“He called upon God in these words.
‘O Lord,
You sent your angel at the time of Hezekiah king of Judea.
He killed fully a hundred and eighty-five thousand
In the camp of Sennacherib.
So now,
O Sovereign of the heavens,
Send a good angel to spread terror and trembling before us.
By the might of your arm
May these blasphemers
Who come against your holy people
Be struck down.’
With these words he ended his prayer.”
This prayer is a reminder to God of what the angel of God did to King Sennacherib and Assyrians in 2 Kings, chapter 19, when he killed 185,000 men in one night during the time of King Hezekiah of Judah. Judas Maccabeus wanted a similar good angel to spread terror and trembling to these blasphemers who were coming to attack these holy people.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 