Chapter Five

The hostility of the surrounding peoples toward the Jews (1 Macc 5:1-2). Victorious campaign against the Idumeans, Beanites, and Ammonites (1 Macc 5:3-8). Sufferings of the Jews of Gilead and Galilee at the hands of the pagans (1 Macc 5:9-15). Dispatch of aid to them (1 Macc 5:16-20). Simon’s victories in Galilee (1 Macc 5:21-23). Campaign of Judas and Jonathan into Gilead (1 Macc 5:24-36). Battle with Timothy at Raphon (1 Macc 5:37-45). Return to Judea (1 Macc 5:46-54). The ill-fated sortie of Joseph and Azariah against Jamnia (1 Macc 5:55-64). Victorious campaign of the Maccabees against the Idumeans near Hebron and against the Philistines (1 Macc 5:65-68).

1 Maccabees 5:1–2. When the surrounding peoples heard that the altar had been built and the sanctuary renewed as before, they were greatly angered; and they resolved to destroy the descendants of Jacob who lived among them, and they began to kill and exterminate the people of that nation. “The surrounding peoples...” — according to the context of the passage (cf. 1 Macc 5:3), these were specifically the Idumeans, the sons of Bean, and the Ammonites, who from ancient times had harbored irreconcilable hatred toward “the descendants of Jacob” (a theocratic designation for the Jews). — “Who lived among them...”, τούς ὄντας ἐν μέσω αὐτῶν, as an appositive to the preceding “descendants of Jacob.”

1 Maccabees 5:3. Then Judas fought against the sons of Esau in Idumea, in Akrabattene, because they had been besieging Israel, and he struck them with a great blow, humbled them, and took their spoils. “The sons of Esau...” — the ancient designation for the Idumeans, cf. Gen 36:10. — “In Akrabattene” — τὴν Ἀκραβαττίνην — an appositive to the preceding τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἠσ. ἐν τ. Ἰδ. — “Akrabattene” is not the toparchy of the same name in the center of Palestine east of Neapolis (Shechem) and further south along the Jordan (Jos. Bell. Jud. III, 12, 4, 20; 4, 22, 2; III, 3, 4 and Euseb. Onom. — Ἀκραββείν), from which name one district of land is still called Akrabi or Akrabeh — but rather a strip of land in Idumea, so named, probably from the Hebrew meaning “heights of scorpions,” on the southeastern border of Palestine (Num 34:4; Josh 15:3). — “Because they had been besieging Israel...” — περιεκάθηντο τ. Ἰσρ., more precisely — “surrounded on all sides” — not in the sense of besieging them militarily, but rather occupying the borders of Israel and, like the present-day Bedouins, constantly raiding the Israelite territories, threatening their peaceful well-being.

1 Maccabees 5:4. He also remembered the malice of the sons of Bean, who had been a snare and a stumbling block to the people, lying in ambush for them on the roads. “The sons of Bean...” — these υἱοὶ Βαιάν are taken to be the inhabitants of a small place called Bajjan, southeast of Hebron.

1 Maccabees 5:5–6. Although they shut themselves up from him in towers, he made war against them, devoted them to destruction, and burned their towers with fire, along with all who were in them. Then he crossed over to the sons of Ammon and encountered a strong force and a numerous people, and Timothy, their commander. “The sons of Ammon” — the Ammonites, who lived northeast of the Dead Sea between the Arnon and the Jabbok, with their main city Rabbath-Amman on the upper Jabbok (Deut 3:11). — “Encountered a strong force...” — χεῖρα κραταιάν, more precisely as in the Slavonic: “a strong hand,” hence a powerful force, a strong army (cf. 1 Macc 11:15). — Timothy, the commander of this army, was hardly an Ammonite with a Hellenized name, but most likely a Syrian military commander — and in all probability the same one mentioned further on in 1 Macc 5:11 as the commander of the Gilead pagans, defeated by Judas (1 Macc 5:24 and following), and possibly also the same person as the στρατηγός of the same name mentioned in 2 Macc 12:2 and following.

