HarperCollins Study Bible

by Harold W. Attridge

  17“The flesh of your faithful ones and their blood

  they poured out all around Jerusalem,

  and there was no one to bury them.”

  18Then the fear and dread of them fell on all the people, for they said, “There is no truth or justice in them, for they have violated the agreement and the oath that they swore.”

  19Then Bacchides withdrew from Jerusalem and encamped in Beth-zaith. And he sent and seized many of the men who had deserted to him,d and some of the people, and killed them and threw them into a great pit. 20He placed Alcimus in charge of the country and left with him a force to help him; then Bacchides went back to the king.

  21Alcimus struggled to maintain his high priesthood, 22and all who were troubling their people joined him. They gained control of the land of Judah and did great damage in Israel. 23And Judas saw all the wrongs that Alcimus and those with him had done among the Israelites; it was more than the Gentiles had done. 24So Judase went out into all the surrounding parts of Judea, taking vengeance on those who had deserted and preventing those in the cityf from going out into the country. 25When Alcimus saw that Judas and those with him had grown strong, and realized that he could not withstand them, he returned to the king and brought malicious charges against them.

  Nicanor in Judea

  26Then the king sent Nicanor, one of his honored princes, who hated and detested Israel, and he commanded him to destroy the people. 27So Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a large force, and treacherously sent to Judas and his brothers this peaceable message, 28“Let there be no fighting between you and me; I shall come with a few men to see you face to face in peace.”

  29So he came to Judas, and they greeted one another peaceably; but the enemy were preparing to kidnap Judas. 30It became known to Judas that Nicanorg had come to him with treacherous intent, and he was afraid of him and would not meet him again. 31When Nicanor learned that his plan had been disclosed, he went out to meet Judas in battle near Caphar-salama. 32About five hundred of the army of Nicanor fell, and the resth fled into the city of David.

  Nicanor Threatens the Temple

  33After these events Nicanor went up to Mount Zion. Some of the priests from the sanctuary and some of the elders of the people came out to greet him peaceably and to show him the burnt offering that was being offered for the king. 34But he mocked them and derided them and defiled them and spoke arrogantly, 35and in anger he swore this oath, “Unless Judas and his army are delivered into my hands this time, then if I return safely I will burn up this house.” And he went out in great anger. 36At this the priests went in and stood before the altar and the temple; they wept and said,

  37“You chose this house to be called by your name,

  and to be for your people a house of prayer and supplication.

  38Take vengeance on this man and on his army,

  and let them fall by the sword;

  remember their blasphemies,

  and let them live no longer.”

  The Death of Nicanor

  39Now Nicanor went out from Jerusalem and encamped in Beth-horon, and the Syrian army joined him. 40Judas encamped in Adasa with three thousand men. Then Judas prayed and said, 41“When the messengers from the king spoke blasphemy, your angel went out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand of the Assyrians.i 42So also crush this army before us today; let the rest learn that Nicanorj has spoken wickedly against the sanctuary, and judge him according to this wickedness.”

  43So the armies met in battle on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. The army of Nicanor was crushed, and he himself was the first to fall in the battle. 44When his army saw that Nicanor had fallen, they threw down their arms and fled. 45The Jewsk pursued them a day’s journey, from Adasa as far as Gazara, and as they followed they kept sounding the battle call on the trumpets. 46People came out of all the surrounding villages of Judea, and they outflanked the enemyl and drove them back to their pursuers,m so that they all fell by the sword; not even one of them was left. 47Then the Jewsn seized the spoils and the plunder; they cut off Nicanor’s head and the right hand that he had so arrogantly stretched out, and brought them and displayed them just outside Jerusalem. 48The people rejoiced greatly and celebrated that day as a day of great gladness. 49They decreed that this day should be celebrated each year on the thirteenth day of Adar. 50So the land of Judah had rest for a few days.

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  a 161B.C.

  b Gk he

  c Gk He

  d Or many of his men who had deserted

  e Gk he

  f Gk and they were prevented

  g Gk he

  h Gk they

  i Gk of them

  j Gk he

  k Gk they

  l Gk them

  m Gk these

  n Gk they

  7.1–25 After removing Antiochus V and Lysias, Demetrius I seeks to stabilize affairs in Judea by sending Bacchides’ army there and by making Alcimus both high priest and political ruler.

