Judith
Chapter 4
Israeli Resistance
The children of Israel in Judea learned what had happened to the other nations at the hands of Holofernes, the chief general of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the Assyrians, and how he had plundered the neighboring villages and destroyed their sanctuaries.
They trembled with great fear because of him. They were anxious about Jerusalem and the temple of the Lord their God,
since they had only recently returned from exile. The people of Judea had just gathered, and the new furnishings of the altar and the sanctuary had just been consecrated after being profaned.
They sent messengers to warn all the inhabitants of the territory of Samaria, Kona, Beth-horon, Belmain, Jericho, Choba, and Aesora, and the valley of Salem.
They occupied all the mountain summits, fortified the town ramparts, and gathered stores of food and supplies for the war since their fields had just been harvested.
Joakim, the high priest in Jerusalem at that time, wrote to the inhabitants of Bethulia and Betomesthaim, located opposite Esdraelon at the entrance to the plain of Dothan.
He told them to seize and strengthen the mountain passes because those were the only entrances through which Holofernes could enter Judea. It would be easy to stop those coming through there since the narrow passes allowed only two men to pass at a time.
The children of Israel obeyed Joakim’s orders, and the Council of Elders gathered in Jerusalem.
All the people of Israel called upon God with great fervor and humbled themselves before him.
Men, women, children, including the animals, and all the foreigners living among them—laborers and slaves—were all clothed in sackcloth.
All the men of Israel in Jerusalem, along with their wives and children, bowed before the temple, sprinkled ashes on their heads, and raised their hands in supplication before the Lord.
They covered the altar with sackcloth and, with one voice, sincerely begged the God of Israel not to let their children be slaughtered, their wives raped, their towns destroyed, or their Sanctuary profaned, so that they would not become the laughingstock of other nations.
The Lord heard their prayer and saw their suffering. The people throughout Judea fasted for many days, and those in Jerusalem fasted before the Sanctuary of the Lord Almighty.
The high priest Joakim, along with all the priests and ministers, stood before the Lord dressed in sackcloth and offered continuous sacrifices, prayers, and the voluntary gifts of the people.
They put ashes on their turbans and cried out with all their strength to the Lord, asking Him to watch over the entire house of Israel.
Commentaries
The Great Threat.
The first part of the book focuses on the growing danger faced by the Jewish people. The emperor is not content simply ruling; he also seeks to be revered as a god, with all that comes with that. Therefore, this literary work, although fictional, invites resistance against anything that, above God, tries to impose itself as the only way to live in the world.
Israeli Resistance.
The author describes a unified Israel led by the high priest and a senate, with no king. The Temple remains standing and has been rededicated after being desecrated. The news of Holofernes’ advance is seen as a national disaster for Israel. Swift security measures are taken to stop the enemy using the terrain, along with spiritual and religious preparations such as fasting, penance, prayer, and sacrifices. The whole nation is involved, including the animals.