In Esther Rabbah Petichah 3 and Eichah Rabbah 1:45, the Roman emperor Trajan y"s identified himself with the eagle in this pasuk, and in Sukkah 51b, the Gemara makes this link (see Rashi ad. loc.) to Alexander of Macedonia y"s (from the earlier narrative of the Maccabees). Rabbeinu Bahya connects it to Vespasian y"s (who destroyed the Temple in an earlier part of the Jewish-Roman wars that Trajan continued) using the same story and remez. The Chizkuni sees references to Babylon (even earlier) and Rome in general.

The Maharal Be'er haGolah 6:14, see especially notes 970-973 deals with this apparent contradiction. He suggests amending the text and Hagahot haGr"a on Sukkah 51b does just this by replacing Alexander with Trajan.

In Esther Rabbah Petichah 3 and Eichah Rabbah 1:45, the Roman emperor Trajan y"s identified himself with the eagle in this pasuk, and in Sukkah 51b, the Gemara makes this link (see Rashi ad. loc.) to Alexander of Macedonia y"s (from the earlier narrative of the Maccabees).

The Maharal Be'er haGolah 6:14, see especially notes 970-973 deals with this apparent contradiction between the Gemara and Midrash Rabbah. He suggests amending the text and Hagahot haGr"a on Sukkah 51b does just this by replacing Alexander with Trajan.

Further to this, Rabbeinu Bahya connects it to Vespasian y"s (who destroyed the Temple in an earlier part of the Jewish-Roman wars that Trajan continued) using the same story and remez. The Chizkuni sees references to Babylon (even earlier) and Rome in general.

In Esther Rabbah Petichah 3 and Eichah Rabbah 1:45, the Roman emperor Trajan y"s identified himself with the eagle in this pasuk, and in Sukkah 51b, the Gemara makes this link (see Rashi ad. loc.) to Alexander of Macedonia y"s (from the earlier narrative of the Maccabees). Rabbeinu Bahya connects it to Vespasian y"s (who destroyed the Temple in an earlier part of the Jewish-Roman wars that Trajan continued) using the same story and remez. The Chizkuni sees references to Babylon (even earlier) and Rome in general.

In Esther Rabbah Petichah 3 and Eichah Rabbah 1:45, the Roman emperor Trajan y"s identified himself with the eagle in this pasuk, and in Sukkah 51b, the Gemara makes this link (see Rashi ad. loc.) to Alexander of Macedonia y"s (from the earlier narrative of the Maccabees). Rabbeinu Bahya connects it to Vespasian y"s (who destroyed the Temple in an earlier part of the Jewish-Roman wars that Trajan continued) using the same story and remez. The Chizkuni sees references to Babylon (even earlier) and Rome in general.

The Maharal Be'er haGolah 6:14, see especially notes 970-973 deals with this apparent contradiction. He suggests amending the text and Hagahot haGr"a on Sukkah 51b does just this by replacing Alexander with Trajan.