Chanukkah

What do the Scriptures Say
About Celebrating Chanukkah?

4th-day, Month 9, 25th
Wednesday December 17th, 2025

Hello to all of my brothers and sisters in the faith and who walk in the way of Father Yahuah and His Son Yahusha Ha’Mashiach! I pray that this quick post finds you and your family in the health and strength of Yahuah.

I have celebrated Chanukkah and this year I wanted to do a quick study so I could learn more about it and share what I found.

The only direct reference to the celebration of the Feast of Chanukkah found in the scriptures is:
Yochanon (John) 10:22-23 – ” And it was at Yerushalayim the Feast of Chanukkah (the Dedication), and it was winter. And Yahusha walked in the temple in Shalomah’s porch.
**So we see that Yahusha Ha’Mashiach was at the temple during this time and by most assumptions, He was there to celebrate the Feast of Chanukkah, but this fact is not stated directly in this one and only scriptural mention of the feast in the Hebrew or canonized scriptures.

So what is Chanukkah and where exactly does it’s factual basis come from?

Chanukkah is the Hebrew word for dedication and it is SHW 2598 that means dedicating(-tion), initiation, i.e. consecration which is from SHW 2596 which means to initiate/inaugurate/dedicate “the altar, the sukkah (house) of Yahuah, or the rebuilt temple” . Chanukkah is also SHW 2597 which also means dedication.

The origins of the Feast of Chanukkah can be found in the Apocrypha Books (Greek for “hidden” books) of 1st and 2nd Makkabiym and the scriptures where they are referenced are listed below:

1st Makkabiym (Maccabees) 4:36-61

36. Then said Yahudah and his brethren, Behold, our enemies are discomfited: let us go up to cleanse and dedicate the sanctuary.
37. Upon this all the host assembled themselves together, and went up into Mount Zion.
38. And when they saw the sanctuary desolate, and the altar profaned, and the gates burned up, and shrubs growing in the courts as in a forest or in one of the mountains, yea, and the priests’ chambers pulled down;
39. They rent their clothes, and made great lamentation, and cast ashes upon their heads,
40. And fell down flat to the ground upon their faces, and blew an alarm with the shofars, and cried toward heaven.
41. Then Yahudah appointed certain men to fight against those that were in the fortress, until he had cleansed the sanctuary.
42. So he chose priests of blameless conversation, such as had pleasure in the Torah:
43. Who cleansed the sanctuary, and bare out the defiled stones into an unclean place.
44. And when as they consulted what to do with the altar of ascending smoke offerings, which was profaned;
45. They thought it best to pull it down, lest it should be a reproach to them, because the heathen had defiled it: wherefore they pulled it down,
46. And laid up the stones in the mountain of the temple in a convenient place, until there should come a prophet to shew what should be done with them.
47. Then they took whole stones according to the Torah, and built a new altar according to the former;
48. And made up the sanctuary, and the things that were within the temple, and hallowed the courts. 49They made also new set-apart vessels, and into the temple they brought the menorah, and the altar of ascending smoke offerings, and of incense, and the table.
50. And upon the altar they burned incense, and the lamps that were upon the menorah they lighted, that they might give light in the temple.
51. Furthermore they set the loaves upon the table, and spread out the veils, and finished all the works which they had begun to make.
52. Now on the five and twentieth day of the ninth month, which is called the month Kislev (Babylonian Name for ninth month), in the hundred forty and eighth year, they rose up betimes in the morning,
53. And offered sacrifice according to the Torah upon the new altar of ascending smoke offerings, which they had made.
54. Look, at what time and what day the heathen had profaned it, even in that was it dedicated with songs, and citherns, and harps, and cymbals.
55. Then all the people fell upon their faces, worshipping and praising the Elohiym of heaven, who had given them good success.
56. And so they kept the dedication of the altar eight days and offered ascending smoke offerings with gladness, and sacrificed the sacrifice of deliverance and praise.
57. They decked also the forefront of the temple with crowns of gold, and with shields; and the gates and the chambers they renewed, and hanged doors upon them.
58. Thus was there very great gladness among the people, for that the reproach of the heathen was put away.
59. Moreover Yahudah and his brethren with the whole assembly of Yashar’el ordained, that the days of the dedication of the altar should be kept in their season from year to year by the space of eight days, from the five and twentieth day of the month Kislev, with mirth and gladness.
60. At that time also they builded up the Mount Zion with high walls and strong towers round about, lest the other nations should come and tread it down as they had done before.
61. And they set there a garrison to keep it, and fortified Beyt Sura to preserve it; that the people might have a defence against Edom.

2nd Makkabiym (Maccabees) 1:9 & 18

9. And now see that ye keep the Feast of Chanukkah in the month Kislev.
18. Therefore whereas we are now purposed to keep the purification of the temple upon the five and twentieth day of the month Kislev, we thought it necessary to certify you thereof, that ye also might keep it, as the feast of the tabernacles, and of the fire, which was given us when Nechemyahu offered sacrifice, after that he had builded the temple and the altar.

2nd Makkabiym (Maccabees) 10:1-8

Now Yahudah Makkabiy and his company, Yahuah guiding them, recovered the temple and the city:
But the altars which the heathen had built in the open street, and also the chapels, they pulled down.
And having cleansed the temple they made another altar, and striking stones they took fire out of them, and offered a sacrifice after two years, and set forth incense, and lights, and shewbread.
When that was done, they fell flat down, and besought Yahuah that they might come no more into such troubles; but if they sinned any more against Him, that He himself would chasten them with mercy, and that they might not be delivered unto the blasphemous and barbarous nations.
Now upon the same day that the strangers profaned the temple, on the very same day it was cleansed again, even the five and twentieth day of the same month, which is Kislev.
And they kept the eight days with gladness, as in the Feast of Sukkoth, remembering that not long afore they had held the Feast of Sukkoth, when as they wandered in the mountains and dens like beasts.
Therefore they bare branches, and fair boughs, and palms also, and sang psalms unto Him that had given them good success in cleansing his place.
They ordained also by a common statute and decree, That every year those days should be kept of the whole nation of the Yahudiym.

Conclusion

From the scriptures found in the books of Makkabiym the Feast of Chanukkah was a celebration of the re-dedication of the second temple in Yerushalayim after Yahudah Makkabiy and his brethren cleansed the temple and rebuilt the altar so they could offer the ascending smoke sacrifices to Yahuah for all that He had done for them and so they could keep the original feast as they were meant to be kept.
We see that the purification timing did not allow them to keep the Feast of Sukkoth during the seventh month so they instituted another eight day feast in the ninth month on the twenty fifth day to commemorate the rededication of the temple after they purified it. The temple (sukkah built with hands) was the center of worship life for the children of Yashar’el in their relationship with Father Yahuah before Yahusha Ha’Mashiach came and purified all who believe in Him to now be the sukkahs that He and Father Yahuah desired to dwell in.

There is no temple today but we can use this Feast of Chanukkah to re-dedicate ourselves to Yahuah during this evil and wicked season of the other nations celebrating their sun-elohiym during the celebrations of christmas and new years.

I pray this quick blog has provided you some insight into these eight days of the celebration of the re-dedication of the temple that start today and what it can truly mean for those who walk in the set-apart way of Father Yahuah and His Son Yahusha Ha’Mashiach.

May Yahuah give you strength to be the transparent clay vessel that His beautiful set-apart and righteous light can shine through into the darkness of this present evil and wicked season.

I pray that Yahuah continues to bless you and your families with grape, mercy, peace and health>
Shalom,
Minister Morrow