ἦν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν χρόνοις τῆς ἀμειξίας κρίσιν εἰσενηνεγμένος Ιουδαϊσμοῦ, καὶ σῶμα καὶ ψυχὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ιουδαϊσμοῦ παραβεβλημένος μετὰ πάσης ἐκτενίας.
38For before the days of separation, he had been accused of Judaism, and he had most zealously risked body and life for Judaism.
The Greek, Latin and Hebrew that is often translated in English as “zeal” or “zealous” is translated in Moken as “great love” (“my zeal” — cewui lak tho: “my great love.”) (Source: Gam Seng Shae)
In Ixcatlán Mazatec it is likewise translated as “love, commitment, enthusiasm” (not jealousy). (Source: Robert Bascom)
In Khasi is is translated with shitrhem which conveys the “idea of loving or devoted enthusiasm.” (Source: B. J. Syiemlieh)
The Greek that is often translated as “gentiles” (or “nations”) in English is often translated as a “local equivalent of ‘foreigners,'” such as “the people of other lands” (Guerrero Amuzgo), “people of other towns” (Tzeltal), “people of other languages” (San Miguel El Grande Mixtec), “strange peoples” (Navajo) (this and above, see Bratcher / Nida), “outsiders” (Ekari), “people of foreign lands” (Kannada), “non-Jews” (North Alaskan Inupiatun), “people being-in-darkness” (a figurative expression for people lacking cultural or religious insight) (Toraja-Sa’dan) (source for this and three above Reiling / Swellengrebel), “from different places all people” (Martu Wangka) (source: Carl Gross).
Tzeltal translates it as “people in all different towns,” Chicahuaxtla Triqui as “the people who live all over the world,” Highland Totonac as “all the outsider people,” Sayula Popoluca as “(people) in every land” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Chichimeca-Jonaz as “foreign people who are not Jews,” Sierra de Juárez Zapotec as “people of other nations” (source of this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), Highland Totonac as “outsider people” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Uma as “people who are not the descendants of Israel” (source: Uma Back Translation), and Yakan as “the other tribes” (source: Yakan Back Translation).
See also nations.
For in former times, when there was no mingling with the Gentiles is literally “For in the earlier times of the separation.” Revised Standard Version adds with the Gentiles. The logical connector For may be left implied (so Good News Bible). For the Greek word for “separation,” see the comments on verse 3. Here, as there, we interpret this to be a reference to the rebellion against Syrian rule by the Maccabees. We may render this clause as “At an earlier time, when the Jews rebelled against the Gentiles.”
He had been accused of Judaism means Razis had been accused of living according to the Jewish Law.
And for Judaism he had with all zeal risked body and life: Zeal refers to his enthusiastic devotion to Judaism. Body and life can be combined; they represent the same thing: Razis’s willingness to die for his faith.
An alternative model for this verse is:
• At an earlier time, during the rebellion [or, when the Jews rebelled against the Gentiles], he was accused of living by the Jewish Law. He was so devout a Jew that he risked his life for his religion.
We recommend combining verses 37 and 38 in order to rearrange the material in these verses. Here is a model that does it:
• There was an old man in Jerusalem named Razis, who loved his fellow citizens. At an earlier time, during the rebellion [or, when the Jews rebelled against the Gentiles], people had accused him of living by the Jewish Law. He was so devout a Jew that he risked his life for his religion. The Jewish people had great respect for him and called him “Father,” because he cared so much for them. But he had enemies who called him to Nicanor’s attention [or, brought charges against him to Nicanor].
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.