Holofernes was greatly pleased with her, and drank … much more than he had ever drunk in any one day since he was born: Greatly pleased is too weak. “Charmed” (Good News Translation) or “delighted” are better renderings of the Greek verb here. Other alternatives for the first clause are “He was so taken by Judith that…” and “Judith so captivated him that….” Good News Translation makes Holofernes’ drinking a result of his being charmed by Judith: “Holofernes was so charmed by her that he drank….” This is legitimate, but not necessary. One can keep two independent clauses here.

The author appears to make a deliberate contrast between Judith in verses 18-19 and Holofernes in verse 20. Both drink (although Judith drinks from her own supply). Judith says that her life has today been “magnified.” Holofernes “is delighted” with her. The Greek verbs used here are occasionally used in close connection in the Psalms (compare 34.2-3 [Greek 33.3-4]; 40.16 [Greek 39.17]; 92.4-5 [Greek 91.5-6]; 126.3 [Greek 125.3]). The emotions of Judith and Holofernes are thus described in ironically parallel terms. The contrast is underscored by Judith’s mentioning “all the days since I was born” and the narrator’s comment that Holofernes drank more than in any one day since he was born. For both Judith and Holofernes, this is a climactic day.

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.

They came to Holofernes’ tent: The subject they is effectively vague to hint at some confusion.

Said to the steward in charge of all his personal affairs: The person addressed here is Bagoas. He is described in the Greek text simply as “the one over all his things” (compare 12.11). He is not specifically named nor is he called steward. But the reader has to know who this person is. The reader in Greek would recognize the descriptive phrase as referring to 12.11. Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version have named Bagoas and omitted reference to in charge of all his personal affairs. That is all that is needed. The man just needs to be identified; too many words here will slow down the narrative, which is now moving quickly.

Our lord is, of course, “the general” (Good News Translation) or “General Holofernes” (Contemporary English Version).

For the slaves have been so bold: Good News Translation‘s “Those worthless Israelites” attempts to convey the abusive connotation of the literal the slaves as well as to identify them, although “those Israelite slaves” is also derogatory. When Achior told Holofernes something of Israelite history, he had referred to their being slaves in Egypt (5.11). Completely

In order to be destroyed completely: The idiomatic “they are just asking to be destroyed” (Good News Translation) is an effective way of conveying the men’s arrogant amusement at the idea of the Israelites actually daring to fight. The literal in order to be destroyed completely fails to express the mood, which is more important here than the words.

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.

With this verse one should compare Psa 33.6, 9; 104.30.

Let all thy creatures serve thee may be rendered “Let all your living things serve you.”

Thou didst speak, and they were made may be translated “You spoke and gave them life.”

Thou didst send forth thy Spirit: In both Greek and Hebrew “spirit” and “breath” are represented by one word, and it is often difficult to decide in English between the two. In the light of Gen 2.7, “breath” is to be preferred here. Revised Standard Version‘s Spirit has become “spirit” in New Revised Standard Version. Contemporary English Version uses “breath” with “his breath created them,” but Good News Translation avoids the problem of using “spirit” or “breath” by saying “you breathed on them.”

It formed them is literally “it built.” “Built” is a strange word to choose in Greek, but it surely means “created” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). A recent opinion (Levison) notes that while Psa 104.30 (Greek Psa 103.30) says “you sent forth your spirit and they were created,” the word “built, formed” is used in the Greek of Gen 2.22, where God “builds” from Adam’s rib the first woman. Perhaps this could explain why the word is chosen for this psalm sung by Judith.

There is none that can resist thy voice: Voice here refers to God’s “command” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). So one may translate “When you give a command, no one can oppose you.”

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.

Verses 21-28 describe the course of Holofernes’ western campaign, tracing his destructive progress from Nineveh to Palestine, so it will be helpful to begin a new paragraph here. It is hard to take the bewildering geography seriously, but some, Moore especially, make brave attempts both to identify unknown places and to explain the incongruities This gives the author credit for more geographical knowledge than is evident in the confused Greek text before us. In The Macmillan Bible Atlas, there is a map that shows the military deployments and movements in the book of Judith. While tentative, it is helpful, and the only such map to be found easily. Many of the place names in these verses are given in different forms in the manuscripts, but we will not belabor those points here. Other interpreters think the author was simply poorly informed about the geography of the area he had to cover. Interpreters on both sides will probably agree, however, that geography is not the author’s point, so it is surely not the point translators need to major on. What the author is doing in this half chapter is creating an effect. Holofernes, in obedience to his “lord” zigzags across the map in an unstoppable destructive march. He wastes no time getting to Cilicia, where he begins his bloody march southward. He roughly follows the outline given of the rebellious states in 1.7-10. He fights in the mountains, on the plains, and on the seacoast. He levels fortified cities and destroys agricultural areas. He is carrying out the terrible wrath of his god Nebuchadnezzar (compare Isa 2.12-17). He goes to prepare the way of his “lord.”

