1 Maccabees 6

63 verses • Latin Vulgate (Jerome)

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Chapter 6 narrates the death of Antiochus IV Epiphanes in Persia after learning of his defeats in Judea, followed by his son Antiochus V Eupator's massive campaign against Judea with war elephants. Eleazar, brother of Judas, sacrifices his life by stabbing an elephant from below, believing the king rides it. The Seleucids besiege Beth-zur and the Temple Mount, nearly defeating the Jews, but internal Seleucid politics force Lysias to negotiate a settlement.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

Eleazar's heroic death under the war elephant (vv. 43-46) is one of the most dramatic episodes in the book — a single man charging into the enemy line, stabbing the beast from below, and being crushed as it collapses on him. His self-sacrifice 'to give himself an everlasting name' establishes him as the Maccabean archetype of the noble death.

Translation Friction

The narrative of Antiochus IV's death (vv. 1-16) differs in significant details from the parallel account in 2 Maccabees 9, where his death involves graphic divine punishment with worms and putrefaction. Here the death is quieter — grief and illness — presenting a more restrained theological interpretation.

Connections

Antiochus's deathbed acknowledgment that he suffers for what he did to Jerusalem (vv. 12-13) echoes Pharaoh's belated recognition of divine power. The war elephants recall the elephant-force in 3 Maccabees. Eleazar's self-sacrifice prefigures Samson's death (Judges 16:30) and anticipates martyrdom theology in 2 Maccabees 6-7.

1 Maccabees 6:1

et rex Antiochus perambulavit superiores regiones et audivit esse civitatem Elymaidem in Perside nobilissimam et copiosam in argento et auro

King Antiochus was traveling through the upper provinces when he heard that Elymais in Persia was a city of great renown, rich in silver and gold.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

Elymaidem

"Elymais"

Region in southwestern Persia; the attempted temple robbery reflects Antiochus's desperate need for funds

Translator Notes

Elymais (Elamite region) contained wealthy temples. Antiochus's attempt to plunder a temple there for revenue reflects the financial crisis mentioned in 3:28-31.

1 Maccabees 6:2

et templum in ea locuples valde et illic velamina aurea et loricae et scuta quae reliquit Alexander Philippi rex Macedo qui regnavit primus in Graecia

Its temple was very wealthy, and there were golden coverings, breastplates, and shields that Alexander, son of Philip, the Macedonian king who first reigned in Greece, had left there.

1 Maccabees 6:3

et venit et quaerebat capere civitatem et diripere eam et non potuit quoniam innotuit sermo his qui erant in civitate

He came and tried to capture the city and plunder it, but he could not, because the inhabitants had learned of his plan.

1 Maccabees 6:4

et insurrexerunt in proelium et fugit inde et abiit cum tristitia magna et reversus est in Babyloniam

They rose up against him in battle, and he fled. He departed in great sorrow and returned to Babylon.

1 Maccabees 6:5

et venit qui nuntiaret ei in Perside quia fugata sunt castra quae erant in terra Iuda

A messenger came to him in Persia with the news that the armies sent to the land of Judah had been routed.

1 Maccabees 6:6

et quia abiit Lysias cum virtute forti in primis et fugatus est a facie Iudaeorum et invaluerunt armis et viribus et spoliis multis quae ceperunt de castris quae exciderunt

Lysias had gone with a powerful force at the head of the army but had been put to flight before the Jews, who had grown strong with weapons, supplies, and the abundant spoils taken from the armies they had defeated.

