Therefore even the Tyrians, showing their hatred of the crime, provided magnificently for their funeral: The people of Tyre, who were Gentiles, were so disgusted by the execution of the three Jewish men that they gave money to provide them a splendid funeral. The writer uses the word even to indicate that under ordinary circumstances the people of Tyre would have had no interest in these affairs in Judea, but this episode was so cruel that even they sent their respects at the funeral. Good News Bible renders the Tyrians as “Some of the people of Tyre.” This can be defended from the Greek, and is literally true; not all of the people would have contributed. If translators wish to follow Good News Bible they may do so with confidence, but simply saying “the people of Tyre” would not misrepresent the Greek. It would be simply a common kind of overstatement. Hatred is better rendered “disgust” (Good News Bible). For the first half of this verse Contemporary English Version has “The citizens of Tyre were so disgusted by the murder of these three men.” Another possibility is “As a result, this crime turned the stomachs of the people of Tyre so much.” Good News Bible renders provided magnificently for their funeral as “by giving them a splendid funeral.” However, the Greek does not say that they gave the funeral, which implies that it took place in Tyre. The funeral would have been held in Jerusalem. The Tyrians provided the funds for a splendid ceremony, perhaps to assure the Jews that they had no part in what had happened. Good News Bible adds the phrase “and their respect for these men,” which is certainly implied, but it is not necessary to make it explicit. An alternative model for this verse is:

• As a result, even [some of] the people of Tyre were so disgusted by this crime [or, the murder of these three men] that they gave money to provide a splendid funeral.

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.