THE BOOK OF JUDITH
Lesson 6
Chapters 10-11
Judith and Genral Holofernes
"When her city was surrounded, that holy woman Judith asked the elders for their
permission to go out to the enemy camp. Through love for her country and her
people, she undertook the dangerous task and went out, and God delivered
Holofernes' life into the hands of a woman."
St. Clement of Rome, Ad Corinthios, 55, 4-5
Judith's prayer to God (cf. 9:1-14) is the book's theological key. The enemy's goal was to terrify, suppress, and seduce Israel to lead her into idolatry. However, the enemy will be seduced and vanquished by the beauty, courage, and unshakable faith of a woman, demonstrating that those who persist in faith and trust in God can always count on Him to come to their aid.
Judith 10:1-23 ~ Judith Goes to the Camp of Holofernes
Thus Judith called on the God of
Israel. When she had finished praying, 2 she got up from the floor,
summoned her maid and went down into the rooms which she used on Sabbath days
and festivals. 3 There she removed the sackcloth she was wearing and
taking off her widow's dress, she washed all over, anointed herself plentifully
with perfumes, dressed her hair, wrapped a turban round it and put on the robe
of joy she used to wear when her husband Manasseh was alive. 4 She
put sandals on her feet, put on her necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and
all her jewelry, and made herself beautiful enough to beguile the eye of any
man who saw her.
Judith prepares for war in two ways. First, she prays; then she enhances her beauty. After praying, she takes up her weapons. She uses every art at her disposal to make herself beautiful: bathing, applying perfumed ointment, styling her hair and wrapping it in a turban, and wearing a festive dress and sandals. She also puts on her best jewelry and makes herself alluring enough to beguile the eye of any man who sees her. Judith knows her physical beauty is a gift from God, but so is her internal beauty and intellect. She will use all that God has given her to achieve her goal, because she knows He intends her to use her beauty as a weapon to liberate her people, and she will wield that weapon to the best of her ability!
5 Then she handed her maid a skin of wine and a flask of oil, filled a bag with barley girdle-cakes, cakes of dried fruit and pure loaves, and wrapping all these provisions up gave them to her as well. 6 They then went out, making for the town gate of Bethulia. There they found Uzziah waiting with the two elders of the town, Chabris and Charmis. 7 When they saw Judith, her face so changed and her clothes so different, they were lost in admiration of her beauty. They said to her: 8 May the God of our ancestors keep you in his favor! May he crown your designs with success to the glory of the children of Israel, to the greater glory of Jerusalem! 9 Judith worshipped God, and then she said, Have the town gate opened for me so that I can go out and fulfil all the wishes you expressed to me.' They did as she asked and gave orders to the young men to open the gate for her. 10 This done, Judith went out accompanied by her maid, while the men of the town watched her all the way down the mountain and across the valley, until they lost sight of her.
Judith gave her maid the items for their journey:
All the food was ritually clean according to Mosaic Law, and it will be all that Judith eats.
Putting her trust in God, Judith faithfully follows the precepts of Mosaic Law. She will decline any food offered by Holofernes because it is ritually unclean according to the traditions of devout Jews (cf. Dan 1:8; Tob 1:10-12). The bag carrying food will be important to her plan, and the enemy must become accustomed to seeing her with it.
Then, with all their provisions, Judith and her servant set out for the town gate where the three elders were waiting. They were amazed at how different she looked. Impressed by her revealed beauty, they said, 8 "May the God of our ancestors keep you in his favor! May he crown your designs with success to the glory of the children of Israel, to the greater glory of Jerusalem!"
11 As the women were making straight through the valley, an advance unit of Assyrians intercepted them, 12 and, seizing Judith, began to question her. "Which side are you on? Where do you come from? Where are you going?" "I am a daughter of the Hebrews," she replied, "and I am fleeing from them since they will soon be your prey. 13 I am on my way to see Holofernes, the general of your army, to give him trustworthy information. I shall show him the road to take if he wants to capture all the hill-country without losing one man or one life." 14 As the men listened to what she was saying, they stared in astonishment at the sight of such a beautiful woman. 15 "It will prove the saving of you," they said to her, "coming down to see our master of your own accord. You had better go to his tent; some of our men will escort you and hand you over to him. 16 Once you are in his presence do not be afraid. Tell him what you have just told us, and you will be well treated." 17 They then detailed a hundred of their men as escort for herself and her attendant, and these led them to the tent of Holofernes.
