Commentaria in I Machabaeorum
4. THE MALICE OF THE CHILDREN OF BEAN.—“Bean,” says St. Jerome in the Hebrew places, “is a city of the Amorrhites, which was itself held by the sons of Ruben.” So also Eusebius.
[he devoted] them to destruction and cut them off. For this in Hebrew is cherem, that is, anathema, namely complete slaughter and destruction.
8. AND HE TOOK JAZER.—This city was in the region of Ammon.
11. AND TIMOTHEUS IS THE CAPTAIN OF THEIR ARMY.—Timotheus was the leader of the Ammonites, who were perpetual and bitter enemies of the Jews.
19. AND HE COMMANDED THEM: TAKE YE THE CHARGE OF THIS PEOPLE,
AND MAKE NO WAR (battle) AGAINST THE HEATHENS UNTIL WE RETURN.—See here the prudence of Judas, who forbids those left behind to give battle; both because they were inferior to the enemy, and because he had appointed them all as the guard of the people: for if they were slain, it was all over with the whole people. These, violating the command of Judas, joined battle with the enemy, and were therefore slain by him,
23. AND HE TOOK (Judas the few Jews in Galilee, dwelling in danger because of the enemies near by in Galilee and Philistia, and) BROUGHT THEM INTO JUDEA,—that in it they might dwell more quietly, safe among their own.
26. AND THAT MANY OF THEM WERE SHUT UP (that is, besieged, and as it were captured, being hemmed in on every side by enemies) IN BARASA,—in Greek in Bosra, and other cities of Galaad, so that they could not go out, or escape their hands.
27. AND THAT THEY WERE SHUT UP (that is, walled in and enclosed by the enemy, as I said in verse 26, whence follows) IN THE REST OF THE CITIES OF THE COUNTRY OF GALAAD, AND THAT THEY HAD APPOINTED ON THE MORROW TO BRING THEIR ARMY TO THESE CITIES, AND TO TAKE THEM (that is, to storm and destroy the inhabitants) IN ONE DAY,—whence the Greek is: On the morrow they appointed to pitch camp against the fortresses, and to take and destroy all these in one day.
28. AND JUDAS AND HIS ARMY SUDDENLY TURNED THEIR MARCH INTO THE DESERT OF BOSOR, AND TOOK THE CITY,—because unexpectedly he overwhelmed the citizens, who were not thinking of it and were unprepared: Bosor was a city of Moab beyond the Jordan, situated in the tribe of Ruben, which Josue gave to the Levites to dwell in, chap. 20, verse 8.
29. AND THEY AROSE FROM THENCE BY NIGHT, AND WENT ON TILL THEY CAME TO THE FORTRESS,—into which the fearful Jews had fled, to deliver them from the enemies besieging and attacking them.
30. AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE MORNING, WHEN THEY LIFTED UP THEIR EYES, BEHOLD THERE WAS MUCH PEOPLE (of the enemy, whose leader was Timotheus) CARRYING LADDERS AND ENGINES, TO TAKE THE FORTRESS,—into which the Jews had fled, to deliver whom Judas was marching.
31. AND A GREAT CRY OUT OF THE CITY;—for the citizens were shouting together to sharpen one another to repel the enemy attacking the fortress, and to implore the help of God and of their allies by crying to heaven; the enemy likewise shouted with voices and trumpets, to encourage one another to the assault. Whence Judas, hearing these cries on both sides,
32. SAID TO HIS HOST: FIGHT THIS DAY FOR YOUR BRETHREN,—who are besieged in the fortress, against the enemy attacking it, that you may deliver them out of their hands.
33. AND HE CAME ON BEHIND THEM IN THREE COMPANIES (that he might surround and attack them from three sides, so that they could not escape, since on the other side the fortress of the Jews stood against them, so that they could not slip away,) AND THEY SOUNDED THEIR TRUMPETS (that by this unexpected blast he might encourage his men and strike the enemy,) AND CRIED OUT IN PRAYER,—begging the help and victory of God, which they also obtained. For God struck the enemy with fear of Judas, and drove them to flight; whence eight thousand of them were slain by Judas, as is said in the following verse.
35. AND JUDAS TURNED ASIDE TO MASPHA.—This was a city of the Moabites likewise in the tribe of Ruben, of which
36. AND HE TOOK CASBON,—in Greek Casphor, as our version called it, verse 26.
37. BUT AFTER THESE THINGS, TIMOTHEUS GATHERED ANOTHER ARMY, AND CAMPED OVER AGAINST RAPHON BEYOND THE TORRENT,—near the city, which, verse 42, is called a river.
40. IF HE PASS OVER TO US FIRST, WE SHALL NOT BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND HIM,
41. BUT IF HE BE AFRAID TO PASS OVER, etc., LET US GO OVER TO THEM, AND WE SHALL PREVAIL AGAINST HIM.—Some think that Timotheus took this as an omen, and from it divined whether the victory would be his or Judas’s; as Jonathan took the same as an omen of victory: “Come up to us, let us go up, for the Lord hath delivered them into our hands,” 1 Kings 14, 12.