While these matters were being arranged means while King Philopator was devising his plans to kill the Jews, and this clause may even be reduced to “Meanwhile.”

A hostile rumor was circulated against the Jewish nation by men who conspired to do them ill: The Jews met trouble from another group. Some unnamed enemies started a vicious rumor. The Greek text does not specify the Jewish nation, but simply has “the nation” (compare 3 Macc 2.33). However, it is clear from the context that the Jews are in view, and translators will do well to make this clear. Contemporary English Version does it by rendering this clause as “some people who wanted to see the Jews suffer started a hateful rumor.” Conspired to do them ill means they made plans to make the Jews suffer in some way.

A pretext being given by a report that they hindered others from the observance of their customs: A pretext is an excuse for doing something, an opportunity. The Greek text is not perfectly clear here, but a reasonable interpretation is that when the people who wanted to hurt the Jews (men who conspired to do them ill) heard this report, that the Jews tried to keep non-Jews from observing their own religions, they took advantage of the situation by spreading the rumor. The rumor and the report are then the same thing: the notion that the Jews kept others from observing their own customs. Customs, or “laws” (Anderson), probably refers to Gentile religious practices rather than to civil laws.

Here is an alternative model for this verse:

• Meanwhile, there were some men who wanted to hurt the Jews. These men spread a hateful rumor that the Jews tried to keep other people from observing their own religion.

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.