Chapter Eleven

1–4. Holofernes interrogates Jdt 5-19. Judith falsely explains the reason for her departure and offers Holofernes her services for conquering Judea, claiming to rely on God’s revealed will. 20–23. Holofernes believes and expresses approval toward Judith.

Judith 11:1. Holofernes said to her: Take courage, woman; do not fear in your heart, for I have done no harm to anyone who chose willingly to serve Nebuchadnezzar, king of all the earth. 1. “Do not fear in your heart...” Fear in one’s heart is the highest degree of fear (cf. 1 Sam 27:5: Saul “was afraid and his heart trembled greatly”); therefore the reassurance directed toward it is the highest reassurance.

Judith 11:2. Now, if your people living in the highland country had not despised me, I would not have raised my spear against them; but they brought this upon themselves. 2. “I would not have raised my spear against them” to make war with them, “but they brought this upon themselves,” that is, they themselves provoked me to raise my spear against them and make war with them.

Judith 11:3. Tell me, why have you fled from them and come to us? You will find salvation here; do not be afraid: you will live this night and after, 3. Holofernes’ question “why have you fled from them and come to us?” shows that Holofernes was already substantially prepared and informed by servants about Judith through her own words (Jdt 10:12 and following) about her motives and purpose in coming, and by asking her a direct question about this, he expresses the desire to question her once more personally from her own lips and in greater detail about everything. This was a strong assurance of success for Judith’s plans.

Judith 11:4. for no one will harm you; on the contrary, everyone will treat you well, as happens to the servants of my lord, King Nebuchadnezzar. Judith 11:5. Judith said to him: Hear the words of your servant; let your servant speak before you: I will not speak a lie to my lord this night. 5. In setting forth her motives and purpose in coming to the enemy camp, Judith deliberately allows and, it seems, not quite befittingly for her moral character, allows falsehood, deception, and cunning, permeating her entire long and ingratiating speech to Holofernes with them. At the very beginning of her speech she solemnly assures: “I will not speak a lie to my lord this night,” then she promises him: “God will accomplish a deed through you, and my lord will not fail in his undertakings.” After a few more flattering compliments to Holofernes’ vanity, Judith presents what may be a genuine fact from the life of the besieged, though making of it also material for deceiving Holofernes. She reports that extreme food shortage will soon force the besieged to turn to unclean food forbidden by law, and further to sacrilegious contact with the sacred firstfruits of wheat, wine, and oil, though with the permission of the assembly of Jerusalem elders. Judith herself, however, views the matter more strictly and, expecting the strictest punishment from God especially for the latter crime (sacrilege), foresees both the instrument of this punishment, namely in Holofernes, for whose assistance a revelation itself sent her, obliging her to rise to the height of duty and obedience, stronger and stricter than the feelings of patriotism and natural compassion. Appeal to the revelation, especially disposed to trust in Judith, carries her falsehood to the extreme degree, bordering closely on blasphemy, and compels her to devise especially strong grounds for the justification and excusing of Judith. It has already been noted above (see comment to Jdt 7:13 verse) that Judith’s cunning in itself had its justifications and its exculpating significance in all this adventure with Holofernes. The final result of this cunning—the mortal blow to Holofernes by Judith’s hand and by God’s judgment. But once this result is viewed under such illumination, it is evident that all that preceded and prepared the success of this result must also have in it the same justification and common significance. To take separately each phase in which Judith’s affair developed, so artfully and entirely woven from seduction, cunning and treachery of this supreme manifestation of women’s weakness, chosen by God to put to shame human pride and arrogance, one cannot do. Otherwise, we, though correctly discussing the individual details of Judith’s affair in themselves, will still sin against its general significance, as we have indicated—sufficiently excusable and even so glorious for Judith. The culpability of Judith’s conduct is much weakened in those places where she more or less obviously permits the ambiguity of speech (Jdt 11:16 and others) or represents as actual—only the possible, using the vivacity of speech, characteristic especially of prophetic description of the future and the possible. In any case, all of Judith’s conduct must finally be justified by her highly worthy person, solemnly attested by many passages of the book, and by the entire course and so glorious for all the Jewish people success of her daring deed, important also for the salvation of the most sacred treasures of the religion of the Jews.

