1 Maccabees 3

Then his son Judas, called Maccabeus, took his place.

1Then his son Judas, called Maccabeus, rose up in his stead.

Note"Maccabeus" is a nickname, not a family name. Its sense is disputed; the most common explanation derives it from a Semitic word for hammer, but other explanations have been offered and the Greek text never explains it. "In his stead" means in his place: his father Mattathias, who began the revolt, has just died.

2All his brothers helped him, and so did everyone who had stood with his father, and they fought Israel's battle gladly.

2And all his brethren helped him, and so did all they that held with his father, and they fought with cheerfulness the battle of Israel.

Note"All they that held with his father" means everyone who had taken his father's side. The Greek word behind "brethren" covers brothers and wider kin alike.

3He won great honor for his people. He put on a breastplate like a giant, buckled his war gear around himself, and drew up his battle lines, protecting the army with his sword.

3So he gat his people great honour, and put on a breastplate as a giant, and girt his warlike harness about him, and he made battles, protecting the host with his sword.

NoteVerses 3 through 9 are a short poem in praise of Judas, set into the narrative before the story resumes at verse 10. "As a giant" translates a Greek word used in the Greek Old Testament for a hero or mighty warrior, not for a creature of unusual size. "Warlike harness" in 1611 English means a soldier's armor, nothing to do with horses.

4In what he did he was like a lion, like a young lion roaring over its prey.

4In his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion’s whelp roaring for his prey.

5For he chased the wicked and hunted them out, and he burned up those who troubled his people.

5For He pursued the wicked, and sought them out, and burnt up those that vexed his people.

6So the wicked drew back in fear of him, and all who did wrong were badly shaken, because rescue prospered in his hand.

6Wherefore the wicked shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of iniquity were troubled, because salvation prospered in his hand.

7He also brought grief to many kings, and he made Jacob glad by what he did, and his memory is blessed forever.

7He grieved also many kings, and made Jacob glad with his acts, and his memorial is blessed for ever.

Note"Jacob" stands for the whole people descended from him, a standard poetic substitute for Israel.

8He went through the towns of Judah, destroying the ungodly out of them, and turning wrath away from Israel.

8Moreover he went through the cities of Juda, destroying the ungodly out of them, and turning away wrath from Israel:

9So he became famous as far as the ends of the earth, and he took in those who were about to perish.

9So that he was renowned unto the utmost part of the earth, and he received unto him such as were ready to perish.

10Then Apollonius gathered the Gentiles together, along with a large army from Samaria, to fight against Israel.

10Then Apollonius gathered the Gentiles together, and a great host out of Samaria, to fight against Israel.

Note"Gentiles" means people who are not Jews; the Greek word simply means the nations. Samaria was the province immediately north of Judea, under the same Greek rulers. Apollonius was their commander there.

11When Judas learned of this, he went out to meet him, and he struck him down and killed him. Many others fell dead as well, but the rest ran away.

11Which thing when Judas perceived, he went forth to meet him, and so he smote him, and slew him: many also fell down slain, but the rest fled.

12So they took their goods, and Judas took Apollonius' sword too, and he fought with it for the rest of his life.

12Wherefore Judas took their spoils, and Apollonius’ sword also, and therewith he fought all his life long.

NoteCarrying a dead enemy commander's sword for life is a warrior's trophy, and the detail deliberately echoes David, who kept the sword of Goliath.

13Now Seron, a commander of the army of Syria, heard that Judas had gathered a large crowd around him, a company of faithful men who went out to war with him.

13Now when Seron, a prince of the army of Syria, heard say that Judas had gathered unto him a multitude and company of the faithful to go out with him to war;

Note"Syria" here means the Seleucid kingdom, the Greek-speaking empire ruled from Antioch that controlled Judea. "Prince of the army" means its commanding general, not a member of the royal family.

14He said, "I will make a name for myself and win honor in the kingdom. I will go and fight Judas and those with him, who have no respect for the king's command."