1 Maccabees 5:7–8. He had many battles with them, and they were routed before him; he struck them, took Jazer and its villages, and returned to Judea. “Jazer” — Ἰαζήρ — originally a Moabite, but by the time of Moses an Amorite city, given to the tribe of Gad, about 10 miles west of Philadelphia (Rabbath-Amman) and 15 miles north of Heshbon, probably where the ruins of es Szir now stand (Num 21:32); in the time of the kings this city is again seen in the hands of the Moabites (Isa 16:8; Jer 48:32); finally, we see it, according to this verse, in the hands of the Ammonites, who had then extended their dominions far to the west. — “And its villages...” — a literal translation: “and its daughters,” Slavonic: “and its daughters,” meaning the small cities and towns dependent on Jazer, also mentioned in Num 21:32, though there the Hebrew is rendered by the LXX as: καὶ τὰς κώμας αὐτῆς (“and its villages”).

1 Maccabees 5:9. Then the pagans who lived in Gilead gathered against the Israelites who were within their territory, to destroy them; but they fled to the fortress of Dathema. Γαλαάδ, in codex Alexandrinus Γαλααδῖτις — the mountainous region to the south and north of the Jabbok (Deut 3:10) — to the south as far as the Amorite highland stretching from Heshbon to the Arnon; this part of Gilead was given by Moses to the tribes of Reuben and Gad. The northern part extended to the region of Bashan and was given to the clan of Machir of Manasseh. In a broader sense, the entire territory occupied by the Israelites on the eastern side of the Jordan was called Gilead (Deut 3:10; Deut 34:1; Josh 22:9 and following). — Here Gilead is used precisely in this broader sense, as is evident from the list of cities in 1 Macc 5:26. — The fortress Dathema, Δάθαιμα — nothing further is known about it. One scholar (Hitzig) explains this name from the Arabic Dhatu-ma, meaning “the one with waters,” and conjectures that it refers to Nahaliel (meaning “brook of God”), Num 21:19.

1 Maccabees 5:10–11. And they sent letters to Judas and his brothers, saying: The surrounding peoples have gathered against us to destroy us, and they are preparing to come and attack the fortress to which we have fled, and Timothy commands their army. “Timothy commands their army...” This Timothy is probably the same one who “commanded” the Ammonites as well (1 Macc 5:6). Having been defeated by Judas and biding his time while Judas returned to Judea, Timothy attempted to shift the struggle against the Israelites to Gilead.

1 Maccabees 5:12–13. So come and rescue us from their hand, for many of us have perished; and all our brothers who were in the region of Tobi have been put to death, and their wives and children and property have been taken captive, and they have destroyed there about a thousand men. “Our brothers who were in the region of Tobi...” — ἐν τοῖς Τουβίν or Τουβίον — these are Jews of the region of Tobi, between the Ammonites and the Syrians, Judg 11:3; 2 Sam 10:6; λεγόμενοι Τουβίηνοι Ἰουδαῖοι — 2 Macc 12:17. — “About a thousand men...” — μίαν χιλιαρχίαν, one chiliarchy; χιλιαρχία is a unit of 1,000 men under the command of a single χιλίαρχος — a commander of a thousand (Num 31:48).

1 Maccabees 5:14–15. While these letters were still being read, other messengers came from Galilee with their garments torn, bringing this news: People have gathered against us from Ptolemais, from Tyre and Sidon, and from all pagan Galilee, to destroy us. Ptolemais — the port city of Acco (Judg 1:31), on the bay of the same name, above Cape Carmel — Γαλιλαία ἀλλοφύλων, Γαλ. τῶν ἐθνῶν, Isa 9:1; Matt 4:15 — pagan Galilee, whose population had been mixed from ancient times: at first of Jews and pagans, later of Syrians and Arabs.

