1 Maccabees — Chapter 13

Videns quia in tremore populus est

VERSE 2. VIDENS QUIA IN TREMORE POPULUS EST ET IN TIMORE ASCENDIT JERUSALEM ET CONGREGAVIT POPULUM. — He saw that the people were trembling with fear. And he went up to Jerusalem, and gathered the people together, and encouraged them. Lapide praises Simon's leadership in this moment of crisis: while the people trembled in the face of Tryphon's approaching army and the capture of Jonathan, Simon rose up and rallied them with his famous speech (verses 3-7). He contrasts Simon's steadfast courage with the people's fear, drawing a general lesson on the importance of leadership in crisis.

Et dixit eis vos scitis quanta ego et fratres mei

VERSE 3. ET DIXIT EIS VOS SCITIS QUANTA EGO ET FRATRES MEI ET DOMUS PATRIS MEI FECIMUS PRO LEGIBUS ET PRO SANCTIS. — He said to them: \"You yourselves know what great things I and my brothers and the house of my father have done for the laws and the sanctuary; you know also the wars and the difficulties that my brothers and I have seen. By reason of this all my brothers have perished for the sake of Israel, and I alone am left.\" Lapide comments that Simon's speech achieves two purposes: it recalls the sacrifices of the Maccabean family to establish his authority, and it demonstrates his own readiness to die as well. The phrase \"I alone am left\" (et relictus sum ego solus) echoes Elijah's lament at Horeb (1 Kings 19:10).

Dicens pro argento quod debebat frater tuus Jonathas

VERSE 15. DICENS PRO ARGENTO QUOD DEBEBAT FRATER TUUS JONATHAS IN RATIONE REGIS DETINUIMUS EUM. — Saying: \"We are holding your brother Jonathan because of the money he owed to the royal treasury, in connection with the offices he held.\" Lapide explains that this was a fraudulent pretext: Tryphon invented a royal debt to extort money from Simon. But Simon saw through the deception. He knew Tryphon was acting treacherously, yet he paid the ransom anyway — partly because he hoped against hope, and partly to forestall any accusation that he had not tried to save his brother. St. Thomas Aquinas (cited by Lapide) notes that Simon did not think Tryphon would be cruel enough to kill Jonathan even after receiving the ransom.

Et cognovit Simon quia cum dolo loqueretur

VERSE 17. ET COGNOVIT SIMON QUIA CUM DOLO LOQUERETUR SECUM JUSSIT TAMEN DARI ARGENTUM ET PUEROS. — Simon knew that Tryphon was speaking deceitfully to him; but he sent the money and the sons, so that he would not incur blame from the people of Israel, who might say \"It was because we did not send him the money and the sons that he perished.\" Lapide meditates on Simon's prudence here: he acted on the principle that in matters of grave importance where one cannot be certain, one must take the precaution that averts the more serious danger. By paying, he forestalled any accusation of having neglected his brother; the treachery would then rest entirely on Tryphon.

Et cum appropinquasset Bascaman occidit Jonathan

VERSE 23. ET CUM APPROPINQUASSET BASCAMAN OCCIDIT JONATHAN ET FILIOS EJUS ILLIC. — When Tryphon drew near to Bascama, he killed Jonathan and his sons there. Lapide notes that Tryphon killed Jonathan and his two sons in frustration, after he was unable to advance further due to deep snow. He had received the ransom money and the hostages, then murdered all of them anyway — the ultimate perfidy. Lapide calculates that Jonathan had led Israel for nineteen years (152-143 BC Seleucid era = 143 years before Christ). He was buried by his brother Simon at Modin, the ancestral city of the Maccabees.

Et aedificavit Simon super sepulcrum patris sui

VERSE 27. ET AEDIFICAVIT SIMON SUPER SEPULCRUM PATRIS SUI ET FRATRUM SUORUM AEDIFICIUM ALTUM VISU LAPIDE POLITO RETRO ET ANTE. — Simon built a monument over the tomb of his father and his brothers; he made it high so that it might be seen, with polished stone at the front and back. Lapide describes the monument built by Simon at Modin: seven pyramids in a row for his father, mother, and four brothers (with a seventh reserved for Simon himself), surrounded by tall columns topped with suits of armor and carved ships. He notes that this monument stood until the time of St. Jerome (ca. 400 AD), who mentions it in his commentary on Micah. \"Modin\" (the ancestral home of the Maccabees) means \"appointed\" or \"place of praise.\"

Tryphon autem cum iter faceret cum Antiocho

VERSE 31. TRYPHON AUTEM CUM ITER FACERET CUM ANTIOCHO REGE ADOLESCENTE DOLO OCCIDIT EUM. — Tryphon dealt treacherously with the young king Antiochus and killed him. The manner of his death is described by Livy's epitomator (Book 55): the physicians were bribed to report that the young king was dying of a bladder stone, and then killed him while pretending to operate on him. Lapide reflects on divine justice: the impious lineage of Antiochus Epiphanes was finally exterminated here — Epiphanes's son Eupator had been killed by Demetrius I, his nephew Alexander Balas killed in battle, Alexander's young son now killed by Tryphon. The Psalm (37:35-36) was fulfilled: \"I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green tree... and he passed away.\"

Et aedificavit Simon praesidia Judaeae

VERSE 33. ET AEDIFICAVIT SIMON PRAESIDIA JUDAEAE MUNIENS EA TURRIBUS EXCELSIS ET MURIS MAGNIS. — Simon built up the strongholds of Judea, making them towers of high hills, and great walls, and gates, and bolts; and he stored food in the strongholds. Lapide summarizes the character of Simon's administration: where Judas had been the soldier and Jonathan the diplomat, Simon was the builder and administrator who converted military victory into stable political order. His fortification of the cities of Judea created a defensible territorial state for the first time since the Babylonian exile.