14He said, I will get me a name and honour in the kingdom; for I will go fight with Judas and them that are with him, who despise the king’s commandment.

15So he got himself ready to go up, and a strong army of the ungodly went with him to help him and to take revenge on the children of Israel.

15So he made him ready to go up, and there went with him a mighty host of the ungodly to help him, and to be avenged of the children of Israel.

16When he came near the climb up to Bethhoron, Judas went out to meet him with a small company.

16And when he came near to the going up of Bethhoron, Judas went forth to meet him with a small company:

NoteBethhoron sat on the narrow road climbing from the coastal plain into the hill country toward Jerusalem. An army had to march up it in a long thin column, which is why a small force could fight a large one there. The same pass appears in older battles in Joshua and Samuel.

17When they saw the army coming toward them, they said to Judas, "How will we be able to fight such a great and strong crowd, when we are so few, and we are ready to drop, since we have eaten nothing all day?"

17Who, when they saw the host coming to meet them, said unto Judas, How shall we be able, being so few, to fight against so great a multitude and so strong, seeing we are ready to faint with fasting all this day?

Note"Faint with fasting" here means weak from having had nothing to eat that day, an accident of a forced march rather than a religious fast.

18Judas answered them, "It is no hard thing for many to be trapped in the hands of a few. To the God of heaven it makes no difference whether he saves by a great crowd or by a small company.

18Unto whom Judas answered, It is no hard matter for many to be shut up in the hands of a few; and with the God of heaven it is all one, to deliver with a great multitude, or a small company:

NoteThroughout this book the writer avoids naming God directly and says "heaven" instead, a reverent habit of the period. The Greek of this verse says only "with heaven it is all one"; the King James translators supplied "the God of." The same substitution lies behind verses 19, 50 and 60.

19For victory in battle does not depend on the size of an army. Strength comes from heaven.

19For the victory of battle standeth not in the multitude of an host; but strength cometh from heaven.

20They are coming against us full of pride and lawbreaking, to destroy us and our wives and our children, and to rob us.

20They come against us in much pride and iniquity to destroy us, and our wives and children, and to spoil us:

21But we are fighting for our lives and our laws.

21But we fight for our lives and our laws.

Note"Our laws" means the law of Moses and the way of life built on it, which Antiochus had banned on pain of death. The fight is described as a fight over whether those laws may be kept at all.

22So the Lord himself will crush them right in front of us. As for you, do not be afraid of them."

22Wherefore the Lord himself will overthrow them before our face: and as for you, be ye not afraid of them.

23As soon as he stopped speaking, he rushed at them suddenly, and Seron and his army were beaten down in front of him.

23Now as soon as he had left off speaking, he leapt suddenly upon them, and so Seron and his host was overthrown before him.

24They chased them from the descent of Bethhoron down to the plain, and about eight hundred of their men were killed there. The rest fled into the land of the Philistines.

24And they pursued them from the going down of Bethhoron unto the plain, where were slain about eight hundred men of them; and the residue fled into the land of the Philistines.

NoteBy this period there were no Philistines as a distinct people. The name survived as the old biblical label for the coastal plain southwest of Judea and its Greek-speaking cities, which were hostile territory for a Jewish army.

25Then fear of Judas and his brothers, and a very great dread, began to fall on the nations around them.

25Then began the fear of Judas and his brethren, and an exceeding great dread, to fall upon the nations round about them:

26His fame even reached the king, and every nation talked about the battles of Judas.

26Insomuch as his fame came unto the king, and all nations talked of the battles of Judas.

27When King Antiochus heard these things, he was full of anger. So he sent out orders and gathered all the forces of his kingdom, a very strong army.

27Now when king Antiochus heard these things, he was full of indignation: wherefore he sent and gathered together all the forces of his realm, even a very strong army.

NoteThis is Antiochus IV, called Epiphanes, the Seleucid king whose ban on Jewish practice and desecration of the temple set off the revolt described in chapters 1 and 2.

