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Holofernes

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Assyrian general beheaded by Judith in the deuterocanonical Book of Judith

Detailed Definition
Though not in the Hebrew Bible, Holofernes appears in Catholic and Orthodox canons as the arrogant commander slain by the widow Judith. In poetry, he represents imperial hubris, sexual threat, and the vulnerability of power—often a foil to feminine courage and divine intervention.
Example
Example in poetry:
In John Milton’s "Paradise Lost," Holofernes’s beheading (Judith 13) illustrates deliverance through unexpected means; In Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s "Aurora Leigh," Holofernes symbolizes oppressive masculinity; In George Herbert’s "The Church-porch," Holofernes’s drunkenness warns against complacency in power; In John Keble’s "Lyra Apostolica," Holofernes represents the enemy felled by the weak; In Christina Rossetti’s "Goblin Market," Holofernes’s tent prefigures the site of reversal; In T.S. Eliot’s "The Waste Land," Holofernes’s fate echoes in modern downfall.
Additional Notes
Holofernes: Assyrian general beheaded by Judith in the deuterocanonical Book of Judith. Though not in Protestant canon, he appears in Catholic/Orthodox tradition and art. In poetry, Holofernes symbolizes arrogant militarism, drunken vulnerability, and the triumph of cunning over force. His decapitation by a woman reverses expectations—ideal for poems on gender, subversion, or the irony of power undone by indulgence.
Also Known As
Holofernes general of Nebuchadnezzar
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