On the Greek text. The Greek follows the standard critical text of the Septuagint (Rahlfs-Hanhart in its main wording, itself an ancient, public-domain text); the distinctively copyrighted critical apparatus is not reproduced. Versification follows the LXX.

The First Book of Maccabees (LXX) — Interlinear: Themes, Outlines & Translation Notes

A consolidated companion to the 1 Maccabees data set: every chapter of LXX 1 Maccabees (1-16) rendered as a six-tier Greek reverse-interlinear (Greek · gloss · parsing/case · syntax · semantic force · lexical note), with per-verse discourse analysis and a chapter argument-outline.

This document gathers the theme, the argument outline (the outline movements authored into each data file), and the translation / textual / exegetical notes (the text_note of each file, reproduced verbatim) — followed by a summary of the major translation and interpretive cruxes that were deliberately annotated rather than silently resolved. 1 Maccabees is the long Hasmonean war history that moves from Antiochus IV's desecration of Jerusalem through Mattathias's revolt, Judas's victories and temple rededication, and the rise of Jonathan and Simon to Judean self-rule; although it survives in Greek, it is historiographical rather than translation-Greek in texture, with compressed annalistic narration, covenantal zeal, and a sustained concern for the sanctuary, the law, and legitimate leadership. The Greek follows the standard critical text of the Septuagint (Rahlfs–Hanhart in its main wording, itself an ancient public-domain text); the distinctively copyrighted apparatus is not reproduced, and versification follows the LXX.

Scope

Each annotated word carries Greek, a working gloss, color-coded grammatical case, parsing (Tense·Voice·Mood·Person·Number + lemma), a Wallace-style syntactic-function label, an aspectual semantic-force label (verbal forms), and a condensed lexical note. As translation Greek, the annotation additionally flags Hebraisms and the underlying Hebrew idiom where it illuminates the rendering.

The argument of the book

The macro-structure of the whole book — its major movements — under which the chapter-by-chapter detail below unfolds. 1 Maccabees is a tightly organized war history in which imperial politics, priestly legitimacy, and temple fidelity are continually read together. The annotation tracks the book's brisk Semitized Greek, its military compression, and the way its speeches interpret revolt as covenantal resistance rather than mere nationalism. (Section divisions are interpretive; the more common analysis is generally followed.)

• I · 1–2 — Desecration and revolt. Antiochus's imperial aggression and Judean apostasy culminate in anti-covenantal decrees, then Mattathias's refusal at Modein turns lament into armed zeal and succession planning.
• II · 3–9 — Judas the Maccabee and the first wars of deliverance. Judas rises as champion of Israel, defeats royal generals, gathers the people in prayer, rededicates the temple, rescues endangered Judean communities, and finally falls in battle after the long Bacchides struggle.
• III · 10–12 — Jonathan amid dynastic struggle. Seleucid rivalry opens space for Jonathan's political and priestly ascent as diplomacy, warfare, and alliances with Rome and Sparta reshape Judea's position.
• IV · 13–16 — Simon, independence, and dynastic transition. Simon consolidates security, receives national recognition, negotiates foreign powers, defeats new threats, and is finally assassinated as John Hyrcanus succeeds him.

Chapter-by-chapter

1 Maccabees 1 — ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ Α′

Theme. 1 Maccabees 1 is the programmatic disaster chapter for the whole book. It begins with the fragmentation of Alexander's empire and then narrows toward Antiochus IV Epiphanes, whose reign becomes the engine of Judea's crisis.

Outline.

• A · 1:1-9 — Alexander's conquests end in death and divided succession. The opening surveys Alexander's victories, wealth, death, and the multiplication of rival kingdoms that inherit his imperial world.
• B · 1:10-15 — Antiochus rises and Judean renegades seek Hellenizing alliance. A sinful root appears in Antiochus Epiphanes, while certain men in Israel propose covenant-breaking accommodation with the Gentile order.
• C · 1:16-28 — Antiochus invades Jerusalem and plunders the sanctuary. After success in Egypt Antiochus enters Jerusalem violently, strips the temple of its treasures, sheds blood, and leaves the city mourning.
• D · 1:29-40 — Royal occupation turns Jerusalem into a fortified center of oppression. The king's agents deceive the city, massacre its inhabitants, fortify the citadel, and transform Zion into a place of fear, exile, and contamination.
• E · 1:41-64 — The king's decrees outlaw covenantal life and provoke martyrdom. Imperial edicts abolish Israel's distinctive practices, the abomination of desolation is raised, and those who remain faithful face death rather than profanation.

