And young women who had just entered the bridal chamber to share married life exchanged joy for wailing: Emphasis is placed here on another particularly pathetic group: Jewish women who just got married. Contemporary English Version has an excellent model here, saying “and young women who had just been married stopped singing joyful songs and moaned in sadness.” For bridal chamber, see 3 Macc 1.19.

Their myrrh-perfumed hair sprinkled with ashes: These young brides had perfumed their hair, but now they had ashes on their heads as a sign of distress. Myrrh was a sweet-smelling powder that was highly prized. It was used in perfumes, served as a medicine, and was used in preparing bodies for burial. It comes from the sap of the myrrh bush. In cultures where this plant is unknown, myrrh-perfumed hair may be rendered “sweet-smelling hair” (Contemporary English Version).

And were carried away unveiled: These brides would have worn a veil for the wedding, but that was now torn away from them.

All together raising a lament instead of a wedding song may be expressed as “instead of singing a wedding song, they all cried loudly.”

As they were torn by the harsh treatment of the heathen: The Revised Standard Version footnote here is mistaken. Not “One ancient authority” but several read “as though torn by heathen whelps.” Actually this reading could mean “as they were torn by heathen whelps.” “Whelps” are young animals, particularly dogs. Contemporary English Version‘s footnote states that the alternative reading is “as if the Greek officers had beaten them with whips,” but Contemporary English Version misunderstands the English word “whelps” in Revised Standard Version‘s footnote. We suggest following Revised Standard Version here, but without a footnote. The Greek word for heathen refers to non-Jews. The word heathen has a very derogatory connotation in English; the Greek word here is more neutral, but in this context, heathen is appropriate. Translators may simply say “people” or “soldiers.”

Here is an alternative model for this verse:

• There were happy young brides who suddenly began wailing. Instead of singing wedding music, they all were moaning [or, crying loudly], as the soldiers led them away. They had sprinkled ashes in their perfumed hair, with their veils ripped off. And their skin was torn by the cruel treatment of the heathen.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 3-4 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2018. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.