Therefore Antiochus was grieved at heart and filled with pity, and wept: The connector Therefore is better rendered “As a result.” Antiochus was grieved at heart may be rendered “Antiochus’ heart was full of [or, ached with] sorrow.” Pity is a poor choice of words; the Greek word means here “tender feelings.” Good News Bible uses “sorrow,” which shifts the focus, but is better than pity. It is also possible to join was grieved at heart and filled with pity by saying “grieved terribly” (Contemporary English Version), “was deeply grieved,” “had great sorrow,” or even “it made his heart/liver ache.” Wept means “his eyes filled with tears.” In Greek all the verbs here are parallel participles, along with “inflamed” in the next verse, leading up to the main verb “dispatched.”

Because of the moderation and good conduct of the deceased: The Greek word translated moderation can mean “wisdom” (Good News Bible), but usually refers to “upright character” (Goldstein) or “prudence” (New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible). The Greek word rendered good conduct refers to a life that is well ordered, that is, lived correctly.

Here is a possible model that rearranges this verse:

• Antiochus was deeply grieved at what had happened [or, Onias’ murder caused Antiochus to grieve deeply]. He remembered Onias’ good character, and his respectable life. He was so moved [or, filled with sorrow] that he wept.

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.