But Dositheus, known as the son of Drimylus, a Jew by birth who later changed his religion and apostatized from the ancestral traditions: This verse explains how Theodotus’ plan to kill Philopator was thwarted. The connector But fits well here. It may also be rendered “However” (see the model below). Dositheus is introduced here with the same Greek phrase as Theodotus in verse 2, so Dositheus is literally “a certain Dositheus.” A Jew by birth means Dositheus was born to Jewish parents and probably raised as a Jew. Changed his religion means at some time he gave up Judaism and took up another religion. Apostatized from the ancestral tradition is another expression that means he gave up Judaism. The ancestral traditions refers to Judaism, the religion of his ancestors. See the model below, which places all this information at the end of the verse.

Had led the king away and arranged that a certain insignificant man should sleep in the tent: Dositheus was sympathetic to Philopator, so he arranged to have the king sleep this night in a different place than usual. He had someone else, a certain insignificant man, a man of no importance, perhaps a soldier, sleeping where the king usually would.

And so it turned out that this man incurred the vengeance meant for the king means Theodotus, trying to kill the king, killed instead the poor man sleeping in the king’s tent. The king is literally “that one.” Revised Standard Version makes it clear who is in view here.

Here are two alternative models for this verse, which move the information identifying Dositheus to the end of the verse, out of the way of the narrative:

• A man named Dositheus, however, arranged for the king not to sleep in his own tent. Instead, he had an ordinary man sleep there, and this was the man whom Theodotus killed. (Dositheus, the son of Drimylus, was from a Jewish family, but he had given up the religion of his family [or, ancestors] and taken up another religion.)

• However, the king did not sleep in his tent that night, and Theodotus killed an ordinary man who was sleeping in the king’s tent. A man named Dositheus, son of Drimylus, had persuaded the king to sleep somewhere else. This Dositheus was born a Jew, but he had given up the religion of his family [or, ancestors] and taken up another religion.

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.