At this point the narrator pauses to reflect on the irony of this man, who thought himself powerful enough to do anything, suddenly being unable to get up off the ground without help.

Thus he who had just been thinking that he could command the waves of the sea, in his superhuman arrogance may be rendered “This man was so arrogant he thought he was more than human. Just before he fell he even thought he could say to the sea waves, ‘Stop!’”

And imagining that he could weigh the high mountains in a balance: The Greek word for balance refers to a scale. Ancient balance scales often consisted of a rod held by a cord or a chain in the middle and with pans attached to both ends. Antiochus thought he could find out how much mountains weigh.

Was brought down to earth may be translated “he fell flat on the ground” (Good News Bible).

And carried in a litter: For the Greek word rendered litter, see the comments on 2Macc 3.27, where it is translated “stretcher.” In languages that do not have passive verb forms, this clause may be rendered “and people carried him away on a stretcher.”

Making the power of God manifest to all may be expressed as “and everyone saw the power of God” (Contemporary English Version).

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Here was a man who [or, This man] was so arrogant he thought he was more than human [or, like a god]. He even thought he could tell the ocean what to do, and thought he could weigh mountains on a scale. Here he was, flat on the ground, and people had to carry him on a stretcher. This showed God’s power so clearly that anyone could see it.

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.