King Ptolemy Philopator to his generals and soldiers in Egypt and all its districts … : The king uses both his names here (Ptolemy Philopator); see the comments on 3 Macc 1.1. Since he wrote this letter, some languages may prefer to refer to him in the first person here (see the model below). The Greek phrase translated in Egypt and all its districts is not quite that precise, although it probably means that. Anderson translates “in Egypt and elsewhere.” We suggest “all over Egypt.”

Greetings and good health renders a Greek phrase often used to open letters at this particular time. It may be placed at the beginning of the letter. However, in some languages Revised Standard Version‘s order will be preferred.

A possible model for this verse is:

• “I, King Ptolemy Philopator, send greetings and best wishes to my commanders and soldiers all over Egypt.

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.