And after Alexander had reigned twelve years, he died may be expressed as “Alexander had been emperor for twelve years when he died,” “When Alexander died, he had been emperor for twelve years,” or even “He then died, after having ruled over all these nations for twelve years.”

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.