Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
Demetrius, son of Seleucus, fleeing from Rome, seizes his father's kingdom of Syria, and therefore kills his cousin Antiochus Eupator, who was occupying it, along with Lysias the tutor. Then, incited by the false accusations of Alcimus, he sends Bacchides against Judas; but Judas subdues both of them. Finally, in verse 26, Demetrius sends Nicanor; but Judas also defeats and kills him, and hangs his head and hand opposite Jerusalem.
Vulgate Text: 1 Maccabees 7:1-50
1. In the one hundred and fifty-first year, Demetrius the son of Seleucus departed from the city of Rome, and went up with a few men to a coastal city, and reigned there. 2. And it came to pass that when he entered the royal house of his fathers, the army seized Antiochus and Lysias to bring them to him. 3. And the matter was made known to him, and he said: Do not show me their faces. 4. And the army killed them. And Demetrius sat upon the throne of his kingdom. 5. And wicked and impious men of Israel came to him, with Alcimus as their leader, who wished to become high priest. 6. And they accused the people before the king, saying: Judas and his brothers have destroyed all your friends, and have driven us from our land. 7. Now therefore send a man whom you trust, to go and see all the destruction that he has done to us and to the king's territories; and let him punish all his friends and their supporters. 8. And the king chose from his friends Bacchides, who ruled beyond the river, a great man in the kingdom and faithful to the king; and he sent him 9. to see the destruction that Judas had wrought; and he also appointed the impious Alcimus to the priesthood, and commanded him to take vengeance on the children of Israel. 10. And they arose and came with a great army into the land of Judah; and they sent messengers and spoke to Judas and his brothers with words of peace, but with deceit. 11. And they paid no heed to their words, for they saw that they had come with a great army. 12. And a gathering of scribes assembled before Alcimus and Bacchides to seek what was just; 13. and first the Hasideans who were among the children of Israel, and they sought peace from them. 14. For they said: A priest from the seed of Aaron has come; he will not deceive us. 15. And he spoke words of peace to them and swore to them, saying: We will do no harm to you or to your friends. 16. And they believed him; and he seized sixty of them and killed them in one day, according to the word that was written: 17. 'The flesh of Your saints, and their blood, they have poured out around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.' 18. And fear and trembling fell upon all the people, for they said: There is no truth or justice in them; for they have transgressed the agreement and the oath that they swore. 19. And Bacchides moved his camp from Jerusalem and encamped at Bethzetha; and he sent and seized many of those who had fled from him, and slaughtered some of the people and threw them into a great pit. 20. And he committed the region to Alcimus and left with him a force to assist him. And Bacchides went back to the king. 21. And Alcimus strove vigorously for the high priesthood; 22. and all those who troubled their people gathered to him, and they gained control of the land of Judah and did great harm in Israel. 23. And Judas saw all the evils that Alcimus and those with him had done to the children of Israel, far worse than the Gentiles. 24. And he went out into all the borders of Judea round about and took vengeance on the deserters, and they ceased going out into the country. 25. And Alcimus saw that Judas and those with him had prevailed, and he knew that he could not withstand them; and he returned to the king and accused them of many crimes. 26. And the king sent Nicanor, one of his more noble princes, who bore enmity against Israel, and commanded him to destroy the people. 27. And Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a great army and sent to Judas and his brothers words of peace with deceit, 28. saying: Let there be no fight between me and you; I will come with a few men and see your faces in peace. 29. And he came to Judas, and they greeted each other peacefully; but the enemies were ready to seize Judas. 30. And the matter became known to Judas, that he had come to him with deceit; and he was alarmed by him, and no longer wished to see his face. 31. And Nicanor realized that his plan had been exposed; and he went out to meet Judas in battle near Capharsalama. 32. And nearly five thousand men fell from Nicanor's army, and they fled to the City of David. 