Then three thousand men were assigned to Simon to go to Galilee, and eight thousand to Judas for Gilead: It is clear from verse 17 that Simon was to choose men to go with him to Galilee. So Then three thousand men were assigned to Simon may be rendered “As for Simon, he led 3,000 [or, three thousand] men to Galilee.” An alternative model for this verse is:

• Then Simon led 3,000 [or, three thousand] men to Galilee, and Judas took 8,000 [or, eight thousand] to Gilead.

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.