place in order that they may be refined as by fire in the furnace, and that they may be made white and may be chosen out, until the time before determined arrives - for the true victory shall be won at the coming of Christ. Some of the Jews understand these things as applying to the princes Severus and Antoninus, who esteemed the Jews very highly. But others understand the Emperor Julian as the one referred to; for after they had been oppressed by Gaius Caesar and had steadfastly endured such suffering in the afflictions of their captivity, Julian rose up as one who pretended love for the Jews, promising that he would even offer sacrifice in their temple. They were to enjoy a little help from him, and a great number of the Gentiles were to join themselves to their party, although falsely and insincerely. For it would only be for the sake of their own idolatrous religion that they would pretend friendship to the Jews. And they would do this in order that those who were approved might be made manifest. For the time of their true salvation and help will be the coming of the…
Syria · Prophecies respecting: Its history in connection with the Macedonia empire — Prophecies respecting: Its history in connection with the Macedonia empire
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Gill on Daniel 11:34
Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help,.... 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 the…
Daniel 11:33-34
33. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.
33. Et intelligentes populi docebunt multos, et cadent in gladio, et flamma, et exilio, vel, captivitate, et direptione, diebus multis.
34. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
34. Et in cadendo, [180] juvabuntur auxilio [181] modico: et adjungent se illis multi in blanditiis.
With reference to the words, they mean, those who shall be taught among the people shall make many understand Some take the first word of the verse transitively, as "thos…
The consequences to the people of Israel which result from this sin against the holy covenant. - The ungodly shall become heathen, i.e., shall wholly apostatize from the true God; but, on the other hand, the pious shall be strengthened in their confidence in the Lord. This is in general the import of Dan 11:32, the first half of which, however, has been very differently interpreted. בּרית מרשׁיעי signifies neither "those who sinfully make a covenant" (Hvernick), nor "sinners among the covenant people" (v. Lengerke), nor "those who condemn the covenant," i.e., those who reject the sign of the covenant, circumcision (Hitzig). The latter meaning is altogether arbitrary. Against the second is th…
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).
Rashi on Daniel 11:34
they will be helped with a little help Through bribes and the money that they will pay tribute to their enemies, they will be helped.
