Jerusalem

The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:


“Jerusalem” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jerusalem .

Translation commentary on 1 Maccabees 3:46

We recommend beginning a new paragraph here, as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible.

So they assembled and went to Mizpah: The connector So gives the mistaken impression that Judas and his men assembled as a result of the poem. It would be better to begin this paragraph without a connector; for example, “Judas and his men assembled….” They assembled here is the same assembly as in verse 44. The army, having come together, now marches to Mizpah, a place associated with holy war (see Jdg 20.1; 1~Sam 7.5-11). The location of Mizpah is not known for certain, but most scholars locate it about 13 kilometers (8 miles) north of Jerusalem. We may express this clause as “After coming together, the army marched to Mizpah,” “Judas and his men assembled and marched to Mizpah” (similarly Good News Bible), or “Judas assembled his men and they marched to Mizpah.”

Opposite Jerusalem, because Israel formerly had a place of prayer in Mizpah: It is not clear what is meant by opposite Jerusalem, but translators are probably safe in following New American Bible with “near Jerusalem” or Contemporary English Version with “a short distance from Jerusalem.” Israel formerly had a place of prayer in Mizpah may be translated “the people of Israel had prayed to the One in Heaven there in times past.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• After coming together, the army marched to Mizpah, near Jerusalem, because the people of Israel had prayed to the One in Heaven there in the earlier times [of great difficulty].

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.