1 Maccabees 5:16. When Judas and the people heard these words, a great assembly gathered to deliberate what to do for these brothers who were in distress and threatened with war by the pagans. “A great assembly...” — ἐκκλησία μεγάλη — there is no need here to suppose a Sanhedrin or any special assembly like a “constituent” one; this was simply a gathering of the people, alarmed by the distressing news, coming to Judas for joint deliberation and approval of the plan to be adopted for rescuing the distressed Galilean brothers.

1 Maccabees 5:17–18. Then Judas said to Simon his brother: Choose men for yourself and go and rescue your brothers in Galilee; while I and Jonathan my brother will go to Gilead. And he left Joseph son of Zechariah, and Azariah as commanders over the people with the remaining force in Judea as a guard. No more detailed information is available about Joseph son of Zechariah and Azariah. How large the “remaining force” given to them for the defense of Judea was can be judged in part by the losses (up to 2,000 men) they suffered in their ill-fated sortie from Jerusalem, in defiance of Judas’s prohibition (1 Macc 5:60).

1 Maccabees 5:19–23. And he gave them orders, saying: Take charge of this people, but do not begin war against the pagans until our return. Three thousand men were assigned to Simon for the campaign in Galilee, and eight thousand to Judas for Gilead. And Simon went to Galilee and fought many battles with the pagans, and the pagans were routed before him. He pursued them to the gate of Ptolemais, and about three thousand of the pagans fell, and he took their spoils. He also took with him those in Galilee and Arbatta (Jews) with their wives and children and all their belongings, and brought them to Judea with great joy. “He took with him those in Galilee...” — probably one should understand here not all Jews of Galilee, but only some of them who, fearing new attacks by the pagans, expressed a wish to resettle in Judea. Ἐν Ἀρβάττοις — in Arbatta — a region of this name is unknown. More probably the view is correct that this Ἀρβάττα is Harbattot — “hills of chasms” — a locality extending 60 stadia from Caesarea toward Samaria, where, according to Josephus (de bell. Jud. II, 14, 5 and 18, 10), the toparchy Νάρβαθα was located.

1 Maccabees 5:24. And Judas Maccabeus and Jonathan his brother crossed the Jordan and made a three-day journey through the desert. “A three-day journey through the desert...” — the length of a day’s journey in antiquity was reckoned very variously. Herodotus calculates it at 150–200 stadia, Procopius at up to 210, Vegetius at up to 160; in the present day, a day’s journey in the East is reckoned — on average with 7 hours of travel — at 4 geographic miles.

1 Maccabees 5:25. The Nabataeans met them and received them peaceably, and told them everything that had happened to their brothers in Gilead, “The Nabataeans” — descendants of Ishmael, Gen 25:13 — named after the firstborn of Ishmael — a peaceful, pastoral tribe of the Transjordanian desert.

