*H But Judas Machabeus, and they that were with him, went privately into the towns: and calling together their kinsmen and friends, and taking unto them such as continued in the Jews' religion, they assembled six thousand men.
Ver. 1. Towns. Lit. "castles." Gr. "villages." It also means a town or village; and at this time, Judas chiefly dwelt in the deserts. H. — Many particulars of this war are found 1 B. iii. C.
*H And they called upon the Lord, that he would look upon his people that was trodden down by all and would have pity on the temple, that was defiled by the wicked:
Ver. 2. Lord. Prayer is particularly requisite before battle. W.
*H That he would have pity also upon the city that was destroyed, that was ready to be made even with the ground, and would hear the voice of the blood that cried to him:
Ver. 3. Blood of the Jews unjustly slain. M. — The voice of Abel's and of Christ's blood is very different. Gen. iv. 10. Heb. xii. 24.
*H Then Philip seeing that the man gained ground by little and little, and that things for the most part succeeded prosperously with him, wrote to Ptolemee, the governor of Celesyria and Phenicia, to send aid to the king's affairs.
Ver. 8. Philip seeing, &c. The governor of Jerusalem found himself unable to contend with Judas, especially after the victories he had obtained over Apollonius and Seron. 1 Mac. iii. Ch. — He was left two years before (C.) to afflict the Jews. W.
*H And he with all speed sent Nicanor, the son of Patroclus, one of his special friends, giving him no fewer than twenty thousand armed men of different nations, to root out the whole race of the Jews, joining also with him Gorgias, a good soldier, and of great experience in matters of war.
Ver. 9. Twenty thousand. The whole number of the forces sent at that time into Judea, was 40,000 footmen and 7,000 horsemen; (1 Mac. iii. 30.) but only 20,000 are here taken notice of, because there were no more with Nicanor at that time of the battle. Ch.
*H And Nicanor purposed to raise for the king the tribute of two thousand talents, that was to be given to the Romans, by making so much money of the captive Jews:
Ver. 10. Talents. So much the king was in arrear, owing to his prodigality. For which reason he was gone beyond the Euphrates to raise money. His father had to pay the Romans 15,000 talents in twelve years.
*H Wherefore he sent immediately to the cities upon the sea coast, to invite men together to buy up the Jewish slaves, promising that they should have ninety slaves for one talent, not reflecting on the vengeance which was to follow him from the Almighty.
Ver. 11. Ninety. Often (C.) a talent was paid for one slave. Jos. Ant. xii. 4.
*H And some of them being afraid, and distrusting the justice of God, fled away.
Ver. 13. Justice. Gr. δικην, "vengeance" (H.) against the enemies. C.
*H And if not for their sakes, yet for the covenant that he had made with their fathers, and for the sake of his holy and glorious name that was invoked upon them.
Ver. 15. Covenant. A just and religious cause is the best help in war. W.
*H But Machabeus calling together seven thousand that were with him, exhorted them not to be reconciled to the enemies, nor to fear the multitude of the enemies who came wrongfully against them, but to fight manfully:
Ver. 16. Seven thousand. In the Greek it is six thousand. But then three thousand of them had no arms. 1 Mac. iv. 6. Ch. — If the army was divided into four companies of 1,500, there would be only 6,000. But if Judas had with him 3,000, it would consist of 7,500. C. — Reconciled. Gr. "consternated at," &c. H.
* Footnote * 4_Kings 19 : 35
And it came to pass that night, that an angel of the Lord came, and slew in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five thousand. And when he arose early in the morning, he saw all the bodies of the dead.* Footnote * Tobias 1 : 21
And when king Sennacherib was come back, fleeing from Judea by reason of the slaughter that God had made about him for his blasphemy, and being angry slew many of the children of Israel, Tobias buried their bodies.* Footnote * Isaias 37 : 36
And the angel of the Lord went out and slew in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five thousand. And they arose in the morning, and behold they were all dead corpses.* Footnote * 1_Machabees 7 : 41
O Lord, when they that were sent by king Sennacherib blasphemed thee, an angel went out, and slew of them a hundred and eighty-five thousand:*H And of the battle that they had fought against the Galatians, in Babylonia; how they, being in all but six thousand, when it came to the point, and the Macedonians, their companions, were at a stand, slew a hundred and twenty thousand, because of the help they had from heaven, and for this they received many favours.
