Therefore Ptolemy, taking the king aside into a colonnade as if for refreshment, induced the king to change his mind: The connector Therefore may be expanded to “So, while the trial was in progress” or “So, while they were trying Menelaus.” This connector introduces the positive response of Ptolemy to the bribe of Menelaus during the trial. A colonnade is a long porch-like structure whose roof is supported by a row of evenly spaced columns. Here colonnade is technically incorrect; the Greek word here refers to a “peristyle,” which is an open courtyard surrounded by a colonnade. The colonnade around the courtyard was part of the building in which the king was conducting the trial of Menelaus. In the open courtyard they would be more likely “to get some fresh air” (Good News Bible) than in the colonnade itself. Goldstein correctly translates colonnade as “courtyard.” Good News Bible avoids the problem by rendering taking the king aside into a colonnade as “asked the king to go outside the courtroom,” but this creates another problem. “Courtroom” suggests a room that is constructed as a courtroom and used consistently and only for that purpose. That is not the case here. The court was being held in some convenient building in Tyre. It would be better to say “asked the king to go outside with him.” This would avoid both problems. The idea of “asked” is not explicit in the Greek text, but taking the king aside suggests that Ptolemy took the initiative, and he surely did not force the king to go. So “asked” is clearly implied and Good News Bible only makes it explicit. Refreshment does not refer to food and drink. It means getting fresh air. Induced the king to change his mind means that Ptolemy succeeded in getting the king to declare Menelaus innocent instead of guilty.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• So, while the trial was under way [or, while they were trying Menelaus], Ptolemy asked the king to step outside with him to get some fresh air, and there he persuaded him to change his mind [about Menelaus].

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.