1 Maccabees 11:60–66

In these verses, Jonathan conducts a sweeping military and diplomatic campaign through Syria and the coastal cities, subduing Gaza through force before extending peace, while Simon simultaneously besieges and captures the strategic fortress of Bethsura. Together, the two brothers consolidate Maccabean authority over the land of Israel through a combination of military resolve, shrewd diplomacy, and the concrete symbol of the "right hand" of covenant fidelity. The passage illustrates how the Maccabean leadership exercised both strength and mercy in their God-entrusted mission to restore Israel's sovereignty and holiness.

Verse 60 — Jonathan beyond the river and into Syria: "Beyond the river" (Greek: peran tou potamou) almost certainly refers to the Euphrates, an ancient geopolitical boundary that demarcated Israel's traditional promised inheritance (cf. Gen 15:18). Jonathan's journey "through the cities" of Syria, with local forces gathering to him as allies, signals that his appointment by King Demetrius II — however politically expedient — has real diplomatic weight. That "all the forces of Syria" gravitate to him reflects the expanding Hasmonean prestige. The warm reception at Ascalon (ancient Philistine territory, modern Ashkelon) is notable: this city had long been an adversary of Israel (cf. Judg 1:18; 1 Sam 6:17), and its honorable greeting marks a new era of Maccabean regional authority.

Verse 61 — The siege of Gaza: Gaza's resistance stands in sharp contrast to Ascalon's welcome. Gaza was one of the five classic Philistine cities and a perennial symbol of hostile opposition to Israel. Jonathan's burning of its "pasture lands" (agrous) is a calculated act of economic warfare — cutting off food and commerce — rather than a wholesale destruction of the city. This distinguishes his campaign from indiscriminate violence; the goal is submission, not annihilation.

Verse 62 — The right hand and the hostages: The giving of the "right hand" (dexia) is a formal act of covenant-making throughout the ancient Near East and appears repeatedly in 1 Maccabees (cf. 1 Macc 6:58; 11:50; 13:50) as a solemn pledge of peace and protection. Jonathan's demand for "the sons of their princes as hostages" is consistent with Hellenistic diplomatic practice — it ensures compliance without requiring continued military presence. The hostages are sent to Jerusalem, the center of Hasmonean authority and the holy city, reinforcing that this peace is anchored in Israel's sacred identity. Jonathan then presses as far as Damascus — the northernmost reach of his campaign — demonstrating that Maccabean authority now shadows the full arc of the Davidic promise (cf. 2 Sam 8:6).

Verse 63 — The threat from Demetrius' princes at Kedesh: Kedesh, in the tribal territory of Naphtali in upper Galilee, was a city of refuge (cf. Josh 20:7) and a Levitical city. The arrival of hostile forces there — intending specifically "to remove him from his office" — suggests that Jonathan's growing strength has alarmed Demetrius' court. The Galilean heartland is now a theater of conflict, recalling the vulnerability of the northern tribes throughout Israel's history.

Verse 64 — Division of command: Jonathan's decision to divide his forces — going north himself while leaving Simon "in the country" to the south — reveals a sophisticated, two-front strategic mind. It also highlights the fraternal partnership at the core of the Maccabean enterprise. From Mattathias onward (cf. 1 Macc 2:1–5), the Hasmonean brothers function as a unified body, each carrying out his appointed task.

Catholic tradition reads 1 Maccabees within the full canon of Scripture as a divinely inspired account of God's providential care for his covenant people during one of history's gravest religious crises. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that God "guides human history" even through secular and military events (CCC 302–304), and this passage illustrates precisely that: Jonathan and Simon are instruments of divine providence restoring the integrity of the land and the worship of the Lord.

The recurring motif of the "right hand" (dexia) carries deep theological resonance in Catholic tradition. The Fathers frequently cite the "right hand" as a symbol of covenant fidelity and divine power (cf. Ps 118:16: "The right hand of the Lord has done mighty things"). St. Ambrose, in De Officiis, drew on Maccabean examples to argue that just warfare must always be ordered toward peace and the common good — force used not for dominion but for the restoration of right order. Jonathan's and Simon's conduct embodies this principle: military action culminates in the outstretched hand, not continued violence.

Bethsura's recapture also resonates with the broader Catholic theology of sacred space. The Second Vatican Council's Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC 2) affirms that the Church on earth is always engaged in the work of restoring what has been profaned or lost. Simon's repossession of Bethsura — a place previously consecrated to Israel's defense and worship — is a type of the Church's mission to reclaim human culture and history for God.

Finally, the fraternal cooperation of Jonathan and Simon anticipates the ecclesial theology of communio: authority in the Church is not solitary but collegial, exercised in fraternal partnership for the salvation of the whole people of God (cf. Lumen Gentium 22).

The image of the "right hand" extended in peace after hard-won conflict speaks powerfully to Catholics navigating conflict in family life, parish communities, and the public square. Catholic social teaching insists that force — whether in argument, legal action, or even just correction — must always be proportionate and oriented toward reconciliation, never mere domination (cf. CCC 2302–2317). Jonathan does not raze Gaza; he secures peace with a binding gesture.

Simon's patient siege of Bethsura invites Catholics to reflect on the virtue of perseverance in restoring what has been lost — whether that is a lapsed family member's faith, a corrupted institution, or one's own prayer life after a period of spiritual desolation. The fortress was not retaken in a day, and "many days" of faithful effort preceded the breakthrough.

Practically: when you face a conflict that seems intractable, ask whether you are fighting to destroy or to restore. Jonathan and Simon never lose sight of Jerusalem as the goal — all their campaigns serve the holy city. For a Catholic today, that means keeping the Kingdom of God as the orienting purpose of every struggle, every negotiation, every act of courage or patience.