Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
Judas routs the Ammonites, Moabites, and Idumeans; then, at verse 9, he comes to the aid of the Galileans through his brother Simon, and of the Gileadites in person; and at verse 28, he captures Bosor, and at verse 35, Mizpah, and other cities of Gilead. Then, at verse 37, in a pitched battle he defeats Timothy, and at verse 46, he takes Ephron; but at verse 56, Joseph and Azarias, rivals of Judas, are defeated.
Vulgate Text: 1 Maccabees 5:1-68
1. And it came to pass, when the nations round about heard that the altar and the sanctuary had been rebuilt as before, they were very angry; 2. and they planned to destroy the race of Jacob who were among them, and they began to kill some of the people and to persecute them. 3. And Judas fought against the sons of Esau in Idumea, and those who were in Acrabathane, because they were besieging the Israelites, and he struck them with a great blow. 4. And he remembered the malice of the sons of Bean, who were a snare and a stumbling block to the people, lying in ambush for them on the road. 5. And they were shut up by him in towers, and he encamped against them, and devoted them to destruction, and burned their towers with fire, together with all who were in them. 6. And he passed over to the sons of Ammon, and found a strong force and a numerous people, with Timothy as their commander: 7. and he fought many battles with them, and they were crushed before him, and he struck them down: 8. and he took the city of Jazer and its villages, and returned to Judea. 9. And the nations in Gilead gathered against the Israelites who were in their borders, to destroy them; and they fled to the fortress of Dathema, 10. and they sent letters to Judas and his brothers, saying: The nations around us have gathered against us to destroy us: 11. and they are preparing to come and seize the fortress to which we have fled; and Timothy is the commander of their army. 12. Now therefore come and deliver us from their hands, for many of our number have fallen. 13. And all our brothers who were in the region of Tubias have been killed; and they have taken captive their wives and children and goods, and have destroyed there nearly a thousand men. 14. While the letters were still being read, behold, other messengers came from Galilee with their tunics torn, reporting the same things: 15. saying that people from Ptolemais, Tyre, and Sidon had gathered against them; and all Galilee was filled with foreigners, to destroy us. 16. When Judas and the people heard these words, a great assembly gathered to consider what they should do for their brothers who were in tribulation and being attacked by them. 17. And Judas said to his brother Simon: Choose men for yourself, and go and deliver your brothers in Galilee; and I and my brother Jonathan will go to Gilead. 18. And he left Joseph the son of Zechariah, and Azarias, as leaders of the people, with the rest of the army in Judea, as a guard: 19. and he commanded them, saying: Take charge of this people; and do not wage war against the nations until we return. 20. And three thousand men were assigned to Simon, to go to Galilee; and eight thousand to Judas, for Gilead. 21. And Simon went to Galilee, and fought many battles with the nations; and the nations were crushed before him, and he pursued them as far as the gate 22. of Ptolemais; and there fell of the nations nearly three thousand men, and he took their spoils. 23. And he took those who were in Galilee and in Arbatta, with their wives and children and all that they had, and brought them to Judea with great joy. 24. And Judas Maccabeus and Jonathan his brother crossed the Jordan, and went three days' journey through the desert. 25. And the Nabateans met them and received them peacefully, and told them all that had befallen their brothers in Gilead: 26. and that many of them were shut up in Bozrah, and Bosor, and Alema, and Casphor, and Maked, and Carnaim — all these being large and fortified cities. 27. And in the other cities of Gilead also they were held besieged, and on the next day they planned to bring the army against these cities, and to take and destroy them all in one day. 28. And Judas turned with his army by the desert road to Bosor suddenly, and occupied the city; and he killed every male with the edge of the sword, and took all their spoils, and burned it with fire. 29. And they set out from there at night, and went to the fortress. 30. And at dawn, when they raised their eyes, behold, a great multitude beyond counting, bearing ladders and siege engines, to capture the fortress and take them. 31. And Judas saw that the battle had begun, and the cry of battle went up to heaven like a trumpet, and a great shout from the city: 32. and he said to his army: Fight today for your brothers. 33. And he came upon them in three companies from behind, and they sounded the trumpets and cried out in prayer. 34. And the camp of Timothy recognized that it was Maccabeus, and they fled before him; and he struck them with a great blow, and there fell of them on that day nearly eight thousand men. 35. And Judas turned aside to Mizpah, and attacked and took it; and he killed every male in it, and took its spoils, and burned it with fire. 36. From there he went on and took Casbon, and Maked, and Bosor, and the remaining cities of Gilead. 