Translation & textual notes. 1 Maccabees 1 is the programmatic disaster chapter for the whole book. It begins with the fragmentation of Alexander's empire and then narrows toward Antiochus IV Epiphanes, whose reign becomes the engine of Judea's crisis. The chapter is carefully staged: first imperial succession, then internal Jewish apostasy, then Antiochus's seizure of Jerusalem and plundering of the sanctuary, then the installation of military and civic oppression in the city of David, and finally the royal decrees that outlaw covenantal life and culminate in the erection of the 'abomination of desolation.' The Greek is terse, annalistic, and cumulative. Its rhetoric depends not on ornament but on relentless addition: one loss follows another until temple, law, circumcision, sacrifice, feast, Sabbath, and even parental fidelity are all brought under assault. In narrative terms, this chapter explains why armed resistance will later arise; in theological terms, it defines the struggle as a contest over holiness, identity, and the right ordering of Israel's worship before God.

1 Maccabees 2 — ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ Β′

Theme. 1 Maccabees 2 is the founding chapter of the revolt. Where chapter 1 narrated catastrophe and desecration on the scale of empire, chapter 2 narrows the lens to Mattathias in Modein and shows how covenantal resistance takes visible form.

Outline.

• A · 2:1-14 — Mattathias appears in Modein and laments Israel's humiliation. The priest Mattathias and his sons are introduced, and he mourns the profanation of Jerusalem, the sanctuary, and Israel's honor.
• B · 2:15-28 — Mattathias rejects the king's demand and ignites the revolt. When royal agents demand apostate sacrifice, Mattathias refuses publicly, kills the compliant Jew and the king's officer, destroys the altar, and summons all zealots for the law to follow him.
• C · 2:29-48 — The faithful flee, regroup, and begin disciplined resistance. The rebels withdraw to the wilderness, learn from the slaughter of Sabbath-refusers, resolve to fight defensively on the Sabbath, gather Hasideans, and purge lawless conditions among the people.
• D · 2:49-70 — Mattathias's testament hands zeal, leadership, and memory to the next generation. As he nears death Mattathias exhorts his sons through examples from Israel's history, appoints Judas for war and Simon for counsel, blesses covenantal courage, and dies lamented by all Israel.

Translation & textual notes. 1 Maccabees 2 is the founding chapter of the revolt. Where chapter 1 narrated catastrophe and desecration on the scale of empire, chapter 2 narrows the lens to Mattathias in Modein and shows how covenantal resistance takes visible form. The chapter moves from lament over Jerusalem's ruin to public refusal of royal demands, then to violent zeal, wilderness flight, practical legal discernment about Sabbath defense, reforming action among the faithful, and finally Mattathias's testament to his sons. Its theology is explicit. Zeal for the law, fidelity to the covenant, remembrance of the fathers, and readiness for honorable death are all presented as legitimate responses to anti-covenantal coercion. The long farewell speech matters especially because it interprets the revolt not as political improvisation alone but as continuity with Abraham, Phinehas, Joshua, David, Elijah, Hananiah and his companions, and the wider history of those justified by fidelity under pressure.

1 Maccabees 3 — ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ Γ′

Theme. 1 Maccabees 3 turns from Mattathias's testament to Judas's first public campaigns and to the widening imperial response they provoke.

Outline.