1 Maccabees 5:26. and that many of them had been shut up in Bosora, Bosor, Alema, Chaspho, Maked, and Carnaim — all these cities being fortified and large — “Shut up in Bosora...” and so on. The meaning of this phrase (συνειλημμένοι εἰσίν) is not entirely clear. Συλλαμβάνω means properly “to attack, seize, take prisoner.” The cities named were powerful enemy fortresses that were taken by Judas by force, and their inhabitants were mercilessly exterminated (1 Macc 5:28-36). From this it must be concluded that the words noted above (“shut up...” and so on) do not mean that the Jews in these cities were enduring a proper military siege, but rather either that they were being held there temporarily as prisoners, or — if they occupied a particular sizable section of the city — that they were fortifying themselves there and waiting for rescue. This, however, still does not entirely clarify the matter. The further report of the Nabataeans (1 Macc 5:27) that the pagans had resolved to “take” these fortifications and “destroy all” those inside them leads one to suppose that these fortifications were either in the hands of the Jews or that the pagan citizens of them were on friendly terms with the Jews, so that the enemies had to conquer these fortresses first before exterminating the Jews. With neither of these suppositions, however, does the testimony of 1 Macc 5:28 and 1 Macc 5:35 seem to agree — that Judas, after taking the cities of Bosor and Mizpah, slew all the males in them, took their spoils, and then burned them with fire. This mode of action leads to the supposition that these cities were inhabited or occupied by pagans who showed malicious hostility to the Jews. The enemies who were about to attack these fortresses and take them were, according to 1 Macc 5:34, the forces of Timothy, probably the Syrian commander. We must therefore envision the state of affairs as follows: in the land of Gilead and its cities, the true Jews formed a significant part of the population; when Antiochus’s decree aimed at the destruction of Judaism was enforced, they were compelled to unite and concentrate in fortified cities. In some of these cities the population was disposed favorably toward them, in others hostilely. Where the former was the case, the whole city resisted the Syrian commander, so that he was forced to conquer such cities; in other cities, conversely, the pagan community turned against the Jews, who were compelled to defend and fortify themselves until the city was either taken by Timothy’s forces, whereupon the Jews were exterminated, or by Judas’s forces, whereupon the Jews were saved and the cities with their pagan population suffered the strictest, most merciless punishment. — Among these Gilead cities the following are named: Bosora — Βοσσόρα, or also Βόσορρα — is the Moabite city Bosra mentioned in Jer 48:24, whose identity with Bostra, metropolis Arabiae of the Romans, by more recent research can hardly be doubted. — Bosor — Βοσόρ — “in the desert,” that is, lying in the Moabite highlands, a Levitical city and city of refuge — Bezer, Deut 4:43; Josh 20:8 — the exact location of which has not been determined. — Alema — Ἀλέμοις (Ἀλάμοις) — nothing more exact is known about it. — Chaspho — Χασφώρ, in 1 Macc 5:36 — Chasphon — Χασφών — possibly the same as Κάσπιν, 2 Macc 12:13, on the Transjordanian road to Egypt. — Maked — Μακέδ — according to some, Maqadd, which geographers identify as Batanaa near Adharaat. — Carnaim — Καρναίν — the same as the Hebrew Karnaim — Gen 14:5 — the residence of Og, king of Bashan (Deut 1:4 and following).

1 Maccabees 5:27–28. And in the other cities of Gilead they are under siege, and tomorrow it is planned to attack these strongholds and take them and destroy all of them in a single day. So Judas suddenly directed his march through the desert to Bosor and took that city, and killed all its males with the edge of the sword, and took all their spoils, and burned it with fire; “He directed his march to Bosor...” To which specific city Judas directed his march is not easy to establish, especially because of the textual variants in the naming of cities. In some manuscripts we find here εἰς Βοσόρ, in others εἰς Βόσορραν (Bosra of verse 24, 1 Macc 5:24). The latter reading seems to be supported by the fact that Bosor was conquered later (1 Macc 5:36). A comparison of both references (1 Macc 5:24 and 1 Macc 5:36) in itself only establishes that one of the cities indicated here is meant to be Βοσόρ (Bosra), but in which verse — 24 or 36? — the textual variants do not make this clear with precision. The addition that this “Bosor” was “in the desert” (εἰς τὴν ἔρημον) seems to point to Bosor — (Deut 4:43). — “With the edge of the sword...” — ἐν στόματι ῥομφαίας, Slavonic: “with the mouth of the sword” — an expression frequently found in the Old Testament, meaning “mercilessly.”

1 Maccabees 5:29–30. And from there he set out by night and went until the fortress. When morning came, they lifted up their eyes, and behold, a great multitude of people without number, carrying ladders and siege engines to take the fortress, and attacking those inside. “He went until the fortress...” — that is, according to 1 Macc 5:9 — to Dathema. This journey Judas made at night, before morning came, as is evident from 1 Macc 5:30 — from which it can be concluded that Dathema was not far from Bosor (Bezer). — “Attacking those inside” — ἐπολέμουν, Slavonic more precisely: “and they were making war upon them.”

