Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
Judas, succeeding his father, fights against Antiochus like a lion, and routs two of his generals, namely Apollonius at verse 10, and Seron at verse 13. Therefore Antiochus sends a third general, Lysias, against whom Judas prepares for battle, imploring God's help with fasting and ardent prayer.
Vulgate Text: 1 Maccabees 3:1-60
1. And Judas, who was called Maccabeus, his son, rose up in his place; 2. and all his brothers helped him, and all who had joined his father, and they fought the battle of Israel with joy. 3. And he extended the glory of his people, and he put on a breastplate like a giant, and girded himself with his weapons of war in battles, and he protected the camp with his sword. 4. He was made like a lion in his deeds, and like a lion's cub roaring in the hunt. 5. And he pursued the wicked, searching them out; and those who troubled his people, he burned with flames; 6. and his enemies were driven back for fear of him, and all the workers of iniquity were thrown into confusion; and salvation was directed by his hand. 7. And he provoked many kings, and made Jacob glad by his deeds, and his memory is blessed forever. 8. And he went through the cities of Judah, and destroyed the ungodly out of them, and turned away wrath from Israel. 9. And he was renowned to the ends of the earth, and he gathered together those who were perishing. 10. And Apollonius gathered together the Gentiles, and a great and strong army from Samaria, to make war against Israel. 11. And Judas knew of it, and went out to meet him; and he struck and killed him; and many fell wounded, and the rest fled. 12. And he took their spoils; and Judas took the sword of Apollonius, and fought with it all his days. 13. And Seron, commander of the army of Syria, heard that Judas had gathered a congregation of the faithful and an assembly with him, 14. and he said: I will make myself a name, and I will be glorified in the kingdom, and I will fight against Judas and those who are with him, who despised the word of the king. 15. And he prepared himself; and there went up with him the camp of the ungodly, strong auxiliaries, to take vengeance on the children of Israel. 16. And they drew near as far as Beth-horon; and Judas went out to meet him with a few men. 17. But when they saw the army coming against them, they said to Judas: How shall we, being few, be able to fight against so great and strong a multitude, and we are fatigued by fasting today? 18. And Judas said: It is easy for many to be shut up in the hands of a few; and there is no difference in the sight of the God of heaven to deliver by many or by few; 19. for victory in war is not in the multitude of the army, but strength comes from heaven. 20. They come against us in a haughty multitude and pride, to destroy us and our wives and our children, and to spoil us; 21. but we will fight for our lives and our laws; 22. and the Lord Himself will crush them before our face: therefore do not fear them. 23. And when he had ceased speaking, he rushed upon them suddenly; and Seron and his army were crushed before him; 24. and he pursued him in the descent of Beth-horon as far as the plain, and there fell of them eight hundred men, and the rest fled into the land of the Philistines. 25. And the fear of Judas and his brothers fell, and dread upon all the nations round about them; 26. and his name reached the king, and all nations told of the battles of Judas. 27. But when king Antiochus heard these words, he was angry in his spirit; and he sent and gathered together the army of his whole kingdom, very strong camps; 28. and he opened his treasury and gave the army pay for a year; and he commanded them to be ready for all things. 29. And he saw that the money failed from his treasures, and that the tributes of the region were small because of the dissension and the calamity he had caused in the land, in abolishing the laws that had been from the earliest days; 30. and he feared that he would not have enough, as once or twice before, for the expenses and gifts which he had formerly given with a lavish hand; and he had abounded above the kings who had been before him. 31. And he was greatly perplexed in mind, and resolved to go into Persia, and to take the tributes of the regions, and to gather much silver. 32. And he left Lysias, a nobleman of royal blood, over the king's affairs, from the river Euphrates to the river of Egypt; 33. and to bring up his son Antiochus until he returned. 