1 Maccabees 6:7

et quia destruxerunt abominationem quam aedificaverat super altare quod erat in Hierusalem et sanctificationem sicut prius circumdederunt muris excelsis sed et Bethsuram civitatem suam

They had torn down the abomination that he had built upon the altar in Jerusalem, and they had surrounded the sanctuary with high walls as before, and also his city of Beth-zur.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

abominationem

"abomination"

The pagan altar erected upon the altar of burnt offering — the abomination of desolation of 1:57

1 Maccabees 6:8

et factum est ut audivit rex sermones istos expavit et commotus est valde et decidit in lectum et incidit in languorem prae tristitia quia non factum est ei sicut cogitabat

When the king heard this news, he was stunned and deeply shaken. He fell upon his bed and became ill with grief, because things had not turned out as he had planned.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The combination of military failure and physical collapse — falling into bed — mirrors the language used of Alexander's death (1:6).

1 Maccabees 6:9

et erat illic per dies multos quia renovata est in eo tristitia magna et arbitratus est se mori

He lay there for many days, as great grief was renewed in him again and again, and he concluded that he was dying.

1 Maccabees 6:10

et vocavit omnes amicos suos et dixit illis recessit somnus ab oculis meis et concidi et corrui corde prae sollicitudine

He summoned all his Friends and said to them: 'Sleep has departed from my eyes, and my heart is crushed with anxiety.'

1 Maccabees 6:11

et dixi in corde meo in quantam tribulationem deveni et in quos fluctus tristitiae in qua nunc sum qui iucundus eram et dilectus in potestate mea

'I said to myself: Into what tribulation have I come, and into what waves of sorrow am I now plunged — I who was once content and beloved in my power!'

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

fluctus tristitiae

"waves of sorrow"

Vivid nautical metaphor for being overwhelmed by grief — drowning in the consequences of his own actions

1 Maccabees 6:12

nunc vero reminiscor malorum quae feci in Hierusalem unde et abstuli omnia spolia aurea et argentea quae erant in ea et misi auferre habitantes Iudaeae sine causa

'Now I remember the evils I did in Jerusalem — how I carried off all the vessels of gold and silver that were in her, and sent armies to destroy the inhabitants of Judea without cause.'

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

sine causa

"without cause"

Antiochus's own admission that the persecution was unjustified — a powerful moral verdict from the oppressor himself

Translator Notes

Antiochus's deathbed confession — acknowledging his crimes in Jerusalem — gives the narrative a moral arc: the persecutor dies recognizing his own guilt.

1 Maccabees 6:13

cognovi ergo quia propterea invenerunt me mala ista et ecce pereo tristitia magna in terra aliena

'I know, therefore, that this is why these evils have found me — and behold, I am dying of great grief in a foreign land.'

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Key Terms

in terra aliena

"in a foreign land"

Dying far from home — the poetic justice of the man who violated another people's land now perishing in alien territory

1 Maccabees 6:14

et vocavit Philippum unum de amicis suis et praeposuit eum super universum regnum suum

He summoned Philip, one of his Friends, and made him regent over his entire kingdom.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

Philippum

"Philip"

A rival claimant to the regency held by Lysias — setting up the internal Seleucid power struggle that saves Judea

1 Maccabees 6:15

et dedit ei diadema et stolam suam et anulum ut adduceret Antiochum filium suum et nutriret eum et regnaret

He gave him the diadem, his robe, and his signet ring, so that he would bring up his son Antiochus and rear him to be king.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The diadem, robe, and ring are the three symbols of royal authority. By giving them to Philip rather than confirming Lysias, Antiochus creates a succession crisis.

1 Maccabees 6:16

et mortuus est illic rex Antiochus anno centesimo quadragesimo nono

King Antiochus died there in the one hundred and forty-ninth year.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Year 149 of the Seleucid era = 164/163 BCE. The death of the great persecutor — the man whose actions triggered the entire revolt.

