People also hurried out of their houses in crowds to make a general supplication because the holy place was about to be brought into contempt: People also hurried out of their houses may be rendered “People ran from their houses” (Good News Bible). The word also connects this passage concerning the laity with what the priests did. Good News Bible omits it (and so does the Greek text of Kappler and Hanhart), but it may be rendered “At the same time.” In crowds does not mean that crowds came out of any one house, but that people came from many houses to form crowds in the streets. To make a general supplication means that they came to pray together, but it is not a picture of orderly public prayer. We must think of people all over the public places praying aloud, individually, creating a sound of many people in distress. The holy place (literally “the place”) is the Temple. The people prayed that it not be brought into contempt, that is, that it not be shown disrespect or “defiled” (Good News Bible). In languages that do not have the passive voice, because the holy place was about to be brought into contempt may be rendered “because Heliodorus was about to disgrace [or, defile/make unclean] the Temple.”

Alternative models for this verse are:

• At the same time people came running out of their houses, forming large crowds. They were all praying that the holiness [or, sacredness/taboo] of the Temple would be respected [or, not be violated].

• … They were all praying that Heliodorus would respect the sacredness of the Temple.

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.