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In Judith 14, the death of the Assyrian leader Holofernes is discovered at night and followed by a loud outcry, echoing Exodus 12 where Egypt cries after the death of the firstborn. Judith shapes its narrative to follow the patterns of Exodus.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Exodus 12:30
Hebrew Bible
29 It happened at midnight—the Lord attacked all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the prison, and all the firstborn of the cattle. 30 Pharaoh got up in the night, along with all his servants and all Egypt, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no house in which there was not someone dead. 31 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron in the night and said, “Get up, get out from among my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, serve the Lord as you have requested!
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Judith 14:19
Deuterocanon
17 He entered into the tent where Judith lodged, and he didn’t find her. He leaped out to the people, and cried aloud, 18 “The slaves have dealt treacherously! One woman of the Hebrews has brought shame upon the house of King Nebuchadnezzar; for, behold, Holofernes lies upon the ground, and his head is not on him!” 19 But when the rulers of the army of Asshur heard this, they tore their tunics, and their souls were troubled exceedingly. There were cries and an exceedingly great noise in the midst of the camp.
Date: 100 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... In several ways Holofernes resembles the Pharaoh at the time of the exodus, while Judith exhibits similarities to both Moses and Miriam. The contest between Israel's God and Holofernes is comparable to the dispute between the Lord and Pharaoh in Exodus. For instance, Pharaoh's question about Israel's God, ('Who is he?', Exodus 5:2), is loosely echoed in Holofernes' defiant question, ('Who is God if not Nebuchadnezzar?', Judith 6:2). The answer to both these questions comes in the victory songs, since Judith's song of triumph (Judith 16:1-17) echoes the Song of Moses and Miriam at the Red Sea (Exodus 15:1-21). When Judith 16:2 sings: 'The Lord is a God who crushes wars', it alludes to the Greek form of Exodus 15:3: 'the Lord who crushes wars'. Moreover, after a decisive blow against the foreign oppressor has taken place at night (Exodus 12:29; Judith 13:1), the discovery produces a loud cry. Just as when the Egyptians discovered the death of the firstborn, ('A great shouting happened', Exodus 12:30), so when the Assyrians discovered the death of Holofernes, ('Their shouting and cry became very great', Judith 14:19) ..."
Jeremy Corley, “Imitation of Septuagintal Narrative and Greek Historiography in the Portrait of Holofernes,” in A Pious Seductress: Studies in the Book of Judith, ed. Géza G. Xeravits, DCLS 14 (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, 2012), 22–54.
* 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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