My interpretation of this part of The Old Testament starts with transcribing and copying down key parts of each chapter of the Scriptures. These notes, listed by chapter, are found at the very end at the bottom of this post.
Words and phrases that are highlighted touched my heart, my soul and/or raised questions in my consciousness.
Word and phases that are highlighted and in bold (like this) are the narrative I have woven to tell the story of how the Scriptures impacted me and/or expanded my biblical knowledge and spirit.
With gratitude that the Spirit of the Living God is in our hearts and impacting our world, here is my interpretation for Judith, Chapters 8-11:
God works in mysterious ways and these chapters prove one of those ways is through the beauty of women! But not just ordinary sexual beauty. Beauty beyond looks, beyond exceptional wisdom, beauty that is God’s Spirit alone and cannot be duplicated without God or without His Spirit.
Judith fasted all the days of her life, except the Sabbaths, and new moons, and the feasts of the house of Israel and she was greatly renowned among all, because she feared the Lord very much.
She was wise beyond humility and patience; challenging the Prince of Juda and the Ancients: “And who are you to tempt the Lord? This is not a word that will draw down mercy, but rather may stir up wrath, and enkindle indignation. You have set a time for the mercy of the Lord, and you have appointed him a day, according to your pleasure.”
Judith was righteous in prayer to God:
“Give me constancy in my mind, that I may despise him: and fortitude that I may overthrow him. For this will be a glorious monument for thy name, when he shall fall by the hand of a woman… the prayer of the humble and the meek hath always pleased thee… Remember, O Lord, thy covenant, and put thou words in my mouth, and strengthen the resolution in my heart, that thy house may continue in thy holiness, and all nations may acknowledge that thou art God, and there is no other besides thee.”
“And the Lord also gave her more beauty; because all this dressing up did not proceed from sensuality, but from virtue: and therefore the Lord increased this her beauty, so that she appeared to all men’s eyes incomparably lovely.”
And although she appeared a traitor to her Hebrew brethren, she never spoke a word of deceit OF God:
“For I, thy handmaid, worship God even now that I am with thee, and they handmaid will go out, and I will pray to God…”
And Judith in her mysterious plan to save Bethulia may have saved the enemy and converted him to worship the real God:
“There is not another women upon earth in look, in beauty, and in sense of words… and Holofernes said to her (Judith)… because thy promise is good, if thy God shall do this for me, he shall also be my God, and thou shalt be great in the house of Nabuchodonosor, and thy name shall be renowned through all the earth.
The ending in the last five chapters of Judith shall be quite interesting and undoubtedly inspiring as well…
Judith Chapter 8: The Character of Judith; Judith urges Humility and Patience; Judith Says the Suffering is Deserved; Judith’s Mysterious Plan.
The Character of Judith:
Now it came to pass, when Judith a widow had heard these words…
Her husband was Manasses, who died in the time of the barley harvest… and the heat came upon his head…
And Judith his relict was a widow now three years and six months…
And she wore haircloth upon her loins, and fasted all the days of her life, except the Sabbaths, and new moons, and the feasts of the house of Israel…
And she was greatly renowned among all, because she feared the Lord very much…
Judith urges Humility and Patience:
When therefore she had heard that Orais had promised that he would deliver up the city after the fifth day, she sent to the ancients Chabri and Charmi. And they came to her and she said to them:
What is this word, by which Ozias hath consented to give up the city to the Assyrians, if within five days there come no aid to us?
And who are you to tempt the Lord?
This is not a word that will draw down mercy, but rather may stir up wrath, and enkindle indignation. You have set a time for the mercy of the Lord, and you have appointed him a day, according to your pleasure.
But forasmuch as the Lord is patient, let us be penitent for this same thing, and with many tears let us beg his pardon, for God will not threaten like man, nor be inflamed to anger like the son of man.
And therefore let us humble our souls before him, and continuing in an humble spirit, in his service, let us ask the Lord with tears, that according to his will so he would show his mercy to us: that as our heart is troubled by their pride, so also may we glorify in our humility.
For we have not followed in the sins of our fathers, who forsook their God, and worshipped strange gods. For which crime they were given up to their enemies, to the sword, and to pillage, and to confusion: but we know no other God but him.
Let us humbly wait for his consolation, and the Lord our God will require our blood of the afflictions of our enemies, and he will humble all the nations that shall rise up against us, and bring them to disgrace.
