1 Maccabees — Footnotes

Chapter 1

1:1 — Verses 5 and 6 are not included. See note after verse 4.

1:3 — The clause 'and his heart was exalted and lifted up' (v.4) appears at different positions in the manuscript tradition — after verse 3 in some witnesses, after verse 4 in others. It is present in all witnesses (Greek, Vulgate, Old Latin) and is placed at verse 4 following the majority reading.

1:4 — The Greek text here continues with verses 5-6, in which Alexander summons his companions and divides his kingdom while still alive. This did not happen — Alexander died without leaving instructions on the succession (Arrian, Diodorus, Justin). His generals subsequently fought over and divided the empire among themselves (v.8). The language of the scene is borrowed from 2 Chronicles 10:6-8 (Rehoboam's succession), part of the author's pattern of modeling Hellenistic events on Old Testament templates.

1:9 — The author compresses the historical timeline here. While Alexander died in 323 BCE, his generals (the Diadochi) did not formally assume royal titles and crowns until 306-304 BCE.

1:14 — The Greek word is γυμνάσιον (gymnasion), from γυμνός (gymnos, "naked"). The institution also served as a center for military training and cultural education. Greek law regulated adult men pursuing boys sexually at the gymnasium (Aeschines, Against Timarchus 10-12, 138-139; see also Scanlon, Eros and Greek Athletics, Oxford, 2002). The author's condemnation here echoes 2 Kings 17:7-17 — language reserved for child sacrifice and national apostasy. See The Greek Gymnasium: What 1 Maccabees 1:14 Actually Describes for the full evidence.

1:30 — Some versions split this verse into two verses at this location.

1:51 — Some versions split this verse into two verses at this location.

1:54 — fifteenth: one Syriac version reads 'twenty-fifth'.

Chapter 2

2:49 — Mattathias's deathbed speech (vv. 49-68) follows the pattern of Jacob's blessing (Genesis 49) and Moses's farewell (Deuteronomy 33). Ancient historians routinely composed speeches for historical figures — what was said is the author's literary composition, written decades after the event. The historical core (Mattathias's final charge to his sons) is confirmed by Josephus (Antiquities XII.6.3).

Chapter 3

3:36 — foreigners, literally 'sons of foreigners'.

3:39 — The Greek text reads 'forty thousand men, and seven thousand horsemen.' Military force sizes in 1 Maccabees are systematically inflated beyond what the Seleucid Empire could field. This figure matches 1 Chronicles 19:18 (the force defeated by David) exactly. The Syriac version reads ten thousand infantry. At the Daphne parade shortly before this battle, the entire western Seleucid army numbered only about forty-one thousand infantry and forty-five hundred cavalry (Polybius 30.25), and the king took most of it east (3:37). Modern military analysis estimates the actual task force at roughly ten thousand troops.

3:45 — foreigners, literally 'sons of foreigners'.

3:58 — sons of valor, based on the Hebrew words used at 2 Samuel 2:7, which contains the same Greek words as this verse.

Chapter 4

4:2 — men who were of the castle, literally 'sons of the castle'.

4:28 — The Greek text reads 'sixty thousand chosen men, and five thousand horsemen.' See note on 3:39.

Chapter 5

5:8 — towns, literally 'daughters'.

5:65 — towns, literally 'daughters'.

5:66 — Marisa: the Greek critical text (Rahlfs) reads Σαμαρίαν (Samaria), but the Old Latin cod. Lugdunensis reads 'marisan' (Marisa/Mareshah). Geography confirms the Old Latin: Judas is marching from Hebron (v.65) toward 'the land of the Philistines' (the coastal plain). Marisa lies on this route in the Judean lowlands; Samaria is far to the north and geographically impossible in this context.

Chapter 6

6:30 — The Greek text reads 'a hundred thousand footmen, and twenty thousand horsemen, and thirty-two elephants.' The infantry and cavalry figures follow the inflation pattern described in the note on 3:39. Josephus (Jewish War 1.41), drawing on a Seleucid source, gives approximately fifty thousand infantry and five thousand cavalry for this battle.

