He had five sons, John surnamed Gaddi, Simon called Thassi, Judas called Maccabeus, Eleazar called Avaran, and Jonathan called Apphus: Each of the five sons had a common name, and as was often the case, they also had nicknames to distinguish them from others with the same name. Not all the meanings of these nicknames are clear. It is generally agreed that Maccabeus means “the hammer,” “the hammerer,” or “hammerlike.” Gaddi may mean “lucky”; Thassi may mean “zealous” or “guide”; Avaran may mean “wide-awake,” “paleface,” or “piercer”; and Apphus may mean “favorite” or “cunning.”

If our suggestion for verse 1 is followed, closing the verse with the names of Mattathias’ father and grandfather, the names of his sons here will follow naturally. Translators will probably want to use the original forms of these nicknames, and most languages will have some quickly understood way of indicating that a person was also known by some other name. Good News Bible‘s expression “also called” is one possible model. Bolder translators who wish to avoid these strange names might consider translating them, choosing from the meanings given above. None of them are certain, but all of them are harmless. Judas the Hammer and Simon the Zealous are certainly more vivid than Judas Maccabeus and Simon Thassi. But any translator who decides to do this should explain either in an introduction to the book or in a footnote at this point that the name of the book, Maccabees, derives from Judas’ nickname.

English versions use the spelling “Judas,” since this is the Greek form. Judas’ own Hebrew name would be represented as Judah. Either of these forms is appropriate. Translators may choose. The Handbook will follow English tradition and use “Judas.” However, translators should take care that the name is not confused with “Judah,” the territory called “Judea” in some versions.

Contemporary English Version has a helpful alternative model for verses 2-5:

• Mattathias had five sons, whose names were John, Simon, Judas, Eleazar, and Jonathan. Each son had a nickname. John was called Gaddi, Simon was known as Thassi, and Judas was called Maccabeus. Eleazar was nicknamed Avaran, and Jonathan was known as Apphus.

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.