Judith 11:6. If you follow the words of your servant, then God will accomplish the deed through you, and my lord will not fail in his undertakings. Judith 11:7. Let Nebuchadnezzar, king of all the earth, live, and let his power live, he who sent you to set in order every soul; for not only will men serve him through you, but also the beasts of the field and the cattle and the birds of heaven will live under the power of Nebuchadnezzar and all his house through your strength. Judith 11:8. For we have heard of your wisdom and the cunning of your mind, and all the earth knows that you alone are good in all the kingdom, mighty in knowledge and wonderful in military deeds. 7–8. The extraordinary praises and flattering words that Judith abundantly spreads before Holofernes represented nothing, of course, strange or suspicious to the flattered and flattery-pampered Eastern court official. And Judith here is still far from entering, so to speak, into the “fervor” of her cunning, allowing herself to over-salt in praises for the moment entirely in the spirit of the sons of the East, who sharpen to this day their fantasy to such pearls of eloquent flattery in dealing with those to whom they need to show signs of high respect.

Judith 11:9. Now what Achior spoke in your assembly we have heard, his words, because the men of Bethulia left him alive, and he told them all that he had spoken to you. Judith 11:10. Therefore, my lord and master, do not disregard his words, but lay them to heart, for they are true: our people is not punished, the sword has no power over us, if they do not sin against their God. 9–10. Showing special truthfulness, impartiality, directness, and sincerity, Judith confirms the truth of Achior’s words about the Jews, that “the sword has no power over us, if they do not sin against their God.” And as if hastening to avoid, by her open profession of this truth, the fate of Achior, Judith reassures Holofernes with the assurance that this condition has ceased to have positive force for the Jews, and on the contrary—now gives all power and time for Holofernes to act.

Judith 11:11. Therefore, so that my lord may not be repelled and unsuccessful, and death may come upon them—sin has seized them, which they provoke against their God, doing what should not be done; Judith 11:12. for they have a food shortage and all the water is exhausted, and now they have decided to seize their livestock and are thinking to eat everything that God strictly forbade in His law to eat; Judith 11:13. Indeed, the firstfruits of wheat and the tithes of wine and oil, which, after being sanctified, are kept for the priests who stand before the face of our God in Jerusalem, they have decided to consume, though no one from the people should touch them with their hands. Judith 11:14. They sent to Jerusalem, since the inhabitants there were doing the same thing, to bring permission from the assembly of elders to do this. Judith 11:15. And when they receive word and do this, then that very day they will be given over to you for destruction. 11–15. The Jews have allowed what alone could make them helpless and did make them helpless, ensuring complete victory for Holofernes over them. Sin has already “seized them, which they provoke against their God, doing what should not be done” (deciding to eat food forbidden by God or permitted only to the consecrated servants of God). However, in fact they have not yet carried out their sinful decision, and one must wait for the moment when the transgression is committed and they are finally doomed to destruction.

Judith 11:16. For this reason I, your servant, having learned all this, have fled from them, and God sent me to do with you deeds that will astonish all the earth, wherever they hear of them, Judith 11:17. for your servant is pious and day and night serves the God of Heaven. Now, my lord, I will remain with you; only let your servant go out at night to the valley to pray to God, and He will reveal to me when they have committed their transgression. Judith 11:18. I will come and tell you, and then you go out with all your army, and none of them will be able to stand against you. Judith 11:19. I will lead you through Judea until we reach Jerusalem; I will set your throne in the midst of it, and you will drive them like sheep without a shepherd, and not a dog will dare move his tongue against you. This has been told me by revelation and announced to me, and I am sent to tell you. 16–19. Judith’s somewhat premature departure from the Jews, as follows from her words, she undertakes to avoid any participation in the expected transgression of the people; on the other hand, this prematurity promises to help Holofernes choose more precisely the moment ensuring the success of the attack with Judith’s assistance, she who is to receive the revelation about the people’s fallen state from God Himself. All this was too plausible, so that in conjunction with the bewitching beauty of the Jewess, it would not act upon Holofernes and explain his credulity toward her and the absence of any caution.

Judith 11:20. Her words pleased Holofernes and all his servants. They marveled at her wisdom and said: Judith 11:21. there is no such woman from one end of the earth to the other in beauty of face and in wise words. Judith 11:22. Holofernes said to her: God has done well to send you before this people, so that strength may be in our hands, and destruction among those who have despised my lord. Judith 11:23. You are beautiful in face, and good in your words. If you do as you have said, your God will be my God; you will live in the house of King Nebuchadnezzar and will be renowned throughout all the earth. 23. The first stage of Judith’s undertaking ends in complete success. The recently so arrogant pagan now declares that the fulfillment of the words about victory over the Jews will be his submission to the God of Israel: “Your God will be my...” Admittedly, many commentators believed that Holofernes wished only to flatter Judith with this promise, which was important for his dishonorable intentions toward her; however, it could hardly have been especially necessary. And it is much more natural to represent the matter in such a way that Holofernes completely yielded to the irresistible convincingness and force of the charm of Judith’s speech and quite seriously imagined that after such a brilliant result the recognition of Judith’s God would be for him quite natural and pleasant. Our Telegram channel