• A · 3:1-9 — Judas succeeds Mattathias and is praised as Israel's lion-like deliverer. Judas rises in his father's place, gathers familial and covenantal support, is celebrated in martial similes, suppresses the lawless, and becomes a blessing to Jacob.
• B · 3:10-12 — Apollonius attacks and is struck down. Apollonius assembles a force against Israel, but Judas goes out to meet him, kills him, routs the survivors, and takes both spoil and the sword that becomes his lasting weapon.
• C · 3:13-26 — Seron is defeated and Judas's name spreads among the nations. Seron seeks glory by crushing Judas, but Judas answers fear with theology, defeats him at Beth-horon, and becomes an object of dread among surrounding peoples.
• D · 3:27-37 — Antiochus reacts in anger and delegates the campaign to Lysias. Alarmed by Judas's advances and squeezed by financial strain, Antiochus assembles forces, opens the treasury, appoints Lysias over western affairs, and authorizes the devastation and replacement of Judea.
• E · 3:38-54 — Foreign forces gather while Judas and the people lament and pray at Mizpah. Royal commanders and traders converge for war and enslavement, while Judas and the people assemble in fasting, mourning, scriptural appeal, and direct prayer for mercy.
• F · 3:55-60 — Judas orders the camp and exhorts the people for battle. Judas appoints officers, dismisses those exempt under the law, and urges the remaining fighters to courageous readiness under the sovereign will of heaven.

Translation & textual notes. 1 Maccabees 3 turns from Mattathias's testament to Judas's first public campaigns and to the widening imperial response they provoke. The chapter opens with an encomiastic portrait of Judas as successor, protector, lion-like fighter, and lasting blessing to Jacob. It then narrates two early victories, first over Apollonius and then over Seron, stressing both Judas's tactical boldness and his theology of divine deliverance: victory does not come from numerical superiority but from the strength that comes from heaven. The second half of the chapter broadens again to royal scale. Antiochus, pressed by financial strain and rebellion, delegates power to Lysias and orders the suppression and replacement of Judea, while the people gather at Mizpah in fasting, lament, and prayer before Judas organizes the force and exhorts them for battle. Throughout the chapter martial action is framed as covenant defense, protection of the sanctuary, and resistance to efforts aimed at erasing Israel's memory from its land.

1 Maccabees 4 — ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ Δ′

Theme. 1 Maccabees 4 narrates two closely linked acts of deliverance.

Outline.

• A · 4:1-15 — Judas outmaneuvers the night raid at Emmaus. Gorgias leaves the Seleucid camp by night to surprise Judas, but Judas receives word and strikes the main royal force while the enemy is still scattered.
• B · 4:16-25 — Pursuit, restraint, and the securing of victory. Once the enemy line breaks, the Judeans pursue them toward Gezer and the coastal plain, yet Judas forbids premature plundering until the danger is removed.
• C · 4:26-35 — Lysias returns and is beaten back at Beth-zur. A second royal campaign follows, but Judas again interprets the conflict through covenant memory and prayer before the enemy retreats.
• D · 4:36-51 — The sanctuary is cleansed and rebuilt. With the field secured, Judas and his brothers turn to the temple, dismantling the polluted altar and restoring the holy precincts and furnishings.
• E · 4:52-61 — The altar is dedicated and the holy place defended. The renewed altar is dedicated on the anniversary of its profanation and celebrated for eight days, after which Zion and Beth-zur are fortified for future defense.

Translation & textual notes. 1 Maccabees 4 narrates two closely linked acts of deliverance. The chapter opens with the night-march around Emmaus: Gorgias leads out a picked force to surprise Judas, but Judas counter-marches against the main Seleucid camp while the enemy is still dispersed (vv. 1-15). The victory becomes rout and pursuit, with the fleeing forces driven toward the Philistine plain and the Judeans then warned not to become careless through plunder before the battle is fully secured (vv. 16-25). A second confrontation follows when Lysias returns with a larger royal army; Judas again exhorts his men in covenantal terms, and the enemy is struck at Beth-zur, forcing a retreat to Antioch and a new round of military preparation (vv. 26-35). The narrative then turns from war to worship: Judas and his brothers resolve to cleanse the sanctuary, dismantle the defiled altar, rebuild the holy structures, and restore the vessels, lamps, incense, and bread of the Presence (vv. 36-51). The climax is the dedication of the renewed altar on the very anniversary of its pagan profanation, celebrated for eight days with burnt offerings, praise, and festal joy (vv. 52-59); the chapter closes by fortifying Mount Zion and stationing troops at Beth-zur so that the regained holy place may be protected against renewed Gentile attack (vv. 60-61). The chapter is therefore foundational for the theology of 1 Maccabees: martial zeal is ordered toward the restoration of true worship, and victory in battle is meaningful because it issues in the purification and rededication of the temple.

1 Maccabees 5 — ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ Ε′

Theme. After the temple rededication, the revolt widens into a region-wide rescue war as Judas and Simon strike hostile neighbors and regather endangered Judean communities.

