And when the army of Timothy realized that it was Maccabeus: Timothy’s men did not know who the advancing columns were—they could have been friendly forces—until they heard the battle cry. The shouted prayers identified the attackers as Jews. Timothy was introduced in verse 6 (see also the comments on verse 11). This clause may be rendered “When Timothy and his soldiers realized that Judas Maccabeus was attacking them” or “… was leading his soldiers to attack them.”

They fled before him, and he dealt them a heavy blow: With Timothy’s forces lined up to capture the city, they were not well prepared to face an unexpected attack from the rear. For he dealt them a heavy blow, see the comments on verse 3.

As many as eight thousand of them fell that day may be expressed as “Judas and his men killed about 8,000 [or, eight thousand] enemy soldiers that day” or “and about eight thousand of them were slaughtered that day” (Contemporary English Version).

An alternative model for verses 33-34 is:

• 33 Judas organized [or, divided] his men into three groups and attacked the enemy from behind. When the Jews blew their trumpets and shouted prayers, 34 Timothy’s army realized that they were being attacked by Judas Maccabeus. They tried to run away, but about 8,000 [or, eight thousand] were killed. Judas and his men overwhelmed [or, crushed] them.

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.