Chapter Thirteen

The campaign of Antiochus Eupator against Judea (2 Macc 13:1-2). The disgraceful death of Menelaus (2 Macc 13:3-8). The preparations of the Jews for battle (2 Macc 13:9-14). The rout of the Syrian camp. The failure of the enemy at the siege of Beth-zur. The victory of Judas and the conclusion of peace (2 Macc 13:15-26).

The identity of the campaign described in the present chapter with that described in 1 Macc 6:28-62 is universally acknowledged. The not entirely significant differences in some details between the two accounts are either apparent, or are explained by the difference in the plans and aims of each book. The only obvious irreconcilable discrepancy appears in the indication of the year (2 Macc 13:1) and the size of the enemy force (2 Macc 13:2; cf. 1 Macc 6:30).

2 Maccabees 13:1. In the one hundred and forty-ninth year, news reached those with Judas that Antiochus Eupator was coming against Judea with a large army “In the 149th year...” of the Seleucid era. — According to 1 Macc 6:20-28 ff., this campaign was undertaken in the 150th year. This discrepancy can only be explained as an error on the part of the author of our book, possibly connected with another erroneous statement — that the desolation of the Temple lasted only two, rather than three, years (X:3, cf. 1 Macc 4:52).

2 Maccabees 13:2. and with him Lysias, his guardian and administrator of the realm, and each of them had a Greek force: one hundred and ten thousand infantry, five thousand three hundred cavalry, twenty-two elephants, and three hundred scythed chariots. On Lysias, see 2 Macc 11:1 and on 1 Macc 3:32. The size of the enemy forces (not only doubled but even taken singly) is clearly exaggerated.

2 Maccabees 13:3. Menelaus also joined them, insistently urging Antiochus on with great duplicity — not out of concern for the safety of the homeland, but in the hope of being reinstated in authority. Menelaus — the former high priest, IV:24 ff.; V:15. — “Urging Antiochus” — that is, toward the destruction of all orthodox-believing parties in Judaism, assuring him that only by this means could the complete pacification of Judea be achieved (cf. IV:8, 10). — “With great duplicity” — explained further by the addition: “not out of concern for the safety of the homeland, but in the hope of being reinstated in authority.” He had evidently been removed from that office along with the restoration of the Temple and Temple worship by Judas.

2 Maccabees 13:4. But the King of kings stirred up Antiochus’s wrath against the criminal, and when Lysias explained that Menelaus had been the cause of all the troubles, Antiochus ordered him to be led away to Beroea and put to death according to the custom of that place. Beroea — Βέροια — a city in Syria between Hierapolis and Antioch (Plin. V, 19; Strab. XVI, 751), probably on the site of present-day Aleppo; it must therefore not be confused with the Macedonian Beroea after which it was named by its founder Seleucus. — “According to the custom of that place...” — described in what follows (vv. 5 and 6).

2 Maccabees 13:5. In that place there is a tower fifty cubits high, filled with ashes; in it there was a device that rotated and lowered the condemned into the ashes. No clear picture of the device of execution by ash described here is given. According to Josephus (Ant. XII, 9, 7), the execution of Menelaus took place only after the conclusion of peace with the Jews, when Eupator returned to Antioch in anger over his failure, and Menelaus made an unsuccessful attempt to urge him again toward war.

2 Maccabees 13:6–9. There the one guilty of sacrilege, or the one who had surpassed others in wickedness, was always hurled to his doom. By such a death the impious Menelaus was fated to die without even burial in the ground — and entirely justly so. For since he had committed many sins against the altar of the Lord, whose fire and ash are holy, he received his death in ash. Meanwhile the king, hardened in his purposes, continued his march, intending to inflict on the Jews worse disasters than those that had come upon them in his father’s time. 2 Maccabees 13:10–13. When Judas learned of this, he commanded the people to call upon the Lord day and night, that He might now, as before, show them His help in the danger of losing the law, the homeland, and the holy Temple, and that the people, who had only just gained a little rest, might not be given over into bondage to the blasphemous pagans. All carried this out with one accord and for three days, with weeping and fasting and prostrations, they prayed without ceasing to the merciful Lord; then Judas, having encouraged them, ordered them to hold themselves in readiness. Remaining alone with the elders, he held counsel, intending to go out and settle the matter with the Lord’s help before the king’s army could enter Judea and take the city. “He held counsel, intending to...” — Greek: εβουλεύσατο...; Slavonic: “he took counsel...” — that is, he reached a decision in council with the elders.

