Zechariah 12 and the Victories of the Maccabees
By Robert E. Cruickshank, Jr
Copyright © Robert E. Cruickshank, Jr. (October 20, 2025)
Daniel E. Harden (Editor)
All Rights Reserved
“On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the inhabitants of Jerusalem again live on their own sites in Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:6).
A recent post in Christianity Stack Exchange asks the question: “If Zechariah says the Lord saves Jerusalem, how can preterists say this happened in A.D. 70, when it was destroyed?”[1] This leads some to conclude that Preterists cannot “deal with” Zechariah 12 “in its literary context,” and the fulfillment of the prophecy is “yet future.”[2] The prophecy pundits tie Zechariah 12 to the “mystery of history” in 1948, and we’re still waiting for the details of this chapter to play out at the end of history, according to them.[3]
But before jumping to conclusions about AD 70 or the end of the world, it’s worth looking at where Zechariah 12 actually fits in the book’s larger story.
While chapter 14 indeed stretches to the time of the first century and the events of AD 70, chapter 12 does not. Zecahriah’s prophecy spans the history of the Jewish people after the return from exile – beginning with the Persian period (Zech. 1-11), on through to the Grecian period (chapters 12-13), and finally culminates the Roman period (Zech. 14).[4]
Getting the Text in the Right Context
This being the case, chapter 12 falls within the scope of the Grecian period.[5] As Peake’s Commentary on the Bible notes:
“The occurrence of a new heading, ‘The burden of the word of the Lord,’ which occurs again in Zechariah 12:1, and elsewhere only in Malachi 1:1, warns us that a new section begins here. We are no longer concerned with Joshua and Zerubbabel, the small community of Judah, and the hopes and aspirations of their time, but to a great extent with a larger Judaism which is in conflict with a world-power described as Greek…As such, it forecasts the victories of the Jewish people during the Maccabean Wars.”[6]
Against this backdrop, Zechariah 12 comes into focus, not as distant prediction of the end of the world or even AD 70, but as a vivid unfolding of Israel’s future triumphs against impossible odds – in the Maccabean period.
All Nations Gathered Against Jerusalem
The questioner on Christianity Stack Exchange cites the gathering of all nations against Jerusalem in Zechariah 12:2-3 and points out that “the passage says that the Lord will save Israel on that day (Zech. 12:3).” This is true, and the image of all nations setting out to eliminate Israel is a picture-perfect description of what happened during the Maccabean Wars:
“Then Ptolemy promptly appointed Nicanor son of Patroclus, one of the king’s chief Friends, and sent him, in command of no fewer than twenty thousand Gentiles of all nations, to wipe out the whole race of Judea. He associated with him Gorgias, a general and a man of experience in military service” (2 Macc. 8:9).[7]
Zechariah 12:3 says that God would make Jerusalem a “heavy stone for all the peoples” in that day, and all those who “gathered against” it would be “severely injured.” This is in fact exactly what happened. As Daniel Morias points out:
“After the Seleucids assaulted Jerusalem and desecrated the Temple, many of the Jews revolted under the leadership of the Maccabees. The Maccabees rescued Jerusalem and returned the city to those loyal to God and attacked and conquered cities loyal to the Greeks throughout Judah in addition to much of the territory of the surrounding nations in fulfillment of Zechariah 12:1-6.”[8]
As one works his/her way through Zechariah 12, the prophet’s vivid imagery continues to reflect in the Maccabean victories. The Jewish Revolt gained the unstoppable momentum that was foreshadowed in the prophet’s vision.
Blindness and Madness
In his prophecy of this victory, Zechariah describes the details like this: “On that day, declares the Lord, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God.” (Zech. 12:4-5).
The Maccabean victories echoed Zechariah’s prophecy – as the events played out in history:
“Two of them took Maccabeus between them, and shielding him with their own armor and weapons, they kept him from being wounded. They showered arrows and thunderbolts on the enemy, so that, confused and blinded, they were thrown into disorder and cut to pieces” (2 Macc. 10:30).[9]
“But when Judas’s first division appeared, terror and fear came over the enemy at the manifestation to them of him who sees all things. In their flight they rushed headlong in every direction, so that often they were injured by their own men and pierced by the points of their own swords. Judas pressed the pursuit with the utmost vigor, putting the sinners to the sword, and destroyed as many as thirty thousand” (2 Macc. 12:22-23).[10]
The victories that followed confirmed Zechariah’s vision even further, as the fire of their faith ignited into a consuming blaze against their foes.
