And they opened the book of the law to inquire into those matters about which the Gentiles were consulting the images of their idols: This verse is unclear. There are several interpretations: they opened the scroll to find those passages where instruction is given about dealing with Gentile idols (Doran); they found those passages that Antiochus had pointed out as allowing for the worship of Gentile gods (Goldstein); they opened the scrolls on which the Gentiles had drawn pictures of their idols (Tedesche, a textual matter). The interpretation reflected in Good News Bible is the most commonly held, and we recommend it. Apparently someone opens the scroll at random to find guidance from whatever passage shows up. Such use of Scripture is referred to nowhere else in Scripture, unless the same thing is meant in 2Macc 8.23, a passage with its own problems. Good News Bible‘s translation does not spell out just how the scroll was used, but it is not necessary to do so. The Greek is certainly not clear, and Good News Bible said what needs to be said, but with some modification. Opened means “unrolled” (Good News Bible), since the book of the law was a scroll. Here are other models for the verse:

• The Gentiles would have consulted [or, prayed] to their gods, but the Israelites opened [or, unrolled] the book of the Law to find out what the One in Heaven wanted them to do.

• Instead of praying to idols as the Gentiles would do, the Israelites looked in the Law of Moses to find out what they should do.

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.