33. And after these events, Nicanor went up to Mount Zion; and some of the priests came out to greet him in peace and to show him the holocausts that were being offered for the king. 34. And mocking them he despised them and defiled them, and spoke arrogantly. 35. And he swore with anger, saying: Unless Judas and his army are delivered into my hands, as soon as I return in peace I will burn this house down. And he went out with great anger. 36. And the priests entered and stood before the altar and the temple; and weeping they said: 37. You, O Lord, chose this house for Your name to be invoked in it, that it might be a house of prayer and supplication for Your people. 38. Take vengeance on this man and his army, and let them fall by the sword; remember their blasphemies, and do not allow them to endure. 39. And Nicanor departed from Jerusalem and encamped at Beth-horon; and a Syrian army met him there. 40. And Judas encamped at Adarsa with three thousand men; and Judas prayed and said: 41. Lord, when those who were sent by King Sennacherib blasphemed You, an angel went out and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand of them. 42. So crush this army before us today, and let the rest know that he has spoken wickedly against Your holy places; and judge him according to his malice. 43. And the armies joined battle on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar; and the camp of Nicanor was crushed, and he himself fell first in the battle. 44. And when his army saw that Nicanor had fallen, they threw down their weapons and fled. 45. And they pursued them a day's journey, from Adazer to Gazara, and they sounded the trumpets behind them with signals. 46. And men came out from all the strongholds of Judea roundabout, and they attacked them with their horns, and they turned back again upon them, and they all fell by the sword, and not one of them was left. 47. And they took their spoils as plunder, and they cut off Nicanor's head and his right hand, which he had stretched out arrogantly, and they brought them and hung them opposite Jerusalem. 48. And the people rejoiced greatly, and they celebrated that day with great joy. 49. And it was decreed that this day should be observed every year on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. 50. And the land of Judah was quiet for a few days.
Verse 1: In The Year 151 Demetrius The Son Of Seleucus
1. IN THE YEAR 151 (of the Greeks) DEMETRIUS THE SON OF SELEUCUS DEPARTED FROM THE CITY OF ROME. — To understand this history from the beginning, note from Appian, Justin, and others that Antiochus the Great, together with Hannibal, was defeated by Lucius Scipio, and the Romans made peace with him, and he sent his younger son Antiochus Epiphanes to Rome as a hostage for peace (chapter 1, verse 11). When Antiochus the Great died, his elder son Seleucus Philopator succeeded him, who recalled his brother Antiochus Epiphanes from Rome, so that with his help he might recover Syria and seize Egypt; and in his place he gave the Romans his own son Demetrius, ten years old, as a hostage — the one discussed here. When Seleucus died shortly afterward, his brother Antiochus Epiphanes succeeded him, and reigned for twelve years. At the end of these, dying, he installed his son Antiochus Eupator, a nine-year-old boy, in his place. Demetrius, hearing this in Rome, requested from the Romans his release, so that he might claim the kingdom of his father, which rightly belonged to him as the son of Seleucus the elder, the brother of Epiphanes, to the exclusion of the boy Eupator, his cousin. The Romans refused and favored Eupator, from whom as a boy they feared nothing. Seeing this, Demetrius secretly fled from Rome to Syria. The Syrians hearing this flocked to him in droves as the legitimate successor to the kingdom; indeed the soldiers of Eupator defected from him to Demetrius as their rightful king, and at his command they killed Eupator along with his guardian Lysias. Demetrius therefore, seizing Antioch, began to reign there at the age of 23, for at the age of ten he had been sent by his father Seleucus to Rome as a hostage, and he remained there throughout the entire reign of his uncle Antiochus Epiphanes for three years; and after his death, at the age of 23, he returned to Syria and received his ancestral kingdom. Hear Appian in his Syriaca: 'The Senate was glad to hear that Antiochus Epiphanes, who had reigned nobly for a few years, had died so quickly. But Demetrius, son of Seleucus, grandson of Antiochus the Great, cousin of this boy Eupator, still a hostage in the city, now having entered his twenty-third year, although he begged and said he was the nearer heir, they were unwilling to install in the kingdom, thinking it more advantageous for themselves that Syria be ruled by a boy than by a man.'