A Flaming Torch and Blazing Victory
In the following verses, Zechariah says that God will make the clans of Judah like “a flaming torch,” consuming their enemies on every side (Zech. 12:6). The Lord will save Judah and Jerusalem (Zech. 12:7-8) and destroy all the nations that come against them (Zech. 12:9). This is an apt depiction of the Maccabean victories, as they pursued their enemies from the surrounding nations and crushed them. As Peake comments, “Zechariah 12:6 describes the achievements of the Maccabees. They were a small fire, but kindled a great matter, working havoc among the neighboring peoples, and restoring Jerusalem.”[11]
In his first military challenge, Judas Maccabeus showed the leadership that would bring the prophecy of Zechariah’s words to fulfillment. Against Apollonius’s large contingent of Gentile forces (1 Macc. 3:10) and Syron’s Syrian army (1 Macc. 3:10), he rose to the occasion. When Judas’s rag-tag team of freedom fighters saw what they were up against, they were gripped with fear. “How can we who are so few fight against an army so large and so strong?”, they asked (1 Macc. 3:17). The inspiring resolve of Judas’s response tipped the balance and changed the course of history:
“In the sight of heaven, it makes no difference to win by many or by a few. They’re coming against us, with much pride and evil. They seek to destroy us, our wives, and our children. They want to ruin us. But we are fighting for our lives and our laws. The heavenly one himself will crush them before us. Do not fear them” (1 Macc. 3:19-21).
With that, Judas’s soldiers “rushed suddenly against Seron’s army, and crushed them” (1 Macc. 3:23). Then, the tables turned. Judas and his brothers were now the ones who were “feared,” and “terror fell on all the Gentiles around them” (1 Macc. 3:25). This set the tone for the rest of the book and set the events in motion that would bring the prophecies of Zechariah 12 to reality and fulfillment.
A Little Help from Above
Outraged by the news of the Maccabean victory, Antiochus Epiphanes “gathered together all the forces of his Empire, a mighty army” (1 Macc. 3:27). Going to Persia to raise money for his war machine (1 Macc. 3:30), Antiochus put Lysias in charge of “over half of his armed forces and war elephants” (1 Macc. 3:34). He commissioned Lysias to take the army to Israel, wipe them out, and destroy the few remaining in Jerusalem – “that their memory be completely erased from this place” (1 Macc. 3:35). But Zechariah promised that God would defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem in that day, and it would be “the Angel of the Lord going before them” (Zech. 12:3). True to form and fulfilling Zechariah’s words, the Maccabees were met with divine assistance in their cause:
“The Maccabean himself was the first to take up arms, and he urged the others to run risks as he did and to come to the aid of their brothers. They dashed out at once, ready for action. While they were still near Jerusalem, a horseman in white garments and wearing full body armor made of gold appeared to them and led them. All together they praised the merciful God, and their souls were strengthened. They prepared themselves to attack not only men but also the most fierce animals and even the iron walls. They proceeded in battle order, having a heavenly ally thanks to the Lord’s mercy toward them. Charging like lions against their enemies, they took down eleven thousand foot soldiers and sixteen hundred horses, and they put all the rest to flight. Most of them escaped wounded and naked, while Lysias himself escaped by disgracefully running away. Showing intelligence, Lysias pondered the reality of this defeat and realized that the Hebrews, assisted by God’s power, couldn’t be defeated” (2 Macc. 11: 7-13).
Those who had arrogantly marched against them with confidence were now reeling in fear. Yet even as one enemy fell, another rose to take its place. But each following battle would continue to show that Heaven itself continued to fight on Israel’s side – just as Zechariah had foreseen.
Victory after Victory
The trend persists throughout the whole Maccabean narrative, victory after victory. In the Battle at Emmaus, for example, the Syrian general Gorgias[12] determined to send a stronger force against Judas Maccabeus (1 Macc. 4:1). Once again undaunted by what they were up against, Judas reminds his men of how God saved their ancestors when Pharaoh pursued them (1 Macc. 4:9). He prays that the heavenly one will find like favor with His people now, remember His covenant, and “crush the army in front of us today” (1 Macc. 4:10). He again rallies their courage with his words: “Then all the Gentiles will know that there is someone who redeems and saves Israel” (1 Macc. 4:11). And “crush” them they did (1 Macc. 4:14), as Judas’s forces pursed their fleeing assailants as far as Gazara, the plains of Idumea, the land of Azotus, and into Jamnia (1 Macc. 4:15a). Over 3000 of their enemies died (1 Macc. 4:15b), and those who survived were terrified (1 Macc. 4:21).
