Judith is the story of a brave and devout widow who saves her people from Holofernes' army by trusting in God. It is a deuterocanonical book.
AuthorUnknown Jewish author
DateWritten around the 2nd century BC
AudienceThe Jewish people in time of persecution
🎯 Learning objective
Understand the message of Judith, its historical setting and its place in the history of salvation.
🏛️ Historical context
It is a story with a teaching purpose, mixing names and periods, probably written in the time of the Maccabees, when Israel resisted empires trying to impose other gods.
🔙 Background
The general Holofernes besieges the city of Bethulia; its people, in despair, set God a deadline to save them.
🧭 Structure of the book
Chapters 1-7: Holofernes' threat and the siege of Bethulia
Chapters 8-16: Judith's intervention and victory
⭐ Key events and teachings
1Besieged Bethulia loses hope (ch. 7)
2Judith rebukes the leaders: you cannot set deadlines for God (ch. 8)
3Judith's prayer (ch. 9)
4Judith defeats Holofernes (ch. 13)
5Song of victory (ch. 16)
🏷️ Main themes
Trust in GodGod saves through the weakPrayerThe courage of a woman of faith
📖 Verses to memorize
Judith 8:27But esteeming these very punishments to be less than our sins deserve, let us believe that these scourges of the Lord, with which like servants we are chastised, have happened for our amendment, and not for our destruction.
Judith 9:16For thy power, O Lord, is not in a multitude, nor is thy pleasure in the strength of horses, nor from the beginning have the proud been acceptable to thee: but the prayer of the humble and the meek hath always pleased thee.
Judith 13:23And Ozias the prince of the people of Israel, said to her: Blessed art thou, O daughter, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the earth.
Judith 16:16O Adonai, Lord, great art thou, and glorious in thy power, and no one can overcome thee.
Judith 16:18-19The mountains shall be moved from the foundations with the waters: the rocks shall melt as wax before thy face. But they that fear thee, shall be great with thee in all things.
💭 For reflection
Do I set "deadlines" for God in my prayer?
Why does the Church see in Judith a figure of the Virgin Mary?
The story of Judith, a brave and devout widow who saves her people from Holofernes' army by trusting in God. It shows that God protects the lowly and uses the weak to overcome the mighty.