And immediately: 'Demetrius again approached the senators, asking that he at least cease to be a hostage, since he had been exchanged for Antiochus, who was now dead. And when he could not obtain even this, he secretly escaped by ship, and being received by the Syrians with great joy he gained the kingdom, first killing Lysias, then the boy, and ejecting Heraclides, and killing Timarchus as a rebel — who had also maladministered the prefecture of Babylon. For this reason he was called Soter, the initiative coming from the Babylonians.' For this reason, therefore, this Demetrius was surnamed Soter, that is 'savior,' says Eusebius in his Chronicle and Appian in his Syriaca.
HE WENT UP WITH A FEW MEN TO A COASTAL CITY — namely Tripoli, as is stated in 2 Maccabees 14:1, and there, recognized by his Syrians as the legitimate king, he began to reign, until the Syrian army of Eupator, hearing of his arrival, invited him to Antioch to seize the capital of the kingdom of Syria. Hence it follows:
Verse 2: When He Entered The Royal House
2. AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT WHEN HE ENTERED THE ROYAL HOUSE OF HIS FATHERS (that is, the royal city and capital of the kingdom, namely Antioch), THE ARMY SEIZED (the Syrian army of Eupator, favoring Demetrius and going over to him as the legitimate king) ANTIOCHUS (Eupator) AND LYSIAS (his guardian), TO BRING THEM TO HIM — to Demetrius.
Verse 3: Do Not Show Me Their Faces
3. AND THE MATTER WAS MADE KNOWN TO HIM. AND HE SAID: DO NOT SHOW ME THEIR FACES — that is, I do not wish to see them, lest the sight of Eupator my cousin, a boy, move me to mercy and to sparing his life. That is to say: I prefer to see them dead than alive, lest if I kill them myself, I be regarded as savage and cruel. Therefore you, as if without my knowledge, kill them, so that I alone may reign securely without a rival. Hence it follows:
Verse 4: And The Army Killed Them
4. AND THE ARMY KILLED THEM. — From this it is clear that Eupator reigned scarcely two years; for he began to reign after the death of his father Antiochus Epiphanes, which occurred in the year 149 of the Greeks, as was stated, and he ceased in the year 151 of the Greeks, when Demetrius assumed the kingdom and killed Eupator, now eleven years old, as is clear from verse 1.
Furthermore, Eupator was so quickly stripped of his kingdom and life by God's justice, both on account of the crimes of his father Antiochus Epiphanes, and on account of his own, especially the perjury by which he violated the pledge given to Judas and the Jews, as was stated in the preceding chapter, verse 62.
Verse 5: And Alcimus Their Leader, Who Wished To Become Priest
5. AND ALCIMUS THEIR LEADER, WHO WISHED TO BECOME PRIEST — that is, high priest, or Pontiff. The impious and ambitious Alcimus, envying Judas his Pontificate and Principate, obtained it from Antiochus Eupator; and when he was killed, he petitioned Demetrius that the same be given to him, or rather that what had been given be confirmed, and he obtained it. He was therefore a pseudo-Pontiff, indeed an apostate and traitor of Israel; for all true Israelites regarded Judas Maccabeus as the true Pontiff and Prince.
Verse 6: Judas And His Brothers Have Destroyed All Your Friends
6. JUDAS AND HIS BROTHERS HAVE DESTROYED ALL YOUR FRIENDS — namely the Syrian generals and soldiers whom Antiochus Epiphanes and his son Eupator sent against them, of whom the former was your uncle and the latter your cousin. That is to say: Send therefore, O Demetrius, a commander with forces with me, to deprive Judas your enemy of the Pontificate and Principate, and to install me, your friend and faithful servant, in his place. Demetrius believed the wicked calumniator Alcimus and sent Bacchides with him against Judas.
Verse 8: And The King
8. AND THE KING (Demetrius) CHOSE FROM HIS FRIENDS (courtiers) BACCHIDES, WHO RULED (as prefect and viceroy) BEYOND THE RIVER — the Euphrates, in Mesopotamia; for this lies between the Tigris and the Euphrates, and is surrounded and enclosed by them on all sides, whence it is called Mesopotamia, meaning 'situated in the middle of two rivers.'
Verse 13: And First The Hasideans
13. AND FIRST THE HASIDEANS — about whom see chapter 2, verse 42, who were pious, religious, and zealous men, and therefore fought most bravely with Judas for Israel. Being too credulous of Alcimus as an Aaronic priest, they were deceived, captured, and slain by him.
