So they came to Ephron: Ephron was a town in Gilead about 14.5 kilometers (9 miles) east of the Jordan River and south of Lake Galilee, across the Jordan from Beth Shan. Good News Bible says “They went as far as Ephron,” but this is not correct, since they traveled past Ephron. An alternative model is “On the way they came to Ephron.”

This was a large and very strong city on the road: Ephron was a well-fortified town located on the road at the bottom of a steep valley. Another way to express this clause is “It was a large, well-fortified town on the road [toward Judea],” or the first half of this verse may be rendered “On the way they came to the strong walled town of Ephron.”

And they could not go round it to the right or to the left; they had to go through it may be translated “It was impossible for them to go around the town because the only road passed directly through it.”

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.