34. And he delivered to him half the army, and the elephants; and he gave him charge of all that he wanted, and concerning the inhabitants of Judea and Jerusalem; 35. and to send an army against them, to crush and root out the strength of Israel, and the remnant of Jerusalem, and to remove their memory from the place; 36. and to settle the children of strangers as inhabitants in all their borders, and to distribute their land by lot. 37. And the king took the remaining part of the army, and went out from Antioch, the city of his kingdom, in the one hundred and forty-seventh year; and he crossed the river Euphrates, and went through the upper regions. 38. And Lysias chose Ptolemy the son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor, and Gorgias, powerful men from among the king's friends; 39. and he sent with them forty thousand foot soldiers, and seven thousand horsemen, to go into the land of Judah, and to destroy it according to the king's word. 40. And they marched out with all their forces, and came and encamped near Emmaus in the plain country. 41. And the merchants of the regions heard their name; and they took very much silver and gold, and servants; and they came to the camp to buy the children of Israel as slaves; and the armies of Syria and of the land of the foreigners joined them. 42. And Judas and his brothers saw that evils had multiplied, and that the armies were encamping on their borders; and they learned the king's orders, which he had commanded the people to carry out for their destruction and total ruin. 43. And they said, each one to his neighbor: Let us raise up the fallen state of our people, and let us fight for our people and for our holy things. 44. And the assembly was gathered together to be ready for battle, and that they might pray and seek mercy and compassion. 45. And Jerusalem was not inhabited, but was like a desert; there was none of her children that went in or out; and the sanctuary was trodden down; and the children of strangers were in the citadel — there was the habitation of the Gentiles; and joy was taken away from Jacob, and the pipe and the harp ceased there. 46. And they assembled and came to Mizpah, opposite Jerusalem; for there had formerly been a place of prayer in Mizpah for Israel. 47. And they fasted that day, and put on sackcloth, and put ashes upon their heads, and tore their garments. 48. And they spread open the books of the law, in which the Gentiles had searched for the likeness of their idols; 49. and they brought the priestly garments, and the first-fruits, and the tithes; and they brought forward the Nazirites who had completed their days; 50. and they cried out with a loud voice to heaven, saying: What shall we do with these, and where shall we take them? 51. And your holy places are trodden down and profaned, and your priests are in mourning and humiliation. 52. And behold, the nations have assembled against us to destroy us; You know what they plan against us. 53. How shall we be able to stand before them, unless You, O God, help us? 54. And they sounded the trumpets with a loud voice. 55. And after this Judas appointed leaders of the people: tribunes, centurions, captains of fifty, and captains of ten. 56. And he said to those who were building houses, and were betrothing wives, and were planting vineyards, and to the fearful, that each should return to his own house according to the law. 57. And they moved their camp and encamped to the south of Emmaus. 58. And Judas said: Arm yourselves, and be valiant men, and be ready in the morning to fight against these nations that have assembled against us to destroy us and our holy things; 59. for it is better for us to die in battle than to see the evils of our nation and of our holy things. 60. But as shall be the will of heaven, so be it done.
Verse 1: And Judas Rose Up
1. And Judas rose up. — Josippus ben Gorion asserts that Judas was anointed as Leader with oil by his father Mattathias. For he says thus: "Mattathias brought forth a horn with oil, and pouring it upon his head, anointed him for battles, and all the people shouted and said: Long live the anointed one." Josephus adds that he was anointed in Jerusalem in the temple; but this seems false, for Jerusalem with the temple was held by the soldiers of Antiochus, as is clear from chapter 1.
Maccabeus. — Gorionides asserts that this name was first given to Judas here by his father Mattathias, and that it means "extinguisher," as if to say: You, O Judas, be Maccabeus, that is, the extinguisher of Antiochus and of the other enemies of Israel. Others more correctly think that the name had already been given to Judas from Machabi, which Judas inscribed on his banners; therefore it was not bestowed by Mattathias, but rather confirmed, as the words themselves sufficiently indicate. See the remarks in the Proem.