Verse 16: According To The Word That Was Written
16. ACCORDING TO THE WORD THAT WAS WRITTEN — Psalm 78 (79), verse 2.
Verse 17: The Flesh Of Your Saints
17. THE FLESH OF YOUR SAINTS. — In Hebrew, chasidecha; whence the name Hasideans, that is, holy, pious, and merciful. In the literal sense, therefore, David prophesied in that Psalm about the Hasideans killed here by Alcimus, so many hundreds of years before.
Verse 23: And Judas Saw
23. AND JUDAS SAW — Judas opposed Alcimus and the other apostates of Israel, and tore and ripped them apart like a lion.
Verse 26: And The King Sent Nicanor
26. AND THE KING SENT NICANOR — in place of Bacchides, with stronger forces, to crush Judas and the Jews and to elevate Alcimus.
Verse 27: And Nicanor Came
27. AND NICANOR CAME. — Here many things must be supplied and interwoven which are narrated in 2 Maccabees 14. Namely, that Nicanor had been the commander of the elephants, and coming by Demetrius's order into Judea, he immediately summoned to himself all the remaining Gentiles there, as well as the Jewish apostates, and from them assembled forces against Judas and the Jews. Judas and his men, as was their custom, turned to prayer and imploring God's help. Simon, the brother of Judas, marched out in battle against Nicanor; but seeing his great forces, he was terrified and withdrew. Nicanor, fearing the power and victories of Judas, sought to parley with him and to negotiate peace. Judas appeared alone on the appointed day, but posted armed soldiers near him in concealment, so that if any treachery should appear, they would immediately run to his defense. But there was no treachery then; Nicanor dealt seriously and sincerely made peace with Judas. Seeing and resenting this, Alcimus accused Nicanor before King Demetrius, saying he had dealt unfaithfully with the king's affairs and had contracted a friendship with Judas the enemy. The king, indignant at this, sent stern letters to Nicanor commanding him to capture Judas and bring him to Antioch. Nicanor, receiving the letters, strove to carry out the king's orders and to capture Judas by deceit and the pretense of former friendship, and to send him to the king. Judas perceived this and withdrew from him, as is narrated here. Therefore Nicanor, attacking Judas in open warfare, was defeated and beheaded by him.
Verse 31: And He Went Out To Meet Judas In Battle Near Capharsalama
31. AND HE WENT OUT TO MEET JUDAS IN BATTLE NEAR CAPHARSALAMA — that is, near Antipatris; for this pleasant and wealthy city in the tribe of Manasseh, later restored by Herod the Ascalonite and enlarged by his father Antipater, was called Antipatris or Antipatrida. To this city St. Paul was brought as a prisoner, escorted by 470 soldiers (Acts 23). Today it is a village called Assur. So Adrichomius and others.
Verse 32: And They Fled
32. AND THEY FLED (the rest, not killed by Judas) TO THE CITY OF DAVID — namely to the citadel of Zion, which the supporters of Antiochus held.
Verse 34: And He Defiled
34. AND HE DEFILED — he profaned the temple on Zion by bringing into it Gentile idolaters with their idols and filth. Secondly and more aptly, he 'defiled' the 'priests' themselves, as the Greek adds, by compelling them to eat unclean and polluted foods, or to offer them to God.
HE SPOKE ARROGANTLY — blaspheming the temple, the law, and God; and therefore like a second Sennacherib he was slain, verses 38 and 47. For when certain Jews said that there was a living God in heaven who had commanded the sabbath to be observed, Nicanor responded: 'And I am powerful on earth, and I command that arms be taken up (on the sabbath) and the king's orders be carried out' (2 Maccabees 15). It is added there that Nicanor's blasphemous tongue was shortly afterward cut into small pieces and thrown to the birds to devour.
Verse 35: And He Swore With Anger Unless Judas Is Delivered
35. AND HE SWORE WITH ANGER, SAYING: UNLESS JUDAS IS DELIVERED, etc., I WILL BURN THIS HOUSE — that is, I will burn the temple. All these things are narrated more fully in 2 Maccabees, chapters 14 and 15, verse 5.
