And he took the sons of the leading men of the land as hostages: The sons here taken hostage appear to be children (see 1Macc 10.9). The leading men may be expressed as “the leaders of the Jews” or “the important Jewish men.” For hostages see the comments on 1Macc 1.10.

And put them under guard in the citadel at Jerusalem: Good News Bible leaves the reader to understand that “the fort” is the one in Jerusalem. It would be better, though, to identify it by saying “and imprisoned them [or, locked them up] in the Jerusalem fortress.”

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.