Глава 16

1–17. Song of praise of Judith. 18–20. Conclusion of the celebrations. 21–25. The subsequent fate of Judith. Judith.16:1 And Judith said, Sing to my God on the timbrels, sing to my Lord on the cymbals, sing harmoniously to Him a new song, lift up and call on His name; 1. “Begin to my God... sing to my Lord...” Judith here expresses her special right to name and consider the Lord as hers - as the One who alone could save her life in such a desperate feat. Who alone, with His help, granted her to accomplish this terrible work of His righteous judgment, and to Whom alone she owes all her life and well-being, in the special and primary sense of the word. Judith 16:2 Because He is God the Lord, who overcomes battles, because He fought for me among the people and plucked me out of the hand of my persecutors. 2. “He took up arms for me among the people and plucked me from the hand of my pursuers” - Greek: εις παρεμβολάς αύτού έν μέσω λαού έξείλατό με έκ χειρός καταδιωκόντων με, i.e. more literally: “in His army among the people He took me out of the hand of those who persecuted me,” in other words: “in order to demonstrate His army (the power of His intercession for the people), He singled me out from among the rest of the people and showed this His power on me, plucking me from the hand of those who persecuted me.” Actually, Judith, thanks to her cunning, escaped all persecution; therefore, here she either understands what was possible in her position, or simply represents herself as persecuted insofar as she belonged to a people in danger of extermination by the Assyrians. And in general, the entire song of praise of Judith - it should be noted - is as much a confession of her personal joyful feelings as, on the other hand, a confession of similar feelings in relation to each other individual and to the entire personified Jewish community. This is especially clear in those places in the hymn of Judith, where everything that personally relates to her and cannot be adapted to another person is put in the form of the 3rd person, and not the 1st (cf. Judith 16:2, 11-13 vv. with 5-10 vv. of the same chapter). Judith.16:3 Asshur came from the mountains of the north, he came with his myriads of troops, and their multitude dammed the waters of the springs, and their cavalry covered the hills. 3. “The multitude of them dammed the waters of the springs, and their cavalry covered the hills” is a poetic hyperbole, to which the living imagination of eastern peoples usually likes to resort. Judith.16:4 He said that he will burn my borders, destroy my young men with the sword, throw my infants to the ground, give my little children to be plundered, and take my virgins captive. 4. “He said that he would burn my borders,” etc. The expression of Judith on behalf of the entire personified land or community of Judea (“mine, mine, mine” - v. 12, “to me” - v. 13, “mine” - v. 17, etc.) Judith 16:5 But the Lord Almighty overthrew them by the hand of a woman. Judith.16:6 It was not because of the young men that their mighty fell, nor was it the sons of the Titans who smote him, nor were the tall giants laid upon him, but Judith, the daughter of Meraria, destroyed him by the beauty of her countenance; Judith 16:7 because for the upliftment of those who were in need in Israel, she took off the garments of her widowhood and anointed her face with fragrant ointment, Judith 16:8 adorned her hair with a headdress, and put on linen clothing to seduce him. Judith 16:9 Her sandals delighted his eyes, and her beauty captivated his soul; the sword passed through his neck. Judith 16:10 The Persians were horrified at her courage, and the Medes were at a loss at her boldness. 5–10. Adapting her song in such a way that everyone could pour out their personal feeling of joy in it, Judith, when starting to mention her feat, expresses herself in the 3rd person. “The Persians were horrified at her courage, and the Medes were at a loss at her courage.” The Persians and Medes are indicated here as the most courageous and daring people, so that the excellent courage and courage of Judith, which led even such peoples into horror and confusion, is all the more clearly indicated. Judith 16:11 Then my humble ones cried out, and they were afraid; my weak ones - and they became confused; they raised their voices, and they fled. 11–17. From the 11th verse, the song again takes on its former personified-general character, maintaining it until the end (through verse 17 inclusive). Judith.16:12 The sons of the young wives stabbed them and, like the children of runaway slaves, inflicted wounds on them; they perished by the army of my Lord. 12. "Sons of Young Wives", i.e. especially the weak, those of little strength, and therefore the weak, young, and weakly “stabbed them” themselves, i.e. enemies who became, as it were, “children of runaway slaves,” i.e. especially timid, cowardly, helpless, having completely lost all formidability and danger for the Jews. Both served to further enhance the greatness of the miracle of Divine help to his people. Judith 16:13 I will sing a new song to my Lord. You are great, O Lord, and glorious, marvelous in strength and invincible! Judith 16:14 Let every creature of Thy work for Thee: for Thou hast spoken, and it was done; You sent Your Spirit, and things were done, and there is no one who can resist Your voice. 