28He also opened his treasury and gave his soldiers a year's pay, ordering them to be ready whenever he needed them.

28He opened also his treasure, and gave his soldiers pay for a year, commanding them to be ready whensoever he should need them.

NoteHellenistic armies were largely paid professionals and mercenaries. Paying a full year in advance bought the right to summon them at any moment, and it is mentioned here to set up the money problem in the next verse.

29But he saw that the money in his treasuries was running out, and that the taxes from the country were small, because of the strife and the disaster he had brought on the land by taking away the laws that had stood from long ago.

29Nevertheless, when he saw that the money of his treasures failed and that the tributes in the country were small, because of the dissension and plague, which he had brought upon the land in taking away the laws which had been of old time;

Note"Tributes" are the taxes and payments owed by subject provinces to the king. The "laws which had been of old time" are the Jewish laws he had abolished; the writer is saying the king's own religious policy wrecked his revenue.

30He was afraid he would not be able to meet the costs any longer, or to hand out gifts as freely as he had before, for he had spent more than the kings before him.

30He feared that he should not be able to bear the charges any longer, nor to have such gifts to give so liberally as he did before: for he had abounded above the kings that were before him.

NoteGreek kings were expected to hand out lavish gifts to cities, temples and courtiers, and their standing depended on it. Failing to keep up that spending was a political danger, not merely a private embarrassment.

31So, greatly troubled in his mind, he decided to go into Persia, to collect the taxes of those countries and gather a great deal of money.

31Wherefore, being greatly perplexed in his mind, he determined to go into Persia, there to take the tributes of the countries, and to gather much money.

NotePersia here means the eastern provinces of the empire. Kings short of money went there to collect overdue tribute and, notoriously, to strip wealthy temples of their treasures.

32He left Lysias, a man of high rank and of royal blood, to oversee the king's affairs from the Euphrates River to the borders of Egypt,

32So he left Lysias, a nobleman, and one of the blood royal, to oversee the affairs of the king from the river Euphrates unto the borders of Egypt:

Note"Of the blood royal" means a member of the ruling family by descent. Lysias is left as regent over the whole western half of the empire, from the Euphrates to the Egyptian frontier.

33and to bring up his son Antiochus until he came back.

33And to bring up his son Antiochus, until he came again.

34He also handed over to him half of his forces, and the elephants, and gave him orders about everything he wanted done, including about the people living in Judah and Jerusalem.

34Moreover he delivered unto him the half of his forces, and the elephants, and gave him charge of all things that he would have done, as also concerning them that dwelt in Juda and Jerusalem:

NoteWar elephants were the heaviest weapon a Seleucid army had, trained to break infantry lines and often carrying armed men in a tower on the back. Handing them over marks how seriously the king took this command.

35That is, he was to send an army against them, to destroy and root out the strength of Israel and what was left of Jerusalem, and to wipe out their memory from that place,

35To wit, that he should send an army against them, to destroy and root out the strength of Israel, and the remnant of Jerusalem, and to take away their memorial from that place;

36and he was to settle foreigners in all their territory and divide their land among them by lot.

36And that he should place strangers in all their quarters, and divide their land by lot.

NoteDividing land "by lot" means parceling out confiscated territory to incoming settlers by drawing lots, the standard way of distributing land fairly among claimants. The phrase pointedly reverses the way Israel's own land was once divided in the book of Joshua.

37So the king took the half of the forces that were left and set out from Antioch, his royal city, in the one hundred forty-seventh year. He crossed the Euphrates River and traveled through the upper countries.

37So the king took the half of the forces that remained, and departed from Antioch, his royal city, the hundred forty and seventh year; and having passed the river Euphrates, he went through the high countries.

NoteDates in this book count from the start of the Seleucid kingdom, in what we call 312 or 311 BC, so the one hundred forty-seventh year is roughly 166 to 165 BC. "The high countries" or upper countries means the inland provinces east of the Euphrates.

