HarperCollins Study Bible

by Harold W. Attridge

  protecting the camp by his sword.

  4He was like a lion in his deeds,

  like a lion’s cub roaring for prey.

  5He searched out and pursued those who broke the law;

  he burned those who troubled his people.

  6Lawbreakers shrank back for fear of him;

  all the evildoers were confounded;

  and deliverance prospered by his hand.

  7He embittered many kings,

  but he made Jacob glad by his deeds,

  and his memory is blessed forever.

  8He went through the cities of Judah;

  he destroyed the ungodly out of the land;a

  thus he turned away wrath from Israel.

  9He was renowned to the ends of the earth;

  he gathered in those who were perishing.

  10Apollonius now gathered together Gentiles and a large force from Samaria to fight against Israel. 11When Judas learned of it, he went out to meet him, and he defeated and killed him. Many were wounded and fell, and the rest fled. 12Then they seized their spoils; and Judas took the sword of Apollonius, and used it in battle the rest of his life.

  13When Seron, the commander of the Syrian army, heard that Judas had gathered a large company, including a body of faithful soldiers who stayed with him and went out to battle, 14he said, “I will make a name for myself and win honor in the kingdom. I will make war on Judas and his companions, who scorn the king’s command.” 15Once again a strong army of godless men went up with him to help him, to take vengeance on the Israelites.

  16When he approached the ascent of Beth-horon, Judas went out to meet him with a small company. 17But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said to Judas, “How can we, few as we are, fight against so great and so strong a multitude? And we are faint, for we have eaten nothing today.” 18Judas replied, “It is easy for many to be hemmed in by few, for in the sight of Heaven there is no difference between saving by many or by few. 19It is not on the size of the army that victory in battle depends, but strength comes from Heaven. 20They come against us in great insolence and lawlessness to destroy us and our wives and our children, and to despoil us; 21but we fight for our lives and our laws. 22He himself will crush them before us; as for you, do not be afraid of them.”

  23When he finished speaking, he rushed suddenly against Seron and his army, and they were crushed before him. 24They pursued themb down the descent of Beth-horon to the plain; eight hundred of them fell, and the rest fled into the land of the Philistines. 25Then Judas and his brothers began to be feared, and terror fell on the Gentiles all around them. 26His fame reached the king, and the Gentiles talked of the battles of Judas.

  The Policy of Antiochus

  27When King Antiochus heard these reports, he was greatly angered; and he sent and gathered all the forces of his kingdom, a very strong army. 28He opened his coffers and gave a year’s pay to his forces, and ordered them to be ready for any need. 29Then he saw that the money in the treasury was exhausted, and that the revenues from the country were small because of the dissension and disaster that he had caused in the land by abolishing the laws that had existed from the earliest days. 30He feared that he might not have such funds as he had before for his expenses and for the gifts that he used to give more lavishly than preceding kings. 31He was greatly perplexed in mind; then he determined to go to Persia and collect the revenues from those regions and raise a large fund.

  32He left Lysias, a distinguished man of royal lineage, in charge of the king’s affairs from the river Euphrates to the borders of Egypt. 33Lysias was also to take care of his son Antiochus until he returned. 34And he turned over to Lysiasc half of his forces and the elephants, and gave him orders about all that he wanted done. As for the residents of Judea and Jerusalem, 35Lysias was to send a force against them to wipe out and destroy the strength of Israel and the remnant of Jerusalem; he was to banish the memory of them from the place, 36settle aliens in all their territory, and distribute their land by lot. 37Then the king took the remaining half of his forces and left Antioch his capital in the one hundred and forty-seventh year.d He crossed the Euphrates river and went through the upper provinces.

  Preparations for Battle

  38Lysias chose Ptolemy son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor and Gorgias, able men among the Friends of the king, 39and sent with them forty thousand infantry and seven thousand cavalry to go into the land of Judah and destroy it, as the king had commanded. 40So they set out with their entire force, and when they arrived they encamped near Emmaus in the plain. 41When the traders of the region heard what was said to them, they took silver and gold in immense amounts, and fetters,e and went to the camp to get the Israelites for slaves. And forces from Syria and the land of the Philistines joined with them.

