foot soldiers

May 8, 2015

King Demetrius I sends more troops to Jerusalem (1 Macc 9:1-9:4)

“When King Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his army had fallen in battle, he sent Bacchides and Alcimus into the land of Judah a second time. He sent the right wing of the army with them. They went by the road that leads to Gilgal. They encamped against Mesaloth in Arbela. They took that town and killed many people. In the first month of the one hundred fifty-second year they encamped against Jerusalem. Then they marched off and went to Berea with twenty thousand foot soldiers and two thousand cavalry.”

Now we are back to the problem of King Demetrius I and Judas Maccabeus, since the preceding chapter 8 seems to be an insertion to show how the Romans had been kind to the Jews. With the defeat of Nicanor, the king went back to his faithful duo of Bacchides and Alcimus, who was still the chief priest in Jerusalem in 160 BCE. Gilgal was between Jericho and the Jordan River. This duo camped at Mesaloth and destroyed it. It might have been close to Samaria. Then they went out to Berea, perhaps a town about 10 miles north of Jerusalem called el-Birch. Anyway, they had a large army of 20,000 foot soldiers and 2,000 cavalry.

May 3, 2015

The expedition of Antiochus V (1 Macc 6:28-6:31)

“King Antiochus was enraged when he heard this. He assembled all his friends, the commanders of his forces and those in authority. Mercenary forces also came to him from other kingdoms and from the islands of the seas. The number of his forces was one hundred thousand foot soldiers, twenty thousand cavalry, and thirty-two elephants accustomed to war. They came through Idumea. They encamped against Beth-zur. For many days they fought and built engines of war. However, the Jews sallied out and burned these with fire. They fought courageously.”

The 10 year old King Antiochus V was mad when he heard this. He called all his friends and the commanders of the army. Probably Lysias was in command of the army since he had fought and lost to Judas Maccabeus. They also had mercenary forces from other kingdoms and islands. The total force for King Antiochus V and Lysias was 100,000 foot soldiers, 20,000 horsemen, and 32 elephants. That is something new. They came from the south via Idumea. They camped at Beth-zur, 18 miles south of Jerusalem, where Judas had defeated Lysias 3 years earlier in 165 BCE in chapter 4 of this book. However, the Jews fought courageously here.

March 22, 2015

The prayer of Judith against the Assyrians (Jdt 9:7-9:10)

“Here now are the Assyrians,

A greatly increased force.

They pride themselves in their horses and riders.

They boast in the strength of their foot soldiers.

They trust in shield and spear.

They trust in bow and sling.

They do not know that you are the Lord who crushes wars.

The Lord is your name!

Break their strength by your might!

Bring down their power in your anger!

They intend to defile your sanctuary!

They intend to pollute the tabernacle,

Where your glorious name resides.

They intend to break off the horns of your altar with the sword.

Look at their pride!

Send your wrath upon their heads!

Give to me, a widow,

The strong hands to do what I plan.

By the deceit of my lips,

Strike down the slave with the prince.

The prince with his servant.

Crush their arrogance by the hand of a woman!”

Now Judith turned to the Assyrians at hand. They are so proud with their army of cavalry, foot soldiers, shields, spears, bows, and slings. They do not recognize the God of the Israelites. They do not know that the Lord God will crush all. He can break their strength. They intend to defile the sanctuary in Jerusalem. They intend to pollute the tabernacle. They intend to break the horns on the altar. All of this is intended for the Temple in Jerusalem, where the holy name of Yahweh resides. Judith wants God to send his wrath upon the proud Assyrians. She, a widow wants God to give her the strength to be deceitful so that she can strike down the prince of power with her hands. Judith will become the deceitful female warrior.

March 18, 2015

The campaign against Israel (Jdt 7:1-7:5)

“The next day General Holofernes ordered his whole army, and all the allies who had joined him, to break camp. They were to move against Bethulia. They were to seize the passes up into the hill country. They were going to make war on the Israelites. All their warriors marched out that day. Their fighting forces numbered one hundred seventy thousand infantry and twelve thousand cavalry, not counting the baggage and the foot soldiers handling it, a very great multitude. They encamped in the valley near Bethulia, beside the spring. They spread out in breadth over Dothan as far as Balbaim, and in length from Bethulia to Cyamon, which faces Esdraelon. When the Israelites saw their vast numbers they were greatly terrified. They said to one another.

‘They will now strip clean the whole land.

Neither the high mountains, the valleys, nor the hills

Will bear their weight.’

Yet they all seized their weapons. When they had kindled fires on their towers, they remained on guard all that night.”

The very day after they got rid of Achior, General Holofernes ordered his army to break camp. They were going to invade Bethulia. They were going to seize the mountain passes and make war on the Israelites. This huge fighting army marched out. They had 170,000 foot soldiers, 12,000 cavalry, plus foot soldiers to take care of their baggage. They camped near Bethulia, close to Dothan with Esdraelon at their back. When the Israelites finally saw how big the army was, they were terrified. However, they lit fires in their towers to stand watch that night.

March 14, 2015

The instructions to Holofernes, the general of the army (Jdt 2:4-2:13)

“When he had completed his plan, King Nebuchadnezzar of the Assyrians called Holofernes, the chief general of his army, second only to himself. He said to him.

‘Thus says the Great King,

The lord of the whole earth,

Leave my presence.

Take with you men confident in their strength,

One hundred twenty thousand foot soldiers

And twelve thousand cavalry.

March out against all the land to the west,

Because they disobeyed my orders.

Tell them to prepare earth and water.

I am coming against them in my anger.

I will cover the whole face of the earth with the feet of my troops.

I will hand them over to be plundered.

Their wounded shall fill their ravines and gullies.

The swelling river shall be filled with their dead.

I will lead them away captive to the ends of the whole earth.

You shall go and seize all their territory for me in advance.

They must yield themselves to you.

You shall hold them for me until the day of their punishment.

But to those who resist, show no mercy.

You shall hand them over to slaughter and plunder

Throughout your whole region.

For as I live,

And by the power of my kingdom,

What I have spoken I will accomplish by my own hand.

You take care not to transgress any of your lord’s commands.

Be sure to carry them out exactly as I have ordered you.

Do it without delay!’”

Now Holofernes comes on the scene. There is no indication of his name in the army of Nebuchadnezzar, but there was a latter Persian general around 350 BCE with that name. That has led some to think that Nebuchadnezzar was really the Persian King Artaxerxes III. Anyway, the plans have been made. Thus the king brought in his chief general officer of his army. He was the king and lord of all the land. Holofernes was to take 120,000 foot soldiers and 12,000 cavalry to wipe out the western people who had disobeyed him. He wanted anyone who had disobeyed his messengers killed and plundered. If anyone resisted, he was not to show any mercy. Holofernes was to follow out his orders exactly. He was to do it without any delay.