As he drew near, Maccabeus and his men sprinkled dust upon their heads and girded their loins with sackcloth, in supplication to God: The pronoun he refers to Timothy. Both Timothy and his army are in view here, so translators may say “Timothy and his soldiers” or “Timothy’s army” (Contemporary English Version). For sackcloth see 1Macc 2.14. Throwing dust on one’s head and putting on sackcloth were traditional signs of distress or grief (see 1Macc 3.47; 11.71), but they were probably done for a different reason here. Judas and his men showed no sign that they were afraid of Timothy, so they probably did these two things as a religious preparation for battle, a way of ensuring God’s favor. Good News Bible provides a helpful model for this verse by rearranging it and continuing its last sentence in the next verse.

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.