3 maccabees 4:18 - inasmuch as there were many still left in the land, of whom some were in inhabited houses, and others were scattered about in various places; so that all the commanders in Egypt were insufficient for the work.
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What does "3 maccabees 4:18" mean?
The verse from 3 Maccabees 4:18 describes the situation in Egypt after King Ptolemy IV Philopator attempted to massacre the Jews in Alexandria. It highlights the vast number of Jews who survived the initial attempt:
"inasmuch as there were many still left in the land, of whom some were in inhabited houses, and others were scattered about in various places..." This means that despite the king's efforts, a significant portion of the Jewish population remained alive. They were living in their homes and scattered across different regions of Egypt. The phrase "scattered about in various places" suggests they might have been in hiding or had fled their usual residences to escape the king's persecution.
"...so that all the commanders in Egypt were insufficient for the work." This emphasizes the sheer scale of the task the Egyptian commanders faced. Their task was likely to hunt down and eliminate the remaining Jews in Egypt. However, the number of Jews who survived was so large and they were so widely dispersed that the commanders did not have enough people or resources to accomplish the king's genocidal goal. In other words, there were so many Jews that the army could not manage to kill them all.
In essence, the verse underscores the failure of Ptolemy's plan to exterminate the Jewish population of Egypt due to the sheer size and resilience of the community. It is important to remember that 3 Maccabees is considered a deuterocanonical book, meaning it is not included in the Hebrew Bible, but it is part of the Septuagint and is considered canonical by some Christian denominations (like the Orthodox Church).
3 maccabees 4:18 - inasmuch as there were many still left in the land, of whom some were in inhabited houses, and others were scattered about in various places; so that all the commanders in Egypt were insufficient for the work.
What does "3 maccabees 4:18" mean?
The verse from 3 Maccabees 4:18 describes the situation in Egypt after King Ptolemy IV Philopator attempted to massacre the Jews in Alexandria. It highlights the vast number of Jews who survived the initial attempt:
"inasmuch as there were many still left in the land, of whom some were in inhabited houses, and others were scattered about in various places..." This means that despite the king's efforts, a significant portion of the Jewish population remained alive. They were living in their homes and scattered across different regions of Egypt. The phrase "scattered about in various places" suggests they might have been in hiding or had fled their usual residences to escape the king's persecution.
"...so that all the commanders in Egypt were insufficient for the work." This emphasizes the sheer scale of the task the Egyptian commanders faced. Their task was likely to hunt down and eliminate the remaining Jews in Egypt. However, the number of Jews who survived was so large and they were so widely dispersed that the commanders did not have enough people or resources to accomplish the king's genocidal goal. In other words, there were so many Jews that the army could not manage to kill them all.
In essence, the verse underscores the failure of Ptolemy's plan to exterminate the Jewish population of Egypt due to the sheer size and resilience of the community. It is important to remember that 3 Maccabees is considered a deuterocanonical book, meaning it is not included in the Hebrew Bible, but it is part of the Septuagint and is considered canonical by some Christian denominations (like the Orthodox Church).