1 Maccabees 5:31. When Judas saw that the battle had begun and that the cry of the city rose up to heaven with trumpets and a loud shout, “The cry of the city rose up to heaven with trumpets and a loud shout” — on the significance of the trumpet blast as a call to heaven for help, see the commentary on 1 Macc 3:54.

1 Maccabees 5:32–35. He said to his troops: Fight now for your brothers. He came up behind the enemy with three companies and blew the trumpets and cried out in prayer; and the army of Timothy recognized that it was Maccabeus, and they fled from his face, and he struck them with a great blow, and about eight thousand of them fell that day. Then he turned to Mizpah, besieged it and took it, killed all its males in it, took its spoils, and burned it with fire; Mizpah corresponds to the Hebrew “Mizpeh,” but this is not Mizpeh of Moab (1 Sam 22:3), since the latter must be sought if not in Moab proper then at least very close to it, and therefore placed much further to the south to be identified with our “Mizpah.” What is certain is only that the cities of Chaspho and Maked were considerably further north, to the west or southwest of Bostra (Βοσόρ, 1 Macc 5:36).

1 Maccabees 5:36–37. Setting out from there, he took Chaspho, Maked, Bosor, and the other cities of Gilead. After these events Timothy gathered another army and camped before Raphon beyond the stream. “After these events...” — μετὰ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα — Slavonic more precisely: “after these words.” — The word ῥῆμα is used here in the sense of “thing, deed, event”; compare also μετὰ τοὺς λόγους τούτους — 1 Macc 7:33. — “Before Raphon...” — Raphon, called a city (πόλις) by Josephus (Antt. XII, 8, 4) — is identified by all researchers as Raphana and counted among the Decapolis. — “Beyond the stream...” — ἐκ πέραν τοῦ χειμάρρου, cf. Gen 32:22-23, where the Jabbok is also called a χείμαρρος, torrens, “swift, rushing,” which is especially the case during snowmelt or after heavy rains. Here this was probably the stream Mandhur (Hieromax).

1 Maccabees 5:38–39. And Judas sent scouts to observe the army, and they reported to him and said: All the surrounding pagans have gathered to them — a very large force, and they have hired Arabs to help them, and they are encamped beyond the stream, ready to march against you in war. And Judas went to meet them. 1 Maccabees 5:40–41. Then Timothy said to his commanders when Judas and his army were approaching the stream of water: If he crosses to us first, we will not be able to stand against him, for he will prevail over us. But if he is afraid and camps on the other side of the stream, then we will cross over to him and prevail over him. “If he (Judas) crosses to us first, then... he will prevail over us. But if he is afraid..., then we will prevail over him” — This was not an empty omen, nor a reckless surrender of their fate to chance or fortune. Timothy, on the one hand, knew from experience the daring of Judas and his greater skill in leading attacks; but on the other hand, he was also aware of his own numerical superiority. It was therefore natural to despair of victory if Judas with his customary boldness launched an attack on the enemy by crossing the stream, and one could hope for success if he doubted his own strength and, remaining on the other side of the stream, allowed the numerically superior forces to be moved against him.

1 Maccabees 5:42. As soon as Judas came to the stream of water, he stationed the people’s scribes beside the stream and commanded them, saying: Do not leave any man in the camp, but let all come to the battle. The people’s scribes — γραμματεῖς — were special officials charged with recruiting soldiers for war and keeping their registers. Even in the time of Moses there were special “scribes” and overseers for this task: Deut 20:5 and following; Josh 1:10. In the later period of the Kings an additional official was added for this task, 2 Chr 26:11. For the comparatively small army of the Maccabees such a doubling of officials was not required; one type of official was sufficient, and this word (not the other), as required by usage, the LXX renders by γραμματεῖς in the above-mentioned passages. From Josh 1:10 and Josh 3:2 we see that the Shoterim not only managed the recruitment and discharge of troops, but could also during wartime receive and convey the commander’s orders to individual units. This is precisely what we see in this verse 42 — “Do not leave any man...” — literally: “do not let every man remain in the camp,” Greek: μή ... πάντα, a Hebraism in place of μηδένα.

