died in torment, the death of a reprobate, as the seven Machabean brothers had foretold [1] him.
The son and successor of Antiochus sent his ablest generals with mighty armies[2] to take Judaea and Jerusalem again. Judas Machabeus and his small army, seeing the hosts[3] that were marching against them, had recourse to God in humble prayer. Then they took up their arms and advanced to meet the enemy, trusting in God alone.
In the midst of the combat five horsemen, in shining armour[4], were seen by the enemy in the air above, fighting for the Jews. Two of these heavenly warriors were with Judas Machabeus, as it were shielding him from danger, while the other three cast darts from on high against the Syrian host[5]. Seeing this strange sight the enemy were seized with terror, and fled in confusion, leaving twenty thousand of their number dead on the field.
Thus favoured by divine assistance, Judas Machabeus defeated the Syrians in many other bloody engagements. But it happened in one of these that some of the Jews were slain, and on the following day, when Judas and his soldiers came to bury them, they found under their tunics certain heathen charms, or amulets [6], which it was not allowable even to touch.
- ↑ Foretold. The punishment foretold to their cruel persecutor by the Machabean brothers had not failed to overtake him. In the story as narrated in the last chapter, only the threat of the youngest brother is related; but the fourth, fifth, and sixth brothers had also foretold the judgments of God. The fourth brother had said: “As to thee, thou shalt have no resurrection to life.” The fifth had said: “Thou shah see God’s great power, in what manner He will torment thee and tby seed.” And the sixth, when dying, had cried out: “Do not think that thou shalt escape punishment, for that thou hast attempted to fight against God.’’
- ↑ Mighty armies. The Syrian kings had allied themselves to several neighbouring people, namely the Edomites or Idumaeans, who had taken possession of the southern portion of Judaea; the Ammonites on the east, who had increased in power since the fall of the kingdom of Israel; and the Arabs on the south-east.
- ↑ The hosts. Gathered together by the Ammonite general Timotheus (2 Mach. 10, 24): “Timotheus having called together a multitude of foreign troops, and assembled horsemen out of Asia.” Before Judas and his soldiers went to meet the Syrian army, they clothed themselves in sackcloth, threw themselves down before the altar of the Lord, and prayed for help (2 Mach. 10, 25 &c.).
- ↑ In shining armour. Angels in the form of horsemen.
- ↑ The Syrian host. These were so dazzled and terrified that they took to flight. More than 20,000 men were killed.
- ↑ Amulets. They had kept back from the booty some charms of the false gods, though the law (Deut. 7, 25) commanded the destruction of everything that bad served for the worship of idols.
