For the ships of Chittim shall come against him
Ptolemy king of Egypt, and his brother, being come to an
agreement, sent an embassy to the senate of Rome, to implore
their help and assistance against Antiochus, who was preparing to
besiege them in Alexandria; upon which they sent their
ambassadors Caius Popilius Laenas, Caius Decimus, and Caius
Hostilius, in ships from Macedonia F26, or Greece, to
Antiochus, to require him to desist from making war upon Ptolemy,
and that he quit the land of Egypt; see ( Numbers
24:24 ) . Macedonia is called the land of Cittim, in the
Apocrypha: ``And it happened, after that Alexander son of Philip,
the Macedonian, who came out of the land of Chettiim, had smitten
Darius king of the Persians and Medes, that he reigned in his
stead, the first over Greece,'' (1 Maccabees 1:1) ``Beside this,
how they had discomfited in battle Philip, and Perseus, king of
the Citims, with others that lifted up themselves against them,
and had overcome them:'' (1 Maccabees 8:5) Jarchi, Aben Ezra,
Saadiah, and Jacchiades, interpret it of the Romans; and,
according to Gorionides F1, Cittim are the Romans; and Jerom
here interprets them of them; and Bochart has proved at large
``12 So this device pleased them well. 13 Then certain of the people were so forward herein, that they went to the king, who gave them licence to do after the ordinances of the heathen: 14 Whereupon they built a place of exercise at Jerusalem according to the customs of the heathen: 15 And made themselves uncircumcised, and forsook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the heathen, and were sold to do mischief. 43 Yea, many also of the Israelites consented to his religion, and sacrificed unto idols, and profaned the sabbath. 44 For the king had sent letters by messengers unto Jerusalem and the cities of Juda that they should follow the strange laws of the land, 45 And forbid burnt offerings, and sacrifice, and drink offerings, in the temple; and that they should profane the sabbaths and festival days:'' (1 Maccabees 1)