Chapter Seven

The accession of Demetrius Seleucus (1 Macc 7:1-4). His dispatch of Alcimus and Bacchides to Judea (1 Macc 7:5-11). Their treachery toward the pious scribes (1 Macc 7:12-18). The return of Bacchides and Alcimus to the king (1 Macc 7:19-25). The campaign of Nicanor against Judea, the battle at Capharsalama, the retreat of Judas (1 Macc 7:26-32). Nicanor in Jerusalem and the Temple (1 Macc 7:33-39). The battle at Beth-horon, the death of Nicanor, and the flight of the Syrians (1 Macc 7:40-47). The rejoicing of the people (1 Macc 7:48-50) (cf. 2 Macc 14:15; Jos. Antt. XII, 10, 1–5).

1 Maccabees 7:1. In the one hundred and fifty-first year, Demetrius son of Seleucus came out of Rome with a few men, entered a certain coastal city, and there became king. “In the 151st year,” that is, of the Seleucid era — 161 BC. — “Son of Seleucus...” — that is, of Seleucus IV Philopator, the elder son of Antiochus the Great (see the commentary on I:10). — Upon the death of this Seleucus, his son Demetrius ought at that time to have inherited his throne. But since he was then a hostage in Rome, his uncle Antiochus Epiphanes assumed rule of the kingdom, and before his death entrusted the kingdom to his minor son Antiochus Eupator under the regency of Philip (VI:14 and following). But Demetrius, learning of the death of Antiochus Epiphanes, laid his claim before the Roman senate to the Syrian throne — unsuccessfully, however — probably because the senate, in the interests of the Roman state, found it more advantageous for Syria to be ruled by a boy rather than by an independent man of 22 years, as Demetrius was then. Nevertheless, after some time Demetrius still found an opportunity to sail from Rome to Syria on one of the Carthaginian ships (cf. Polyb. XXXI, 19–23, App. Syr. c. 47; Liv. Epit. XLVI and Justin, XXXIV, 3, 4–9). — “The coastal city” in which Demetrius became king was, according to 2 Macc 14:1, Tripolis. — “With a few men...” — according to Polybius XXXI, 22, 11 — with 8 friends, 5 servants, and 3 boys. This statement does not contradict 2 Macc 14:1, where it is said that Demetrius arrived with a strong land and naval force — μετὰ πλήθους ἰσχυρου καὶ στόλου — if one allows that in the first case it concerns specifically Demetrius’s initial landing at Tripolis, and in the second — his setting sail from the harbor of that city with the aim of seizing the kingdom.

1 Maccabees 7:2. When he entered the royal house of his fathers, the army seized Antiochus and Lysias, to bring them to him. “The royal house of his fathers...” — οἶκος βασιλέως (Dan 4:27; Esth 1:9) — the royal residence, that is, Antioch.

1 Maccabees 7:3. When this became known to him, he said: Do not show me their faces. Demetrius’s command — “not to show him the faces” of Antiochus and Lysias — was probably prompted by his fear that he would not be strong enough to refuse them clemency if they began to beg him for it.

1 Maccabees 7:4–5. Then the soldiers killed them, and Demetrius sat on the throne of his kingdom. And all the lawless and ungodly men of Israel came to him, and Alcimus was their leader, seeking the high priesthood; “Alcimus” — Ἄλκιμος, according to Jos. Antt. XII, 9, 7 also Ἰάκειμος. — “Seeking the high priesthood...” — according to verse 21 — “the high priesthood.” According to 2 Macc 14:3 — he had already been high priest earlier, but had been removed by the devout Jews because of his inclination toward pagan customs.

1 Maccabees 7:6. And they accused the people before the king, saying: “Judas and his brothers have destroyed your friends, and have driven us out of our land. “Your friends...” — that is, your supporters among the Jewish people.