Verse 3: And He Put On A Breastplate Like A Giant
3. And he put on a breastplate like a giant — both because Judas was tall and of massive build, and therefore in that age when men fought not with cannons but with arms and swords, he was the strongest; hence, explaining further, it adds: AND HE PROTECTED THE CAMP WITH HIS SWORD — and because he was of extraordinary and gigantic strength, both of body and of spirit; for God continually and constantly bestowed this upon him, as one who hoped in Him alone, for the protection of Israel. So Saul, David, Julius Caesar, Constantine, Heraclius, Charlemagne, and Godfrey of Bouillon were of tall and strong body, and equally of spirit, and therefore outstanding warriors, cutting down many enemies with their own hands and swords. For a giant is a symbol of rare strength and fortitude; for giants of old were most huge and most powerful, and therefore terrible to all, so that no one dared to oppose them. Such was Judas.
Moral note. In the Old Law, therefore, priests and High Priests were often soldiers and war leaders, and Judas and his brothers were priests; they were properly chosen by God and the people for this purpose, to sustain and support Israel, which was nearly prostrate and abandoned by all. They were therefore primarily chosen as war leaders; but the High Priesthood was added to them, so that they might fight more ardently for religion, for the temple, and for God against Antiochus, and for other reasons mentioned above. Nor is this surprising; for the priesthood was then rough and carnal; the priests were like butchers in slaughtering and butchering the sheep and cattle to be sacrificed to God; therefore in these tasks they learned to slaughter the enemies of Israel. For no soldiers are fiercer than butchers, who are constantly engaged in slaughter and blood. It is different in the New Testament, where the priesthood is far more sublime and holy, and priests are engaged in consecrating and offering the body of Christ in the Eucharist; therefore it befits them, like Christ, to be meek, pious, and devoted to God, and consequently to be far from fighting and killing.
Verse 4: He Was Made Like A Lion
4. He was made like a lion — according to what was foretold of Judah the son by Jacob the Patriarch, Genesis 49:9: "Judah is a lion's cub: from the prey, my son, you have gone up; resting, you crouched like a lion, and like a lioness — who will rouse him?" Because in the place of that Judah, to whom Jacob attributed the principality, our Judas Maccabeus succeeded as leader and prince of the people, although he was descended not from Judah but from Levi, and in strength, might, and victories he was not inferior but superior. The Hebrews report that Judas bore a lion as his emblem on his banners.
AND LIKE A LION'S CUB ROARING IN THE HUNT. — In Greek eis theran, that is, "in the hunt" or "at the prey." For lion cubs, when they are hungry with a growling stomach, roar, and roaring they rush upon sheep and cattle to satisfy their hunger.
Verse 6: And Salvation Was Directed By His Hand
6. And salvation was directed by his hand — that is, rightly and directly salvation came to Israel through the hand, might, and battles of Judas; for Judas by his industry and fortitude rightly directed Israel toward salvation, and caused it to tend toward it by a straight path and course. It can also be explained secondly by hypallage, as if to say: The hand of Judas was directed toward bringing salvation to Israel. For God directed the hand of Judas to continual victories, by which salvation directly came to Israel. For "directed" the Greek is euodōthē, that is, it proceeded by an easy way, it was prospered; whence euodia means a prosperous journey, or prosperity. Again, "salvation" here can be taken for "victory"; for in this consisted the salvation and safety of the people. Thus "salvation" is taken for "victory" by metonymy: Judges 15:18, 1 Samuel 11:9, and 14:45, 17:47, and 1 Maccabees 4:25.
Verse 7: He Provoked Many Kings
7. He provoked (irritated, harassed, and stirred to anger and indignation) MANY KINGS — namely Antiochus Epiphanes, and his son Antiochus Eupator, and Demetrius, and their neighbors and allies; for with these he waged many battles, always conquering and triumphing.
