Albert Barnes Commentary Daniel 11:34

"Now when they shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help; but many shall join themselves unto them with flatteries." — Daniel 11:34 (ASV)

Now when they shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help – by small additions to their forces. The armies of the Maccabees were never very numerous; but the idea here is that when they would be persecuted, there would be additions 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 referred to here. See 1 Maccabees 2.

But many shall cleave to them – as was the case under Judas Maccabeus, when the forces were so far increased as to be able to contend successfully with Antiochus.

With flatteries – perhaps with flattering hopes of spoils or honor; that is, they would not unite sincerely with the defenders of the true religion but would be motivated by the prospect of plunder or reward. For the meaning of the word, see the notes at Daniel 11:21. The sense here is not that Judas would flatter them or secure their cooperation by flatteries, but that this would be what they would propose to their own minds and what would influence them.

(Compare to 1 Maccabees 5:55-57): Now when Judas and Jonathan were in the land of Gilead, and Simon his brother in Galilee before Ptolemais, Joseph the son of Zacharias, and Azarias, captains of the garrisons, heard of the valiant acts and warlike deeds which they had done. Wherefore they said, Let us also get us a name, and go fight against the pagans round about us. (Compare also to 2 Maccabees 12:40; 13:21).

There can be no doubt that many might join them from these motives. Such an event would be likely to occur anywhere when one was successful, and where there was a prospect of spoils or of fame in uniting with a victorious leader of an army.