Jerusalem

The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:


“Jerusalem” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jerusalem .

Translation commentary on 1 Maccabees 12:25

So he marched away from Jerusalem and met them in the region of Hamath: Hamath was a city in Syria about halfway between Lake Galilee and Antioch, therefore well north of Jonathan’s own territory. The name also applied to the area surrounding the city. Hearing that the enemy was coming south, Jonathan marched north from Jerusalem to meet them long before they could threaten Judea. This first half of the verse may be expressed as “So he led his soldiers away from Jerusalem and went north to meet Demetrius’ army in the region around the city of Hamath.”

For he gave them no opportunity to invade his own country may be rendered “because Jonathan did not want to give the king’s army an opportunity to enter Judea.”

It is helpful to reorder the clauses in this verse as Good News Bible has done. An alternative model that does this is:

• Jonathan did not want to give Demetrius’ army an opportunity to enter Judea [or, his territory], so he led his soldiers away from Jerusalem and went north to meet the king’s soldiers in the region around the city of Hamath.

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.