Ὁ δὲ Νικάνωρ μεταλαβὼν τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ιουδαν ὄντας ἐν τοῖς κατὰ Σαμάρειαν τόποις ἐβουλεύσατο τῇ τῆς καταπαύσεως ἡμέρᾳ μετὰ πάσης ἀσφαλείας αὐτοῖς ἐπιβαλεῖν.
2 Maccabees 15
Nicanor’s Arrogance
1When Nicanor heard that Judas and his troops were in the region of Samaria, he made plans to attack them with complete safety on the day of rest.
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Samaria” in English means “a watch mountain,” “a place of watching,” “guardianship.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a sign that refers to a territory of mixed population and ethnic composition (see 2 Kings 17:33f.). (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)
“Samaria” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )
When Nicanor heard that Judas and his men were in the region of Samaria may be rendered “Nicanor heard that Judas and his army were in the region of Samaria” or “People told Nicanor that….”
He made plans to attack them with complete safety on the day of rest: Nicanor knew that the Jewish Law required that the Sabbath be a day of rest, so he planned an attack when the Judas’ soldiers would probably not be expecting it, and perhaps would offer no resistance. Good News Bible renders day of rest as “Sabbath,” which is good. Translators may choose either expression here. It is even possible to use both by saying “Sabbath, the day of rest.”
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.
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