Outline.

• A · 5:1-2 — The neighboring nations attack after the sanctuary is renewed. News of the restored altar and sanctuary provokes surrounding peoples to target the Jewish populations living among them.
• B · 5:3-8 — Judas strikes Idumea and the Ammonite sphere. Judas responds immediately with punitive campaigns against ambushers, strongholds, and Timothy's coalition in the east.
• C · 5:9-17 — Cries for help arrive from Gilead and Galilee. Jewish communities send desperate reports describing siege, massacre, and the danger of total destruction in a single coordinated assault.
• D · 5:18-36 — Simon and Judas divide the rescue campaigns. Judas assigns Simon to Galilee and leads the eastern expedition himself while trusted officers remain to guard Judea.
• E · 5:37-54 — Judas breaks Timothy and regathers the eastern communities. The eastern campaign defeats hostile forces, captures strongholds, and escorts endangered Judeans back toward the land of Judah.
• F · 5:55-68 — Unauthorized zeal fails, then Judas strikes the Philistine south. Joseph and Azariah seek glory without authorization and are beaten, after which Judas resumes successful operations in the south.

Translation & textual notes. After the temple rededication, the revolt widens into a region-wide rescue war as Judas and Simon strike hostile neighbors and regather endangered Judean communities. The chapter fans outward from the temple rededication crisis: hostile neighbors react violently to the restored sanctuary, Judas strikes Idumea and the Ammonite sphere, urgent appeals arrive from Galilee and Gilead, and coordinated rescue operations gather endangered Judeans out of exposed towns and back toward safety. The final coda warns against unauthorized glory-seeking through the failed sortie of Joseph and Azariah before Judas turns south again against Philistine territory. The style is rapid and compressed, but the theology is clear: military action is justified here as the preservation of covenant communities under immediate threat.

1 Maccabees 6 — ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ Ϛ′

Theme. Antiochus dies under the memory of sacrilege while Judea endures siege, elephant warfare, famine, and a treacherous peace from the new Seleucid regime.

Outline.

• A · 6:1-17 — Antiochus fails in Elymais, remembers Jerusalem, and dies. The eastern plunder attempt miscarries, grim news from Judea deepens the king's distress, and Antiochus dies after entrusting the kingdom and his son to Philip.
• B · 6:18-31 — Judas besieges the citadel while its defenders appeal to the crown. Judas turns to the Acra, but the trapped garrison and renegade allies press the new regime to intervene on their behalf.
• C · 6:32-47 — Lysias and Antiochus Eupator march south and battle Judas. The royal army advances with overwhelming force, including elephants, and the fighting at Beth-zur and afterward costs Israel dearly even amid acts of valor.
• D · 6:48-54 — The king besieges Zion while famine weakens the defenders. The Seleucids invest the sanctuary mount, and the sabbatical-year shortage leaves the besieged Judeans with diminishing provisions and manpower.
• E · 6:55-63 — Royal compromise secures release, then oath-breaking damages Zion again. Pressures within the empire push Lysias toward terms, but after peace is sworn and the defenders depart, the king violates his pledge and dismantles Zion's fortifications before hurrying back to Antioch.

Translation & textual notes. Antiochus dies under the memory of sacrilege while Judea endures siege, elephant warfare, famine, and a treacherous peace from the new Seleucid regime. The chapter then pivots sharply back to Judea: the king dies in grief, a child-king succeeds under regency, Judas presses the siege of the citadel, and the Seleucid response culminates in the campaign of Lysias and Antiochus Eupator against Beth-zur and Mount Zion. The narrative is tightly constructed around reversal. Antiochus who had despoiled Jerusalem now remembers his crimes while perishing abroad; the empire that once overwhelmed the sanctuary now strains to relieve its own garrisons; and temporary diplomacy gives way to bad faith when the king breaks his oath after gaining access to Zion. In literary texture the Greek remains brisk and annalistic, but the chapter's emotional center is the interplay of imperial power, covenant memory, siege, famine, and treacherous peace.

1 Maccabees 7 — ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ Ζ′

Theme. Dynastic change empowers Judea's internal opponents, and the Nicanor cycle begins with deceit, blasphemy, and Judas's vindicating victory.

Outline.

