He gave no thought whatsoever to the power of God but was inflated by his tens of thousands of foot soldiers, his thousands of cavalry, and his eighty elephants.

With him was Lysias, Antiochus’ guardian and head of the government. Each one had a Greek force of one hundred ten thousand foot soldiers, fifty-three hundred cavalry, and twenty-two elephants, as well as three hundred chariots armed with scythes.

Immediately choosing Nicanor the commander of the elephants and appointing him governor of Judea, the king sent him out

The Maccabee saw the masses that were before him, the diverse sorts of equipped military arms, and the fierceness of the elephants, so he extended his hands to heaven and called on the wonder-working Lord. He knew that it isn’t through arms that God decides to award victory but he gives it to those who deserve it.