JUDITH (gedith),(Heb. rinry"„ yek-hoo-deeth' Jewess).
I. Daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Esau's wife (Gen. xxvi:34)• II. Judith is the name of one of the apocryphal or deutero-canonical books of the Old Testament, is placed in manuscripts of the Alexandrine Ver sion between the books of Tobit and Esther. In its external form this book bears the character of the record of an historical event, describing the complete defeat of the Assyrians by the Jews through the prowess of a woman.
1. NarratiVe. The following is a sketch of the narrative: Nebuchadnezzar, or, as Ile is called in the Greek, Nabuchodonosor, king of the Assyr ians, having, in the twelfth year of his reign, conquered and taken Arphaxad, by whom his ter ritory.had been invaded, formcd the design of subdtung the people of Asia to the westward of Nineveh, his capital, who had declined to aid him against Arphaxad. With this view Ile sent his general, Holofernes. at the head of a powerful army, and soon made himself master of Mesopo tamia, Syria, Libya, Cilicia, and Idumrea.
The inhabitants of the seacoast made a volun tary submission; which, however, did not prevent their territories from being laid waste, their sa cred groves burned, and their idols destroyed, in order that divine honors should be paid only to Nebuchadnezzar.
(1) Holofernes. Holofernes, having finally encamped in the plain of Esdraelon (ch. i :3), re mained inactive for a whole month—or two, ac cording to the Latin version.
But the Jews, who had not long returned from captivity, and who had just restored their temple and its worship, prepared for war under the di rection of their high-priest Joacim, or Eliakim, and the senate. The high-priest addressed letters to the inhabitants of Bethulia (Gr. Beruxaci) and Betomestham, near Esdraelon (ch. iv:6), charg ing them to guard the passes of the mountains.
The Jews at the same time kept a fast, and called upon God for protection against their ene mies. Holofernes, astonished at their audacity and preparations, inquired of the Moabites and Ammonites who these people were. Achior, the
leader of the Ammonites, informed him of the history of the Jews, adding, that if they offended their God he would deliver them into the hands of their enemies, but that otherwise they would be invincible.
Holoternes, however, prepares to lay siege to Bethulia, and commences operations by taking the mountain passes, and intercepting the water, in order to compel the inhabitants to surrender. Ozias, the governor of the city, holds out as long as possible ; but at the end of thirty-four days' siege the inhabitants are reduced to that degree of distress from drought that they are determined to surrender unless relieved within five days.
(2) Design of Judith. Meantime Judith, a rich and beautiful woman, the widow of Manas seh, forms the patriotic design of delivering the city and the nation. With this view she entreats the governor and elders to give up all idea of surrender, and to permit the gates of the city to be opened for her. Arrayed in rich attire, she pro ceeds to the camp of Holofernes, attended only by her maid, bearing a bag of provisions. She is admitted into the presence of Holofernes, and informs him that the Jews could not be overcome so long as they remained faithful to God, but that they had now sinned against him in con verting to their own use the tithes, which were sacred to the priests alone ; and that she had fled from the city to escape the impending and inevitable destruction which awaited it.
She obtains leave to remain in the camp, with the liberty of retiring by night for the purpose of prayer, and promises that at the proper mo ment she will herself be the guide of Holofernes to the very walls of Jerusalem.
(3) Holofernes Charmed. Judith is favor ably entertained ; Holofernes is smitten with her charms, gives her a magnificent entertainment, at which, having drunk too freely, he is shut up with her alone in the tent.