• A · 7:1-4 — Demetrius returns and seizes the kingship. Demetrius reappears from exile, kills the young king and his guardian, and takes the Seleucid throne.
• B · 7:5-11 — Alcimus and the lawless accuse Judas. Alcimus and the lawless party exploit the dynastic transition to depict Judas and his companions as the source of Judea's unrest.
• C · 7:12-18 — Bacchides deceives and kills the Hasideans. Professions of peace conceal treachery as Bacchides seizes and kills leading Hasideans, deepening the moral charge against the regime.
• D · 7:19-26 — Alcimus fails and Nicanor is sent against Judas. Alcimus cannot secure the country, so Demetrius sends Nicanor to combine diplomacy, pressure, and force against Judas.
• E · 7:27-50 — Nicanor moves from deceit to blasphemy and falls. Nicanor's gestures of peace give way to threats and blasphemy, and Judas finally defeats him in a battle remembered by the people.

Translation & textual notes. Dynastic change empowers Judea's internal opponents, and the Nicanor cycle begins with deceit, blasphemy, and Judas's vindicating victory. The narrative moves quickly from Demetrius's accession to the petition of lawless Judeans, the commissioning of hostile agents, the betrayal of the Hasideans, and the escalation from deceitful diplomacy to open war. The Greek style is compact and paratactic, but the chapter's rhetoric sharply contrasts false peace-language with covenantal fidelity and with divine vindication through Judas's victory.

1 Maccabees 8 — ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ Η′

Theme. Rome enters the book as an admired western power whose disciplined order and diplomatic usefulness make alliance part of Judas's strategy.

Outline.

• A · 8:1-8 — Judas hears of Roman strength and fidelity. Rome is introduced through reports of military power, generosity to allies, and constancy in friendship.
• B · 8:9-10 — Roman victories over kings enlarge their fame. Their reputation is reinforced through decisive victories over powerful rulers in the Greek world.
• C · 8:11-16 — Rome's political order is praised as disciplined and restrained. The chapter highlights Roman constitutional discipline and the absence of monarchic self-exaltation as marks of public strength.
• D · 8:17-22 — Judas sends envoys to seek alliance. Recognizing Rome's stature, Judas dispatches representatives to request formal friendship and mutual support.
• E · 8:23-32 — The letter formalizes mutual friendship and obligations. The documentary core of the chapter defines the terms of alliance and the expectations that follow from it.

Translation & textual notes. Rome enters the book as an admired western power whose disciplined order and diplomatic usefulness make alliance part of Judas's strategy. The chapter first builds Rome's reputation through reports of military victories, disciplined governance, and reliability toward allies, then turns to Judas's embassy and the text of the alliance letter itself. The narrative treats diplomacy as a legitimate extension of covenantal statecraft: the same movement that defended altar and law now seeks durable recognition among major powers. The Greek remains concise and report-like, but its arrangement turns hearsay, political description, and documentary citation into a single argument for why Rome mattered to Judas at this stage of the revolt.

1 Maccabees 9 — ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ Θ′

Theme. Renewed royal pressure ends in Judas's death, yet Jonathan and Simon preserve the revolt through a bitter succession under siege.

Outline.

• A · 9:1-5 — Demetrius sends Bacchides and Alcimus again. After Nicanor's defeat, Demetrius renews the campaign by sending Bacchides and Alcimus back into Judea with force.
• B · 9:6-13 — Judas weighs the odds as many withdraw. Judas surveys the overwhelming army, endures the departure of many supporters, and resolves to stand with the remnant.
• C · 9:14-22 — Judas falls in battle at Elasa. The battle turns against Judas, who dies fighting after a last bold assault against the stronger royal force.
• D · 9:23-31 — Jonathan and Simon gather the faithful after Judas's death. The brothers mourn Judas, retrieve his body, and become the rallying point for those who refuse to abandon the cause.
• E · 9:32-53 — Bacchides campaigns, fortifies, and seizes hostages. Bacchides continues to pressure the land through warfare, fortification, and the taking of hostages from key families.
• F · 9:54-73 — Alcimus dies and a temporary peace follows. Alcimus suddenly dies, Bacchides withdraws, and a measure of temporary peace settles over the land.

