When Alexander the king heard of it, he was greatly grieved and returned to Antioch: For grieved see the comments on verse 22. Good News Bible says “worried,” which is not bad here, but “upset” is probably better. Alexander was in Ptolemais, on the Mediterranean coast, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Antioch, the Syrian capital. This move apparently left Demetrius free to attack Palestine. Good News Bible provides a helpful model for this verse.

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.