He attacked the people of Jamnia by night and set fire to the harbor and the fleet: Judas’ attack on Jamnia was much the same as that on Joppa (see verse 6). The fleet refers to the ships that happened to be in the harbor at the time.

So that the glow of the light was seen in Jerusalem, thirty miles distant: Thirty miles is literally “240 stadia,” which is equivalent to about 50 kilometers (30 miles). The fires were so great that people in Jerusalem could see a red glow on the horizon. The Greek does not say that “The flames” could be see in Jerusalem, as Good News Bible has it. Contemporary English Version is better with “The light from the fire could be seen thirty miles away in Jerusalem.” In languages that do not have the passive voice, translators may say “The people in Jerusalem, 50 kilometers [or, 30 miles] away, could see the light from the 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.