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Exodus describes Israel plundering Egypt as they leave, taking silver, gold, and clothing. Judith echoes this after Holofernes’ defeat, where the people plunder the Assyrian camp for thirty days, with Judith herself receiving Holofernes’ possessions.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Exodus 12:36
Hebrew Bible
34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, with their kneading troughs bound up in their clothing on their shoulders. 35 Now the Israelites had done as Moses told them—they had requested from the Egyptians silver and gold items and clothing. 36 The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and they gave them whatever they wanted, and so they plundered Egypt. 37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about 600,000 men on foot, plus their dependents. 38 A mixed multitude also went up with them, and flocks and herds—a very large number of cattle.
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Judith 15:6
Deuterocanon
4 Ozias sent to Betomasthaim, Bebai, Chobai, and Chola, and to every border of Israel, to tell about the things that had been accomplished, and that all should rush upon their enemies to destroy them. 5 But when the children of Israel heard this, they all fell upon them with one accord, and struck them to Chobai. Yes, and in like manner also, people from Jerusalem and from all the hill country came (for men had told them about what happened in their enemies’ camp), and those who were in Gilead and in Galilee fell upon their flank with a great slaughter, until they were past Damascus and its borders. 6 The rest of the people who lived at Bethulia fell upon the camp of Asshur, and plundered them, and were enriched exceedingly. 7 The children of Israel returned from the slaughter, and got possession of that which remained. The villages and the cities that were in the hill country and in the plain country took many spoils; for there was an exceedingly great supply. 8 Joakim the high priest, and the elders of the children of Israel who lived in Jerusalem, came to see the good things which the Lord had showed to Israel, and to see Judith and to greet her.
Date: 100 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Judith 15 ... As the Assyrian troops flee, the Israelite soldiers attack them. But now they are not alone. All the Israelites from Galilee in the north to Jerusalem in the south and Gilead to the east come to join the battle. They drive the Assyrians even as far north as Damascus. All this military force has apparently been waiting to see the fate of Bethulia before they took action. The report of plundering the Assyrians is equally exaggerated. The people of Bethulia first plunder the camp, then all the soldiers who returned from the slaughter. Towns and villages all around take their share. They spend thirty days gathering up the plunder. It seems the whole country is enriched with the goods in the Assyrian camp. Judith too gets her share of the goods, everything of value that was in Holofernes’s tent. Ever resourceful, she hitches up her mule cart and takes the bounty home. She is now even more wealthy than before. The description is amazing. Why was all this wealth in the camp of a besieging army? Did they leave nothing behind for Nebuchadnezzar? The point seems to be that the Assyrians are totally defeated and the Israelites now totally secure. The celebration is not only about riches, however. The officials from Jerusalem come to see what has happened and to congratulate Judith. They sing another blessing over her and all the people respond with their Amen ... in the tradition of holy war, the women perform the victory dance. The tradition begins with Miriam, who leads all the women in celebrating God’s deliverance of the people at the Reed Sea (Exodus 15). A more tragic example is that of Jephthah’s daughter, who, not knowing that her father had promised to give thanks by sacrificing the first living thing that came out of his house, rushes out with song and dance to celebrate his victory over the Ammonites (Judges 11:34). There is no thought of tragedy in Judith’s victory dance, however. All the women crown themselves with olive leaves, while even the men join in the singing. The words of Judith’s song follow in the next chapter ..."
Daniel Durken, ed., The New Collegeville Bible Commentary: In One Volume (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2017), 768–769.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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