When Lysias got word of the defeat of Emmaus, “he was perplexed and discouraged that things hadn’t happened to Israel as he intended” (1 Macc. 4:27). The next year, he gathered the biggest Gentile fighting force yet – over 60,000 select men and 5000 calvary (1 Macc. 4:28). Again, the words of Zechariah reverberate on the pages of 1 Maccabees as “the surrounding peoples” mount another assault on “the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (Zech. 12:6). After turning to the Lord in prayer (1 Macc. 4:30-33), Judas’s troops easily dispatched their enemies (1 Macc. 4:34) and Lysias withdrew to Antioch (1 Macc. 4:35).
With their enemies crushed, Judas Maccabeus and his brothers retake the temple (1 Macc. 4:36), cleanse the sanctuary (1 Macc. 4:41), and reinstitute the Jewish sacrifices (1 Macc. 4:52) that had been banned by Antiochus Epiphanes 3 ½ years earlier (1 Macc. 1:41-53). Exactly three years to the day after the Gentiles had taken and polluted it, it was rededicated with all the Jewish people bowing to the ground and thanking heaven for their success (1 Macc. 4:54-55; cf. 1 Macc. 1:54).
All told, the story of Zechariah 12 echoes strikingly in the Maccabean narrative. Nation after nation gathered against Jerusalem, only to be driven back in disgrace, disorder, and defeat. God’s people rose to every occasion with courage, conviction, and confidence in their God.
Yet even in the glow of triumph, not everything was bright. The same struggle that brought freedom also carried loss, and the joy of deliverance was mingled with the sorrow of what it cost. This too was telegraphed by the prophet centuries before.
Weeping for the One Who Was Pierced
After such resounding victories, one would expect a celebratory tone in the closing verses of the chapter. But the prophet takes a sudden about-turn with a theme of supplication, mourning, and bitter weeping:
10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of pleading, so that they will look at Me whom they pierced; and they will mourn for Him, like one mourning for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be great, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that are left, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves (Zechariah 12:10-14).
These words should sound familiar to believers. The New Testament takes the core theme or idea behind this passage and applies it to Christ both at His crucifixion (Jn. 19:37) and His Parousia (Rev. 1:7). This would be the far-term thematic fulfillment of the passage. The near-term historical fulfillment would be Judas Maccabeus, and the typology is fitting. The Maccabean liberator serves as a heroic and historical type of Christ—the ultimate Savior and Deliverer of God’s people.
“The fighting became very fierce, and many on both sides were killed. 18 Finally Judas himself was killed. Then all his men fled. Jonathan and Simon took their brother’s body and buried it in the family tomb at Modein, and there at the tomb they wept for him. All Israel mourned for him in great sorrow for many days. They said, It can’t be! The mighty hero and savior of Israel has been killed!” (1 Macc. 9:17-22).
As Daniel Morais comments, “Outnumbered but refusing to retreat, Judas Maccabees was slain by his enemies on the battlefield. Concerning the Jews’ mourning at the death of their savior, Judas Maccabees, Zechariah 12:10 says, ‘[T]hey will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.’ We see Zechariah 12:10 fulfilled in 1 Maccabees 9:17-22.”[13]
From Josiah, to Judas, to Jesus
In pointing forward to Judas Maccabeus and ultimately the death of Jesus, Zechariah reaches back in history to the tragic death of another faithful Jewish hero in history to form the motif of the slain savior and the mourning of God’s people. The great mourning for Judas the Maccabean echoes the mourning felt for Josiah the king in earlier times. Zechariah says that “the great mourning in Jerusalem” over Judas’s death would be “like the mourning of Hadad-Rimmon in the valley of Megiddo” (Zech. 12:11). As The Expositor’s Bible Commentary notes,
“Jerusalem’s mourning is compared to that for ‘Hadad-Rimmon in the valley’ or ‘plain of Megiddo.’ This is the classic ‘battlefield of the land,’ and the theatre upon which Apocalypse has placed the last contest between the hosts of God and the hosts of evil. In Israel’s history it had been the ground not only of triumph but of tears. The greatest tragedy of that history, the defeat and death of the righteous Josiah, took place there; {2 Chronicles 35:22 ff.} and since the earliest Jewish interpreters the ‘mourning of Hadad-Rimmon in the valley of Megiddo’ has been referred to the mourning for Josiah.”[14]
In sum, Josiah’s tragic death foreshowed Judas Macabeaus’s tragic death, and both foreshadowed the tragic yet saving death of Jesus Christ.
Recap
Zechariah 12 closes, not with celebration, but with sorrow—the kind that follows the death of a nation’s savior. From Josiah to Judas Maccabeus, and ultimately to Jesus Christ, the pattern holds: victory gives way to mourning, and mourning gives birth to hope.
