Joshua, because he fulfilled the command: The command is literally “the word.” It is not necessarily “the command of Moses” (Good News Bible), but God’s (see Num 27.18-23; Josh 1.1-9). Fulfilled the command may be rendered “lived up to the commission God gave him” or “followed the orders of the One in Heaven.”

Became a judge in Israel: Nowhere else is Joshua referred to as a judge (which in the Hebrew sense may designate a ruler), but in 1Macc 9.73 Mattathias’ son Jonathan becomes a judge. We advise translators to use here whatever term they have used in the book of Judges.

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.