The king gave orders to take off Jonathan’s garments and to clothe him in purple, and they did so: It will be helpful to begin this verse with “Instead, the king….” When literally translated, this verse sounds odd indeed—the king ordering his men to strip Jonathan of his clothes. It may be that is exactly what happened, but a translation must not sound odd. Good News Bible tries so hard to avoid the problem that it fails to convey the information that Jonathan did indeed wear the purple clothes that the king ordered him to wear. For purple garments, see the comments on verse 20 and 1Macc 8.14. Good News Bible says “royal robes,” but this rendering presents the same problem as in verse 20. It implies incorrectly that Jonathan was being made a king. A better model for this verse is:

• Instead, the king ordered his men to replace Jonathan’s clothing with [fine] purple robes, and they did so.

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.