  7.1 Demetrius I Soter, son of Seleucus IV, escaped from being held hostage at Rome with the help of Polybius the historian and landed at Tripolis (a town by the sea) in 161 BCE. See 2 Macc 14.1–2.

  7.2 The royal palace was in Antioch, about 170 miles north of Tripolis.

  7.5 Alcimus (Yakim in Hebrew), from a priestly family (7.14; 1 Chr 24.12), may have already been appointed as high priest under Antiochus V. He represented an Israelite faction favorable to the Seleucids (see 1.11–15; 2 Macc 14.3–4).

  7.8 Since Demetrius I was busy putting down the rebellion of Timarchus in the east, he appointed Bacchides (governor of Beyond the River province—between the Euphrates and Egypt) to subdue Judea.

  7.12–15 Deceived by peaceable words from Bacchides (v. 10) and Alcimus (v. 15) and impressed by the priestly lineage of Alcimus, the Hasideans (see 2.42) deserted the cause of Judas.

  7.16–18 Why Alcimus had sixty Hasideans killed is not stated; perhaps it was because of their past opposition to the pro-Seleucid faction (2.42). The fate of these Hasideans is said to fulfill Ps 79.2–3.

  7.19 Beth-zaith, between Jerusalem and Beth-zur. Pit, probably a large cistern no longer used for saving water (see Jer 41.7).

  7.20 Bacchides’ plan in subduing Judea was to establish the high priest Alcimus as head of state (in charge of the country) as previous high priests (Onias, Jason, Menelaus) had been.

  7.24 Judas was still strong enough to carry out guerilla warfare and thus prevent Alcimus from taking full control of Judea.

  7.26–32 Sent to strengthen Alcimus and his party, Nicanor uses diplomatic and military strategies against Judas. See 2 Macc 14.11–36 for a different perspective on Nicanor.

  7.26 Nicanor, possibly not the same Nicanor who helped Demetrius flee from Rome (see Josephus, Antiquities 12.402) or was part of the Emmaus campaign (3.38).

  7.27 Whereas in 1 Maccabees Nicanor acts treacherously throughout, in 2 Macc 14.18–25 he at first seems to develop a genuine friendship with Judas and tries to mediate between the Jewish factions.

  7.31 Caphar-salama. Exact location unknown, but likely to the north of Jerusalem.

  7.32 City of David, presumably the Seleucid-held citadel (Akra) in Jerusalem.

  7.33–38 Nicanor’s threat to destroy the temple unless Judas is handed over seems to have come more from frustration than from political realism.

  7.33 The temple priests, probably loyal to Alcimus and the Seleucids, offered sacrifices and prayers on behalf of the Seleucid king (see Ezra 6.10).

  7.34 Defiled them, perhaps spat on them, thus making them temporarily unfit for service.

  7.37–38 The prayer echoes that of Solomon in 1 Kings 8 (see vv. 29–30, 33–34, 43).

  7.39–50 Nicanor’s threat against the temple ends in his defeat by Judas and the dismemberment of his body. See 2 Macc 15.1–37.

  7.39–40 For an earlier battle near Beth-horon, see 3.13–26. Adasa, between Jerusalem and Beth-horon, though its exact location is uncertain.


  7.41 The allusion to the expedition of Sennacherib in 701 BCE (2 Kings 19.35; Isa 37.36) suggests that Judas was vastly outnumbered. See also 2 Macc 8.19; 15.22.

  7.42 Nicanor’s threat against the sanctuary (vv. 33–35) became the rallying cry for Judas’s supporters.

  7.43–44 When the armies met in March (Adar) 161 or 160 BCE, Judas’s strategy was to kill the commander Nicanor and so cause his troops to panic.

  7.45 Gazara (Gezer), the closest Seleucid fort to the west.

  7.47 Cutting off the head and the right hand was originally a Persian punishment. Here it is traced to Nicanor’s threat against the Jerusalem temple.

  7.49 The thirteenth day of Adar, celebrated as “Nicanor’s Day” in the first century CE but later dropped from the Jewish calendar.