1 Maccabees 5:43–46. And he crossed over to them first, and all the people after him. And all the pagans were crushed before his face, and they threw down their arms and fled into the temple that was in Carnaim. Then they took that city and burned the temple with fire, along with all who were in it; and Carnaim was defeated and could no longer resist Judas. And Judas gathered all the Israelites who were in Gilead, from the least to the greatest, with their wives and children and belongings — a very great host — to go to the land of Judea. And they came to Ephron. This was a large city, very well fortified, on the way; there was no way to turn aside from it to the right or to the left; it was necessary to pass through the middle of it, “Ephron” — which must here be distinguished from Ephron in the territory of Benjamin (2 Chr 13:19) — lay in Perea, in the direction from Ashtaroth to Scythopolis, in a narrow gorge, strongly fortified especially at the entrance — τῆς εἰσόδου ὀχυρά σφόδρα, Slavonic more precisely: “strong at the entrance,” the Russian translation being less satisfactory: “very well fortified, on the way.” — The more precise location of the city is unknown.

1 Maccabees 5:47–48. But the inhabitants shut themselves in and blocked the gates with stones. Judas sent them a peaceful proposal: We will pass through your land to go to our land, and no one will harm you; we will only pass through on foot. But they would not open to him. The refusal of Ephron to let Judas pass was explained not only by the intensified hostility of the pagans toward the Jews, but also by the city’s particular loyalty to Lysias, who sometimes had his residence there (2 Macc 12:27).

1 Maccabees 5:49–52. Then Judas commanded to be announced throughout the host that each man should take his position; and the warriors took their positions and besieged the city all that day and all night, and the city was given into his hand. And he killed all the males in it with the edge of the sword, razed the city to its foundations, took its spoils, and passed through the city over the slain. And they crossed the Jordan to the great plain opposite Beth-shan. Beth-shan — Βαιθσάν — at one of the wider points of the Jordan valley, at its junction with the plain of Jezreel or Esdraelon, two hours’ journey from the Jordan, today’s Beisan (Josh 17:11) — known to the Greeks as Σκυθόπολις (Jdt 1:10, Jos. Antt. XII, 3, 5; XIII, 1, 6), or Σκυθῶν πόλις (2 Macc 12:29; Judg 1:27).

1 Maccabees 5:53. And Judas gathered those who had fallen behind and encouraged the people throughout the whole journey, until they came to the land of Judea. Judas’s return journey to Jerusalem probably went from Beth-shan along the military road through Shechem — that is, through territories hostile to the Jews — where those who had fallen behind could easily fall into enemy hands and there was even fear of attacks by hostile armies; especially the unarmed families relocating from Gilead to Judea feared this danger, and it was they who were primarily the object of Judas’s encouragement and concern.

1 Maccabees 5:54. And they went up to Mount Zion with joy and gladness and offered burnt offerings, for not one of them had fallen until they returned in peace. “Not one of them had fallen until they returned in peace.” From what exact point until the return in peace this “not one fell” is to be counted — the author does not specify, and this gave rise, on the one hand, to the claim that οὐδεὶς ἐν τούτοις τοῖς πολέμοις τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀπέθανεν — “not one of the Jews fell throughout the entire campaign, in all the battles” — that is, to acknowledge a striking miracle of God (Josephus). Others, without resorting to such an extreme possibility, hold that the text refers here specifically only to the circumstances of 1 Macc 5:53 (the return journey from Beth-shan), and that “not one fell” should be limited exclusively to this part of the entire journey (at the most, since the events of 1 Macc 5:45). — Which of these is more correct is left for each reader to judge.