They marched for three days from Nineveh to the plain of Bectileth … to the north of Upper Cilicia: The plain of Bectileth is an unknown site, but Cilicia was a country in southeastern Asia Minor (Turkey). Upper Cilicia refers to the northern part of the country; therefore north of Upper Cilicia and “north of Cilicia” mean the same thing. From Nineveh that’s quite a march. It is over 300 miles in three days. Both New American Bible and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible try to alleviate this by separating Bectileth from Cilicia. They say Holofernes’ army marches three days toward Bectileth, and from Bectileth sets out toward a second encampment in the mountains north of Cilicia. It is not a convincing attempt. It relies too much on interpreting the sense of some prepositions used here; further, nothing in the Greek really says that Cilicia was the army’s “next” encampment. Translators should follow Revised Standard Version or Good News Translation‘s interpretation. The plain of Bectileth may also be rendered “the flat area around the city of Bectileth.”

Camped opposite Bectileth …: Camped means “set up camp” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) or “set up their tents.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• They left Nineveh, and after they had marched three days, they reached the plains surrounding the city of Bectileth. They set up their tents across from the city, near the mountains north of Cilicia.

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.

And said to them …: Holofernes is apparently puzzled and upset that anyone should have the boldness to offer resistance to the army of Assyria, so he asks a series of questions about these people. The questions can be interpreted in at least two ways. On one view, the questions are sarcastic. On the other, he is asking for valid military intelligence about the enemy. To be sure, the questions are scornful, but they are exact enough to seem genuine requests for information. Compare Moses’ instructions to his spies in Num 13.17-20. The story is forced here, since we would expect such a mighty conqueror as Holofernes to be well informed about his enemy. But the narrator wants the action to pause long enough for the recitation of Israel’s history that Achior will deliver in verses 5-21. The key questions are: In what does their power or strength consist? Who rules over them as king? The words remind one of Delilah’s questions to Samson in Jdg 16.6. They also point to the description of Judith’s decisive act in 13.7-8. Achior will not answer the questions directly, but the questions must be asked in such a way that the reader will infer the correct answer from Achior’s speech: Israel’s God is their king and the source of their strength.

Contemporary English Version reorders the initial clauses of this verse, and some translators will find this rearrangement helpful:

• He said to them:
I want to know about these people who have settled in the hills of Canaan. You also live in Canaan, so tell me what cities….

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.

However, they: However is a rather strong connective for the simple Greek “and,” but it is not altogether inappropriate. “So” (New American Bible, New Revised Standard Version) is a possible translation. The subject now shifts from the men of Bethulia to the Assyrians, as Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version make clear with “the Assyrians” instead of they (“Holofernes’ men” in Moore).

Got under the shelter of the hill: “Were forced” (Good News Translation) says more than the Greek says, but it is not reading too much into the text. Probably the Assyrians had the intention of bringing Achior to the city gates, but were stopped by the stones; so they hid along the mountainside where the stones couldn’t reach them (shelter of the hill). They were still on the hill upon which Bethulia stood. Contemporary English Version‘s “had to hide among the foothills around Bethulia” seems to imply that they left this hill and went elsewhere. That is not what the text is saying.

They bound Achior and left him lying at the foot of the hill: Consequently they “tied Achior up” to keep him from getting away, and left him “at the foot [or, base/bottom] of the mountain.” For at the foot of the hill, the Greek phrase is “under the root of the mountain” (compare Job 28.9).

Returned to their master: “Holofernes” is not mentioned by name here; the men simply return to their master/lord. The main problem in this verse will be satisfied if the reader at all times knows to whom the pronouns refer.

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.

It would be better for us to be captured by them: The textual variant that adds “than to die of thirst,” noted in Revised Standard Version, is a minor variant. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates it in the text, but notes that it is not found in the most authoritative manuscripts. There is no reason for a footnote if it is omitted. But translators may add the clause without a footnote, if the translation requires it, to specify what captured is better than. Dying of thirst is clearly the alternative the people have in mind. A possible translation model is “It would be better for us if the Assyrians capture us, rather than dying of thirst.” Be captured by them is rendered “prisoners of war” by Good News Translation. This has a modern sound to it and suggests a civilized procedure of some kind. The Greek literally says “It would be better for us to become prey/booty,” which suggests something less humane. This scene reminds one of the Israelites’ complaints against Moses: Exo 14.12; 16.3; 17.3; Num 14.2-3; 20.3-5.

For we will be slaves is translated “They will make us slaves” in Good News Translation.

But our lives will be spared may be rendered “but at least they will let us live [or, not kill us].”

We shall not witness the death of … before our eyes …: Good News Translation restructures in a helpful way: “we won’t have to watch our wives and children dying before our eyes.” Contemporary English Version interprets before our eyes to mean a slow and protracted death from thirst: “At least then we wouldn’t have to watch our children and wives die slow and painful deaths.”

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.