Translation & textual notes. Renewed royal pressure ends in Judas's death, yet Jonathan and Simon preserve the revolt through a bitter succession under siege. The chapter moves from renewed imperial pressure to the testing of Judas's diminished force, then to the fatal battle itself and the difficult transition that follows. Bacchides fortifies hostile positions and seizes hostages, yet the chapter does not end in pure defeat: Alcimus dies, pressure eases for a time, and the revolt survives beyond its first great champion. The prose is brisk and annalistic, but the structure makes Judas's death both a climax and a hinge in the larger Hasmonean story.

1 Maccabees 10 — ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ Ι′

Theme. Rival Seleucid claimants compete for Jonathan, and he converts dynastic fracture into priestly investiture and political elevation.

Outline.

• A · 10:1-5 — Alexander Balas seizes Ptolemais and claims kingship. Alexander appears as a new claimant, takes Ptolemais, and establishes himself as a rival king against Demetrius.
• B · 10:6-20 — Demetrius tries to secure Jonathan with concessions. To keep Jonathan from joining his rival, Demetrius offers friendship, release, and a widening range of privileges.
• C · 10:21-66 — Alexander grants greater honors and Jonathan rises. Alexander answers with higher honors, publicly invests Jonathan, and folds Judean leadership into the dynastic struggle.
• D · 10:67-89 — Jonathan's military and political ascent continues. Jonathan defeats enemies in battle and emerges from the conflict with enhanced stature and leverage.

Translation & textual notes. Rival Seleucid claimants compete for Jonathan, and he converts dynastic fracture into priestly investiture and political elevation. Alexander's seizure of Ptolemais destabilizes the political field, Demetrius responds with concessions, and Alexander counters with greater honors that elevate Jonathan publicly. The chapter then follows Jonathan's continued rise through ceremony, warfare, and negotiated status. What begins as competition between rival kings becomes an opportunity for Judean leadership to gain legitimacy, office, and room for action within the fractures of the Seleucid world.

1 Maccabees 11 — ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ ΙΑ′

Theme. Jonathan navigates Ptolemaic and Seleucid instability, turning ceremonial honor, urban crisis, and open battle into widened influence.

Outline.

• A · 11:1-8 — Ptolemy advances under alliance pretense and takes the coast. Ptolemy moves north in the language of alliance while steadily taking possession of cities along the coast.
• B · 11:9-27 — Jonathan is honored amid dynastic maneuvering. Jonathan is publicly honored and drawn into the ceremonial and political tensions surrounding the rival kings.
• C · 11:28-53 — Jonathan aids Demetrius and receives concessions. When Demetrius faces rebellion, Jonathan provides decisive help and is rewarded with further privileges and recognition.
• D · 11:54-74 — Jonathan campaigns successfully on the coast and in the north. The chapter closes with fresh military victories that confirm Jonathan's growing strength and regional significance.

Translation & textual notes. Jonathan navigates Ptolemaic and Seleucid instability, turning ceremonial honor, urban crisis, and open battle into widened influence. Ptolemy advances under the appearance of alliance while absorbing territory, Jonathan is honored amid dynastic maneuvering, and Demetrius later depends on him in moments of urban crisis. The latter part of the chapter returns to the battlefield as Jonathan campaigns successfully along the coast and in the north. Throughout, Jonathan is shown as more than a local commander: he has become a figure whose military force and political loyalty matter inside the larger contests of kings.

1 Maccabees 12 — ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ ΙΒ′

Theme. Diplomacy and campaigning give way to Tryphon's treachery, ending with Jonathan's capture and Israel's grief.

Outline.

• A · 12:1-18 — Jonathan renews embassies to Rome and Sparta. Diplomatic outreach is renewed so that Judea's external relationships remain active and recognized.
• B · 12:19-25 — Jonathan secures Judea and marches north. Jonathan attends to the land's security before pressing into the northern theater.
• C · 12:26-48 — Tryphon lures Jonathan into a trap at Ptolemais. Tryphon uses flattery and staged trust to isolate Jonathan and seize him through deceit.
• D · 12:49-53 — Jonathan's forces withdraw and Israel mourns. The remaining troops retreat in grief and the nation absorbs the shock of Jonathan's capture.