Judith Says the Suffering is Deserved:
And now, brethren, as you are the ancients among the people of God, and their very soul resteth upon you: comfort their hearts by your speech, that they may be mindful how our fathers were tempted that they might be proved, whether they worshiped their God truly.
They must remember how our father Abraham was tempted, and being proved by many tribulations, was made the friend of God. So Isaac, so Jacob, so Moses, and all that have pleased God, passed through many tribulations, remaining faithful.
As for us therefore let us not revenge ourselves for these things which we suffer.
But esteeming these very punishments to be less than our sins deserve, let us believe that these scourges of the Lord, with which like servants we are chastised, have happened for out amendment, and not for our destruction.
Judith’s Mysterious Plan:
Ozias and the Ancients to Judith: All things which thou hast spoken are true, and there is nothing to be reprehended in thy words. Now therefore pray for us, for thou art a holy woman, and one fearing God.
Judith to Ozias and the Ancients: As you know that what I have been able to say is of God, so that which I intend to do, prove ye if it be of God, and pray that God may strengthen my design… But I desire that you search not into what I am doing, and till I bring you word let nothing else be done but to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Ozias the prince of Juda said it her (Judith): Go in peace, and the Lord be with thee to take revenge of our enemies…
Judith Chapter 9: Judith Prays to God for Strength.
…she (Judith) cried to the Lord, saying: O Lord God of my father Simeon… For all thy ways are prepared, and in thy providence thou hast placed thy judgments… look upon the camp of the Assyrians now… upon the camp of the Egyptians… The deep held their feet, and the waters overwhelmed them. So may it be with these also, O Lord… and know not that thou art our God, who destroyest wars from the beginning, and the Lord is thy name… Bring to pass, O Lord, that his pride may be cut off with his own sword…
Give me constancy in my mind, that I may despise him: and fortitude that I may overthrow him. For this will be a glorious monument for thy name, when he shall fall by the hand of a woman… the prayer of the humble and the meek hath always pleased thee… Remember, O Lord, thy covenant, and put thou words in my mouth, and strengthen the resolution in my heart, that thy house may continue in thy holiness, and all nations may acknowledge that thou art God, and there is no other besides thee.
Judith Chapter 10: The Beauty of Judith; Judith Goes Out of the City; Judith is brought before Holofernes; Admiration for the Beauty of Judith.
The Beauty of Judith:
…and going down into her house she took off her haircloth, and put away the garments of her widowhood… And the Lord also gave her more beauty; because all this dressing up did not proceed from sensuality, but from virtue: and therefore the Lord increased this her beauty, so that she appeared to all men’s eyes incomparably lovely.
Judith Goes Out of the City:
And when they came to the gate of the city, they found Ozias, and the Ancients of the city waiting… But they asked her no question, only they let her pass, saying: The God of our fathers give thee grace, and may he strengthen all the counsel of thy heart with his power, that Jerusalem may glory in thee, and thy name ne in the number of the holy and just… So be it, so be it…
Judith is brought before Holofernes:
…the watchmen of the Assyrians met her… I am a daughter of the Hebrews, and I am fled from them, because I knew they would be made a prey to you, because they despised you, and would not of their own accord yield themselves, that they might find mercy in your sight…
I will go to the presence of the prince Holofernes, that I may tell him their secrets, and show him by what way he may take them, without the loss of one man of his army.
And when the men had heard her words, they beheld her face, and their eyes were amazed, for they wondered exceedingly at her beauty. And they said to her: Thou hast saved thy life by taking this resolution, to come down to our lord. And be assured of this, that when thou shalt stand before him, he will treat thee well, and thou wilt be most acceptable to his heart.
Admiration for the Beauty of Judith:
And when she was come into his presence, forthwith Holofernes was caught by his eyes…
And Judith… after she had looked on his face, bowed down to him, prostrating herself to the ground. And the servants of Holofernes lifted her up, by the command of their master.
Judith Chapter 11: Judith offers to Help Holofernes; Holofernes Promises to Reward Judith.
