1 maccabees 5:17 - And Judas said to Simon his brother, Choose you out men, and go and deliver your kindred that are in Galilee, but I and Jonathan my brother will go into the land of Gilead.

Generated Verse: 1 maccabees 5:17

What does "1 maccabees 5:17" mean?


This verse, from 1 Maccabees 5:17, is part of the narrative describing the campaigns of the Maccabees to protect Jewish populations in various regions threatened by hostile neighbors. Let's break it down:

"And Judas said to Simon his brother..." This establishes the speaker and the recipient. Judas Maccabeus, the leader of the Maccabean revolt, is giving instructions to his brother Simon.

"...Choose you out men, and go and deliver your kindred that are in Galilee..." Judas is assigning Simon the task of leading a military expedition to Galilee. "Kindred" refers to the Jewish people living there. Their mission is to protect and potentially rescue those Jews who were under threat from neighboring Gentile populations.

"...but I and Jonathan my brother will go into the land of Gilead." Judas and another brother, Jonathan, are taking responsibility for a similar mission, but in a different geographical area: Gilead. Gilead was a region east of the Jordan River. This indicates that there were Jewish communities in Gilead also facing persecution.

In essence, the verse describes a strategic decision to divide the forces and responsibilities to address multiple threats to Jewish communities in different regions. The Maccabees were actively engaged in military campaigns to safeguard their people from attack and oppression. This highlights the geographical scope of the challenges they faced and the organizational structure they employed to respond to them.

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