37. After these events, Timothy gathered another army and pitched camp opposite Raphon, across the stream. 38. And Judas sent scouts to reconnoiter the army; and they reported to him, saying: All the nations around us have assembled with him — an exceedingly great army: 39. and they have hired Arabs to help them, and they have pitched camp across the stream, ready to come against you in battle. And Judas went to meet them. 40. And Timothy said to the captains of his army: When Judas and his army draw near to the stream of water, if he crosses over to us first, we will not be able to withstand him, for he will be powerful against us. 41. But if he is afraid to cross and pitches camp on the other side of the river, we will cross over to them and will be able to prevail against him. 42. But when Judas drew near to the stream of water, he stationed scribes of the people along the stream, and commanded them, saying: Leave no one behind; let all come to the battle. 43. And he crossed over to them first, and all the people after him; and all the nations were crushed before them, and they threw down their weapons and fled to the temple that was in Carnaim. 44. And he took the city itself, and burned the temple with fire, together with all who were in it; and Carnaim was overthrown and could not withstand Judas. 45. And Judas gathered all the Israelites who were in Gilead, from the least to the greatest, with their wives and children, and a very great army, to come into the land of Judah. 46. And they came as far as Ephron; and this was a great city, situated at the entrance, very strongly fortified, and there was no way to turn aside from it to the right or to the left, but the road went through the middle of it. 47. And those who were in the city shut themselves in and blocked the gates with stones; and Judas sent to them with words of peace, 48. saying: Let us pass through your land to go to our own land; and no one will harm you; we will only pass through on foot. But they refused to open to them. 49. And Judas commanded it to be proclaimed in the camp that each man should take his position where he was. 50. And the men of valor took their positions, and he attacked that city all day and all night, and the city was delivered into his hands: 51. and he killed every male with the edge of the sword, and destroyed it utterly, and took its spoils, and passed through the whole city over the slain. 52. And they crossed the Jordan into the great plain opposite Beth-shan. 53. And Judas kept gathering the stragglers, and encouraged the people the whole way, until they came into the land of Judah. 54. And they went up to Mount Zion with joy and gladness, and offered holocausts, because not one of them had fallen until they returned in peace. 55. And in the days when Judas and Jonathan were in the land of Gilead, and Simon his brother in Galilee, opposite Ptolemais, 56. Joseph the son of Zechariah, and Azarias, the commander of the forces, heard of the brave deeds and the battles that had been fought, 57. and said: Let us also make a name for ourselves, and let us go fight against the nations that are around us. 58. And he gave orders to those who were in his army, and they marched against Jamnia. 59. And Gorgias came out of the city with his men to meet them in battle. 60. And Joseph and Azarias were put to flight as far as the borders of Judea; and there fell on that day about two thousand men of the people of Israel, and there was a great rout among the people; 61. because they did not listen to Judas and his brothers, thinking they would do valiantly. 62. But they were not of the seed of those men through whom deliverance was wrought in Israel. 63. And the men of Judah were greatly magnified in the sight of all Israel and of all the nations wherever their name was heard. 64. And people gathered to them, acclaiming them with good wishes. 65. And Judas and his brothers went out and fought against the sons of Esau in the land to the south, and he struck Hebron and its villages; and he burned its walls and towers with fire all around. 66. And he moved camp to go into the land of the foreigners, and he went through Samaria. 67. On that day priests fell in battle, because they wished to do bravely, and went out to fight without counsel. 68. And Judas turned to Azotus in the land of the foreigners, and tore down their altars, and burned with fire the carved images of their gods; and he took the spoils of the cities, and returned to the land of Judah.
Verse 4: The Malice Of The Sons Of Bean
4. THE MALICE OF THE SONS OF BEAN. — "Bean," says St. Jerome in his Hebrew Place-names, is "a city of the Amorites, which was also held by the sons of Reuben." So also Eusebius.
Verse 5: And He Devoted Them To Destruction
5. And he devoted them to destruction — that is, he completely overthrew and exterminated them. For this is in Hebrew cherem, that is, anathema, meaning complete slaughter and destruction.
Verse 8: He Took Jazer
8. HE TOOK JAZER. — This was a city in the region of Ammon.
Verse 11: And Timothy Is Their Commander
11. AND TIMOTHY IS THEIR COMMANDER. — Timothy was the leader of the Ammonites, who were perpetual and bitter enemies of the Jews.