1 Maccabees 5:55–64. In those days when Judas and Jonathan were in Gilead, and Simon his brother was in Galilee before Ptolemais, Joseph son of Zechariah and Azariah, the commanders, heard of their glorious military deeds, and said: Let us also make a name for ourselves; let us go and fight against the pagans around us. So they gave orders to the army under them and marched against Jamnia. And Gorgias came out from the city with his men to meet them in battle. And Joseph and Azariah were routed and pursued to the borders of Judea; and about two thousand men of the people of Israel fell that day. And there was a great defeat among the people of Israel, because they had not obeyed Judas and his brothers, imagining they would show bravery, though they were not of the lineage of those men by whose hand salvation of Israel had been granted. But Judas and his brothers were greatly honored before all Israel and before all the nations where their name was heard, and people gathered to greet them. The fame of the brilliant deeds of the Maccabee brothers in Gilead and Galilee led the commanders left with the Jewish forces — Joseph and Azariah — to attempt “to make a name for themselves” with similar exploits. This rash attempt took the form of a sortie from Jerusalem and an attack on Jamnia (a Philistine city; see the commentary on 1 Macc 4:15), in flat defiance of Judas’s prohibition (1 Macc 5:19), and ended in complete failure with a loss of 2,000 men. This failure is explained in the author’s view by the fact that they “were not of the lineage of those men by whose hand salvation of Israel had been granted,” whereby the Hasmonean family is thus accorded the significance of a special divine election, similar to other ancient chosen ones who were sent for the salvation of Israel at critical moments in its history. — “Judas the man” (1 Macc 5:63) — ὁ ἀνὴρ Ἰούδας: — like “Moses the man” (Exod 11:3; Num 12:3), that is, a true, valiant, worthy man.

1 Maccabees 5:65. After that 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 demolished its fortifications, and burned its towers all around it, Hebron — Χεβρών — an ancient city of the patriarchal era, seven hours’ journey from Jerusalem into the hills of Judea, today’s el-Khalil, still inhabited by Jews in Nehemiah’s time (Neh 11:25), later seized by the Idumeans. It had been fortified even in the time of Rehoboam (2 Chr 11:10).

1 Maccabees 5:66. And he set out to go to the land of the foreigners, and passed through Samaria. From Hebron Judas “set out” to the “land of the foreigners” (ἀλλοφύλων), that is the Philistines, and “passed through Samaria.” In place of Samaria (Σαμάρειαν) some manuscripts read Μαρίσσαν. This variant, from a transposition of letters from which Σαμάρειαν could easily arise, is preferred by many researchers. And indeed, if Judas’s goal was in the land of the Philistines (verse 1 Macc 5:66, cf. 1 Macc 5:68), then from Hebron the road there did not at all pass through Samaria, whereas Marisa was in fact directly on the route, in the lowland of Judea — near Beit Dschibrin — and is explicitly mentioned in the parallel passage — 2 Macc 12:35.

1 Maccabees 5:67–68. At that time certain priests who wished to show bravery fell in battle, having gone out to war rashly. And Judas turned to Azotus, the land of the foreigners, demolished their altars, burned the carved images of their gods with fire, took the spoils of the cities, and returned to the land of Judea. “The land of the foreigners...” — γῆν ἀλλοφύλων — is an appositive to εἰς Ἄζωτον, not to indicate the location of Azotus, but to define more precisely the territory where Judas was fighting; hence further on it is stated that Judas “demolished their altars” — βωμοὺς αὐτῶν, that is, of the ἀλλοφύλων, the foreigners, and not of Ἀζώτου — Azotus alone. * * * The Books of Maccabees are translated from Greek, because no Hebrew text of them exists.