Coronam auream et bahem quam misistis suscepimus

VERSE 37. CORONAM AUREAM ET BAHEM QUAM MISISTIS SUSCEPIMUS ET PARATI SUMUS FACERE VOBISCUM PACEM MAGNAM. — \"The gold crown and the palm branch that you sent we have received; and we are ready to make a great peace with you.\" Lapide provides an extended discussion of the mysterious word \"bahem\" (or \"palm branch\"). He reviews multiple interpretations: (1) a golden palm branch symbolizing victory; (2) a brooch or clasp (from Hebrew bohen = thumb, symbolizing strength); (3) a necklace or torque worn by royal favorites; (4) a simple monetary gift. He tentatively favors the \"palm branch\" interpretation as a symbol of Nicanor's Day or as congratulations on victory over Tryphon.

Anno centesimo septuagesimo ablatum est jugum Gentium

VERSE 41. ANNO CENTESIMO SEPTUAGESIMO ABLATUM EST JUGUM GENTIUM AB ISRAEL. — In the year 170 (Seleucid era = 142 BC) the yoke of the Gentiles was removed from Israel. Lapide hails this as one of the great moments in Israelite history — the first time since the Babylonian exile (about 440 years earlier) that Israel was truly free from foreign domination. He quotes the parallel with the Exodus, noting that the liberation from Seleucid oppression was in many ways comparable to the liberation from Egypt: both were achieved by God through human instruments against seemingly overwhelming odds.

Et coepit populus scribere in tabulis et gestis publicis

VERSE 42. ET COEPIT POPULUS SCRIBERE IN TABULIS ET GESTIS PUBLICIS ANNO PRIMO SUB SIMONE SUMMO SACERDOTE. — The people of Israel began to write in their documents and contracts, \"In the first year of Simon the great high priest, commander, and leader of the Jews.\" Lapide notes that this establishes a new era — the Hasmonean era — dated from Simon's first year. This was unprecedented: the Jews had previously dated documents by the regnal years of foreign rulers (Persian, Greek, Seleucid). Now for the first time in centuries they dated by the years of their own autonomous ruler. This is the political fruit of the entire Maccabean struggle.

In diebus illis applicuit Simon ad Gazam

VERSE 43. IN DIEBUS ILLIS APPLICUIT SIMON AD GAZAM ET CIRCUMDEDIT EAM CASTRIS. — In those days Simon encamped against Gaza and surrounded it with troops. He made a siege engine, brought it up to the city, and battered and captured one tower. The men in the siege engine leaped out into the city, and a great tumult arose in the city. Lapide notes that Gaza (Gazara/Gezer) was an important Philistine city that had been a thorn in Israel's side for centuries. Simon's conquest completed the Maccabean pacification of Judea's borders. He expelled the idolatrous inhabitants, cleansed the buildings of idols, and installed devout Jews in the city.

Qui autem erant in arce Jerusalem prohibebantur

VERSE 49. QUI AUTEM ERANT IN ARCE JERUSALEM PROHIBEBANTUR EGREDI ET INGREDI REGIONEM ET EMERE AC VENDERE. — Those in the citadel in Jerusalem were prevented from going in and out to buy and sell in the country. They hungered greatly, and many of them perished from famine. Then they cried to Simon to accept their surrender, and he did so. But he expelled them from there and cleansed the citadel from its pollutions. Lapide notes that the Akra finally fell in the year 141 BC (171 Seleucid era) after a siege of over two years, having been in enemy hands for twenty-six years since Antiochus first placed his garrison there (167 BC). The method of its capture — starvation rather than assault — reflects the building of the isolating wall that Jonathan had begun (1 Maccabees 12:36).

Et intraverunt in eam tertia et vigesima die secundi mensis

VERSE 51. ET INTRAVERUNT IN EAM TERTIA ET VIGESIMA DIE SECUNDI MENSIS ANNO CENTESIMO SEPTUAGESIMO PRIMO CUM LAUDE ET RAMIS PALMARUM. — On the twenty-third day of the second month, in the year 171, they entered it with praise and palm branches, and with harps, cymbals, and stringed instruments, and with hymns and songs, because a great enemy had been crushed and removed from Israel. Lapide treats this as one of the great liturgical processions of the Old Testament — comparable to the triumphal procession of the Ark into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6) and to Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (John 12:13). The use of palm branches (rami palmarum) as a sign of victory is a constant motif throughout 1 and 2 Maccabees.

Et munivit montem templi qui erat secus arcem

VERSE 53. ET MUNIVIT MONTEM TEMPLI QUI ERAT SECUS ARCEM ET HABITAVIT IBI IPSE ET QUI CUM EO ERANT. — And he fortified the temple hill alongside the citadel, and he and those with him lived there. Lapide explains Simon's strategic decision: now that the Akra had fallen, he fortified the Temple Mount itself, making it the center of both religious and political life. He connects this with the prophecy of Zechariah 2:5: \"I will be to her a wall of fire all around, and I will be the glory in her midst.\"