  42Now Judas and his brothers saw that misfortunes had increased and that the forces were encamped in their territory. They also learned what the king had commanded to do to the people to cause their final destruction. 43But they said to one another, “Let us restore the ruins of our people, and fight for our people and the sanctuary.” 44So the congregation assembled to be ready for battle, and to pray and ask for mercy and compassion.

  45Jerusalem was uninhabited like a wilderness;

  not one of her children went in or out.

  The sanctuary was trampled down,

  and aliens held the citadel;

  it was a lodging place for the Gentiles.

  Joy was taken from Jacob;

  the flute and the harp ceased to play.

  46Then they gathered together and went to Mizpah, opposite Jerusalem, because Israel formerly had a place of prayer in Mizpah. 47They fasted that day, put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on their heads, and tore their clothes. 48And they opened the book of the law to inquire into those matters about which the Gentiles consulted the likenesses of their gods. 49They also brought the vestments of the priesthood and the first fruits and the tithes, and they stirred up the naziritesf who had completed their days; 50and they cried aloud to Heaven, saying,

  “What shall we do with these?

  Where shall we take them?

  51Your sanctuary is trampled down and profaned,

  and your priests mourn in humiliation.

  52Here the Gentiles are assembled against us to destroy us;

  you know what they plot against us.

  53How will we be able to withstand them,

  if you do not help us?”

  54Then they sounded the trumpets and gave a loud shout. 55After this Judas appointed leaders of the people, in charge of thousands and hundreds and fifties and tens. 56Those who were building houses, or were about to be married, or were planting a vineyard, or were fainthearted, he told to go home again, according to the law. 57Then the army marched out and encamped to the south of Emmaus.

  58And Judas said, “Arm yourselves and be courageous. Be ready early in the morning to fight with these Gentiles who have assembled against us to destroy us and our sanctuary. 59It is better for us to die in battle than to see the misfortunes of our nation and of the sanctuary. 60But as his will in heaven may be, so shall he do.”

  next chapter

  * * *

  a Gk it

  b Other ancient authorities read him

  c Gk him

  d 165B.C.

  e Syr: Gk Mss, Vg slaves

  f That is those separated or those consecrated

  3.1–26 A poem (vv. 3–9) summarizing Judas’s exploits celebrates him as the legitimate leader of Israel (v. 2) and the enemy of renegade Jews and foreign kings. His first battles end in dramatic victories over Apollonius (vv. 10–12) and Seron (vv. 13–26).

  3.7 The many kings include Antiochus IV and Antiochus V as well as Demetrius I.

  3.9 The ends of the earth extend at least to Rome (see ch. 8).

  3.10 Apollonius, the military commander and governor of Samaria. Whether his force included Samaritans is uncertain.

  3.12 Judas used the sword of Apollonius just as Davi
d used the sword of Goliath (1 Sam 17.51; 21.8–9).

  3.13 Commander of the Syrian army, probably an exaggeration of Seron’s rank and importance.

  3.15 The godless men include renegade Jews. According to the author, Judas and his army constitute the real Israelites.

  3.16 The ascent of Beth-horon, on the main road from the west to Jerusalem. About twelve miles northwest of Jerusalem travelers went through a narrow pass between Lower and Upper Beth-horon, which made the ambush by Judas and his army relatively easy.

  3.18–19 Some of Judas’s speech before battle echoes the words of Jonathan in 1 Sam 14.6. Instead of “Lord” or “God,” 1 Maccabees often uses Heaven or personal pronouns (see v. 22).

  3.24 Eight hundred, a modest number when compared with the figures for other battles. Land of the Philistines, hellenized cities in the southern coastal plain.

