For look! the battle is in front of us and behind us; the water of the Jordan is on this side and on that, with marsh and thicket; there is no place to turn: The Greek text of this verse can be divided differently from the way it is in Revised Standard Version. Most others agree with Good News Bible in a different understanding, which is literally “For behold, the battle is in front of us, and the water of the Jordan is behind us; on this side and on that side is marsh and thicket; there is no place to turn.” We strongly recommend this understanding. The Maccabees saw themselves trapped between the river and their enemies, with swamps and thickets on both sides. They did not choose this ground on which to fight, but they might as well fight, since there was no way to escape. Look translates the Greek word often rendered in Revised Standard Version as “Behold.” It is an attention-getter, not a command to look at anything. English has no easy equivalent, so Good News Bible, New English Bible, New American Bible, and Goldstein do not attempt to render it. In this context a possible model is “We’re trapped!” The battle is in front of us may be rendered “The enemy is in front of us” (Good News Bible). Thickets are dense growths of shrubs and small trees, so thick that a person cannot easily get through them. An alternative model for this verse is:

• We’re trapped! The enemy is in front of us, the river is behind us, and there are swamps and thickets on both sides. We have nowhere to turn.

Verses 44 and 45 may be combined as follows:

• Jonathan said to his men, “We’re trapped! This is the worst situation we’ve ever been in! We’ve got the enemy in front, the river in back, and swamps and thickets on both sides. There’s no place to turn. We’re going to have to fight for our lives!”

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.