Verse 10: A Great Force
10. A GREAT FORCE. — In Greek dynamin, that is, a great might of soldiers.
Verse 11: And Judas Knew And Went Out
11. AND JUDAS KNEW AND WENT OUT (with a few men) TO MEET HIM, AND HE STRUCK AND KILLED HIM — Apollonius the commander of the enemy. Hear the matter graphically narrated by Josephus Gorionides:
"When Judas saw Apollonius standing in the middle of his army, he ran down to him with the utmost fury, all the way to the middle of the camp, cutting through everything, to the right and to the left striking down the strongest of the enemy, just as a reaper cuts down the sheaves and stalks of his harvest, and going on to Apollonius, he struck him down and felled him with his sword."
Verse 12: And Judas Took The Sword Of Apollonius
12. AND JUDAS TOOK THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS, AND HE FOUGHT WITH IT ALL HIS DAYS — both because this sword, as belonging to so great a commander, was remarkable, large, strong, and sharp; and also as a sign of victory and a trophy.
On divination: For when the temple of Apollo had been devastated by Brennus, he relates that the Pythia uttered this oracle: "I will watch over this matter myself, and the white maidens." And indeed white apparitions soon appeared to the army of the Gauls and utterly destroyed and overwhelmed them. But this is fictitious. Truly, however, Eusebius testifies that Constantine conquered in battles by God's help and by miracles clearly shown, in Book I of the Life of Constantine, and in Book IX of the History, chapter 9. That John and St. Philip the Apostles openly fought alongside Emperor Theodosius I against his enemies is attested by Theodoret, and others. Bellarmine thoroughly pursues the military service and fighting of the Saints on behalf of the faithful in Book I, On the Beatitude of the Saints, chapter 18. Concerning Christ Jesus born, and not merely His image, Eusebius is a witness in Book 9, chapter 9, where he says: 'In this sign you shall conquer.' Nicephorus also attests the same in Book VII, chapter 28. St. Charles Borromeo with his prayer, as with a sword, put to flight the armies of heretics in Switzerland. For nothing so powerfully puts enemies to flight as the prayers of holy and pious men poured out to God, or the holy cross faithfully adored, or the confession of faith with the invocation of Christ.
Verse 13: And Seron, Commander Of The Army Of Syria, Heard
13. AND SERON, COMMANDER OF THE ARMY OF SYRIA, HEARD.
This Seron was a general and, as it were, viceroy of all Syria. He envied Apollonius, and the battle and slaughter accomplished under Judas's leadership, and therefore hoped that he would overcome Judas and claim this glory for himself. But he fell to the same Judas.
Verse 14: I Will Make Myself A Name
14. AND HE SAID: I WILL MAKE MYSELF A NAME, AND I WILL BE GLORIFIED IN THE KINGDOM, AND I WILL FIGHT AGAINST JUDAS AND THOSE WHO ARE WITH HIM, WHO DESPISED THE WORD OF THE KING. — That is, the command of king Antiochus, concerning the worship of Jupiter Olympius and the abolition of the worship of the true God. For this is what it adds:
Verse 15: And He Prepared Himself
15. AND HE PREPARED HIMSELF; AND THERE WENT UP WITH HIM THE CAMP OF THE UNGODLY, STRONG AUXILIARIES, — to take vengeance on the children of Israel, that is, to punish the Jewish Maccabees for having defected from Antiochus and not accepting his idolatry.
Verse 16: And They Drew Near As Far As Beth-Horon
16. AND THEY DREW NEAR AS FAR AS BETH-HORON, — where formerly Joshua had routed the five kings of the Canaanites, Joshua 10. Beth-horon is a city in the tribe of Ephraim, on the border of the tribe of Benjamin, on the boundary of Samaria and Judea. From this it is clear that Seron invaded Judea from Syria through Samaria. Josephus adds in Book XII of the Antiquities, chapter 11, that Seron had twenty thousand infantry and a great force of cavalry.
AND JUDAS WENT OUT TO MEET HIM WITH A FEW MEN — namely 800, as Josephus says in Book XII of the Antiquities, chapter 11. Others think there were a thousand, others more; but they were certainly few in comparison with Seron's army. For Judas deliberately used this small number, out of trust in God, so that he might more clearly declare God as the author of the victory.
