What does Daniel 11:34 mean?

In this part of a prophecy recorded by Daniel (Daniel 10:1), we see predictions fulfilled in the terrible persecution applied by Seleucid Emperor Antiochus IV Epiphanes. In the second century BC, he brutalized the people in and around Jerusalem. Included in his assault was a depraved, blasphemous violation of the temple and the altar of sacrifice (Daniel 11:30–32). Those who defied his prohibitions on Judaism suffered terribly, and tens of thousands were slaughtered (Daniel 11:33). This fate is referred to here as "stumbling."

Here, Daniel speaks of these suffering but faithful Israelites receiving assistance. Antiochus's outrageous assault on their faith led some Jewish people to resist. In a crucial event, Seleucid soldiers attempted to force a rural priest to sacrifice an unclean animal to a pagan God. The priest, Mattathais, defied the order. When another villager stepped forward to follow the command, Mattathais killed him and the crowd turned on the soldiers. This otherwise-minor incident escalated into a full-scale uprising now known as the Maccabean Revolt. The outcome of this resistance to Antiochus forms the basis for the modern celebration of Hanukkah.

As this verse predicted, however, not everyone associated with the revolt was motived by faith in God. Some are motivated by "flattery," which in this context means something self-serving or beneficial. Those who joined the movement with impure motives lacked God's help or a genuine prophet to inspire and guide them. What started out well deteriorated over time. Over the next century or so, the Roman Empire expanded and took control of Judea in 63 BC.