38Then Lysias chose Ptolemee the son of Dorymenes, Nicanor, and Gorgias, strong men among the king's friends.

38Then Lysias chose Ptolemee the son of Dorymenes, Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty men of the king’s friends:

Note"The king's friends" was a formal rank at the Greek royal court, a graded title held by senior officials and officers. It describes an office, not personal affection.

39With them he sent forty thousand foot soldiers and seven thousand horsemen, to go into the land of Judah and destroy it, as the king had commanded.

39And with them he sent forty thousand footmen, and seven thousand horsemen, to go into the land of Juda, and to destroy it, as the king commanded.

40So they set out with their whole force, and they came and camped near Emmaus in the flat country.

40So they went forth with all their power, and came and pitched by Emmaus in the plain country.

NoteEmmaus lay in the low country about twenty miles west of Jerusalem, where the coastal plain meets the foothills, controlling the approaches into the Judean hills.

41The merchants of the region heard the news about them, and they took a great deal of silver and gold, along with chains, and came into the camp to buy the children of Israel as slaves. Forces from Syria and from the land of the Philistines joined them as well.

41And the merchants of the country, hearing the fame of them, took silver and gold very much, with servants, and came into the camp to buy the children of Israel for slaves: a power also of Syria and of the land of the Philistines joined themselves unto them.

NoteSlave dealers routinely followed armies to buy captives on the spot, and the chains are the equipment of their trade. The King James "servants" renders a Greek word that means fetters. Their arrival before the battle shows how certain everyone was of the outcome.

42Now Judas and his brothers saw that troubles were piling up, and that the armies were camping inside their borders, for they knew the order the king had given, to destroy the people and wipe them out completely.

42Now when Judas and his brethren saw that miseries were multiplied, and that the forces did encamp themselves in their borders: for they knew how the king had given commandment to destroy the people, and utterly abolish them;

43So they said to one another, "Let us build up again what has fallen into ruin among our people, and let us fight for our people and for the holy place."

43They said one to another, Let us restore the decayed fortune of our people, and let us fight for our people and the sanctuary.

Note"The sanctuary" or holy place is the temple in Jerusalem, at this point occupied and defiled and so unusable for its ordinary services.

44Then the assembly gathered together, so that they would be ready for battle, and so that they could pray and ask for mercy and pity.

44Then was the congregation gathered together, that they might be ready for battle, and that they might pray, and ask mercy and compassion.

45Jerusalem lay empty like a desert. None of her children went in or came out. The holy place was trampled down, and foreigners held the stronghold. The other nations were living there. Joy was taken away from Jacob, and the pipe and the harp fell silent.

45Now Jerusalem lay void as a wilderness, there was none of her children that went in or out: the sanctuary also was trodden down, and aliens kept the strong hold; the heathen had their habitation in that place; and joy was taken from Jacob, and the pipe with the harp ceased.

Note"The strong hold" is the citadel, called the Akra, a fortress the king's men had built in Jerusalem and garrisoned with foreign troops, which left the city effectively under occupation. "The pipe with the harp" stands for the music of festivals and worship, so its silence means the festivals had stopped.

46So the Israelites gathered together and came to Maspha, across from Jerusalem, because Maspha had been a place of prayer for Israel in earlier times.

46Wherefore the Israelites assembled themselves together, and came to Maspha, over against Jerusalem; for in Maspha was the place where they prayed aforetime in Israel.

NoteMaspha, usually spelled Mizpah, was a town a few miles north of Jerusalem where Israel had assembled to fast and pray in the days of Samuel. They gather there because the temple itself is in enemy hands.

47That day they went without food, put on sackcloth, threw ashes on their heads, and tore their clothes.

47Then they fasted that day, and put on sackcloth, and cast ashes upon their heads, and rent their clothes,

NoteSackcloth was coarse dark cloth worn next to the skin, and throwing dust or ashes on the head and tearing one's clothing were the recognized public signs of mourning and distress, performed openly so that others could see them.

