And let Jerusalem and her environs, her tithes and her revenues, be holy and free from tax: Her environs may be rendered “its surrounding territory” (Good News Bible) or “the land around it.” The Greek phrase rendered her tithes and her revenues comes at the end of the verse and does not fit grammatically anywhere in it. The Greek term for holy may be a technical term in Seleucid law in this context. Designating a city as “sacred” meant the government recognized that the city was dedicated to a god, and that the city’s taxes would be paid to that god rather than to the imperial government (Dancy). Very likely, the Greek word translated free from tax (literally “released”) reflects another technical legal term here, designating a city as a place of refuge for debtors or even criminals. The two words “sacred” and “inviolate” are found on coins minted by the city of Ptolemais during the reign of Demetrius~I (Bartlett). This meaning fits in beautifully with the context (compare verse 43), and may very well have been what Demetrius meant. But the term “inviolate” used on the coins is not the word used here (“released”). As Starcky suggests, the word was probably misunderstood or mistranslated by the Hebrew translator or the Greek translator of 1Maccabees, and associated with the issue of taxation. This would have allowed someone, perhaps a scribe, to insert the awkward phrase her tithes and her revenues. Apparently, Temple income (tithes and other payments made by the people) had been taxed by the imperial government, and the text we now have says that Demetrius is discontinuing this practice. Good News Bible‘s rendering of this verse is vague, but deliberately so, and with justification. Other possible models are:

• Jerusalem, including its surrounding territory, is recognized by law as a holy city [or, a city dedicated to a god], and any income received by the Temple there is not to be taxed.

• I consider Jerusalem and the land around it to be holy, so I will not tax any income received by the Temple there.*
* This sentence in Greek is unclear.

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.