1 Maccabees 7:7–13. So now send a man whom you trust; let him go and see all the destruction they have done to us and to the king’s land, and let him punish them and all who help them.” The king chose Bacchides, one of the king’s friends who held authority west of the River, was great in the kingdom, and was loyal to the king, and sent him and the ungodly Alcimus, granting him the high priesthood, and commanded him to take vengeance on the sons of Israel. They set out and came to the land of Judea with a large army; and he sent messengers to Judas and his brothers with peaceable but deceitful words. But they gave no heed to their words, for they saw that they had come with a large army. And there gathered to Alcimus and Bacchides a company of scribes to seek justice. The Hasideans were the first among the sons of Israel; they sought peace from them, “A company of scribes...” — συναγωγὴ γραμματέων — a crowd of scribes (συναγωγή — as II:42, γραμματεῖς — as Ezra 7:6; Езд. XI; Neh 8:4 — hence differently from our book V:42), who had devoted themselves to the study of the Word of God and to teaching and instructing others in it — “teachers of the Law.” These scribes came to Alcimus and Bacchides “to seek justice...” — ἐκζητῆσαι δίκαια, that is, the right and the right to live righteously, according to the ancestral laws, on the basis of the peace already concluded by the Jews with Antiochus Eupator (VI:59). The following verse (13), in connection or comparison with the preceding one, may have a twofold meaning. This depends on what meaning one assigns to the expression “the first among the sons of Israel.” If one sees in this expression the author’s wish to indicate the time or order of presentation to Alcimus and Bacchides of one or another part of the people, then verse 13 will have this meaning: “The first among the sons of Israel to seek peace from them (i.e. Alcimus and Bacchides) were the Hasideans.” But if “first” is used here in the sense of “best,” then the thought of both verses (12, 13) will be as follows: “There gathered to Alcimus and Bacchides a company of scribes to seek justice. Among them were also the best of the sons of Israel — the Hasideans, who sought peace from them...” It is also possible to imagine the matter such that the Hasideans did not form part of the scribes’ party nor a separate party from it, but rather — on the contrary — these scribes formed part of the Hasidean party or all of it. In that case the meaning here could also be: “There gathered to Alcimus... a company of scribes...: these were the best of the sons of Israel — the Hasideans...” and so on. — Alcimus was — according to Jos. Antt. XII, 9, 7 — οὐκ ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἀρχιερέων γενεᾶς, or as he states more plainly in XX, 10 — γένους μὲν τοῦ Ἀαρωνος, οὐκ ὄντα δὲ τῆς οἰκίας ταύτης, that is, not from the family of the slain Menelaus, whom he derives from Aaron through the line of Eleazar. Thus Alcimus became high priest bypassing the nearest candidate for the high priesthood, who was Onias, also a son of Onias (III), the eldest of those 3 brothers — sons of Simon — who in succession all served as high priests (Onias, Jesus (Jason), and Onias — Menelaus).

1 Maccabees 7:14–15. For they said: A priest from the lineage of Aaron has come with the army and will not wrong us. And he spoke with them peaceably and swore to them, and said: We will not do you or your friends any harm. “He swore to them...” Although no oath of Bacchides is mentioned here, it is evident from what follows (verse 18) that either Alcimus, in giving the people his oath, also gave it on behalf of Bacchides, or that Bacchides himself gave such an oath that is not mentioned here.

1 Maccabees 7:16–17. And they trusted him; but he seized sixty of them and killed them in one day, as it is written in Scripture: “The bodies of your holy ones and their blood they poured out around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them. The scriptural text that the author cites after reporting the treacherously cruel slaughter of 60 men is taken from Ps 78:2-3. This “psalm of Asaph” in its more immediate sense tells of the Chaldean destruction of Jerusalem; it is recalled here by similarity of events.

1 Maccabees 7:18. And fear and dread fell on all the people, and they said: There is no truth or justice in them, for they have broken the agreement and the oath they swore. “The agreement” — ἡ στάσις — that is, the treaty, the promise.

1 Maccabees 7:19. Then Bacchides withdrew from Jerusalem and camped at Bezeth, and sent and seized many of the men who had fled from him, and some of the people — he slaughtered them and threw them into a great pit. “Bezeth” — Βηζείθ — the location of this camp of Bacchides is not precisely known. Some think it was the hill of Bezeth that later became built up and became a suburb of Jerusalem or part of it (cf. Jos. De bell. jud. V, 4, 2); in any case, this place of execution of the Jews was not far from Jerusalem. — “He seized many of the men who had fled from him...” — that is, probably those Jews who, having abandoned their faith, had first joined the Syrians but then defected from them again. — “And some of the people...” — probably those whom Bacchides regarded as most suspicious in terms of sympathy and assistance to the Syrians.

1 Maccabees 7:20–21. Then, entrusting the country to Alcimus and leaving him a force to help him, Bacchides went to the king. And Alcimus sought to secure the high priesthood. Alcimus’s “seeking” of the high priesthood was achieved by force with the troops left to him by Bacchides. The statement of Jos. Antt. XII, 10, 3 that Alcimus endeavored to win the goodwill of the people by flattering speeches does not align well with the word ἠγωνίσατο in the original text and probably arose from a false interpretation of verse 22.