Verse 43: The Armies Joined Battle On The Thirteenth Of Adar
43. AND THE ARMIES JOINED BATTLE ON THE THIRTEENTH OF THE MONTH ADAR (February) AND THE CAMP OF NICANOR WAS CRUSHED (with 35 thousand slain), AND HE HIMSELF FELL FIRST — so that he who had been first and leader in blasphemy and guilt should likewise be first and leader of the rest in punishment and vengeance. Gorionides adds that Judas challenged Nicanor to a duel and killed him in it. Hear him, chapter 21: 'Judas sent to Nicanor, saying: When you gird yourself, go out to the field, and I will show you the man alone whom you have sought even in the inner chambers. Behold, he awaits you in the valley and plain.' And shortly after: 'Judas saw in the battle Nicanor holding in his hand a drawn sword; and crying out he said: Against you, O Nicanor! And when he ran against him in the power of his fervor, Nicanor turned his shoulder and fled from the face of Judas. But Judas seized him, struck him with his sword, and cut him in two.' However, these things seem fabricated. For in such a great number of enemies, they had to fight with entire battle lines, not in individual duels. It is added in 2 Maccabees 15 that Judas narrated to his men a dream in which Onias had shown him Jeremiah offering a golden sword and saying: 'Accept this holy sword, a gift from God, with which you will strike down the adversaries of my people Israel,' and by this he inspired them for battle and certain victory.
Verse 45: And They Sounded Trumpets After Them With Signals
45. AND THEY SOUNDED TRUMPETS AFTER THEM WITH SIGNALS — namely, by a certain modulation of the trumpets signifying that the enemy had been routed and were fleeing, so that by this signal the Jews from all quarters would be roused and come running, and pursue and slay the fugitives. Hence it follows:
Verse 46: And Men Came Out From All The Strongholds
46. AND MEN CAME OUT FROM ALL THE STRONGHOLDS (towns, villages, and hamlets) OF JUDEA ROUNDABOUT, AND THEY TOSSED THEM WITH THEIR HORNS — that is, they struck down and repelled them with their arms and swords, just as bulls throw down lambs or crops with their horns.
AND THEY TURNED BACK AGAIN UPON THEM — that is, the enemies, repulsed by the Jews running together from all sides, kept turning back toward Judas and the Jews who were pursuing them, and there they were routed by them.
THEY ALL FELL BY THE SWORD, AND NOT ONE OF THEM WAS LEFT — that is, they were all slaughtered to a man, so that not even one escaped or survived such a great slaughter. Great and extraordinary was this victory of Judas and this destruction of Nicanor, and it was on account of his pride and blasphemy. Therefore in this second battle of Nicanor, 35 thousand of his soldiers fell, just as in the first battle (verse 32), five thousand had fallen.
Verse 47: They Cut Off The Head Of Nicanor
47. AND THEY CUT OFF THE HEAD OF NICANOR AND HIS RIGHT HAND, WHICH HE HAD STRETCHED OUT ARROGANTLY (against the temple, threatening and swearing he would burn it, verse 35), AND THEY HUNG THEM OPPOSITE JERUSALEM — in the citadel of Zion (2 Maccabees 15). So the head of Goliath slain by David was hung up, and that of Holofernes by Judith, and of Saul by the Philistines (1 Samuel, last chapter).
Verse 49: He Decreed That This Day Should Be Observed
49. AND HE (Judas) DECREED THAT THIS DAY SHOULD BE OBSERVED (celebrated as a festival) EVERY YEAR ON THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH ADAR — on which day likewise the Jews of old, destined for extermination by Haman, had been delivered through Esther. Hence this day and feast is called the Eve of Mordecai; for the feast of deliverance through Esther and Mordecai is celebrated on the 14th of Adar, while this feast on account of the slaying of Nicanor falls on the 13th of Adar (2 Maccabees 14:37).
AND THE LAND OF JUDAH WAS QUIET FOR A FEW DAYS — namely until the following year, which was the year 152 of the Greeks, when Demetrius sent a new commander and a new army into Judea. Fighting against this force, Judas fell, as we shall hear in chapter 9.