What began as a question about Jerusalem’s salvation in Zechariah’s prophecy finds its answer, not in modern geopolitics or distant end-times charts, but in history itself. The Lord did save Jerusalem – through the courage of the Maccabees, and He saves His people today through the cross of Christ.
Seen in that light, Zechariah 12 isn’t about the headlines of our time, but the faithfulness of God in all times. The prophecy doesn’t point forward to 1948 or even AD 70. It points us back through the pages of history. And ultimately it points upward – to the Pierced One who saves us, delivers us, and turns our weeping into redemption, as we put our faith and trust in Him.
And that same faith still calls to us today. Like Judas Maccabeus, we’re called to stand firm when the odds seem impossible. We’re called to trust in the Lord, who still fights for those who remain steadfast in Him. We’re called to live with courage and confidence in the countenance of Lord, no matter life’s numerous obstacles. As the Maccabean’s faith shows us, He’s got this!
Dedication
In loving memory of Raina (May 14, 2009 – October 23, 2025), who passed away while I was working on this article. Like the Maccabees, she was a fighter. Or, as our veterinarian put it, “one tough little dog.”
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[1] Christianity Stack Exchange | Exegesis – Zechariah 12 https://bit.ly/3L0bvru
[2] Preterism and Zechariah 12–14 – by Thomas Ice – The Pre-Trib Research Center https://bit.ly/4hK9Rqp
[3] John McArthur, Israel’s Final Deliverance | Grace to You https://bit.ly/4hqWeff
[4] Based on his analysis, Kluczyński sees the Maccabean period starting a chapter earlier – in Zechariah 11. He summarizes: “The analysis showed that the history of the formation of Zech 9-11 is complex and long – probably from Persian times to the period of the Maccabean wars” (Andrzej P. Kluczyński, “History of the Formation of the Book of Zechariah 9-11” [Rocznik Teologiczny 66.2 (2024)], 211). I would disagree with this based on two considerations: 1) the reference to the three bad shepherds in Zechariah 11:8 corresponds to Nehemiah’s three enemies in Nehemiah 6:1 – keeping Zechariah 11 squarely in the Persian period. And, 2) Zechariah himself gives textual indicators that the new section begins in chapter 12. As Boda notes that the use of the Hebrew term massa (NIV “oracle”; NASB “burden”) in 12:1 and hinneh (“behold) in 12:2 signal that “we enter into a new section in Zechairah” (Mark J. Boda, The NIV Application Commentary: Haggai, Zechariah [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004]), 480-481).
[5] As Mike Bull demonstrates, chapters 12-14 follow a literary substructure of seven festal cycles (The Festal Structure of Zechariah 12-14 – Bible Matrix https://bit.ly/4nkUKoc ). Combing Bull’s substructure with my historical breakdown: SABBATH: Zechariah 12:1-9 (Creation), PASSOVER: Zechariah 12:10-14 – Zechariah 13:1 (Division), FIRSTFRUITS: Zechariah 13:2-6 (Ascension), and PENTECOST: Zechariah 13:7-9 (Testing) would all fall within the Maccabean section (Zech. 12-13), while TRUMPETS: Zechariah 14:1-11 (Maturity), ATONEMENT: Zechariah 14:12-15 (Conquest), and BOOTHS: Zechariah 14:16-21 (Glorification) fall within the Roman period (Zech. 14).
[6] Zechariah 12 – Peake’s Commentary on the Bible – Bible Commentaries – StudyLight.org https://bit.ly/4ovqmbJ
[7] 2 Maccabees 8:9 – NRSA | Bible Study Tools https://bit.ly/4qB41LY
[8] Daniel Morais, Zechariah 13 Fulfilled in the Maccabean Wars: A Preterist Commentary | Revelation Revolution https://bit.ly/470VJ8m
[9] 2 Maccabees 10:30 NRSVA | Bible Gateway https://bit.ly/3L2SNzl
[10] 2 Maccabees 12:22 NRSVA | Bible Gateway https://bit.ly/48GQ9cw
[11] Zechariah 12 – Peake’s Commentary on the Bible – Bible Commentaries – StudyLight.org https://bit.ly/4ovqmbJ
[12] GORGIAS – JewishEncyclopedia.com https://bit.ly/4nYfAeg
[13] Who inspired Zech 12:10 during the Maccabean Wars? | Revelation Revolution https://bit.ly/3L6hJpN
[14] Zechariah 12 Expositor’s Bible Commentary https://bit.ly/4nwbJUY