  7.50 A formula familiar from Judges (e.g., 3.30; 5.31) is modified drastically (for a few days) to underline the ongoing Seleucid threat.

  1 MACCABEES 8

  A Eulogy of the Romans

  1Now Judas heard of the fame of the Romans, that they were very strong and were well-disposed toward all who made an alliance with them, that they pledged friendship to those who came to them, 2and that they were very strong. He had been told of their wars and of the brave deeds that they were doing among the Gauls, how they had defeated them and forced them to pay tribute, 3and what they had done in the land of Spain to get control of the silver and gold mines there, 4and how they had gained control of the whole region by their planning and patience, even though the place was far distant from them. They also subdued the kings who came against them from the ends of the earth, until they crushed them and inflicted great disaster on them; the rest paid them tribute every year. 5They had crushed in battle and conquered Philip, and King Perseus of the Macedonians,a and the others who rose up against them. 6They also had defeated Antiochus the Great, king of Asia, who went to fight against them with one hundred twenty elephants and with cavalry and chariots and a very large army. He was crushed by them; 7they took him alive and decreed that he and those who would reign after him should pay a heavy tribute and give hostages and surrender some of their best provinces, 8the countries of India, Media, and Lydia. These they took from him and gave to King Eumenes. 9The Greeks planned to come and destroy them, 10but this became known to them, and they sent a general against the Greeksb and attacked them. Many of them were wounded and fell, and the Romansc took captive their wives and children; they plundered them, conquered the land, tore down their strongholds, and enslaved them to this day. 11The remaining kingdoms and islands, as many as ever opposed them, they destroyed and enslaved; 12but with their friends and those who rely on them they have kept friendship. They have subdued kings far and near, and as many as have heard of their fame have feared them. 13Those whom they wish to help and to make kings, they make kings, and those whom they wish they depose; and they have been greatly exalted. 14Yet for all this not one of them has put on a crown or worn purple as a mark of pride, 15but they have built for themselves a senate chamber, and every day three hundred twenty senators constantly deliberate concerning the people, to govern them well. 16They trust one man each year to rule over them and to control all their land; they all heed the one man, and there is no envy or jealousy among them.

  An Alliance with Rome

  17So Judas chose Eupolemus son of John son of Accos, and Jason son of Eleazar, and sent them to Rome to establish friendship and alliance, 18and to free themselves from the yoke; for they saw that the kingdom of the Greeks was enslaving Israel completely. 19They went to Rome, a very long journey; and they entered the senate chamber and spoke as follows: 20“Judas, who is also called Maccabeus, and his brothers and the people of the Jews have sent us to you to establish alliance and peace with you, so that we may be enrolled as your allies and friends.” 21The proposal pleased them, 22and this is a copy of the letter that they wrote in reply, on bronze tablets, and sent to Jerusalem to remain with them there as a memorial of peace and alliance:

  23“May all go well with the Romans and with the nation of the Jews at sea and on land forever, and may sword and enemy be far from them. 24If war comes first to Rome or to any of their allies in all their dominion, 25the nation of the Jews shall act as their allies wholeheartedly, as the occasion may indicate to them. 26To the enemy that makes war they shall not give or supply grain, arms, money, or ships, just as Rome has decided; and they shall keep their obligations without receiving any return. 27In the same way, if war comes first to the nation of the Jews, the Romans shall willingly act as their allies, as the occasion may indicate to them. 28And to their enemies there shall not be given grain, arms, money, or ships, just as Rome has decided; and they shall keep these obligations and do so without deceit. 29Thus on these terms the Romans make a treaty with the Jewish people. 30If after these terms are in effect both parties shall determine to add or delete anything, they shall do so at their discretion, and any addition or deletion that they may make shall be valid.

  31“Concerning the wrongs that King Demetrius is doing to them, we have written to him as follows, ‘Why have you made your yoke heavy on our friends and allies the Jews? 32If now they appeal again for help against you, we will defend their rights and fight you on sea and on land.’”

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  a Or Kittim

  b Gk them

  c Gk they

  8.1–16 An idealized and sometimes inaccurate description of the Romans prepares for the treaty described in vv. 17–32.

