And Jonathan went with the king as far as the river called Eleutherus; then he returned to Jerusalem: The connector And may be rendered “The next day” (similarly Contemporary English Version). Jonathan accompanied Ptolemy a long way. The Eleutherus River is in the vicinity of modern Tripoli, along the coast of northern Lebanon. It is about 300 kilometers (190 miles) from Joppa. The trip demonstrated to the people all along the way that King Ptolemy of Egypt and Jonathan were allies. It could only enhance Jonathan’s standing among the people. At the Eleutherus River Jonathan turned back. To go farther would have brought him in contact with Alexander, and Jonathan did not want to have to show favor to either of the two kings in the presence of the other. He wanted to keep his options open. From 1Macc 12.30 we may understand that the river formed a recognized boundary.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• The next day Jonathan accompanied Ptolemy as far as the Eleutherus River, and then returned to Jerusalem.

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.