And Eleazar, called Avaran, saw that one of the beasts was equipped with royal armor. It was taller than all the others, and he supposed that the king was upon it: Eleazar, called Avaran was one of the Maccabees, Judas’ brother (see the comments on 1Macc 2.2-5). Both the Syrian soldiers and their elephants were covered with protective armor. Eleazar noticed that the largest elephant was protected with armor that seemed to indicate that it belonged to the king, and that he might even be riding on it. However, since the king was only a boy, he probably was not in battle personally, although verse 57 pictures him as present with Lysias and the army.

Alternative models for this verse are:

• When Eleazar Avaran noticed that one of the elephants was larger than the others, and that its armor was marked as the king’s, he supposed that the king was riding it.

• When Eleazar Avaran noticed that the largest elephant was dressed up in armor that indicated it belonged to the king, he thought, “I’m certain that Antiochus is sitting up there.”

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.