Assyrian siege of Bethulia

E520302

The Assyrian siege of Bethulia is a pivotal episode in the deuterocanonical Book of Judith, where the Assyrian army besieges a Jewish town, setting the stage for Judith’s daring assassination of the enemy general Holofernes.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf biblical event ⓘ
fictional military siege ⓘ
associatedWith Second Temple Jewish literature ⓘ
canonicalStatus apocryphal for most Protestant traditions ⓘ
included in Catholic canon ⓘ
included in Eastern Orthodox canon ⓘ
depicts Assyrian general Holofernes as enemy of Israel ⓘ
describedIn Book of Judith ⓘ
featuresEvent Judith’s beheading of Holofernes ⓘ
Judith’s infiltration of the Assyrian camp ⓘ
display of Holofernes’ head on Bethulia’s walls ⓘ
panic and rout of the Assyrian army ⓘ
followedBy Israelite counterattack on Assyrian camp ⓘ
Judith’s return to Bethulia ⓘ
hasBelligerent Assyrian army ⓘ
linked to: Assyrian forces

inhabitants of Bethulia ⓘ
hasCause Assyrian expansion under King Nebuchadnezzar in Book of Judith ⓘ
hasCommander Holofernes ⓘ
hasHistoricStatus generally regarded as non-historical ⓘ
hasKeyFigure Achior ⓘ
Judith ⓘ
Ozias ⓘ
Uzziah ⓘ
hasLanguage Hebrew Bible tradition ⓘ
hasLocation Bethulia ⓘ
hasLocationType Jewish town ⓘ
hasMotivation punishment of western nations for refusing to aid Nebuchadnezzar ⓘ
hasOutcome Assyrian withdrawal ⓘ
death of Holofernes ⓘ
deliverance of Bethulia ⓘ
hasStrategicGoal capture of Bethulia ⓘ
opening the route to Jerusalem ⓘ
hasTactic cutting off water supply ⓘ
encirclement of the town ⓘ
hasTheme God’s protection of Israel ⓘ
divine deliverance ⓘ
faith versus despair ⓘ
heroism of a woman ⓘ
power of prayer and fasting ⓘ
hasUncertainLocation Bethulia’s exact historical site is unknown ⓘ
literaryStatus deuterocanonical story ⓘ
narrativeFunction sets stage for Judith’s assassination of Holofernes ⓘ
narrativeRole central episode of the Book of Judith ⓘ
partOf Book of Judith ⓘ
precededBy Assyrian campaign in the western nations ⓘ
religiousTradition Christianity ⓘ
Judaism ⓘ
symbolizes God’s victory over oppressive empires ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Book of Judith → narrativeEvent → Assyrian siege of Bethulia ⓘ
Holofernes → associatedWith → siege of Bethulia ⓘ
linked to: Assyrian siege of Bethulia
Judith’s maidservant → timeOfStory → Assyrian campaign against Bethulia ⓘ
linked to: Assyrian siege of Bethulia
Vagaus → settingOfWork → siege of Bethulia ⓘ
linked to: Assyrian siege of Bethulia