He kept with himself three thousand men, two thousand of whom he left in Galilee, while a thousand accompanied him: To go from Beth Shan to Ptolemais, Jonathan and Trypho moved northwest, passing through Galilee along the Jezreel Valley. We are not told why Jonathan left 2,000 soldiers in Galilee. Perhaps he thought that if a trap awaited him in Ptolemais, these men could guard a retreat. Though surely on guard, Jonathan was probably confident that he had enough men with him to handle any trouble that Trypho might cause.

Contemporary English Version combines verses 46 and 47 in a helpful way as follows:

• Jonathan believed Trypho and sent all but three thousand of his soldiers back to Judea. Two thousand of them stayed behind in Galilee, while a thousand went with Jonathan to Ptolemais.

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.