Judith offers to Help Holofernes:
Then Holofernes said to her (Judith): Be of good comfort, and fear not in thy heart: for I have never hurt a man that was willing to serve Nabuchodonosor the king…
…for if though wilt follow the words of thy handmaid, the Lord will do with thee a perfect thing… For the industry of thy mind is spoken of among all nations, and it is told through the whole world…
For it is certain that our God is so offended with sins, that he hath sent word by his prophets to the people, that he will deliver them up for their sins… Moreover also a famine hath come upon them, and for drought of water they are already to be counted among the dead… it is certain they will be given up to destruction…
For I, thy handmaid, worship God even now that I am with thee, and they handmaid will go out, and I will pray to God… thou shalt have all the people of Israel, as sheep with no shepherd, and there shall not so much as one dog bark against thee, because these things are told to me by the providence of God. And because God is angry with them, I am sent to tell these very things to thee.
Holofernes Promises to Reward Judith:
…and they admired her wisdom… There is not another women upon earth in look, in beauty, and in sense of words…
And Holofernes said to her (Judith)… because thy promise is good, if thy God shall do this for me, he shall also be my God, and thou shalt be great in the house of Nabuchodonosor, and thy name shall be renowned through all the earth.
Day 173: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Beyond Beauty, Judith Serves God in Her Faith & Fear!
Read and inspired by the Old Testament, The Book of Judith, Chapters 8-11
Bible Notes:
This book tells how the pious widow Judith saved her City, Bethulia, from the cruel general Holofernes. After an account of his campaign and his siege of Bethulia, the book tells how the beautiful Judith tricked Holofernes, killed him with his own sword, and liberated her City from the Assyrians.
Judith Chapter 8: The Character of Judith; Judith urges Humility and Patience; Judith Says the Suffering is Deserved; Judith’s Mysterious Plan.
The Character of Judith:
Now it came to pass, when Judith a widow had heard these words…
Her husband was Manasses, who died in the time of the barley harvest… and the heat came upon his head…
And Judith his relict was a widow now three years and six months…
Relict—Ecology. A species or community living in an environment that has changed from that which is typical for it; a remnant or survivor; a widow.
And she wore haircloth upon her loins, and fasted all the days of her life, except the Sabbaths, and new moons, and the feasts of the house of Israel…
Loins—the parts of the body between the hips and the lower ribs, especially regarded as the seat of physical strength and generative power; the genital and pubic area; genitalia.
And she was greatly renowned among all, because she feared the Lord very much…
Judith urges Humility and Patience:
When therefore she had heard that Orais had promised that he would deliver up the city after the fifth day, she sent to the ancients Chabri and Charmi. And they came to her and she said to them:
What is this word, by which Ozias hath consented to give up the city to the Assyrians, if within five days there come no aid to us?
And who are you to tempt the Lord?
This is not a word that will draw down mercy, but rather may stir up wrath, and enkindle indignation. You have set a time for the mercy of the Lord, and you have appointed him a day, according to your pleasure.
But forasmuch as the Lord is patient, let us be penitent for this same thing, and with many tears let us beg his pardon, for God will not threaten like man, nor be inflamed to anger like the son of man.
And therefore let us humble our souls before him, and continuing in an humble spirit, in his service, let us ask the Lord with tears, that according to his will so he would show his mercy to us: that as our heart is troubled by their pride, so also may we glorify in our humility.
For we have not followed in the sins of our fathers, who forsook their God, and worshipped strange gods. For which crime they were given up to their enemies, to the sword, and to pillage, and to confusion: but we know no other God but him.
Let us humbly wait for his consolation, and the Lord our God will require our blood of the the afflictions of our enemies, and he will humble all the nations that shall rise up against us, and bring them to disgrace.
Judith Says the Suffering is Deserved:
And now, brethren, as you are the ancients among the people of God, and their very soul resteth upon you: comfort their hearts by your speech, that they may be mindful how our fathers were tempted that they might be proved, whether they worshiped their God truly.
They must remember how our father Abraham was tempted, and being proved by many tribulations, was made the friend of God. So Isaac, so Jacob, so Moses, and all that have pleased God, passed through many tribulations, remaining faithful.
But they that did not receive the trials with the fear of the Lord, but uttered their impatience and the reproach of their murmuring against the Lord, were destroyed by the destroyer, and perished by serpents.
As for us therefore let us not revenge ourselves for these things which we suffer.
But esteeming these very punishments to be less than our sins deserve, let us believe that these scourges of the Lord, with which like servants we are chastised, have happened for out amendment, and not for our destruction.
Judith’s Mysterious Plan:
Ozias and the Ancients to Judith: All things which thou hast spoken are true, and there is nothing to be reprehended in thy words. Now therefore pray for us, for thou art a holy woman, and one fearing God.