  3.27–37 The importance of the Jewish rebellion is deliberately exaggerated to give the impression that it was determining all of Antiochus IV’s policies. In fact he had to deal with serious rebellions and incursions in the eastern part of his empire as well.

  3.28 A year’s pay, not only a subsistence allowance but also the wages paid to mercenaries and regular troops. The unusual arrangement heightens the importance of the situation.

  3.30 The historian Polybius and other ancient sources confirm that Antiochus IV was lavish in giving gifts.

  3.31 Persia, the entire territory of historical Persia, not simply the eastern province of Persis. Antiochus IV died while plundering a temple in Elam, according to Polybius (Histories 31.9) and Appian (Roman History 11.66).

  3.32 Prominent in the later battles at Beth-zur and Beth-zechariah (4.26–35; 6.28–63), Lysias held the highest title of Seleucid nobility (“King’s Kinsman”). He became overseer in the western part of Antiochus IV’s empire and guardian of Antiochus V (then a young boy).

  3.34 The Greek text gives the impression that all the elephants remained with Lysias (see v. 37).

  3.37 Antioch on the Orontes in Syria, the western Seleucid capital, built by Seleucus I in 300 BCE.

  3.38–60 The defiled sanctuary in Jerusalem becomes the rallying point for the Jewish rebels. Judas takes care to evoke biblical precedents and observe biblical regulations for battle. See 2 Macc 8.9–23.

  3.38 According to 2 Macc 8.8–9 Gorgias was a deputy to Nicanor, and Ptolemy was superior to Nicanor and ordered him and Gorgias into battle.

  3.39 Forty thousand, twenty thousand according to 2 Macc 8.9. Both figures are exaggerated, perhaps on the basis of 1 Chr 18.4; 19.18.

  3.40 Emmaus, about twenty miles west-northwest of Jerusalem. The Seleucid encampment attracted slave traders (v. 41), who expected an easy Seleucid victory.

  3.45 Jerusalem was uninhabited, because no true Israelites, now equated with Judas and his army, were there.

  3.46 Mizpah, eight miles north of Jerusalem, a place of assembly and prayer before battle in Judg 20.1; 1 Sam 7.5–9; 10.17. For fasting there, see 1 Sam 7.6.

  3.48 The Jews consulted the book of the law for guidance in battle. A Greek variant reading of the second part of the verse suggests that the scroll had been defiled with pagan pictures.

  3.49 According to Num 6.1–21 nazirites took vows of (temporary) consecration to God. The completion of their period of special consecration was marked by rites at the temple (which were impossible because the temple was in the wrong hands).

  3.55 For another division of the army, see 2 Macc 8.22–23.

  3.56 The list of those exempted from battle follows Deut 20.5–8. Judas appears throughout as the ideal biblical warrior.

  3.57 Emmaus was less appropriate than Mizpah as a site for Judas’s prebattle speech (see Deut 20.3–4).

  1 MACCABEES 4

  The Battle at Emmaus

  1Now Gorgias took five thousand infantry and one thousand picked cavalry, and this division moved out by night 2to fall upon the camp of the Jews and attack them suddenly. Men from the citadel were his guides. 3But Judas heard of it, and he and his warriors moved out to attack the king’s force in Emmaus 4while the division was still absent from the camp. 5When Gorgias entered the camp of Judas by night, he found no one there, so he looked for them in the hills, because he said, “These men are running away from us.”

  6At daybreak Judas appeared in the plain with three thousand men, but they did not have armor and swords such as they desired. 7And they saw the camp of the Gentiles, strong and fortified, with cavalry all around it; and these men were trained in war. 8But Judas said to those who were with him, “Do not fear their numbers or be afraid when they charge. 9Remember how our ancestors were saved at the Red Sea, when Pharaoh with his forces pursued them. 10And now, let us cry to Heaven, to see whether he will favor us and remember his covenant with our ancestors and crush this army before us today. 11Then all the Gentiles will know that there is one who redeems and saves Israel.”