  8.2 The Gauls defeated by the Romans were most likely the Cisalpine Gauls, on the south side of the Alps.

  8.3 After the defeat of the Carthaginians in the late third century BCE, Spain was increasingly under Roman control.

  8.4 Mention of the kings introduces the episodes in vv. 5–13.

  8.5 The Romans defeated Philip V of Macedon in 197 BCE and later his son Perseus in 168.

  8.6–8 Antiochus III was defeated by the Romans at Magnesia in 190 BCE and was forced to cede some of his territories to Eumenes II of Pergamum. Among the hostages was Antiochus IV. Neither India nor Media was ceded to Eumenes; perhaps the text originally had “Ionia” and “Mysia.”

  8.9–10 In 146 BCE the Achaean League of Greece was defeated by Lucius Mummius, who in turn destroyed Corinth. These events happened fifteen years after the Jewish embassy to Rome described in vv. 17–32.

  8.15 The senate had three hundred members, not three hundred twenty, and did not meet every day.

  8.16 Two consuls, not one, were chosen every year.

  8.17–32 Eager to extend their influence eastward, the Romans are displeased by the actions of Demetrius. The Jews need a powerful ally against the Seleucids. But in the period covered by 1 Maccabees nothing comes of the alliance until 14.16–24. Nevertheless, the author refers to it in 12.1, 3–4.

  8.17 Eupolemus, from the priestly clan of Hakkoz (1 Chr 24.10), was the son of John, who gained concessions from Antiochus III (2 Macc 4.11).

  8.19 Their very long journey to Rome (over a month) may have taken place in 161 BCE, when Demetrius arrived in Syria and before the defeat of Nicanor.

  8.22 The original treaty is said to have been inscribed on bronze tablets and kept in Rome. The copy was presumably written in Latin or Greek, translated into Hebrew in the original version of 1 Maccabees, and translated into Greek in the extant text of 1 Maccabees.

  8.23–30 The content of the treaty is regarded as basically authentic by most scholars today. After the opening (v. 23), there are parallel clauses stipulating that each side will come to the aid of the other if war breaks out (vv. 24–26, 27–28).

  8.25 The clause as the occasion may indicate to them leaves a good deal of flexibility.

  8.26 Without receiving any return, possibly a mistake in translation; see the parallel clause without deceit in v. 28, which corresponds to the usual treaty form.

  8.30 Possible alterations had to be done by the common consent of both parties.

  8.31–32 The threaten
ing letter to Demetrius I is cast in biblical idiom (you made your yoke heavy) and was never acted upon by the Romans. It may not have been part of the original treaty.

  1 MACCABEES 9

  Bacchides Returns to Judea

  1When Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his army had fallen in battle, he sent Bacchides and Alcimus into the land of Judah a second time, and with them the right wing of the army. 2They went by the road that leads to Gilgal and encamped against Mesaloth in Arbela, and they took it and killed many people. 3In the first month of the one hundred fifty-second yeara they encamped against Jerusalem; 4then they marched off and went to Berea with twenty thousand foot soldiers and two thousand cavalry.

  5Now Judas was encamped in Elasa, and with him were three thousand picked men. 6When they saw the huge number of the enemy forces, they were greatly frightened, and many slipped away from the camp, until no more than eight hundred of them were left.

  7When Judas saw that his army had slipped away and the battle was imminent, he was crushed in spirit, for he had no time to assemble them. 8He became faint, but he said to those who were left, “Let us get up and go against our enemies. We may have the strength to fight them.” 9But they tried to dissuade him, saying, “We do not have the strength. Let us rather save our own lives now, and let us come back with our kindred and fight them; we are too few.” 10But Judas said, “Far be it from us to do such a thing as to flee from them. If our time has come, let us die bravely for our kindred, and leave no cause to question our honor.”

  The Last Battle of Judas

  11Then the army of Bacchidesb marched out from the camp and took its stand for the encounter. The cavalry was divided into two companies, and the slingers and the archers went ahead of the army, as did all the chief warriors. 12Bacchides was on the right wing. Flanked by the two companies, the phalanx advanced to the sound of the trumpets; and the men with Judas also blew their trumpets. 13The earth was shaken by the noise of the armies, and the battle raged from morning until evening.