1 Maccabees 6:17

et cognovit Lysias quoniam mortuus est rex et constituit regnare Antiochum filium eius quem nutrivit adulescentem et vocavit nomen eius Eupator

When Lysias learned that the king was dead, he set up his son Antiochus to reign — the young man he had been raising — and he named him Eupator.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

Eupator

"Eupator"

'Of a good father' — an ironic dynastic name given the elder Antiochus's reputation; Antiochus V was about nine years old

1 Maccabees 6:18

et hi qui erant in arce concluserant Israhel in circuitu sanctorum et quaerebant eis mala semper et firmamentum gentium

Now those in the citadel kept Israel hemmed in around the sanctuary. They continually sought to do them harm, and served as a stronghold for the Gentiles.

1 Maccabees 6:19

et cogitavit Iudas disperdere eos et convocavit universum populum ut obsiderent eos

Judas resolved to destroy them, and he called the whole people together to besiege them.

1 Maccabees 6:20

et convenerunt simul et obsederunt eos anno centesimo quinquagesimo et fecerunt balistas et machinas

They gathered together and besieged the citadel in the one hundred and fiftieth year. They constructed catapults and siege engines.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

balistas et machinas

"catapults and siege engines"

The Maccabees now possess siege technology — marking their evolution from guerrilla band to conventional army

1 Maccabees 6:21

et exierunt quidam ex eis qui obsidebantur et adiunxerunt se illis aliqui impii ex Israhel

Some of those under siege broke out, and certain ungodly men of Israel joined them.

1 Maccabees 6:22

et abierunt ad regem et dixerunt quousque non facis iudicium et vindicas fratres nostros

They went to the king and said: 'How long will you fail to do justice and avenge our brothers?'

1 Maccabees 6:23

nos decrevimus servire patri tuo et ambulare in praeceptis eius et obsequi edictis eius

'We resolved to serve your father and to walk according to his commands and to obey his decrees.'

1 Maccabees 6:24

et filii populi nostri propter hoc alienabant se a nobis et quicumque inveniebantur ex nobis interficiebantur et hereditates nostrae diripiebantur

'Because of this, the people of our nation became hostile to us. Whoever was found among us was killed, and our possessions were plundered.'

1 Maccabees 6:25

et non ad nos tantum extenderunt manum sed et in omnes fines nostros

'They have stretched out their hand not only against us but against all our territories.'

1 Maccabees 6:26

et ecce adplicuerunt hodie ad arcem Hierusalem occupare eam et munitionem Bethsuram munierunt

'And now they have laid siege to the citadel in Jerusalem to capture it, and they have fortified Beth-zur.'

1 Maccabees 6:27

et nisi praeveneris eos velocius maiora quam haec facient et non poteris obtinere eos

'Unless you act swiftly against them, they will do even greater things than these, and you will not be able to stop them.'

1 Maccabees 6:28

et iratus est rex ut haec audivit et convocavit omnes amicos suos et principes exercitus sui et eos qui super equitatus erant

When the king heard this, he was enraged. He summoned all his Friends, the commanders of his army, and the officers of the cavalry.

1 Maccabees 6:29

sed et de regnis aliis et de insulis maritimis venerunt ad eum exercitus conducticii

Mercenary forces came to him from other kingdoms and from the islands of the sea.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

exercitus conducticii

"mercenary forces"

Hired soldiers from across the Mediterranean — indicates the scale of this expedition

1 Maccabees 6:30

et erat numerus exercitus eius centum milia peditum et viginti milia equitum et elephanti triginta duo docti ad proelium

The number of his forces was one hundred thousand infantry, twenty thousand cavalry, and thirty-two elephants trained for war.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

elephanti triginta duo

"thirty-two elephants"

War elephants were the 'tanks' of Hellenistic warfare — terrifying to infantry and nearly impossible to stop

Translator Notes

The largest army yet fielded against the Maccabees — the numbers, even if exaggerated, convey overwhelming force.

1 Maccabees 6:31

et venerunt per Idumaeam et adplicuerunt ad Bethsuram et pugnaverunt dies multos et fecerunt machinas et exierunt et succenderunt eas igni et pugnaverunt viriliter

They came through Idumea and encamped against Beth-zur. They fought for many days and built siege engines, but the defenders sallied out and burned them with fire, fighting valiantly.

