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1–12. The Assyrian king Nebuchadnezzar declares war on the Median Arphaxad and his allied peoples. 13–16. Arphaxad's defeat and death. Destruction of his capital (Ekbatan). Triumph of Nebuchadnezzar. Judith 1:1 In the twelfth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, who reigned over the Assyrians in the great city of Nineveh, in the days of Arphaxad, who reigned over the Medes in Ecbatana: 1. The beginning of the 1st verse has its direct continuation in the 5th verse, while the insertion about Arphaxad (from the second half of the 1st verse to the 4th inclusive) is like an introductory sentence that introduces more precisely some side circumstances and the time of the narrated event. Instead of the "12th" year, the Syriac text has the 13th. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Nineveh, is - perhaps - Assurbanipal (667–647). True, none of the Assyrian kings bore the name Nebuchadnezzar (the meaning of the name: “may Heaven protect the crown!”), because the god Heaven was revered only in Babylonia. However, since Assurbanipal reigned over both countries, Assyria and Babylonia, it would have been natural if, as the Babylonian king, he had also adopted the name Nebuchadnezzar, which served as an expression of respect for the god of the country. Inscriptions of that time, discovered during excavations and read, tell about Assurbanipal that it was he who defeated the Medes and then, after this victory, wished to restore his power over all of Western Asia, which had rebelled against him - from Lydia, where Gyges reigned († 650), to Memphis in Egypt, where Psammetichus I († 617), son of Necho, reigned I († 666). Arphaxad is, perhaps, a name changed by scribes from Phraortes or Aphraates (617–625), the successor of Deioces (700–647), king of the Media. Judith.1:2 And he built walls of hewn stones around Ecbathan, three cubits wide and six cubits long; And he made the height of the wall seventy, and the width fifty cubits, Judith 1:3 And over the gate he set towers of one hundred cubits, having at the base up to sixty cubits in width; Judith 1:4 And the gates which he built for the exit of his mighty troops and for the formation of his infantry, rose in height seventy cubits, and had a width of forty cubits: 2–4. The strength of the walls of the city of Ekbatan generally seems extraordinary and even fabulous. However, other ancient writers and recent excavations confirm the biblical evidence. It is only necessary to note regarding the width of the towers and walls that the measure of 50–60 cubits indicated in the Bible probably indicates the maximum width that the towers and walls had below, at the foundation, since the higher, the narrower and less massive the walls were. The number of towers that dotted the walls of Ekbatan is not indicated. There were probably no fewer of them than in the walls of Nineveh, where, according to Diodorus Siculus, there were 1,500 towers stretching up to 200 feet in height. The gates of the walls were too wide and high so that troops could pass through them completely freely and quickly, in full formation and with all military equipment. Judith 1:5 In those days king Nebuchadnezzar made war against king Arphaxad in the great plain which is within the borders of Ragab. 5. “Within Ragava” (Art. 15: “on the mountains of Ragava”) - Greek. ' Ραγααί, or ' Ράγα, - ων - a very significant and ancient city of Media in the province of Ragian, 10 days' journey from the city of Ekbatan (cf. Tov. 1:14 - “in the Ragas of Media”). Judith 1:6 All who lived in the hill country gathered to him, and all who dwelt along the Euphrates, Tigris, and Idaspis, and from the plain of Arioch king of Elymae, and very many nations came together in the army of the sons of Heleud. 6. “Idaspis” (the Vulgate has Iadason) is probably Εύλαίος (cf. Arrian. Anab. 7, 7. Plin. h. n. 6, 31; Dan. VIII:2) - the current Absal or Desphul, according to others - Kuran, and maybe - Χοάσπης in the Susian region (cf. Strabo, 15, chapter 3). "Arioch" is a name mentioned by Moses, Gen. 14:1, 9, and also in Dan. 2:14. “King of Elime” – 'Ελυμαίοι – inhabitants of the Persian region of Elima. "Sons of Heleud" (Χελεούδ; Vet. Lat. has helleuth, Syriac - on the contrary - Chaldeans). According to Ewald's guess (Gesch d. V. Isz. III. 2 p. 543), here we should probably read “children of the mole” - a nickname given in mockery to the ancient Syrians. "To the militia of the sons of Heleud". It is