14. “He said - and it was done... he sent Your Spirit - and it was done” - a thought that closely reproduces the verses of the psalms (Ps. 103:30 and 149:5). Judith 16:15 Mountains and waters will be removed from their foundations, and stones like wax will melt at Your presence, but You are merciful to those who fear You. Judith 16:16 Every sacrifice is small for the aroma of aroma, and all fat is of little importance for a burnt offering to You, but he who fears the Lord is always great. Judith 16:17 Woe to the nations that rise up against my generation: the Lord Almighty will take vengeance on them on the day of judgment, will send fire and worms on their bodies, and they will feel pain and cry forever. Judith 16:18 When they came to Jerusalem, they worshiped God, and when the people had purified themselves, they offered up their burnt offerings and their willing sacrifices and their gifts. Judith 16:19 And Judith brought all the vessels of Holofernes, which the people had given her, and the curtain which she took from his chamber she gave as a sacrifice to the Lord. Judith 16:20 The people rejoiced in Jerusalem before the sanctuary for three months, and Judith remained with them. 18–20. The celebrations of the people ended with a journey to Jerusalem, where rich grateful sacrifices were made to God. Judith “gave as a sacrifice to the Lord” everything she had received, right down to the curtain she took from Holofernes’ bedroom, showing that her entire work was the work of the Just God Himself, for Whom she served only as an instrument. Instead of “three months” of celebrations of the people in Jerusalem, the Syriac text indicates only “one month.” Judith 16:21 But after these days each one returned to his own inheritance, but Judith went to Bethulia, where she remained in her possessions, and was in her time famous in all the land. 21. “Everyone returned to his inheritance, but Judith went to Bethulia.” The Jerusalem celebrations were not the celebrations of the Bethulites alone, but of the entire Israeli people (Judith. 15:12-14 v.), who took an active part in the persecution and defeat of the enemies (cf. Judith. 15:3-5 v. ff.), the enemies of not only Bethulia, but also the entire heritage of Jehovah. Naturally, people flocked to the Jerusalem celebrations from everywhere, and there is nothing strange if these celebrations dragged on for three months, renewed by new and new influxes of people. It is also natural that Judith “stayed with them” in Jerusalem all this time, obediently obeying the understandable desire of everyone to see their savior, who thus became “glorious in all the earth.” Judith 16:22 Many desired her, but no man knew her all the days of her life from the day that her husband Manasseh died and was gathered to his people. 22. “Many desired her,” i.e. with their love, they wanted to have her as their wife, they sought her hand. “He was gathered to his people” is a common biblical expression to denote the righteous death of the faithful Israelites (cf. Gen. 25:8 etc.). Judith 16:23 She acquired great fame and grew old in her husband's house, living to be one hundred and five years old, and she set her maid free. She died in Bethulia, and they buried her in the cave of her husband Manasseh. Judith 16:24 The house of Israel mourned for her seven days. Before her death, she divided her property among the relatives of her husband Manasseh, and among those close to her family. 24. “I mourned her for seven days” is the usual time of mourning for the dead (Gen. 50:10; 1 Sam. 31:13; cf. Sir. 22:10). Judith 16:25 And no one made the children of Israel any more afraid in the days of Judith, nor for many days after her death. 25. Those who attribute the history of Judith to later (Maccabean) times (especially the reign of Antiochus III), finding in this verse a refutation of their theory, think to settle it very simply: they recognize here either a panegyric, exaggerated image of the complete (albeit untimely) prosperity brought by Judith to his fatherland, or simply an expression of hope for a lasting peace, or, finally, a later addition. All this is an obvious stretch, losing all need for itself if we assume a much more natural presentation of the matter: that the event of the book. Judith took place at that very time, an indication of which is given in the book itself: namely, shortly after the captivity (Judith. 4:3), no matter who is meant by the name “Nebuchadnezzar of Assyria.” At the end of the book of Judith, the Vulgate makes another addition about the establishment by the Jews of a new holiday in memory of her victory: “dies autem victoriae hujus festivitatis ab Hebraeis in numero sanctorum dierum accipitur et colitur a Judaeis ex illo tempore usque in praesentem diem.” The absence of any such additions in Greek manuscripts gives every right to see here an arbitrary addition either by the author of the Vulgate himself, or by one of the copyists of its text. Master of Theology, Professor Archimandrite Joseph.