1 Maccabees 6:32

et recessit Iudas ab arce et movit castra ad Bethzacharam contra castra regis

Then Judas withdrew from the citadel and moved his camp to Beth-zechariah, opposite the king's encampment.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

Bethzacharam

"Beth-zechariah"

A village between Jerusalem and Beth-zur where Judas chose to make his stand against the advancing royal army

1 Maccabees 6:33

et surrexit rex ante lucem et concitavit exercitus in impetum contra viam Bethzacharam et comparati sunt exercitus in proelium et tubis cecinerunt

The king rose before dawn and drove his army at full speed along the road to Beth-zechariah. The troops formed battle lines and sounded the trumpets.

1 Maccabees 6:34

et elephantis ostenderunt sanguinem uvae et mororum ut acuerent eos in proelium

They showed the elephants the juice of grapes and mulberries to rouse them for battle.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The red juice was believed to enrage the elephants by resembling blood — a detail revealing Hellenistic military practices.

1 Maccabees 6:35

et diviserunt bestias per legiones et adstiterunt singulis elephantis mille viri in loricis concatenatis et galeae aereae in capitibus eorum et quingenti equites ordinati unicuique bestiae electi erant

They divided the beasts among the legions. Beside each elephant they stationed a thousand men in chain-mail armor with bronze helmets on their heads, and five hundred chosen cavalry were assigned to each beast.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

loricis concatenatis

"chain-mail armor"

Linked metal armor — professional Hellenistic military equipment far superior to the Maccabees' arms

Translator Notes

The detailed description of the elephant corps — infantry support, cavalry escort, and the armored towers — reveals the fearsome sophistication of Hellenistic combined-arms warfare.

1 Maccabees 6:36

hii ante tempus ubicumque erat bestia ibi erant et quocumque ibat ibant et non discedebant ab ea

These troops had been assigned beforehand: wherever the beast went, they went, and they never left its side.

1 Maccabees 6:37

sed et turres ligneae super eos firmae protegentes super singulas bestias et super eas machinae et super singulas viri virtutis triginta duo qui pugnabant desuper et Indus magistrator bestiae

Upon each beast was a strong wooden tower secured with harness, and on each tower were war machines and thirty-two warriors who fought from above, along with an Indian driver for the beast.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

Indus magistrator bestiae

"Indian driver"

Mahouts from India — elephant handlers who were part of the far-flung Hellenistic military system stretching to the subcontinent

1 Maccabees 6:38

et residuum equitatum hinc et inde statuit in duas partes tubis exercitum commovere et perurgere constrictos in legionibus suis

The rest of the cavalry he stationed on the two flanks of the army, to harass the enemy with trumpet blasts and to press those hemmed in within the ranks.

1 Maccabees 6:39

et ut refulsit sol in clipeos aureos et aereos resplenduerunt montes ab eis et resplenduerunt sicut lampades ignis

When the sun flashed upon the golden and bronze shields, the mountains blazed with their reflection and shone like torches of fire.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

One of the most vivid images in the book — the sun catching the massed shields of the advancing army, turning the mountains into fire. The spectacle is designed to terrify.

1 Maccabees 6:40

et distincta est pars exercitus regis per montes excelsos et alia per loca humilia et ibant caute et ordinate

Part of the king's army spread over the high mountains and part over the lowlands, and they advanced cautiously and in good order.

1 Maccabees 6:41

et commovebantur omnes qui audiebant vocem multitudinis et incessum turbae et collisionem armorum tremebat enim terra a facie exercitus

All who heard the noise of their multitude, the tramping of the host, and the clash of arms were shaken, for the army was very great and mighty — the very earth trembled before them.

1 Maccabees 6:42

et accessit Iudas et exercitus eius in proelium et ceciderunt de exercitu regis sescenti viri

Judas and his army advanced to battle, and six hundred men of the king's army fell.

