Who is it that has taken each man from his home and senselessly gathered here those who faithfully have held the fortresses of our country?: This is not a question so much as an accusation, with the interrogative pronoun Who referring to the military commanders who brought the Jews to Alexandria. So we may render this rhetorical question as a strong statement. Who is it that has taken each man from his home refers to the commanders taking the Jews by force from their homes. Not just Jewish men are in view here. We may translate this clause as “You have taken these people [or, Jews] from their homes.” And senselessly gathered here may be translated “and brought them here for no good reason.” In the first model below we put this clause at the end of the verse. However, it is possible to keep the order of the clauses as Revised Standard Version and Contemporary English Version do (see the second model below). Those who faithfully have held the fortresses of our country means the Jews faithfully protected the borders of Egypt (see the comments on 3 Macc 3.21). The fortresses of our country were the fortified places on the borders of Egypt. Alternative models for this verse are:

• You have taken these people from their homes. These men have faithfully guarded the borders of Egypt [or, our country] and you have brought them all here for no good reason.

• You have taken these people [or, Jews] from their homes and have brought them here for no good reason. These are the people who have faithfully guarded the borders of Egypt.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 3-4 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2018. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.