Now some, however, with an obvious abhorrence of the price to be exacted for maintaining the religion of their city … : Translators will help the reader by making clear that some refers to “Some of the Jews in Alexandria” (Contemporary English Version). The Greek text rendered with an obvious abhorrence of the price to be exacted for maintaining the religion of their city is difficult, and it appears in the manuscripts in different forms. Basically, they may be translated literally as follows:

1. resenting strongly the ladders of the city’s religion
2. resenting strongly the prices of the city’s religion
3. standing firm for the prices of the religious policy
4. being religious but resenting the scrupulous demands of the holy observances

Option 4 makes sense but is found in only one Greek manuscript. Option 3 has more manuscript authority but sounds like a scribal attempt to make sense of the text. Option 2 appears to be translated in the versions we are following, but has meager manuscript authority. Option 1 is the text found in both Rahlfs and Hanhart; it also has good manuscript authority. The difference in Greek between options 1 and 2 is whether a certain form is feminine plural (epibathras) or neuter plural (epibathra). The feminine noun means “ladder, something to be climbed”; the neuter noun means “price, something to be paid.” Either noun can be forced to make sense. Contemporary English Version, for instance, understands the beginning of this verse to mean “Some of the Jews in Alexandria did not want to pay the price of remaining faithful to their own religion.” But it is not clear here whether “price” (either in Greek or in Contemporary English Version‘s English) refers to actual money or is used as a metaphor for suffering. It is possible, however, to make sense of the printed text (option 1), looking at the total context. The people spoken of here are people who were eager to get ahead in the social structure of Alexandria; this is clear from the latter part of the verse. The word “ladders” may be a metaphor for a means of getting ahead in society: these Jews resented that in order to gain respect and authority in Alexandria, a person had to belong to a certain religion. Religion provided a stratification of society (“ladders”). We suggest that translators seriously consider this approach. A model following option 1 is given below.

Readily gave themselves up means these Jews gave up Judaism—they surrendered to the king’s wish that they become worshipers of Dionysus.

Since they expected to enhance their reputation by their future association with the king: These Jews did what the king wanted them to do, because they thought they would be better off in the community if the king approved of them. Their future association with the king means they would enjoy the king’s favor, and the benefits that could come from that favor.

A model of this verse that follows option 1 is:

• Some of the Jews in Alexandria strongly resented the fact that a person had to worship Dionysus to gain influence in the city,* so they quickly did what the king wanted. They thought they would be more highly regarded if the king approved of them.
* Some … city; the Greek of this clause is unclear.

This model, following option 2, is fashioned after Contemporary English Version:

• Some of the Jews in Alexandria were not willing to suffer what they would have to suffer if they remained faithful to their own religion,* so they quickly did what the king wanted. They thought….
* Some … religion: the Greek of this clause is unclear.

We prefer the first model, but translators may choose either one.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 3-4 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2018. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.