He also erected seven pyramids, opposite one another, for his father and mother and four brothers: A “pyramid” is a structure with four sides that slope to a single point at the top. Here the seven pyramids were only memorials; they were not tombs as in Egypt. No indication is given of their size; Josephus says they were large. They probably were small copies of the huge pyramids in Egypt. The Greek phrase rendered opposite one another is not clear. Some suggest that it refers to a straight line of seven pyramids; for example, Contemporary English Version says “a row of seven pyramids.” However, we prefer Dancy’s idea that there were two parallel rows of three pyramids, with the seventh one sitting alone (presumably for Simon himself). We simply do not know. An alternative model for this verse is:

• He constructed [or, had them construct] two parallel rows of three pyramids for [or, to honor] his father, his mother, and his four brothers. They also made a seventh pyramid aside from the others.

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.