A question arises concerning Judith lying to the enemy troops and their general. "You shall not lie" is not one of the Ten Commandments in either Exodus 20:1-17 or Deuteronomy 5:6-22, perhaps because God knows that there are times when one must lie to save oneself or someone else. An example would be those brave European Christians who hid Jewish neighbors in their homes and lied to the Nazis during World War II. However, Scripture often repeats that God loves a truthteller and that no liar will prosper (cf. Prov 19:9; Sir 20:26; Ps 51:6; Pro 12:19; Sir 4:25).
15"It will prove the saving of you," they said to her, "coming down to see
our master of your own accord.
The soldiers' words to Judith are highly ironic. They do not know the truth of
their words when they tell her that by coming to see Holofernes she has saved
her life. She has indeed saved her life, but their general will lose his!
Like the elders of Bethulia, Holofernes' troops are astonished at Judith's beauty and invite her to go to their general's tent, sending a large contingent of soldiers to accompany her and her maid.
18 News of her coming had already spread through the tents, and there was a general stir in the camp. She was still outside the tent of Holofernes waiting to be announced, when a crowd began forming round her. 19 They were immediately impressed by her beauty and impressed with the Israelites because of her. "Who could despise a people who have women like this?" they kept saying. "Better not leave one of them alive; let any go and they could twist the whole world round their fingers!" 20 The bodyguard and adjutants of Holofernes then came out and led Judith into the tent. 21 Holofernes was resting on his bed under a canopy of purple and gold studded with emeralds and precious stones. 22 The men announced her, and he came out to the entrance to the tent, with silver torches carried before him. 23 When Judith confronted the general and his adjutant, the beauty of her face astonished them all. She fell on her face and did homage to him, but his servants raised her from the ground.
Ironically, in verse 19, the soldiers of Holofernes' army recognize the danger of Judith's beauty. They proclaim that the power of Israel is in women like her. Women like Judith, they declare, could beguile the whole world. The general's attendants lead Judith to his tent entrance. Holofernes's tent/pavilion is richly decorated, befitting his importance (verse 21 and 12:1; 13:1-3; 14:14-15). Again, Judith's beauty served her in impressing not only the ordinary soldiers but also their general and his adjutant and servants.
Judith 11:1-23 ~ The First Meeting of Judith with Holofernes
1 "Courage, woman," Holofernes said, "do not be afraid. I have never hurt anyone who chose
to serve Nebuchadnezzar, king of the whole world. 2 Even now, if
your nation of mountain dwellers had not insulted me, I would not have raised a
spear against them. This was their fault, not mine. 3 But tell me,
why have you fled from them and come to us? ... Anyhow, this will prove the
saving of you. Courage! You will live through this night, and many after. 4
No one will hurt you. On the contrary, you will be treated as well as any
who serve my lord King Nebuchadnezzar."
Holofernes is impressed by Judith and assures her that no harm will come to her if she is willing to serve him and his king.
