1 Maccabees
Chapter 13
Simon Takes Command
Simon heard that Trypho had assembled a great army to invade and devastate Judea.
Because the people were frightened and apprehensive, he went up to Jerusalem.
There, he called the people together and encouraged them with this exhortation: “All of you know what my brothers and I and my father’s family have done for the laws and the Holy Place. You also know the wars and the hardships we endured.
All my brothers died for Israel, and now I alone am left.
God forbid I should seek my safety when things go wrong! For my life is not worth more than my brothers’ lives. Now that all the nations have united in their hatred to destroy us,
I will defend my nation and the Holy Place, your wives, and your children.”
All were encouraged with these words,
and they exclaimed loudly: “Be our leader in place of Judas and your brother Jonathan.
Lead us in the war, and we will obey your commands.”
So Simon gathered all the men able to fight and hurried to finish building the walls of Jerusalem, which was protected on all sides.
Then he sent Jonathan, son of Absalom, with a strong army to Joppa. They drove out those who occupied it and stayed there.
Meanwhile, Trypho left Ptolemais with a large army to invade Judea, taking Jonathan as a prisoner.
Simon encamped in Adida facing the plain.
But when Trypho learned that Simon had taken command in place of his brother Jonathan and was prepared to fight him, he sent some envoys to him with this message:
“We have in our custody your brother Jonathan because of the money he owes to the royal treasury for the offices he held.
So, send a hundred talents of silver and two of his sons as hostages lest he slip away when we release him and come back against us. Then we shall let him go.”
Simon knew that Trypho was deceiving him, but he still sent for the money and the boys so as not to draw upon himself the anger of the people of Israel, who might say:
“They killed Jonathan because Simon refused to send Trypho the money and the boys.”
He sent the boys and the hundred talents, but Trypho broke his word and did not set Jonathan free.
After this, Trypho advanced to invade Judea to plunder it. He moved along the way to Adora, but Simon and his army kept confronting him wherever he went.
Then the men in the Citadel sent messengers to Trypho urging him to come at once to their rescue by way of the desert and to bring them food.
Trypho prepared his entire cavalry to go, but it snowed so heavily that night that he could not go. So he left for Gilead.
When he approached Baskama, he killed Jonathan and buried him there.
Then Trypho returned to his land.
Simon sent men to look for the remains of Jonathan, his brother, and he buried him in Modein, the city of their fathers.
All Israel deeply mourned and wept for Jonathan for many days.
Simon built a monument over the tomb of his fathers and brothers, high enough to be seen even from afar, with the back and front covered with marble.
He erected seven pyramids facing each other for his father, mother, and four brothers.
He surrounded the pyramids with great columns and had trophies of arms carved upon the columns as a lasting remembrance; beside the armor, sculptured ships were to be seen by all who sailed the sea.
This is the tomb he constructed in Modein, and it is still there today.
Simon’s Political and Military Activities
Trypho treated the young King Antiochus in bad faith and put him to death.
He then made himself king in his place, put on the crown of Asia, and caused great havoc in the country.
Now Simon rebuilt the fortresses of Judea, surrounded them with high towers and great walls with barred gates, and stored food in them.
Simon chose men whom he sent to King Demetrius in his attempt to obtain tax exemption for the region, because all that Trypho did was plunder.
King Demetrius responded favorably to his request and wrote to him as follows:
“King Demetrius greets Simon, high priest and friend of the king, the elders, and the Jewish nation.
We have received the golden crowns and the palm you have sent us, and we are disposed to make a lasting peace with you and to write to the officials to grant you remission of your debts.
All our concessions in your favor are definitive, and the fortresses you have built are yours.
Moreover, we pardon all errors and offenses committed to this day and the crown tax you owe. From now on, any other tax that used to be paid in Jerusalem shall no longer be collected.
If any of your men are qualified to enlist in our army, they can do so. And let peace reign between us.”
So, in one hundred and seventy (in B.C.), Israel became free from the yoke of the pagans.
They began to write in their documents and contracts, “In the first year of Simon, high priest, general and leader of the Jews.”
In those days, Simon encamped against Gazara and surrounded it with his army. He constructed a mobile tower, brought it up to the city, and attacked and occupied one tower.
Then, the men of the mobile tower entered the city, causing great dismay.
The inhabitants, with their wives and children, went up on the walls, tore their garments, cried out loudly to Simon, and sought peace.
They told him: “Treat us not as our wickedness deserves, but according to your mercy.”
Simon was reconciled with them and did not treat them according to the rigor of war. But he expelled them from the city and purified the houses where idols were kept. He then entered the city singing hymns of thanksgiving.
After cleansing it from all its impurity, he settled in it men who observed the law. He fortified it and built a house there for himself.
The men occupying the Citadel in Jerusalem could no longer go in or out to buy or sell in Jewish territory. As a result, many of them were starving, and some were dying from hunger.
They begged Simon for peace, and he granted it to them. However, he expelled them from the area and cleared the Citadel of everything that reminded them of the presence of the pagans.
On the twenty-third day of the second month of one hundred and seventy-one (in B.C.), the Jews entered it with songs and palm branches to the accompaniment of zithers, cymbals, and harps and with hymns and songs for a great plague had been crushed and removed from Israel.
Simon declared this day a day of annual celebration. He reinforced the fortifications of the temple hill along with the military citadel and lived there with his men.
John, son of Simon, had reached manhood, so his father appointed him as general in charge of all the troops, and John lived in Gazara.
Commentaries
Simon Takes Command.
The cycle of Simon (13:1-16:24) begins; he is the last of the Maccabean brothers. The people unanimously praise Simon as their leader. The mystery of Jonathan starts to clear up: he is not dead but a prisoner of Trypho, a situation his captor tries to use to blackmail Simon and find an opportunity to destroy the Jewish army. Simon, knowing Trypho is lying, agrees to pay the ransom for Jonathan’s release, fearing the people’s judgment. Trypho, however, not only breaks his word but also kills Jonathan.
Simon’s Political and Military Activities.
Simon, aware of Tryphon’s plans to seize power, contacts Demetrius to form a new alliance. Demetrius is generous, confirming the religious and political authorities, granting tax exemptions, and allowing the continuation of the fortifications he had previously provided (11:27-53). Demetrius’ positive attitude is understandable. His power remains relatively weak because he owes a favor to the Jews who had saved him before (11:46-52), and because the alliance with the Jews strengthens him against Tryphon, who is contesting the throne of the Syrian empire. The titles of general and leader given to Simon by Demetrius suggest that his independence is limited and that he remains under the king’s guidance.
“Nevertheless, this peace treaty, which includes exemption from the crown tax, marks an important moment in Israel’s history as it regains much of its freedom and independence after 25 years of struggle under the Maccabees. Simon began counting the years from his accession to power, much like the pharaohs did in Egypt. There is no doubt about the Maccabean family’s loyalty to justice and freedom for the Jewish people; however, it also became clear over time that the sins of ambition for power started to infiltrate their hearts.
Acting like the pharaoh is a bad memory and a bad sign for Israel’s future. Political independence will be secured with the recovery of Gezer and a Greek fortress in Jerusalem, which the Syrian empire never abandoned.
Simon, taking advantage of Tryphon and Demetrius’s preoccupation with their power struggles, conquers both cities and removes all the pagan impurities that had taken root there. The feast of the Purification of the City was held on June 4, 141 B.C. It was declared a national holiday and would be celebrated annually. Simon appointed his son John as a general, who would soon become not only high priest but also king.”