When they had gone ninety-five miles from there: Since this verse begins a new section, Good News Bible helpfully renders the pronoun they as “Judas and his men,” and the adverb there as “the city of Caspin.” For the verb had gone, Good News Bible has “marched,” which fits this context well of Judas’ army on the move. Ninety-five miles is literally “750 stadia,” which is equivalent to about 140 kilometers or 85 miles. A helpful model for this clause is “From Caspin, Judas led his troops 85 miles, looking for Timothy’s army.”

They came to Charax, to the Jews who are called Toubiani: Charax is unknown, and is very likely not a place name at all. The Greek word for Charax means “stake” and was used to refer to areas that were palisaded, that is, protected with a wall of sharp stakes. It was used of military camps and of market areas that probably grew out of such military camps. New Jerusalem Bible and Starcky identify Charax as the fort, or governor’s residence, in the city of Rabbah (present-day Amman). The Jews who are called Toubiani were the Jews who lived in Tobias’ region (see the comments on 1Macc 5.13; compare 2Macc 3.11). No “city of Tob” (Good News Bible) is mentioned.

Alternative models for this verse are:

• Judas and his men left Caspin looking for Timothy’s army and marched 140 kilometers [or, 85 miles] until they came to the fort* occupied by the Jews of Tobias’ region.
* Fort: the meaning of the Greek word is uncertain.

• … until they came to Charax, where some Jews of Tobias’ region lived.

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.