1 Maccabees 7:22. And all those who had stirred up trouble among his people gathered to him, and they took possession of the land of Judea, and inflicted a great defeat on Israel. “They inflicted a great defeat on Israel...” — that is, they killed many of the true Israelites.

1 Maccabees 7:23–24. And Judas saw all the evil that Alcimus and his companions had done to the sons of Israel — more than the pagans had done; and he went around all the borders of Judea and took vengeance on the renegades — and they stopped entering that land. “He took vengeance on the renegades” — that is, on those spoken of in verse 22 — “and they stopped entering that land,” that is, with the purpose of “stirring up” their people and inflicting “a great defeat on Israel” (the same verse). — After Antiochus Eupator had concluded peace with the Jews, allowing them to live according to their ancestral customs and laws (VI:61), Judas had probably for a time let his army disperse to their homes, taking measures so that if necessary it could quickly rally around him again. When Demetrius, upon ascending the Syrian throne, then sent Bacchides and Alcimus with a large army to Judea, Judas and his brothers did not fall for the treacherously peaceful words of the newcomers and resolved to await further developments. The unhappy fate of the scribes and Hasideans who had been taken in by the enemies vindicated his fears and drew him out of his wait-and-see stance back into the work of armed struggle for faith and freedom. Judas’s successes in a short time led to Alcimus being forced to return to the king with complaints about the Jewish warrior and a request for the dispatch of a new large army against Judea (verses 23–26).

1 Maccabees 7:25–26. When Alcimus saw that Judas and those with him had grown strong, and realized he could not resist them, he returned to the king and bitterly accused them. Then the king sent Nicanor, one of his glorious commanders, a hater and enemy of Israel, and commanded him to destroy that people. Nicanor, who had already acted against the Jews under Antiochus Epiphanes (III:38), was — according to 2 Macc 14:12 — the officer in charge of war elephants; according to Josephus he had fled together with Demetrius from Rome; according to Polybius XXXI, 22, 4 — was there one of his most trusted intimates. His hatred and hostility toward Israel are especially understandable after his defeat at Emmaus (III:38; IV:6 and following).

1 Maccabees 7:27–28. Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a large army and sent to Judas and his brothers with deceitful and peaceful words: Let there be no war between me and you; I will come with a few men to see your faces in peace. “To see your faces...” — to visit for a personal meeting or negotiations, cf. Exod 10:28 and following. — “In peace...” — that is, without ill intent, peaceably, in friendship.

1 Maccabees 7:29–30. And he came to Judas, and they greeted each other peaceably; but meanwhile soldiers had been prepared to seize Judas. It became known to Judas that he had come to him with treachery, and so he was afraid of him and would not meet his face anymore. The account of Judas’s peaceful dealings with Nicanor is passed down in the form of a full saga in 2 Macc 14:21-29 and following.

1 Maccabees 7:31. When Nicanor learned that his plot had been discovered, he went out against Judas in battle near Capharsalama. “Capharsalama” — Χαφαρσαλαμά — called by Josephus a κώμη — its exact location is unknown; one thing is certain: it lay to the south of Jerusalem, because after the battle Nicanor flees to Jerusalem (the city of David) and then to Beth-horon.

1 Maccabees 7:32–33. About five thousand of those with Nicanor fell, and the rest fled to the city of David. After this Nicanor went up to Mount Zion; and some priests and elders of the people came out from the sanctuary to greet him peaceably and to show him the burnt offering being offered for the king. “He went up to Mount Zion...” — that is, to the temple mount; see the commentary on I:33. — “The burnt offering for the king...” Under the rule of the pagans the Jews had introduced the custom of offering sacrifice for foreign kings, as for their own rulers, and praying for them. They did this for the Persian kings (Ezra 6:10), and later for the Roman emperors (cf. Jos. bell. Iud. II, 17, 2; c. Ap. II, 6, Philo, legat. ad Caj. Opp. II, 592). This was grounded in the admonition of the prophet Jeremiah (XXIX:7) to the exiles to pray for the welfare of the city in which they were settled.

1 Maccabees 7:34. But he mocked them, derided them, defiled them, and spoke arrogantly, “He defiled them...” — in what way? — is not stated. According to Jos. Gorion. III, 21, 12 he spat at them, or more precisely, in the direction of the Temple.

