1 maccabees 11:10 - for I have repented that I gave my daughter to him, for he sought to kill me.

Generated Verse: 1 maccabees 11:10

What does "1 maccabees 11:10" mean?


The verse "for I have repented that I gave my daughter to him, for he sought to kill me" from 1 Maccabees 11:10 refers to a political marriage that went sour. Let's break it down:

"for I have repented that I gave my daughter to him...": This indicates that the speaker, likely a ruler or person of authority, regretted giving his daughter in marriage to someone. Political marriages were common in ancient times, used to solidify alliances, treaties, or power-sharing agreements. "Repented" doesn't necessarily mean moral regret in the modern sense, but rather a regret over a political decision that has backfired.

"...for he sought to kill me.": This is the key reason for the regret. The man the speaker's daughter married attempted to assassinate the speaker. The marriage, intended to bring peace or advantage, instead brought treachery and a threat to the speaker's life.

Contextual Significance

To fully understand the verse, we need a bit of the surrounding context from 1 Maccabees:

Background: 1 Maccabees recounts the history of the Maccabean Revolt, a Jewish uprising against the Seleucid Empire (a successor state to Alexander the Great's empire) in the 2nd century BCE. The book is about securing autonomy for the Jewish people.

Who is the Speaker? The speaker is Ptolemy VI Philometor, the king of Egypt.

Who is "him"? The 'him' is Alexander Balas, a claimant to the Seleucid throne, whom Ptolemy VI initially supported. Ptolemy gave his daughter Cleopatra Thea in marriage to Alexander Balas as part of this alliance.

What happened? Alexander Balas proved to be an unreliable ally, and Ptolemy came to see him as a threat. The verse indicates that Alexander Balas even tried to have Ptolemy assassinated. This led Ptolemy to switch his allegiance and support a rival claimant, Demetrius II Nicator.

In summary, 1 Maccabees 11:10 shows how a political marriage designed to solidify an alliance turned into a dangerous situation when the husband (Alexander Balas) attempted to assassinate his father-in-law (Ptolemy VI). It highlights the volatile political landscape of the time and the risks inherent in such alliances.

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