  12When the foreigners looked up and saw them coming against them, 13they went out from their camp to battle. Then the men with Judas blew their trumpets 14and engaged in battle. The Gentiles were crushed, and fled into the plain, 15and all those in the rear fell by the sword. They pursued them to Gazara, and to the plains of Idumea, and to Azotus and Jamnia; and three thousand of them fell. 16Then Judas and his force turned back from pursuing them, 17and he said to the people, “Do not be greedy for plunder, for there is a battle before us; 18Gorgias and his force are near us in the hills. But stand now against our enemies and fight them, and afterward seize the plunder boldly.”

  19Just as Judas was finishing this speech, a detachment appeared, coming out of the hills. 20They saw that their armya had been put to flight, and that the Jewsb were burning the camp, for the smoke that was seen showed what had happened. 21When they perceived this, they were greatly frightened, and when they also saw the army of Judas drawn up in the plain for battle, 22they all fled into the land of the Philistines. 23Then Judas returned to plunder the camp, and they seized a great amount of gold and silver, and cloth dyed blue and sea purple, and great riches. 24On their return they sang hymns and praises to Heaven—“For he is good, for his mercy endures forever.” 25Thus Israel had a great deliverance that day.

  First Campaign of Lysias

  26Those of the foreigners who escaped went and reported to Lysias all that had happened. 27When he heard it, he was perplexed and discouraged, for things had not happened to Israel as he had intended, nor had they turned out as the king had ordered. 28But the next year he mustered sixty thousand picked infantry and five thousand cavalry to subdue them. 29They came into Idumea and encamped at Beth-zur, and Judas met them with ten thousand men.

  30When he saw that their army was strong, he prayed, saying, “Blessed are you, O Savior of Israel, who crushed the attack of the mighty warrior by the hand of your servant David, and gave the camp of the Philistines into the hands of Jonathan son of Saul, and of the man who carried his armor. 31Hem in this army by the hand of your people Israel, and let them be ashamed of their troops and their cavalry. 32Fill them with cowardice; melt the boldness of their strength; let them tremble in their destruction. 33Strike them down with the sword of those who love you, and let all who know your name praise you with hymns.”

  34Then both sides attacked, and there fell of the army of Lysias five thousand men; they fell in action.c 35When Lysias saw the rout of his troops and observed the boldness that inspired those of Judas, and how ready they were either to live or to die nobly, he withdrew to Antioch and enlisted mercenaries in order to invade Judea again with an even larger army.

  Cleansing and Dedication of the Temple

  36Then Judas and his brothers said, “See, our enemies are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it.” 37So all the army assembled and went up to Mount Zion. 38There they saw the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, and the gates burned. In the courts they saw bushes sprung up as in a thicket, or as on one of the mountains. They saw also the chambers of the priests in ruins.
39Then they tore their clothes and mourned with great lamentation; they sprinkled themselves with ashes 40and fell face down on the ground. And when the signal was given with the trumpets, they cried out to Heaven.

  41Then Judas detailed men to fight against those in the citadel until he had cleansed the sanctuary. 42He chose blameless priests devoted to the law, 43and they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an unclean place. 44They deliberated what to do about the altar of burnt offering, which had been profaned. 45And they thought it best to tear it down, so that it would not be a lasting shame to them that the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar, 46and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until a prophet should come to tell what to do with them. 47Then they took unhewnd stones, as the law directs, and built a new altar like the former one. 48They also rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior of the temple, and consecrated the courts. 49They made new holy vessels, and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple. 50Then they offered incense on the altar and lit the lamps on the lampstand, and these gave light in the temple. 51They placed the bread on the table and hung up the curtains. Thus they finished all the work they had undertaken.

  52Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-eighth year,e 53they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering that they had built. 54At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals. 55All the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed Heaven, who had prospered them. 56So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and joyfully offered burnt offerings; they offered a sacrifice of well-being and a thanksgiving offering. 57They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and fitted them with doors. 58There was very great joy among the people, and the disgrace brought by the Gentiles was removed.