When the sun shone upon the shields of gold and brass: Brass is better rendered “bronze” (see the comments on verse 35). The shields of gold and brass may be translated “the shields made of gold and bronze” or “the bronze and gold shields” (Good News Bible).

The hills were ablaze with them: This clause does not mean that the hills themselves were gleaming; only that there were so many soldiers with gleaming shields there that the hills seemed to be aflame. It may be rendered “the hills seemed to be on fire” or “the hillsides blazed with light” (similarly Contemporary English Version).

And gleamed like flaming torches may be expressed as “they looked like flaming torches.” A torch was a burning stick or bundle of sticks carried about as a light.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• When the sunlight shone on [or, reflected off] the gold and bronze shields, they looked like burning torches; the hills seemed to be on fire.

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.