Verse 19: Take Charge Of This People
19. AND HE COMMANDED THEM: TAKE CHARGE OF THIS PEOPLE, AND DO NOT WAGE WAR (battle) AGAINST THE NATIONS UNTIL WE RETURN. — See here the prudence of Judas, who forbids those he left behind to give battle; both because they were inferior to the enemy, and because he had assigned them all to the protection of the people: for if they were cut down, it would be all over for the whole people. These men, violating the command of Judas, engaged the enemy, and therefore were slain by him, verse 56.
Verse 23: And He Took Those In Galilee
23. And he took (the few Jews living in Galilee, who were in danger because of the neighboring enemies in Galilee and Philistia, and) BROUGHT THEM TO JUDEA — so that there, among their own people, they might live more safely and peacefully.
Verse 26: And That Many Of Them Were Shut Up
26. AND THAT MANY OF THEM WERE SHUT UP (that is, besieged and virtually captured, surrounded on all sides by enemies) IN BOZRAH — in Greek, in Bosra, and in other cities of Gilead, so that they could not go out or escape their hands.
Verse 27: And In The Other Cities Of Gilead Also They Are Held Captive
27. AND IN THE OTHER CITIES OF GILEAD ALSO THEY ARE HELD CAPTIVE (that is, surrounded and shut in by the enemy, as I said in verse 26, whence it follows) AND ON THE NEXT DAY THEY PLANNED TO BRING THE ARMY AGAINST THESE CITIES, AND TO TAKE (that is, to storm and capture) AND TO DESTROY THEM (that is, to kill their inhabitants) IN ONE DAY — hence the Greek reads: On the next day he planned to pitch camp against the fortresses, and to capture and destroy all these in one day.
Verse 28: Judas Turned To Bosor By The Desert Road
28. AND JUDAS AND HIS ARMY TURNED BY THE DESERT ROAD TO BOSOR SUDDENLY, AND OCCUPIED IT — because he overwhelmed the citizens unexpectedly, when they were not thinking of attack and were unprepared. Bosor was a city of Moab beyond the Jordan, situated in the tribe of Reuben, which Joshua gave to the Levites to dwell in, chapter 20, verse 8.
Verse 29: And They Set Out From There At Night
29. AND THEY SET OUT FROM THERE AT NIGHT AND WENT TO THE FORTRESS — to which the frightened Jews had fled, in order to free them from the enemies who were besieging and attacking them.
Verse 30: At Dawn They Raised Their Eyes
30. AND AT DAWN, WHEN THEY RAISED THEIR EYES, BEHOLD, A GREAT MULTITUDE (of enemies, whose leader was Timothy) CARRYING LADDERS AND SIEGE ENGINES, TO CAPTURE THE FORTRESS — to which the Jews had fled, and to free whom Judas was marching.
Verse 31: And A Great Shout From The City
31. AND A GREAT SHOUT FROM THE CITY — for the citizens were shouting, to spur one another to repel the enemies attacking the fortress, and to implore by their cries to heaven the help of God and their allies; the enemies likewise were shouting with voices and trumpets to encourage one another for the assault. Hence Judas, hearing these shouts from both sides,
Verse 32: Said To His Army: Fight Today For Your Brothers
32. SAID TO HIS ARMY: FIGHT TODAY FOR YOUR BROTHERS — who are besieged in the fortress, against the enemies attacking it, so that you may deliver them from their hands.
Verse 33: And He Came Upon Them In Three Companies From Behind
33. AND HE CAME UPON THEM IN THREE COMPANIES FROM BEHIND (to surround them from three sides and attack them, so they could not escape, since on the other side the Jewish fortress blocked them, so they could not slip away), AND THEY SOUNDED THE TRUMPETS (to encourage his men and terrify the enemy with this unexpected trumpet blast), AND THEY CRIED OUT IN PRAYER — begging God's help and victory, which they also obtained. For God struck terror of Judas into the enemies and put them to flight; hence eight thousand of them were slain by Judas, as is stated in the following verse.
Verse 35: And Judas Turned Aside To Mizpah
35. AND JUDAS TURNED ASIDE TO MIZPAH. — This was a city of the Moabites, likewise in the tribe of Reuben, mentioned in 1 Samuel 22:3.
