A man could neither keep the sabbath, nor observe the feasts of his fathers, nor so much as confess himself to be a Jew: A man simply refers to anyone; New Revised Standard Version has “People.” For A man could neither …, Good News Bible says “It was impossible to…,” which works well, although translators may prefer “It was forbidden to…” (similarly New English Bible) or “It became a crime to…” (Contemporary English Version). The feasts of his fathers refers to the Jewish religious festivals that had been observed since ancient times (see the comments on 1Macc 1.39). Fathers refers ancestors. Some translators may find nor so much as confess himself to be a Jew better stated as direct discourse; for example, “A person could not even say, ‘I am a Jew.’”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• They would not allow a Jew to observe the Sabbath or any of the holy days that our ancestors observed. A person could not even say, “I am a Jew.”

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.