Judith to Ozias and the Ancients: As you know that what I have been able to say is of God, so that which I intend to do, prove ye if it be of God, and pray that God may strengthen my design… But I desire that you search not into what I am doing, and till I bring you word let nothing else be done but to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Ozias the prince of Juda said it her (Judith): Go in peace, and the Lord be with thee to take revenge of our enemies…
Judith Chapter 9: Judith Prays to God for Strength.
…she (Judith) cried to the Lord, saying: O Lord God of my father Simeon… For all thy ways are prepared, and in thy providence thou hast placed thy judgments… look upon the camp of the Assyrians now… upon the camp of the Egyptians… The deep held their feet, and the waters overwhelmed them. So may it be with these also, O Lord… and know not that thou art our God, who destroyest wars from the beginning, and the Lord is thy name… Bring to pass, O Lord, that his pride may be cut off with his own sword…
Give me constancy in my mind, that I may despise him: and fortitude that I may overthrow him. For this will be a glorious monument for thy name, when he shall fall by the hand of a woman… the prayer of the humble and the meek hath always pleased thee… Remember, O Lord, thy covenant, and put thou words in my mouth, and strengthen the resolution in my heart, that thy house may continue in thy holiness, and all nations may acknowledge that thou art God, and there is no other besides thee.
Judith Chapter 10: The Beauty of Judith; Judith Goes Out of the City; Judith is brought before Holofernes; Admiration for the Beauty of Judith.
The Beauty of Judith:
…and going down into her house she took off her haircloth, and put away the garments of her widowhood… And the Lord also gave her more beauty; because all this dressing up did not proceed from sensuality, but from virtue: and therefore the Lord increased this her beauty, so that she appeared to all men’s eyes incomparably lovely.
Judith Goes Out of the City:
And when they came to the gate of the city, they found Ozias, and the Ancients of the city waiting… But they asked her no question, only they let her pass, saying: The God of our fathers give thee grace, and may he strengthen all the counsel of thy heart with his power, that Jerusalem may glory in thee, and thy name ne in the number of the holy and just… So be it, so be it…
Judith is brought before Holofernes:
…the watchmen of the Assyrians met her… I am a daughter of the Hebrews, and I am fled from them, because I knew they would be made a prey to you, because they despised you, and would not of their own accord yield themselves, that they might find mercy in your sight…
I will go to the presence of the prince Holofernes, that I may tell him their secrets, and show him by what way he may take them, without the loss of one man of his army.
And when the men had heard her words, they beheld her face, and their eyes were amazed, for they wondered exceedingly at her beauty. And they said to her: Thou hast saved thy life by taking this resolution, to come down to our lord. And be assured of this, that when thou shalt stand before him, he will treat thee well, and thou wilt be most acceptable to his heart.
Admiration for the Beauty of Judith:
And when she was come into his presence, forthwith Holofernes was caught by his eyes…
And Judith… after she had looked on his face, bowed down to him, prostrating herself to the ground. And the servants of Holofernes lifted her up, by the command of their master.
Judith Chapter 11: Judith offers to Help Holofernes; Holofernes Promises to Reward Judith.
Judith offers to Help Holofernes:
Then Holofernes said to her (Judith): Be of good comfort, and fear not in thy heart: for I have never hurt a man that was willing to serve Nabuchodonosor the king…
…for if though wilt follow the words of thy handmaid, the Lord will do with thee a perfect thing… For the industry of thy mind is spoken of among all nations, and it is told through the whole world…
For it is certain that our God is so offended with sins, that he hath sent word by his prophets to the people, that he will deliver them up for their sins… Moreover also a famine hath come upon them, and for drought of water they are already to be counted among the dead… it is certain they will be given up to destruction…
For I, thy handmaid, worship God even now that I am with thee, and they handmaid will go out, and I will pray to God… thou shalt have all the people of Israel, as sheep with no shepherd, and there shall not so much as one dog bark against thee, because these things are told to me by the providence of God. And because God is angry with them, I am sent to tell these very things to thee.
Holofernes Promises to Reward Judith:
…and they admired her wisdom… There is not another women upon earth in look, in beauty, and in sense of words…
And Holofernes said to her (Judith)… because thy promise is good, if thy God shall do this for me, he shall also be my God, and thou shalt be great in the house of Nabuchodonosor, and thy name shall be renowned through all the earth.
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