Then he came to the edge of Esdraelon: The connector Then shows that Holofernes has finished his destruction of the religious objects and now begins a new phase of his campaign. Translators should begin a new paragraph here, as Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation do. Esdraelon is another name for “Jezreel Valley” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version); see the notes on 1.8 and 6.11.

Near Dothan, fronting the great ridge of Judea: The town of Dothan is five miles south of Jezreel Valley. It is not clear what is meant by the great ridge of Judea. New American Bible translates “the main ridge of the Judean mountains.” This manages to be satisfactory while raising few questions.

Here he camped between Geba and Scythopolis: For a comment on the translation of camped, see 2.21. The precise location of Geba is unknown, but there are several possibilities in the area of Jezreel Valley. Scythopolis (also called Beth-Shan) is located at the southeastern end of the valley, where it meets the valley of the Jordan River. It would appear that Holofernes has made a swing to the north, to attack Judea from that direction. Whatever may be said of its value as military strategy, it is cunning literary strategy. Jezreel Valley (especially at Megiddo) was the site of many ancient battles, since it offered a convenient plain cutting across rugged highlands, where armies could meet. Here the stars from their courses fought against Sisera (Jdg 5.20). Here good King Josiah was killed (2 Kgs 23.29). Hosea used it to give his firstborn a name that pointed to doom (Hos 1.4-5). The mountain overlooking the valley, Har-Megiddo, became the Armageddon of thought concerning the end of the world (Rev 16.16). And the reader must remember that Holofernes is on a mission of divine wrath to destroy much of the world; see the note on 2.21.

And remained for a whole month in order to assemble all the supplies for his army: Before beginning the climactic assault on Israel and Israel’s God, Holofernes takes a month to resupply his army. The narrative slows down as Holofernes bides his time. Contemporary English Version provides a good model here by translating “and stayed there a month while he gathered the supplies his army needed.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Judith. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.