Verse 36: And He Took Casbon
36. AND HE TOOK CASBON — in Greek, Casphor, as our translator called it in verse 26.
Verse 37: Timothy Gathered Another Army
37. AFTER THESE EVENTS, TIMOTHY GATHERED ANOTHER ARMY AND PITCHED CAMP OPPOSITE RAPHON, ACROSS THE STREAM — near the city, which in verse 41 is called a river.
Verse 40: If He Crosses Over To Us First
40. IF (JUDAS) CROSSES OVER TO US FIRST, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND HIM.
Verse 41: But If He Is Afraid To Cross
41. BUT IF HE IS AFRAID TO CROSS, etc., WE WILL CROSS OVER TO THEM AND WILL BE ABLE TO PREVAIL AGAINST HIM. — Some think Timothy took this as a kind of omen, and from it divined whether the victory would be his or Judas's; just as Jonathan took the same omen of victory over the Philistines and said: "If they say: Come up to us, let us go up, because the Lord has delivered them into our hands," 1 Samuel 14:12.
More truly, Timothy said this from military experience and conjectural presage. For experienced war leaders probe the spirits of the enemy, whether they are fearful, or bold and confident of victory. For if they are fearful, they gather that they are weak and faint-hearted, and therefore can easily be overthrown; hence they attack and rout them. But if they see them to be bold and confident, they conjecture that they are stronger than themselves, and so they withdraw and flee lest they be cut down by them. For the confidence of soldiers and the lack of confidence of enemies contribute greatly to victory.
So St. Thomas, Sanchez, Serarius, and others. Formerly, when I was in Belgium, at Nijmegen the Catholic citizens were at odds with the heretics, and on both sides battle lines were being drawn up in the marketplace to fight; but the leader of the heretics requested a parley with the Catholic Consul and commander, to discuss peace. The Catholic Consul, taking the hand of the heretical leader, found it trembling: whereupon, returning to his people, he said: Come, citizens, let us fight — the enemy fears and trembles, the victory is ours. They fought, they conquered, and expelled the heretics from the city.
Agesilaus, the most warlike king of Sparta, when asked what quality most adorned a war leader, replied: "Boldness against the enemy, and when opportunity presents itself, reason and counsel." So Stobaeus, Sermon 52.
Verse 42: He Stationed Scribes Of The People
42. He (Judas) stationed scribes — who inscribed the names of the soldiers in a register, to see that no one remained on this side of the stream, but to compel all to cross, so that charging boldly against Timothy with all his forces, he might overthrow him; which he indeed did.
Verse 43: And He Crossed Over To Them First
43. AND HE CROSSED OVER TO THEM FIRST. — Judas, seeing that his men feared to cross the river because of the enemy's numbers, himself first crossed the river, so that the rest might nobly follow him as their leader. And so it happened. Therefore by this boldness he struck the enemies, put them to flight, cut them down, and crushed them, as follows.
The same was done by great commanders who in difficult situations were the first to undertake the task, and by their example inspired the soldiers to follow them, and accomplished the mission. So did Cato in Lucan, Book IX, first entering the Libyan sands, whence he exhorted his soldiers to follow him, saying:
I will first enter the sands, And I will first plant my steps in the dust.
And soon after:
Measure the dangers of your fate By mine.
Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar did the same, as Suetonius attests in his Life, chapters 58 and following. Famous is that saying of Philip, father of Alexander: "An army of deer led by a lion is more formidable than an army of lions led by a deer." And that saying of Albert, Duke of Austria, in Sylvius, Book II of the Deeds of Alphonsus: "If you seek a commander other than myself to lead the army against the Bohemians, you call me Duke of Austria in vain. For he is truly a leader who leads the army, and whom the army follows as he fights fiercely."
Verse 45: And He Gathered All The Israelites
45. And he gathered all the Israelites — so that from Gilead, where they were surrounded by enemies, they might come with him into the land of Judah, and there live safely among the garrisons of the Jews, as I said about the Galileans in verse 23.