2 Maccabees 13:14. Entrusting his care to the Creator of the world, he urged those with him to fight bravely to the death for the laws, for the Temple, the city, the homeland, and the civil order, and he stationed the army near Modein. “The civil order...” πολιτεία — Slavonic: “for the commonwealth” — that is, for the civil constitution of the Jewish people. — On Modein, see on 1 Macc 2:1. According to 1 Macc 6:32, Judas encamped at Beth-zacharias opposite the enemy camp, north of Beth-zur (see on 1 Macc 4:29).

2 Maccabees 13:15. Giving those with him the watchword “God’s victory,” he with a picked force of strong young men charged the king’s tent at night, killed up to four thousand men in the camp, and besides that, the largest elephant together with the men who rode in the tower upon it. The watchword “God’s victory” — see on VIII:23. Instead of 4,000 slain in the camp, other manuscripts give 2,000, or 1,000, or 3,000.

2 Maccabees 13:16–19. Finally, having filled the army with fear and confusion, they withdrew safely. This took place already at the break of dawn, under the Lord’s protection. The king, having learned by experience the boldness of the Jews, attempted to take positions by cunning. He advanced against Beth-zur, the strong fortress of the Jews, but was put to flight and suffered defeat and losses; 2 Maccabees 13:20–23. Judas kept sending everything necessary to those in the fortress. A certain Rhodocus from the Jewish army disclosed this secret to the enemy, but he was sought out, arrested, and imprisoned. The king negotiated a second time with the inhabitants of Beth-zur; gave them his pledge and received theirs in return, withdrew, and turned against those with Judas — but was defeated. Learning that Philip, whom he had left as governor in Antioch, had rebelled, he was thrown into consternation: he began to appeal to the Jews, humbled himself, and swore to fulfill all their just demands, then made peace with them, offered sacrifice, honored the Temple, and showed kindness to the city, “Learning that Philip had rebelled...” cf. 1 Macc 6:55 ff. — “Honored the Temple...” — probably through gifts (cf. III:2).

2 Maccabees 13:24. received Maccabeus and appointed him commander from Ptolemais as far as the Gerrhenians. “Received Maccabeus and appointed him commander...” Greek: καί τον Μακκαβαίον απεδέξατο, κατέλιπε στρατηγόν… ηγεμονίδην…; Slavonic: “and he received Maccabeus, appointed a general... a prince...” The meaning of this passage is not sufficiently clear. If one takes ηγεμονίδην here, as some do, as a predicate in relation to στρατηγόν, the sense of the Slavonic text results, but with a certain tautology (repetition of the cognate concepts στρατηγόν… ηγεμονίδην); one or other of these expressions becomes superfluous, especially with the addition of “him,” as the Russian text has. It is also hard to apply this expression to Judas, since he was a native of these parts, while the verse clearly speaks of someone who had come here with the king and was left by him as commander on his departure — which of course Judas could not have been. In view of this, other commentators regard ηγεμονίδην as a proper name, which gives a more coherent expression of the thought, though it is not confirmed by any other mention of that name. — “From Ptolemais as far as the Gerrhenians...” από Πτολεμαιδοέως τών Γερρηνών — that is, over the coastal strip to the borders of Egypt. Γερρηνοί — in the opinion of some — the inhabitants of the city of Γέρρα between Rhinocorura and Pelusium (Strab. XVI, 760). Other commentators, on the ground that Γέρρα did not then belong to the Syrian kingdom, suggest that one should read Γεραρηνοί — inhabitants of the ancient city of Gerar, southeast of Gaza. Some manuscript variants of this passage do indeed read Γεραρηνών.

2 Maccabees 13:25–26. Then he went to Ptolemais; the people of Ptolemais were displeased with the agreement, resented its terms, and wanted to annul them. Lysias came before the tribunal, defended himself as best he could, persuaded them, calmed them, made them well-disposed, and set out for Antioch. Such was the outcome of the king’s invasion and retreat.