After a while he recovered, and though he had been punished, he by no means repented, but went away uttering bitter threats: If Philopator interpreted what happened to him as God’s punishment, he learned nothing. He did not repent, express sorrow for what he had done. He went away, that is, left Jerusalem, using harsh language to threaten the Jews as he left the city. Here is an alternative model for this verse:

• Philopator recovered a while later. But even though he had felt God’s punishment [or, God had punished him], he did not change his mind at all. He left Jerusalem, making angry threats against the Jews.

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.