Verse 17: How Shall We, Being Few, Be Able To Fight
17. BUT WHEN THEY SAW THE ARMY COMING AGAINST THEM, THEY SAID TO JUDAS: HOW SHALL WE, BEING FEW, BE ABLE TO FIGHT AGAINST SO GREAT AND STRONG A MULTITUDE, AND WE ARE FATIGUED BY FASTING TODAY? — For the Jews were fasting on that day; it was indeed a day of fasting, either an ordinary one prescribed by law, or an extraordinary one which they had imposed on themselves, as is clear from the end of this chapter.
Note here two speeches of Judas to his soldiers, by which he raised their spirits. The first is in verses 18, 19, and 20; the second in verses 21 and 22. FIRST SPEECH.
Verse 18: It Is Easy For Many To Be Shut Up In The Hands Of A Few
18. AND JUDAS SAID: IT IS EASY FOR MANY TO BE SHUT UP IN THE HANDS OF A FEW — this is the first reason and argument of Judas, as if to say: It is not a new or unusual thing for few to fight against many and to conquer them, with God's help; for many have often been shut up and conquered by few. AND THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE IN THE SIGHT OF THE GOD OF HEAVEN TO DELIVER BY MANY OR BY FEW — this is the second argument of Judas, namely that God is equally able to conquer enemies through few as through many.
19. FOR VICTORY IN WAR IS NOT IN THE MULTITUDE OF THE ARMY, BUT STRENGTH COMES FROM HEAVEN. — This is the third reason, as if to say: Victory does not depend on the multitude or strength of the army, but on God seated in heaven, who bestows strength and victory on whom He wills. Ecclesiastes 9:11 teaches the same: 'The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise,' etc. And Psalm 33[32]: 'A king is not saved by a great army, and a giant will not be saved by the multitude of his strength.' And 2 Chronicles 14:10: 'Lord, there is no difference with You, whether You help with few or with many; help us, O Lord our God.' And 1 Samuel 14:6: 'It is not hard for the Lord to save, whether by many or by few.'
20. THEY COME AGAINST US IN A HAUGHTY MULTITUDE AND PRIDE, TO DESTROY US AND OUR WIVES AND OUR CHILDREN, AND TO SPOIL US — this is the fourth reason, as if to say: The enemies fight for their pride, tyranny, and greed, to strip us of our goods, wives, and children; but we fight for our life, law, and liberty, and this in defense of our God and His religion and worship; therefore we will have God fighting for us, as follows:
Verse 21: But We Will Fight For Our Lives And Our Laws
SECOND SPEECH. 21. BUT WE WILL FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES AND OUR LAWS; 22. AND THE LORD HIMSELF WILL CRUSH THEM BEFORE OUR FACE: THEREFORE DO NOT FEAR THEM. — This is the fifth reason, and the strength and conclusion of all, as if to say: God the Lord, for whose worship we fight, will fight for us and will crush and overthrow our enemies; therefore rush boldly upon them, for there is nothing to fear. For just as God of old through Gideon with 300 soldiers destroyed the army of the Midianites, so also through us few He will destroy the army of Seron. Judges chapter 7.
Verse 23: He Rushed Upon Them Suddenly
23. AND WHEN HE HAD CEASED SPEAKING, HE RUSHED UPON THEM SUDDENLY; AND SERON AND HIS ARMY WERE CRUSHED BEFORE HIM — Josephus says that all who first resisted him at the very entrance and narrow passes of Beth-horon were cut down by him; and the rest, terrified by the slaughter of their fellows, turned tail and fled into the plains; and that Judas pursued them and killed very many in the flight.
24. AND HE PURSUED HIM IN THE DESCENT OF BETH-HORON AS FAR AS THE PLAIN — for Beth-horon was situated on a mountain, and so Judas pursued the fleeing enemies down from the mountain into the plain and struck them down. Gorionides says that the Jews rushed upon Seron in the descent of Beth-horon and utterly destroyed him with his army. AND THERE FELL OF THEM EIGHT HUNDRED MEN, AND THE REST FLED INTO THE LAND OF THE PHILISTINES. — Josephus says that 800 fell, and the enemies fled to Antioch. Gorionides, however, says that very many fell, and the rest fled to Azotus of the Philistines.