Verse 46: They Came As Far As Ephron
46. AND THEY CAME AS FAR AS EPHRON, AND THIS WAS A GREAT CITY AT THE ENTRANCE — that is, situated at the approach to Gilead. Ephron was therefore across the Jordan in the land of Gilead. These three names are to be distinguished: Ephraim, Ephrem, and Ephron. For Ephraim was the mountain of the tribe of Ephraim. Ephrem was a small town five miles from Bethel, facing east, to which Christ, fleeing the Pharisees, withdrew shortly before His death, John 11:54. Ephron was a city which Asa captured from Israel in war, 2 Chronicles 13:19; later a large village to the north, twenty miles from Jerusalem; so Adrichomius and others, although St. Jerome in his Hebrew Place-names seems to say that Ephron is the same as Ephrem. Furthermore, there were three Ephrons: one in the tribe of Ephraim, which I just mentioned; another in the tribe of Judah, says St. Jerome and Adrichomius; a third in the tribe of Manasseh, which is discussed here. For this one, says Adrichomius in his Description of the tribe of Manasseh, number 48, was a great and very strongly fortified city, equipped with many engines of war and an arsenal of weapons, situated on the public road not far from the Jordan, and almost opposite the city of Beth-shan, or Scythopolis, which mountains surround on both sides so that there is no road except through the city. Hence when Judas Maccabeus led his army this way, and passage through the city, which he had modestly requested through messengers, was denied him, he was forced to open a way with the sword.
Verse 52: Judas Kept Gathering The Stragglers
52. And Judas kept gathering the stragglers — of his column, namely the sick, the weak, the exhausted, the women, children, and elderly; lest anyone fail on the way, or falling behind fall into the hands of the enemy. This was the remarkable foresight and charity of Judas, to bring all his people safely back to Judea.
And he encouraged the people the whole way — to march courageously, yet so as not to abandon those at the rear of the column.
Verse 56: Joseph And Azarias Heard Of The Brave Deeds
56. JOSEPH THE SON OF ZECHARIAH AND AZARIAS, THE COMMANDER OF THE FORCES, HEARD — that is, the army left by Judas in Judea to guard it in his absence, but on the condition that they should not engage the enemy before his return, as was stated in verses 18 and 19. Therefore when these two, against the order of Judas, wished to fight in his absence, they were routed and put to flight. This was indeed the just punishment of disobedience, as well as of pride, by which they strove to gain fame and glory for themselves by fighting in imitation of Judas.
Verse 62: They Were Not Of The Seed Of Those Men
62. BUT THEY WERE NOT OF THE SEED OF THOSE MEN THROUGH WHOM DELIVERANCE WAS WROUGHT IN ISRAEL — that is, they were not of the seed of Mattathias and his sons and followers, whom God had chosen as leaders of the holy war; and therefore He conferred upon them such illustrious strength, might, and victories. Therefore when these men separated themselves from Judas, and indeed fought against his command, as rivals of his glory, they were abandoned by God, defeated, and slain. Let everyone learn from this not to thrust himself into battles and offices, but to await God's calling and follow it: for thus with God directing, everything will prosper; but otherwise, with God abandoning, things will go badly.
Moreover, God chose Judas for this purpose, "that the nation (of the faithful Church) from which the salvation of the world was to come might be defended," says Rupert, Book X, chapter 25 — namely, that from Israel Christ the Savior of the world might be born.
Verse 63: And The Men Of Judah Were Greatly Magnified
63. AND THE MEN OF JUDAH WERE GREATLY MAGNIFIED. — The "men of Judah" means the soldiers of Judas Maccabeus, who had performed such illustrious deeds in Gilead and were glorious with so many victories. Hence the Greek clearly reads: And the man Judas and his brothers were glorified. Therefore some incorrectly conclude from this that Judas Maccabeus was descended from the tribe of Judah, when it is established that he was from the tribe of Levi.
Verse 65: And He Fought Against The Sons Of Esau
65. AND HE FOUGHT AGAINST THE SONS OF ESAU — Judas, never resting, went around like a thunderbolt fighting against the Idumeans, the Samaritans, the Philistines, and the other enemies of the Jews, and therefore with continual victories over them he triumphed with God directing; hence Obadiah, Zephaniah, and other prophets had prophesied about these events some centuries before.
Verse 67: On That Day Priests Fell In Battle
67. ON THAT DAY PRIESTS FELL IN BATTLE, BECAUSE THEY WISHED TO DO BRAVELY, AND WITHOUT COUNSEL (and without the direction of Judas their leader) THEY WENT OUT TO BATTLE. — This their rashness, ambition for glory, and disobedience deserved. Mariana and Sanchez think these priests were Joseph and Azarias, already mentioned in verse 56. Others more plausibly think they were different men, who in imitation of those, eager for glory and rivals of Judas, recklessly attacked the enemy and were routed and slain by them.