3 maccabees 5:10 - Then Hermon, who had filled his merciless elephants with copious draughts of mingled wine and frankincense, came early to the palace to certify the kind thereof.
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What does "3 maccabees 5:10" mean?
This verse from 3 Maccabees 5:10 paints a picture of cruelty and extravagance used in preparation for war. Let's break it down:
"Then Hermon, who had filled his merciless elephants with copious draughts of mingled wine and frankincense...": This is the core of the verse and reveals several key points:
Hermon: Most likely a military commander or official in the service of the Ptolemaic king.
"merciless elephants": War elephants were powerful and intimidating weapons. Describing them as "merciless" emphasizes their destructive power and the brutality of war.
"copious draughts of mingled wine and frankincense": This is a strange and significant detail.
Wine: Likely meant to intoxicate the elephants. Intoxicated animals were often used in war to make them more aggressive and less afraid.
Frankincense: Frankincense was a valuable resin often used in religious ceremonies and as a perfume. Its use here is odd. It could have been mixed with the wine to mask the taste or perhaps thought to have some kind of effect on the elephants (calming, stimulating, or otherwise). More likely, it's meant to emphasize the wealth and extravagance, even in cruelty, of the Ptolemaic army. They are willing to waste valuable resources on their animals.
"...came early to the palace to certify the kind thereof.": This indicates that Hermon was checking in with the authorities to confirm that the elephants were properly prepared with the mixture before their deployment. "Certifying the kind thereof" means ensuring that the "quality" or "type" of mixture administered to the elephants was correct and approved.
In essence, the verse describes a scene of preparation for war where war elephants are intoxicated with a costly mixture of wine and frankincense to make them more ferocious, overseen by Hermon who ensured the mixture was adequate.
Significance and Interpretation:
Extravagance and Cruelty: The verse highlights the immense resources and the lengths the Ptolemaic kingdom would go to in their military campaigns. The use of frankincense is particularly striking and suggests a disregard for the value of resources and a willingness to use them even in barbaric ways.
Dehumanization of Warfare: By focusing on the intoxication of animals for war, the verse underscores the dehumanizing aspects of warfare.
Foreboding Tone: The verse creates a sense of impending doom and violence. The image of drunken, merciless elephants suggests the potential for terrible destruction and suffering.
The overall effect of the verse is to emphasize the power and ruthlessness of the Ptolemaic forces and to foreshadow the conflict that is about to unfold.
3 maccabees 5:10 - Then Hermon, who had filled his merciless elephants with copious draughts of mingled wine and frankincense, came early to the palace to certify the kind thereof.
What does "3 maccabees 5:10" mean?
This verse from 3 Maccabees 5:10 paints a picture of cruelty and extravagance used in preparation for war. Let's break it down:
"Then Hermon, who had filled his merciless elephants with copious draughts of mingled wine and frankincense...": This is the core of the verse and reveals several key points:
Hermon: Most likely a military commander or official in the service of the Ptolemaic king.
"merciless elephants": War elephants were powerful and intimidating weapons. Describing them as "merciless" emphasizes their destructive power and the brutality of war.
"copious draughts of mingled wine and frankincense": This is a strange and significant detail.
Wine: Likely meant to intoxicate the elephants. Intoxicated animals were often used in war to make them more aggressive and less afraid.
Frankincense: Frankincense was a valuable resin often used in religious ceremonies and as a perfume. Its use here is odd. It could have been mixed with the wine to mask the taste or perhaps thought to have some kind of effect on the elephants (calming, stimulating, or otherwise). More likely, it's meant to emphasize the wealth and extravagance, even in cruelty, of the Ptolemaic army. They are willing to waste valuable resources on their animals.
"...came early to the palace to certify the kind thereof.": This indicates that Hermon was checking in with the authorities to confirm that the elephants were properly prepared with the mixture before their deployment. "Certifying the kind thereof" means ensuring that the "quality" or "type" of mixture administered to the elephants was correct and approved.
In essence, the verse describes a scene of preparation for war where war elephants are intoxicated with a costly mixture of wine and frankincense to make them more ferocious, overseen by Hermon who ensured the mixture was adequate.
Significance and Interpretation:
Extravagance and Cruelty: The verse highlights the immense resources and the lengths the Ptolemaic kingdom would go to in their military campaigns. The use of frankincense is particularly striking and suggests a disregard for the value of resources and a willingness to use them even in barbaric ways.
Dehumanization of Warfare: By focusing on the intoxication of animals for war, the verse underscores the dehumanizing aspects of warfare.
Foreboding Tone: The verse creates a sense of impending doom and violence. The image of drunken, merciless elephants suggests the potential for terrible destruction and suffering.
The overall effect of the verse is to emphasize the power and ruthlessness of the Ptolemaic forces and to foreshadow the conflict that is about to unfold.