When the Gentiles round about: For Gentiles see the comments on 1Macc 1.11. Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version render the Gentiles round about as “the neighboring nations,” but other possible models are “the foreigners [or, peoples] around them” and “the foreigners living on the borders of Judea.”

Heard that the altar had been built and the sanctuary dedicated as it was before: The altar refers to the altar of burnt offering (see 1Macc 4.44) and the sanctuary is the Temple (see 1Macc 1.21). Good News Bible is helpful here by rendering the passive verbs built and dedicated as active ones, but a better model is “heard that the Jews had built a new altar and made the Temple ready for use again.”

They became very angry may be expressed as “they became furious” or even “their hearts/livers became very hot.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.