Judith's Speech to Holofernes: 5 Judith said, "Please listen favorably to what your slave has to say. Permit your servant to speak in your presence; I shall speak no word of a lie to my lord tonight. 6 You have only to follow your servant's advice, and God will bring your work to a successful conclusion; in what my lord undertakes he will not fail. 7 Long life to Nebuchadnezzar, king of the whole world, who has sent you to set every living soul to rights; may his power endure! Since, thanks to you, he is served not only by human beings, but because of your might the wild animals themselves, the cattle, and the birds of the air are to live in the service of Nebuchadnezzar and his whole House. 8 We have indeed heard of your genius and adroitness of mind. It is known everywhere in the world that throughout the empire you have no rival for ability, wealth of experience, and brilliance in waging war. 9 We have also heard what Achior said in his speech to your council. The men of Bethulia having spared him, he has told them everything that he said to you. 10 Now, master and lord, do not disregard what he said; keep it in your mind, since it is true; our nation will not be punished, the sword will indeed have no power over them, unless they sin against their God. 11 But as it is, my lord need expect no repulse or setback, since death is about to fall on their heads, for sin has gained a hold over them, provoking the anger of their God each time that they commit it. 12 As they are short of food and their water is giving out, they have resolved to fall back on their cattle and decided to make use of all the things that God has, by his laws, forbidden them to eat. 13 Not only have they made up their minds to eat the first-fruits of corn and the tithes of wine and oil, though these have been consecrated by them and set apart for the priests who serve in Jerusalem in the presence of our God, and may not lawfully even be handled by ordinary people, 14 but they have sent men to Jerusalem "where the inhabitants are doing much the same "to bring them back authorization from the Council of Elders. 15 Now this will be the outcome: when the permission arrives and they act on it, that very day they will be delivered over to you for destruction. 16 "When I, your servant, came to know all this, I fled from them. God has sent me to do things with you at which the world will be astonished when it hears. 17 Your servant is a devout woman; she honors the God of heaven day and night. I, therefore, propose, my lord, to stay with you. I, your servant, shall go out every night into the valley and pray to God to let me know when they have committed their sin. 18 I shall then come and tell you, so that you can march out with your whole army; and none of them will be able to resist you. 19 I shall be your guide right across Judaea until you reach Jerusalem; there I shall enthrone you in the very middle of the city. And then you can round them up like shepherd-less sheep, with never a dog daring to bark at you. Foreknowledge tells me this; this has been foretold to me, and I have been sent to reveal it to you."
Judith's speech to Holofernes is both ingenious and ambiguous. The "work" and the "lord" mentioned in verse 6 are interpreted by Holofernes in one way but are meant by her in another way. In verse 8, Judith praises the general's brilliance and experience in making war as she deceives him. Judith's mention of Achior in verses 9-10 is another ambiguity. Achior's words were indeed true, but Judith's prophecy of what the Jews will do is not true.
Judith uses the same ambiguity in verse 16; she will truly do things with him at which the world will be astonished when it hears. Again, she is twisting the truth in verses 18-19. Judith concludes her speech by declaring her intentions. It is true, as she says, that God has sent her to perform deeds that people throughout the world will be astonished to hear (11:16). It is true that she is a God-fearing woman. It is also true that she will set up the judgment seat of Holofernes (11:19), but it is he who will be judged and found worthy of condemnation, not her people!
20 Her words pleased Holofernes, and all his adjutants. Full of admiration at her wisdom, they exclaimed, 21 "There is no woman like her from one end of the earth to the other, so lovely of face and so wise of speech!' 22 Holofernes said, "God has done well to send you ahead of the others. Strength will be ours, and ruin theirs who have insulted my lord. 23 As for you, you are as beautiful as you are eloquent; if you do as you have promised, your God shall be my God, and you yourself shall make your home in the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar and be famous throughout the world."
The general and his men are impressed by Judith's wisdom as well as her beauty. When Holofernes speaks of "God" in verses 22-23, he means "my lord," the ruler he worships as a god and who he credits with sending Judith to him. He promises her his protection and that their cultures and gods will merge.
In her prayer before leaving for the enemy camp, she had announced her intention to deceive the enemy (9:10, 13), and she has succeeded. Judith's speech is a masterpiece of irony, treading through deceit and guile like a true Israelite and reflected in the history of her ancestor Jacob-Israel (see Gen 27:36; 30:25-43; 32:28-29):
In her prayer, Judith also proclaimed that her God protects the weak and powerless (9:11), and by putting that claim to the test, she finds that her trust in God is not misplaced.
Holofernes ends his first encounter with Judith with his own speech. Even though he does not understand the whole "truth," there is truth in his words to her in verses 22-23: "God has done well to send you ahead of the others. Judith's God did send her. Strength will be ours, and ruin theirs who have insulted my lord. Judith's initiative will bring the reverse. 23 As for you, you are as beautiful as you are eloquent; if you do as you have promised, your God shall be my God, and you yourself shall make your home in the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar and be famous throughout the world." None of this will happen except that Judith's fame will be known throughout Israel. Little does Holofernes know that the true battle lines have been drawn, and he is the target!
Catechism references:
Offenses against truth (CCC 2475-2487)
Respect for the truth (CCC 2488-2492)
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