1 Maccabees 6:43

et vidit Eleazar filius Saura unam de bestiis loricatam loricis regis et erat eminens super ceteras bestias et visum est ei quod in ea esset rex

Eleazar, called Avaran, saw one of the beasts outfitted with royal armor, towering above all the others, and it appeared to him that the king was riding on it.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

Eleazar filius Saura

"Eleazar, called Avaran"

Third brother of Judas; his heroic death becomes a defining moment of Maccabean self-sacrifice

Translator Notes

Eleazar's fatal miscalculation — the royally adorned elephant did not actually carry the young king.

1 Maccabees 6:44

et dedit se ut liberaret populum suum et adquireret sibi nomen aeternum

He gave himself to deliver his people and to win for himself an everlasting name.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

nomen aeternum

"everlasting name"

Immortal fame through self-sacrifice; blends the Hebrew concept of a lasting memorial with Greek heroic ideals

Translator Notes

The dual motivation — saving the people and gaining eternal fame — reflects the Hellenistic-Jewish fusion in Maccabean values.

1 Maccabees 6:45

et cucurrit ad eam audacter in medio legionis interficiens a dextris et a sinistris et cadebant ab eo huc atque illuc

He charged boldly toward it into the middle of the legion, killing on the right and on the left, and they fell away from him on both sides.

1 Maccabees 6:46

et ivit sub pedes elephantis et subposuit se ei et occidit eum et cecidit in terram super ipsum et mortuus est illic

He crept under the elephant, thrust his sword into its belly, and killed it. The beast collapsed to the ground on top of him, and he died there.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Eleazar's death under the elephant is the quintessential act of Maccabean valor — self-sacrificing courage against overwhelming odds, even when the target proves wrong.

1 Maccabees 6:47

et viderunt virtutem regni et impetum exercitus et diverterunt se ab eis

When they saw the strength of the kingdom and the fierceness of the army's attack, they fell back from them.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

This is Judas's first defeat — the overwhelming Seleucid force, with elephants and professional troops, is too much for the Maccabean army.

1 Maccabees 6:48

castra autem regis ascenderunt contra eos in Hierusalem et adplicuerunt castra rex ad Iudaeam et montem Sion

The king's army marched up against them toward Jerusalem, and the king encamped against Judea and Mount Zion.

1 Maccabees 6:49

et fecit pacem cum his qui erant in Bethsura et exierunt de civitate quia non erant eis ibi alimenta conclusis ibi quia sabbata erant terrae

He made peace with those in Beth-zur, and they evacuated the city because they had no food stored there — for it was a sabbatical year in the land.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

sabbata erant terrae

"sabbatical year"

The seventh-year fallow (Leviticus 25:1-7); Torah observance created a military vulnerability the Seleucids exploited

Translator Notes

The sabbatical year — when fields lay fallow (Leviticus 25:1-7) — meant reduced food reserves. Even in wartime, the Jews observed the agricultural sabbath.

1 Maccabees 6:50

et conprehendit rex Bethsuram et constituit illic custodiam servare eam

The king took Beth-zur and stationed a garrison there to hold it.

1 Maccabees 6:51

et convertit castra ad sanctificationem diebus multis et statuit illic balistas et machinas et ignis iacula et tormenta et scorpiones ad mittendas sagittas et fundibula

He turned his forces against the sanctuary for many days, setting up catapults, siege engines, fire-throwers, devices for hurling stones, scorpions for shooting arrows, and slings.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

scorpiones

"scorpions"

Small, rapid-fire bolt-throwing machines — named for their stinging lethality; a Roman-era military technology

1 Maccabees 6:52

fecerunt autem et ipsi machinas adversus machinas eorum et pugnaverunt dies multos

The defenders also built counter-engines against the enemy engines, and they fought for many days.

