And he and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the city: The terrain surrounding Modein consists of elevations within the range of 750-1,000 meters (2,500-3,300 feet), so hills may be rendered “mountains” (Good News Bible) in English. It is better to refer to Modein as a “town” rather than a city (see the comments on verse 15), but Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version avoid the word altogether. All that they had is translated “all they owned” by Good News Bible.

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.