Verse 25: And The Fear Of Judas Fell Upon All Nations
25. AND THE FEAR OF JUDAS AND HIS BROTHERS FELL, AND DREAD UPON ALL THE NATIONS ROUND ABOUT THEM; 26. AND HIS NAME REACHED THE KING, AND ALL NATIONS TOLD OF THE BATTLES OF JUDAS. — Namely, that so few had conquered so many, which filled everyone with admiration and astonishment.
Verse 27: Antiochus Heard And Was Angry
27. BUT WHEN KING ANTIOCHUS HEARD THESE WORDS, HE WAS ANGRY IN HIS SPIRIT — because, namely, two of his generals, Apollonius and Seron, with their great armies had been conquered and slaughtered by a few Jews.
AND HE SENT AND GATHERED TOGETHER THE ARMY OF HIS WHOLE KINGDOM, VERY STRONG CAMPS; 28. AND HE OPENED HIS TREASURY AND GAVE THE ARMY PAY FOR A YEAR; AND HE COMMANDED THEM TO BE READY FOR ALL THINGS. — Read 1 Maccabees chapter 3 from this verse 27 to 37, where these events are narrated at length. For Antiochus, having suffered the defeats of Apollonius and Seron, and having assembled a huge army and exhausted his treasury in pay, was forced to go to Persia to collect tributes. He left Lysias with half the army to subdue Judea.
Verse 29: And The Calamity He Had Caused In The Land
29. AND THE CALAMITY HE HAD CAUSED IN THE LAND (in the provinces subject to him) IN ABOLISHING THE LAWS, that is, the laws, rites, and religion of the nations handed down to them by their ancestors, which had been from the earliest days, on which the commonwealths of those nations had been founded. For nothing so turns peoples away from a king and stirs them to sedition as the overthrow of ancestral laws and ancient religion, and the institution of new ones, as Antiochus was doing, who was abolishing the gods of the nations and wished none to be worshipped except himself and Jupiter Olympius. Added to this was that Asia, subject to Antiochus Epiphanes since the time of his father Antiochus the Great, defeated by Scipio, was paying tribute to the Romans and to Scipio.
Verse 46: And They Assembled And Came To Mizpah
46. Mizpah. — This was a celebrated city on the border of the tribes of Benjamin and Judah, and there the Jews were summoned for public assemblies and for public prayer, as Samuel summoned the people there to renew the people's covenant with God, 1 Samuel 7:5.
There was another Mizpah in the tribe of Gad, mentioned in Judges 20:29; and another likewise in the tribe of Reuben, mentioned in 1 Maccabees 5:35.
Verse 47: And They Fasted On That Day
47. AND THEY FASTED ON THAT DAY (until evening and the rising of the evening star, according to the Jewish custom), AND PUT ON SACKCLOTH, AND PUT ASHES UPON THEIR HEADS, AND TORE THEIR GARMENTS. — These were the rites of mourners and penitents among the Jews, by which they humbled themselves before God and performed public prayer, the rites of mourning.
Verse 48: They Spread Open The Books Of The Law
48. In which the Gentiles searched for the likeness of their idols — we explain: the Maccabees here show that they are concerned not for their own affairs, but for God's, and are moved by zeal for His religion and worship, so as to compel God, as it were, to bring help not so much to His people as to Himself and to His own religion and worship. Therefore this earnest and sincere prayer of theirs was efficacious, and moved God to come to their aid. Let us also pray in a similar manner, and we will equally move God.