1 Maccabees 6:53

escae autem non erant in vasis quod septimus annus esset et qui remanserant in Iudaea de gentibus consumpserant reliquias eorum quae repositae fuerant

But there was no food in the storehouses because it was the seventh year, and those who had been rescued from the nations and brought to Judea had consumed the remaining reserves.

1 Maccabees 6:54

et relinquebantur in sanctis viri pauci quoniam obtinuerat eos fames et dispersi sunt unusquisque in locum suum

Only a few men were left in the sanctuary, because famine had overtaken them. They scattered, each to his own home.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The famine-driven dispersal brings the Maccabean cause to its lowest point — the Temple they had recaptured is about to be lost again.

1 Maccabees 6:55

et audivit Lysias quod Philippus quem constituerat rex Antiochus cum adhuc viveret ut nutriret Antiochum filium suum et regnaret

Then Lysias heard that Philip, whom King Antiochus had appointed before his death to bring up his son Antiochus and train him to be king,

1 Maccabees 6:56

reversus esset de Perside et Media et exercitus qui abierat cum ipso et quia quaerebat suscipere regni negotia

had returned from Persia and Media with the army that had accompanied the king, and was seeking to take control of the government.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Philip's return with the army from the east creates the internal crisis that forces Lysias to abandon the siege of Jerusalem — divine deliverance through political circumstance.

1 Maccabees 6:57

et festinavit et adtendebat ire et dicere ad regem et duces exercitus deficimus cotidie et esca nobis modica est et locus quem obsidemus est munitus et incumbit nobis ordinare de regno

He hurried to approach the king and the army commanders, saying: 'We grow weaker every day, our food supply is small, the place we are besieging is well-fortified, and the affairs of the kingdom demand our attention.'

1 Maccabees 6:58

nunc itaque demus dextras hominibus istis et faciamus cum illis pacem et cum omni gente eorum

'Let us therefore offer our right hand to these people and make peace with them and with their whole nation.'

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

demus dextras

"offer our right hand"

The Roman and Hellenistic gesture of pledging good faith — a formal diplomatic commitment

1 Maccabees 6:59

et constituamus illis ut ambulent in legitimis suis sicut prius propter legitima enim ipsorum quae despeximus irati sunt et fecerunt omnia haec

'Let us allow them to live according to their own laws as before, for it was because of their laws — which we rejected — that they became angry and did all these things.'

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

legitimis suis sicut prius

"their own laws as before"

The concession of religious autonomy — the core demand of the revolt is granted, vindicating Mattathias's stand

Translator Notes

A remarkable admission by the Seleucid government itself: the persecution of Jewish law was the cause of the revolt. The proposed solution — restoring religious freedom — validates the Maccabean cause.

1 Maccabees 6:60

et placuit sermo in conspectu regis et principum et misit ad eos pacem facere et receperunt illam

The proposal pleased the king and the commanders. He sent to them to make peace, and they accepted.

1 Maccabees 6:61

et iuravit illis rex et principes et exierunt de munitione

The king and the commanders swore an oath to them, and the defenders came out of the fortification.

1 Maccabees 6:62

et intravit rex montem Sion et vidit munitionem loci et rupit iuramentum quod iuravit et mandavit destruere murum in circuitu

But when the king entered Mount Zion and saw the strength of the fortifications, he broke the oath he had sworn and ordered the surrounding wall to be torn down.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The king's immediate oath-breaking — tearing down the walls he had sworn to respect — reveals the untrustworthiness of Seleucid promises and foreshadows continued conflict.

1 Maccabees 6:63

et discessit festinanter et reversus est Antiochiam et invenit Philippum dominantem civitati et pugnavit adversus eum et occupavit civitatem

He departed in haste and returned to Antioch, where he found Philip in control of the city. He fought against him and recaptured the city.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The chapter ends with the Seleucid internal power struggle — Lysias defeats Philip to secure the regency. The Jews have won religious freedom but lost their walls.

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