without cause / without good reason

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “eagerness,” “wish,” “own accord,” “gladly,” “willingly” or similar in English is translated in the Catholic Mandarin Chinese Sigao version and the Protestant Union Version with a historical Chinese idiom: wúyuán wúgù (無緣無故 / 无缘无故), lit. “no chance, no cause.” (Source: Toshikazu S. Foley in Hong Kong Journal of Catholic Studies, 2011, p. 45ff.)

self-referencing pronoun for king or queen

In Malay, the pronoun beta for the royal “I” (or “my” or “me”) that is used by royals when speaking to people of lower rank, subordinates or commoners to refer to themselves in these verses. This reflects the “language of the court because the monarchy and sultanate in Malaysia are still alive and well. All oral and printed literature (including newspapers and magazines) preserve and glorify the language of the court. Considering that the language of the court is part of the Malaysian language, court language is used sparingly where appropriate, specifically with texts relating to palace life.” (Source: Daud Soesilo in The Bible Translator 2025, p. 263ff.)

Judah, Judea

The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)


“Judah” and “Judea” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

See also Judah, Judah (son of Jacob) , and Tribe of Judah .

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 6:12

But now I remember the evils I did in Jerusalem: He remembered his treatment of the Jews and thought it was the cause of his own present suffering. An alternative rendering is “But now I can’t forget the terrible things I did in Jerusalem.”

I seized all her vessels of silver and gold: See 1Macc 1.21-23.

And I sent to destroy the inhabitants of Judah without good reason: He sent orders for the Jews to be killed even though there was no justification for doing it (see 1Macc 1.41-61). Alternative models are “and I sent soldiers to destroy the people of Judea without any good reason” and “and I had no good reason when I sent soldiers to destroy the people of Judea.”

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.