1 Maccabees 7:35–39. And swore in anger and said: Unless Judas and his army are delivered into my hands now, then when I return in safety I will burn this house. And he departed in great anger. And the priests went in and stood before the altar and the Temple, and wept and said: You, O Lord, chose this house so that your name would be called upon it, and that it would be a house of prayer and supplication for your people. Take vengeance on this man and his army, and let them fall by the sword; remember their blasphemies and do not let them remain any longer. And Nicanor went out from Jerusalem and camped at Beth-horon, and a Syrian army joined him there. On Beth-horon, see the commentary on III:16. — “A Syrian army joined him there...” — that is, a reinforcement detachment from Syria.

1 Maccabees 7:40. And Judas camped with three thousand men at Adasa; and Judas prayed and said: “Judas... camped... at Adasa...” — ἐν Ἀδασᾷ (Josephus: ἐν Ἀδασοῖς, and called κώμη). Adasa — according to Eusebius — was 30 stadia (3/4 of a mile) from Beth-horon, near Gophna, thus to the north (NE) of Beth-horon.

1 Maccabees 7:41. O Lord, when those sent by the king of Assyria blasphemed, your Angel came and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand of them. On the striking down of 185,000 Assyrians by an angel — see 2 Kgs 18:13.

1 Maccabees 7:42–45. So crush now before us this host, that the rest may know that they have spoken blasphemy against your holy places, and judge them according to their wickedness. And the armies joined battle on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and the army of Nicanor was defeated, and he himself was the first to fall in battle. When his soldiers saw that Nicanor had fallen, they threw down their weapons and fled. And the Israelites pursued them for the whole day, from Adasa all the way to Gazara, and they sounded the signal trumpets after them. “The Israelites pursued them for the whole day...” — the Slavonic gives this more precisely: “a journey of one day.” — “All the way to Gazara...” — the Slavonic gives this more precisely: “until they came to Gazara” — ἕως τοῦ ἐλθεῖν εἰς Γάζηρα — to the point of entering Gazara. Josephus reckons the enemy’s forces at 9,000. Strongly exaggerated, probably, is the figure given in 2 Macc 15:27 — “not fewer than 35,000 killed.”

1 Maccabees 7:46. And people came out from all the surrounding villages of Judea and surrounded them — and turning back toward those pursuing them, they all fell by the sword, and not one of them was left. “They surrounded them...” — more precisely in the Slavonic: “they enclosed them with their wings” (ὑπερκεράν). — “And they, turning back toward those pursuing them, all fell...” — ἀνέστρεφον οὗτοι πρὸς τούτους..., more precisely in the Slavonic: “and these turned back toward them...” The course of events here must apparently be imagined as follows: those being pursued, in order to break out of the encirclement that the Jews pouring toward them from all sides threatened to close, turned back — and of course ran headlong into their own men fleeing behind them; in the confusion and panic they came to blows with them, mistaking them for Jews, and possibly simply crushing one another.

1 Maccabees 7:47. And the Jews took their spoils and their plunder, and cut off the head of Nicanor and his right hand, which he had stretched out arrogantly, and brought them and hung them up near Jerusalem. “And their plunder...” — καὶ τὴν προνομήν, Slavonic: “and the captives.” This word among pagan writers means “foraging,” provisions; among the LXX — booty in general, cf. Deut 21:10, where also in προνομή captive women are included; here, probably, in the sense of the general plunder gathered by the enemies during the campaign and retaken by the Jews. — “And his right hand, which he had stretched out arrogantly...” — that is, during the oath — verse 35. This notes the correspondence of punishment to crime. — “Hung them up near Jerusalem...” — according to 2 Macc 15:32-33 — “opposite the Temple.”

1 Maccabees 7:48–49. And the people rejoiced greatly and celebrated that day as a day of great festivity; and they established that this day should be observed annually on the thirteenth of Adar. The celebration of “the 13th of Adar” (“Nicanor’s Day”), in memory of the victory over Nicanor, was still observed in Josephus’s time, but later went out of practice.

1 Maccabees 7:50. And the land of Judea was at rest for a few days. “The land of Judea was at rest for a few days...” — in the sense of a short time (ἡμέρας ὀλίγας), Slavonic: “for a few days.” * * * Notes The Books of Maccabees are translated from Greek, because no Hebrew text of them exists.