And Simon built a monument over the tomb of his father and his brothers: Simon did not build the monument himself. So we may begin this verse with “Simon had some workers build….” The monument probably stood at the opening of the tomb or beside it. For tomb see the comments on 1Macc 2.70. Mattathias had been buried there (1Macc 2.70) as well as Judas (1Macc 9.19). John and Eleazar were buried there too (verse 28), although nothing is said about it in the narratives of their deaths. Jonathan’s two sons may have been buried there also. Simply having a family tomb was a sign of family wealth. The monument Simon erected was a sign of the family’s wealth and power.

He made it high that it might be seen, with polished stone at the front and back: The Greek clause rendered he made it high that it might be seen is not quite clear, but most take it to mean that Simon made the monument high so that it “could be seen from a great distance” (Good News Bible; similarly Contemporary English Version). Polished stone was stone that workers made smooth on the surface. The fact that there was a front and back tells us that the monument stood separately from the tomb; often adornments to rock tombs were cut into the rock itself.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Simon had some workers build a tall stone monument over his family tomb [or, grave] that could be seen from a great distance [or, a long way off]. The front and back of this monument were made of polished stone.

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.