3 maccabees 2:27 - His purpose was to indict a public stigma upon our race; wherefore he erected a pillar at the tower-porch, and caused the following inscription to be engraved upon it:

Generated Verse: 3 maccabees 2:27

What does "3 maccabees 2:27" mean?


This verse is taken from the apocryphal book of 3 Maccabees, which tells a story about the Jewish community in Egypt under the Ptolemaic dynasty. Let's break down the meaning:

"His purpose was to indict a public stigma upon our race...": The "he" refers to Ptolemy IV Philopator, the Egyptian ruler. His intention was to bring public shame or disgrace upon the Jewish people (referred to as "our race"). This "stigma" would be a mark of disgrace intended to isolate and denigrate them.

"...wherefore he erected a pillar at the tower-porch...": As a result of this purpose, Ptolemy had a pillar (a large, upright stone monument) set up at the entrance of a tower or prominent building. The "tower-porch" was likely a public place where people would see it.

"...and caused the following inscription to be engraved upon it:": Ptolemy then ordered an inscription (words carved into the stone) to be put on the pillar. The contents of this inscription are what the verse implies follows next in the narrative (but are not included in this particular verse). This inscription was likely designed to publicly humiliate and stigmatize the Jewish people, fulfilling Ptolemy's purpose mentioned earlier.

In essence, the verse describes Ptolemy's plan to publicly shame the Jewish people by erecting a pillar with a degrading inscription at a prominent location. It sets the stage for revealing what the inscription said, which would further detail the nature of the stigma he wished to impose. The verse highlights the animosity directed towards the Jewish community and the public nature of the intended humiliation.

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