11When news of what had happened reached the king, he took it to mean that Judea was in revolt. So, raging inwardly, he left Egypt and took the city by storm.
The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)
Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:
Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))
Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:
“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”
When news of what had happened reached the king: King Antiochus was in Egypt when the events of verses 5-10 occurred. This clause may be rendered “When King Antiochus heard about the fighting in Jerusalem” (Contemporary English Version).
He took it to mean that Judea was in revolt: When Antiochus heard what had happened, he believed that Judea was rebelling against his rule, since he himself had replaced Jason as High Priest with Menelaus. So we may say “he thought that Judea was [or, the people of Judea were] rebelling against him.”
So, raging inwardly, he left Egypt and took the city by storm: The Greek verb translated raging usually describes the behavior of a wild animal, which explains Good News Bible‘s translation. Goldstein is similar, saying “With the fury of a wild beast,” and so is New Jerusalem Bible with “raging like a wild beast.” New English Bible has “in savage mood.” Inwardly is literally “in his soul,” but this adds nothing essential to the meaning, so Good News Bible and most other versions do not express it. The Greek expression rendered he left Egypt implies that “he broke camp and set out from Egypt” (Goldstein). While he left Egypt is certainly sufficient, translators may say “he left Egypt with his army” or “he led his army [or, soldiers] from Egypt” without adding anything to the meaning of the Greek. The city is Jerusalem. The writer does not specifically say that Antiochus went to Jerusalem; this is simply assumed, but translators may make it explicit by saying “he left Egypt with his army, went to Jerusalem, and took Jerusalem….” By storm means the battle was quick and savage, but the Greek word here really does not say that. The killing was indeed savage, as verses 12-14 indicate, but it was not a battle; it was more of a massacre. Goldstein translates the word for by storm as “treating it as enemy territory captured in war.” He argues that the word is a legal term, describing the legal status of a captured territory, rather than a military term. This is probably correct; the word is literally “won by the spear,” as opposed to being acquired by treaty or such. Antiochus had never captured Jerusalem; it belonged to the Seleucid kingdom when he came to power. He treated it as a part of his empire. When he arrived on this occasion, the city offered no resistance (compare 1Macc 1.20-21). He was the king, so he just walked in. But then he treated the city as conquered enemy territory. He did not “take” the city in the sense of winning it from defenders. He simply “took control of it.” Compare the use of the phrase “by storm” in 2Macc 10.24.
An alternative model for this verse is:
• When King Antiochus heard about the fighting in Jerusalem, he thought that the people of Judea were rebelling against him. He became as furious as a wild animal, and led his army from Egypt. He went to Jerusalem, took control of the city, and treated it as he would treat a city he had captured in war.
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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