Ver. 20. Galatians. That is, the Gauls, who having ravaged Italy and Greece, poured themselves in upon Asia in immense multitudes, where also they founded the kingdom of Galatia, or Gallo-Græcia. Ch. — This battle is nowhere else recorded in Scripture. But it seems to allude to the aid given to Soter by the Jews, (W.) when he repulsed the Galatians. Appian. — Antiochus the great rewarded them for their valour shewn in behalf of his father. Joseph. xii. 3. W. — Six. Gr. 8,000. — When. Gr. "with 4,000 Macedonians; when the Macedonians being at a stand, the 6,000 (Grabe substitutes 8,000) slew twelve myriads," &c. H. — Historians have not specified this irruption, as it had no farther consequences. The Galatians were very powerful under Antiochus the great, and sided with him. The consul, Manlius, made them promise to keep within their own territories. But they did not observe this agreement, since they attacked Eumenes while Epiphanes persecuted the Jews. It is not agreed when they made the invasion of Babylonia, then defended by Jewish and Macedonian troops under the king of Syria.
*H So he appointed his brethren captains over each division of his army; Simon, and Joseph, and Jonathan, giving to each one fifteen hundred men.
Ver. 22. Joseph; perhaps the same with John Gaddis, or simply a relation.
*H And after the holy book had been read to them by Esdras, and he had given them for a watchword, The help of God: himself leading the first band, he joined battle with Nicanor:
Ver. 23. Esdras. Gr. and Syr. "Eleazar;" probably the brother of Judas. Grotius thinks that the latter read the account of the death of Eleazar, which must be understood of the martyr, (C. v.) as the brother of Judas was slain under Eupator. Perhaps the law regarding people going to fight was read; (Deut. xx. 6. and 1 B. iii. 56.) or as Judas prepared for battle by prayer and fasting, some portions of Scripture might be selected while they were at Maspha. — Help. So he specifies the victory of God. C. xiii. 15. C.
*H And the Almighty being their helper, they slew above nine thousand men: and having wounded and disabled the greater part of Nicanor's army, they obliged them to fly.
Ver. 24. Above nine thousand, viz. including the three thousand slain in the pursuit. Ch. — Three thousand fell on the field of battle. 1 B. iv. 15.
*H But they came back for want of time: for it was the day before the sabbath: and therefore they did not continue the pursuit.
Ver. 26. Time. They wished to be in the camp before the sabbath, having designed to collect the spoils.
*H Then after the sabbath they divided the spoils to the feeble and the orphans, and the widows, and the rest they took for themselves and their servants.
Ver. 28. Widows. Judas follows the spirit rather than the letter of the law. Num. xxxi. 27. Deut. xiv. 29.
*H Moreover, they slew above twenty thousand of them that were with Timotheus and Bacchides, who fought against them, and they made themselves masters of the high strong holds: and they divided amongst them many spoils, giving equal portions to the feeble, the fatherless, and the widows; yea, and the aged also
Ver. 30. Timotheus. C. x. 24. The particulars of this war are not given. It seems to have taken place after the temple was purified. v. 31. We must distinguish this first war from another mentioned. C. x. 24. and 1 B. v. 5. Judas defeated another Timotheus beyond the Jordan. C. xii. 10. and 1 B. v. 11. 34. 37.
*H And when they had carefully gathered together their arms, they laid them all up in convenient places, and the residue of their spoils they carried to Jerusalem:
Ver. 31. Jerusalem. They had taken all but the citadel. C. x. 1.
*H Being, through the help of the Lord, brought down by them, of whom he had made no account, laying aside his garment of glory, fleeing through the midland country, he came alone to Antioch, being rendered very unhappy by the destruction of his army.
Ver. 35. Apparel, as a general. C. — Fleeing. Gr. "like a fugitive, having rendered himself destitute, he came through the midland country to Antioch above all being fortunate himself in," &c. H. — He was too happy in having escaped. The Rom. ed. and Syr. agree with us, "being very unhappy," &c. (C.) which is substituted by Grabe. H.