Judith 14:2 - It will be, so soon as the morning appears, and the sun comes up on the earth, you shall each take up his weapons of war, and every valiant man of you go out of the city. You shall set a captain over them, as though you would go down to the plain toward the watch of the children of Asshur; but you men shall not go down.
Select Bible Verse
Filter Categories
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
U
V
W
What does "Judith 14:2" mean?
This verse from Judith 14:2 is part of Judith's instructions to the people of Bethulia on how to defeat the Assyrian army besieging their city. Let's break it down:
"It will be, so soon as the morning appears, and the sun comes up on the earth...": This sets the timing of the plan. The people should be ready to execute it at dawn.
"...you shall each take up his weapons of war, and every valiant man of you go out of the city.": All the fighting men of Bethulia are to arm themselves and leave the city walls. This is a show of force, meant to provoke the enemy.
"You shall set a captain over them, as though you would go down to the plain toward the watch of the children of Asshur...": The men should have a leader and act like they are going to engage the Assyrian army in a full-scale battle on the plains below the city. The "watch of the children of Asshur" refers to the Assyrian outposts or guard posts.
"...but you men shall not go down.": This is the crucial part of Judith's strategy. The men are NOT supposed to actually attack or descend to the plains. The whole point is to create the illusion of an impending attack.
In essence, Judith is ordering a feigned attack. The purpose is to lure the Assyrian general Holofernes out of his tent to see the commotion, at which point he will be vulnerable and, as Judith knows from her previous actions in the Assyrian camp, his head will be missing.
The plan relies on the Assyrians' predictable response to a potential attack: Holofernes, being a proud and aggressive commander, would likely come out to assess the situation and prepare his troops for battle. This sets the stage for Judith's triumph.
Judith 14:2 - It will be, so soon as the morning appears, and the sun comes up on the earth, you shall each take up his weapons of war, and every valiant man of you go out of the city. You shall set a captain over them, as though you would go down to the plain toward the watch of the children of Asshur; but you men shall not go down.
What does "Judith 14:2" mean?
This verse from Judith 14:2 is part of Judith's instructions to the people of Bethulia on how to defeat the Assyrian army besieging their city. Let's break it down:
"It will be, so soon as the morning appears, and the sun comes up on the earth...": This sets the timing of the plan. The people should be ready to execute it at dawn.
"...you shall each take up his weapons of war, and every valiant man of you go out of the city.": All the fighting men of Bethulia are to arm themselves and leave the city walls. This is a show of force, meant to provoke the enemy.
"You shall set a captain over them, as though you would go down to the plain toward the watch of the children of Asshur...": The men should have a leader and act like they are going to engage the Assyrian army in a full-scale battle on the plains below the city. The "watch of the children of Asshur" refers to the Assyrian outposts or guard posts.
"...but you men shall not go down.": This is the crucial part of Judith's strategy. The men are NOT supposed to actually attack or descend to the plains. The whole point is to create the illusion of an impending attack.
In essence, Judith is ordering a feigned attack. The purpose is to lure the Assyrian general Holofernes out of his tent to see the commotion, at which point he will be vulnerable and, as Judith knows from her previous actions in the Assyrian camp, his head will be missing.
The plan relies on the Assyrians' predictable response to a potential attack: Holofernes, being a proud and aggressive commander, would likely come out to assess the situation and prepare his troops for battle. This sets the stage for Judith's triumph.