So Alexander fled into Arabia to find protection there, and King Ptolemy was exalted: Arabia here refers to the desert area east of Antioch. The term at this time did not refer to the Arabian peninsula, as it does today, but to the desert areas in the northern part of that peninsula. It might be better to say that Alexander fled to “Arab country” or “an area where Arab tribes lived.” For King Ptolemy was exalted, Good News Bible overstates the matter by saying “Ptolemy reached the peak of his power.” The text means simply that “King Ptolemy was triumphant” (New English Bible). An alternative model for this verse is:

• So Alexander fled into Arab country to find protection, leaving King Ptolemy in complete control.

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.