more accurate and correct to read, together with Sirsky: “to battle,” or “to fight with the sons of Heleud.” Judith 1:7 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Assyria sent to all those who dwelt in Persia and to all who dwelt in the west, to those who dwelt in Cilicia and Damascus, Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon, and to all who dwelt on the front side of the seaside, Judith 1:8 and between the nations of Carmel and Gilead and in the upper Galilee and in the great plain of Esdraelon, Judith 1:9 and to all who dwell in Samaria and its cities, and beyond the Jordan to Jerusalem, and Bethany, and Hela, and Cadiz, and the river of Egypt, and Taphnah, and Ramessa, and in all the land of Goshen Judith 1:10 until you enter upper Tanis and Memphis, and to all those who live in Egypt until you enter the borders of Ethiopia. 7–10. The areas listed here are all more or less well known. Few require explanation. Βετάνη and Χελλούς are Hebrew: ??? and ???, mentioned in Nav. 15:59, 58. – Κάδης – ???, cf. Nav. 15:23. Judith.1:11 But all those who dwelt in all this land despised the word of the Assyrian king Nebuchadnezzar and did not gather against him to fight, because they were not afraid of him, but he was like one of them to them: they sent his ambassadors away from them with nothing, in dishonor. Judith.1:12 Nebuchadnezzar was very angry with all this land and swore by his throne and kingdom to take revenge on all the borders of Cilicia, Damascus and Syria, and with his sword to kill everyone living in the land of Moab, and the sons of Ammon and all Judah, and everyone living in Egypt before entering the borders of the two seas. 11–12. The preceding verse 7 states vaguely that Nebuchadnezzar “sent” to all those living in Persia and the other countries listed below. Why did you send it? – we learn this definition from verse 11. He sent to invite them with him to the war against Arphaxad. But they all refused. The Bible gives an interesting explanation for this refusal: they refused because they were not afraid of him (Nebuchadnezzar). In ancient international relations, moral principles and obligations apparently mattered little. Power was the main and only arbiter and regulator of the destinies and relations of peoples: whom they feared, who knew how to instill fear, they submitted to him and curried favor with him. We see few examples in ancient history of the heroic position of the soul of one people for another friendly one. “The limits of two seas” (Art. 12) - here we mean the two main branches of the river. The Nile (Astaboras and Astapus), called by the Arabs - the white and blue sea. Judith.1:13 And in the seventeenth year he took up arms with his army against king Arphaxad and defeated him in battle and put to flight all the army of Arphaxad, all his cavalry and all his chariots, Judith.1:14 and took possession of its cities, reached Ecbatana, occupied the fortifications, devastated the streets of the city and turned its beauty into shame. Judith.1:15 And he seized Arphaxad on the mountains of Ragab and pierced him with his spear, and killed him that same day. Judith.1:16 Then he went back with his men to Nineveh - he and all his allies - a very large number of military men; There he rested and feasted with his army for one hundred and twenty days. 13–16. Preparations for the war with Arphaxad, begun in the 12th or 13th year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, took several years; a significant part of this time was taken up by embassies to the inhabitants of the West, which gave such unsuccessful results. This, however, did not cool Nebuchadnezzar’s intentions, and in the 17th year of his reign he dealt with Arphaxad with his own forces. It must be assumed that Nebuchadnezzar did not even have any need to turn to the assistance of the western inhabitants to fight Arphaxad, and his embassy to them did not mean a humble request for help, but the same arrogant and conscious invitation to submit and not interfere with his planned business with any demonstrations. The last goal was, apparently, achieved by the embassies, at least to the extent that we do not see those who refused the alliance with Nebuchadnezzar on the side of Arphaxad, who was left to his own forces in the fight against the enemy. The superiority of forces was undoubtedly on the side of Nebuchadnezzar, around whom “very many nations” nevertheless grouped (art. 6), making up “very many multitudes of military men” (art. 16).