Verse 49: And They Brought Forward The Nazirites
49. AND THEY BROUGHT FORWARD THE NAZIRITES, WHO HAD COMPLETED THEIR DAYS — of their Nazirite vow; for when the days of the vow were completed, the Nazirites had to present themselves to God in the temple, and there offer the sacrifices prescribed by God, Numbers 6. See the remarks there. Moreover, the Nazirites were like the religious of that age, who had dedicated and consecrated themselves to God, and therefore grew their hair long and abstained from wine and strong drink. Therefore they bring them forward here and present them to God, so that God may protect them as His own and as consecrated to Him, against Antiochus and Lysias.
Verse 50: And They Cried Out With A Loud Voice To Heaven
50. AND THEY CRIED OUT WITH A LOUD VOICE TO HEAVEN, SAYING: WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH THESE, AND WHERE SHALL WE TAKE THEM? — if Lysias captures us and subjugates all Judea together with Jerusalem and the temple, and fills it with his idols and idolaters, having cut off Your veneration and worship; for as follows:
Verse 51: And Your Holy Things
51. AND YOUR HOLY THINGS (altars, vessels, and all the places of the temple profaned by Antiochus's minions) ARE TRODDEN DOWN AND CONTAMINATED.
AND YOUR PRIESTS HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO MOURNING — both actively: for the priests mourn that they can no longer exercise their priesthood, having been driven into exile by Antiochus and stripped of their offerings, from which they lived; and passively: because the people mourn the sorrowful state of their priests, and that they are deprived of them, so that they cannot sacrifice to God through them or be instructed by them in the law of God.
AND TO HUMILIATION — for where priests are humbled and despised, there likewise the sacrifices, the law, piety, the worship of God, and the faithful and pious people themselves are despised.
Verse 54: And They Sounded The Trumpets With A Loud Voice
54. AND THEY SOUNDED THE TRUMPETS WITH A LOUD VOICE — so that both with their voices and with trumpets resounding to heaven they might implore God's help with the greatest cries.
Verse 55: And After This Judas Appointed Leaders Of The People
55. And after this (because after divine aids, human ones must also be employed; for God does not help except those who strive and work together, and do everything that duty and prudence require), JUDAS APPOINTED LEADERS OF THE PEOPLE — namely his brothers Jonathan, Joseph, and Simon. See 2 Maccabees 8:22, where Judas, drawing up his battle line, divides it into four divisions, and appoints one of his brothers as commander of each, so that each one led 1,400 soldiers under his banner, and Judas himself as fourth led the same number, that is, six thousand in all.
Verse 56: And He Said To Those Who Were Building Houses
56. AND HE SAID TO THOSE WHO WERE BUILDING HOUSES, etc., AND TO THE FEARFUL, THAT THEY SHOULD RETURN HOME — lest they spread their fear to their fellow soldiers, and this according to the law of Deuteronomy chapter 20:4. See the remarks there.
Verse 58: Arm Yourselves And Be Valiant Men
58. Arm yourselves (with swords, weapons, and all other equipment of war), AND BE VALIANT MEN. — In Hebrew bene chail, that is, men of valor, that is, vigorous, courageous, strong.
Verse 59: For It Is Better For Us To Die In Battle
59. FOR IT IS BETTER FOR US TO DIE IN BATTLE THAN TO SEE THE EVILS OF OUR NATION AND OF THE HOLY THINGS — that is, of sacred things, such as the temple, altars, priests, etc. For it is a glorious death to fall in battle for faith, law, and God; as if to say: Let us fight nobly, because either we will conquer, and thus triumph over the enemy; or we will be conquered, and thus be honored with a glorious death.
Verse 60: But As Shall Be The Will In Heaven, So Be It Done
60. BUT AS SHALL BE THE WILL IN HEAVEN, SO BE IT DONE — whether we conquer, or are conquered and die gloriously, as God shall will; as if to say: However the die of battle falls, it will fall well, because it will fall according to the will of God, than which nothing is better. Whether therefore we conquer or are conquered, we will fulfill the will of God, than which nothing more excellent can be desired or wished for. Note here the fortitude, piety, and resignation to God's will of Judas, by which he won God's grace and victory for himself and his people. Let princes and war leaders imitate him, if they wish to enjoy a similar victory and to be gifted by God.