6:37 — thirty: the Greek and Old Latin both read 'thirty' (τριάκοντα / triginta); the Clementine Vulgate reads 'thirty-two.' Even thirty men on a single elephant howdah is physically implausible. Goldstein (AYB) suggests the underlying Hebrew had שָׁלִשִׁים (šālīšīm, "warriors/officers"), which was misread as שְׁלֹשִׁים (šelōšīm, "thirty") by the Greek translator.

Chapter 7

7:50 — Verses 8:1-16 are not included. See note at 8:17.

Chapter 8

8:17 — The preceding section (8:1-16) contains a description of the Romans that includes numerous factual errors about Roman history and governance, reflecting the limited knowledge of a writer far from Rome. It is not included here. The bracketed text at the beginning of this verse is an editorial summary of verse 1, provided for narrative context.

8:22 — The treaty text is considered authentic by scholars. Josephus preserves the same treaty in Antiquities 12.414-419.

Chapter 9

9:2 — Galilee: all Greek manuscripts read Γαλγαλα (Gilgal), but the geography demands Galilee — Arbela (mentioned in the same verse) is in Galilee, and there were no Jewish targets in the Gilead region at this point in the narrative. Josephus (Antiquities XII.11.1) explicitly reads 'Galilee.' The confusion likely arose in the Hebrew substrate, where גָּלִיל (Galil, Galilee) and גִּלְגָּל (Gilgal) are easily confused.

9:4 — The Greek text reads 'twenty thousand men, and two thousand horsemen.' This figure has been removed for consistency with the treatment of military numbers throughout 1 Maccabees (see note on 3:39), though the twenty thousand infantry figure may be approximately accurate, matching Polybius's count for the Seleucid phalanx in 166 BCE.

9:27 — last seen, literally: 'not seen'.

9:33 — Verse 34 is likely to be a later addition to the text here based on style and context considerations. It reads: 34 And Bacchides understood it, and he came himself with all his army over the Jordan on the Sabbath day.

Chapter 11

11:45 — The Greek text reads 'to the number of twelve myriads of men' (one hundred and twenty thousand). The population of Antioch could not have produced a rebel force of this size. See note on 3:39.

11:48 — The Greek text reads 'they killed on that day to the number of ten myriads' (one hundred thousand). Three thousand Jewish soldiers could not have killed one hundred thousand people. The suppression of the Antioch uprising is confirmed by Josephus (Antiquities XIII.5.3) and Diodorus (XXXIII.4.2), but the casualty figure is inflated. See note on 3:39.

Chapter 12

12:4 — The Greek text here continues with verses 5-23, which contain letters between Jonathan and the Spartans claiming that Jews and Spartans shared descent from Abraham. This genealogical claim is historically unfounded — a standard diplomatic fiction of the Hellenistic era — and this correspondence is not included. The bracketed text at the end of this verse is an editorial summary provided for narrative context. The Roman renewal mission is independently confirmed by Josephus.

12:41 — The Greek text reads 'forty thousand men chosen for battle.' This was the largest force any Maccabean leader had fielded, and the figure appears inflated. See note on 3:39.

Chapter 14

14:41 — 'until a faithful prophet should arise': the Greek verb for 'arise' here echoes Deuteronomy 18:15 and 34:10, where the same verb is used of the prophet like Moses. This clause concludes a theological arc that runs through the book: 4:46 ('until a prophet should come'), 9:27 ('no prophet appeared'), and here, 14:41 ('until a faithful prophet should arise'). The decree formally recognizes Simon's leadership as provisional, reserved for correction by a future prophet.

Chapter 15

15:13 — The Greek text reads 'twelve myriads of men of war, and eight thousand horsemen' (one hundred and twenty thousand infantry and eight thousand cavalry). The total Seleucid army at the Daphne parade numbered only about fifty thousand troops (Polybius 30.25). See note on 3:39.