48And they opened the book of the law, to look into the things about which the other nations questioned the likenesses of their idols.

48And laid open the book of the law, wherein the heathen had sought to paint the likeness of their images.

NoteThe Greek of this verse is unusually obscure and has been read in more than one way: that they opened the law to search it as the Gentiles consulted the images of their gods for guidance, or that they opened the scrolls on which the Gentiles had painted figures of their idols. The King James rendering follows the second sense; the ambiguity is in the original.

49They also brought the priests' clothing, the firstfruits, and the tithes, and they called forward the Nazarites who had completed their days.

49They brought also the priests’ garments, and the firstfruits, and the tithes: and the Nazarites they stirred up, who had accomplished their days.

NoteThe priests' garments were vestments worn only for service in the temple. Firstfruits are the first portion of a harvest and tithes a tenth of the produce, both owed to the sanctuary. A Nazarite had taken the vow of Numbers 6, abstaining from wine and leaving the hair uncut for a set period, at the end of which the hair had to be shaved and burned with sacrifices at the sanctuary. "Who had accomplished their days" means those whose term was now up.

50Then they cried out with a loud voice toward heaven, saying, "What shall we do with these? Where shall we carry them away?

50Then cried they with a loud voice toward heaven, saying, What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them away?

Note"These" are the items and the men just listed. Every one of them was due at a sanctuary that was now defiled, so the people had obligations they physically could not discharge and no lawful place to put them.

51For your holy place is trampled down and treated as common, and your priests are in mourning and brought low.

51For thy sanctuary is trodden down and profaned, and thy priests are in heaviness, and brought low.

Note"Profaned" means treated as ordinary rather than holy. "In heaviness" is older English for in mourning or grief.

52And look, the other nations are gathered together against us to destroy us. You know what they are planning against us.

52And lo, the heathen are assembled together against us to destroy us: what things they imagine against us, thou knowest.

53How will we be able to stand against them, unless you, O God, are our help?"

53How shall we be able to stand against them, except thou, O God, be our help?

54Then they blew the trumpets and shouted out loud.

54Then sounded they with trumpets, and cried with a loud voice.

NoteThe trumpets are the straight silver trumpets of Numbers 10, blown to summon the assembly and sounded in war both as a signal and as a formal call for God to take notice.

55After this Judas appointed leaders over the people: leaders over thousands, over hundreds, over fifties, and over tens.

55And after this Judas ordained captains over the people, even captains over thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens.

NoteCommanders over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens are the ranks of Israel's army in the books of Moses. Adopting them presents this force as the old national militia rather than a band of rebels.

56As for those who were building houses, or were engaged to be married, or were planting vineyards, or were afraid, he ordered them to go back, each man to his own house, as the law said.

56But as for such as were building houses, or had betrothed wives, or were planting vineyards, or were fearful, those he commanded that they should return, every man to his own house, according to the law.

NoteDeuteronomy 20 exempts from battle any man who has built a house but not yet lived in it, planted a vineyard but not yet eaten from it, or become engaged but not yet married, and sends home anyone who is afraid so that his fear does not spread. Judas is following that law to the letter.

57So the camp moved and pitched on the south side of Emmaus.

57So the camp removed, and pitched upon the south side of Emmaus.

58And Judas said, "Arm yourselves and be brave men. See that you are ready in the morning, so that you can fight these nations that are gathered together against us to destroy us and our holy place.

58And Judas said, arm yourselves, and be valiant men, and see that ye be in readiness against the morning, that ye may fight with these nations, that are assembled together against us to destroy us and our sanctuary:

59For it is better for us to die in battle than to watch the disasters that come on our people and our holy place.

59For it is better for us to die in battle, than to behold the calamities of our people and our sanctuary.

60Still, as the will of God in heaven is, so let him do."

60Nevertheless, as the will of God is in heaven, so let him do.

NoteThe Greek says only "as may be the will in heaven," avoiding the divine name as the book does throughout; the King James translators added the word God.