Translation & textual notes. Diplomacy and campaigning give way to Tryphon's treachery, ending with Jonathan's capture and Israel's grief. The chapter begins with renewed embassies to Rome and Sparta, then turns to Jonathan's military movements and his concern to secure Judea's rear. Its center is Tryphon's deception at Ptolemais, where apparent welcome masks calculated betrayal. The final verses trace the army's difficult withdrawal and the communal shock that follows Jonathan's seizure, preparing the transition to Simon's leadership.

1 Maccabees 13 — ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ ΙΓ′

Theme. Simon answers Jonathan's loss by assuming command, resisting Tryphon, and consolidating Judean strongholds into durable security.

Outline.

• A · 13:1-11 — Simon rallies the people and assumes command. Simon answers the crisis with public exhortation, takes responsibility for the struggle, and steadies the people's resolve.
• B · 13:12-24 — Tryphon kills Jonathan and Simon mourns. Jonathan's death is confirmed, and Simon responds with lament while preparing to preserve the nation and the cause.
• C · 13:25-42 — Simon consolidates the land and removes threats. Simon fortifies key positions, drives out dangers, and begins to secure Judea under his own leadership.
• D · 13:43-53 — Simon captures Gazara and secures the citadel. Military success culminates in captured strongholds and the symbolic securing of the citadel in Jerusalem.

Translation & textual notes. Simon answers Jonathan's loss by assuming command, resisting Tryphon, and consolidating Judean strongholds into durable security. The chapter turns grief into succession: Simon publicly accepts the burden of leadership, answers the threat from Tryphon, mourns Jonathan, and steadily secures the land through fortification, political firmness, and military success. By the close, Simon is no longer only Jonathan's surviving brother but the effective guardian of Judea's stability and the focal point of the next phase of Hasmonean rule.

1 Maccabees 14 — ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ ΙΔ′

Theme. Simon's rule is celebrated as a moment of peace, public order, and international recognition, then ratified by national decree.

Outline.

• A · 14:1-3 — Demetrius is captured in the east. The opening notice removes a rival king from the scene and sharpens the contrast with Simon's secure rule.
• B · 14:4-15 — Simon's rule is praised in peace and prosperity. The chapter celebrates Simon's age as one of stability, agricultural abundance, civic order, and public honor.
• C · 14:16-24 — Foreign powers recognize Simon. Recognition from Rome and Sparta reinforces Simon's stature beyond Judea itself.
• D · 14:25-49 — Public decree establishes Simon's authority. A formal national decree fixes Simon's offices, honors, and legitimacy in lasting public form.

Translation & textual notes. Simon's rule is celebrated as a moment of peace, public order, and international recognition, then ratified by national decree. Its first half adopts an encomiastic register that celebrates security, agricultural abundance, civic order, and military success, before the latter half culminates in a formal public decree fixing Simon's offices and honors. The effect is to present Simon not merely as a successful commander but as the publicly recognized steward of a stable Judean order.

1 Maccabees 15 — ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ ΙΕ′

Theme. Antiochus VII's opening favor hardens into claims and military pressure, placing Simon between diplomacy, Roman backing, and renewed threat.

Outline.

• A · 15:1-7 — Antiochus VII opens with recognition and promises. The new king begins by acknowledging Simon and extending favorable assurances meant to secure cooperation.
• B · 15:8-24 — Roman support is announced across the region. The chapter broadens outward through letters and notifications that place Simon's situation within a wider diplomatic network.
• C · 15:25-36 — Antiochus presses territorial and financial claims. Initial goodwill yields to demands over cities, tribute, and political subordination.
• D · 15:37-41 — Cendebeus is commissioned against Judea. The closing commission turns royal pressure into direct military threat against Simon and the land.

Translation & textual notes. Antiochus VII's opening favor hardens into claims and military pressure, placing Simon between diplomacy, Roman backing, and renewed threat. The chapter opens with conciliatory recognition, widens into regional notifications supported by Roman authority, and then turns sharply as Antiochus presses claims over territory, tribute, and control. The commission of Cendebeus at the end makes plain that diplomacy and menace now travel together. Simon is thus placed in the uncomfortable space between external legitimacy and renewed imperial coercion.

1 Maccabees 16 — ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ ΙϚ′

Theme. The book closes with victory over Cendebeus, Simon's murder by domestic treachery, and John's rapid emergence as successor.

Outline.

• A · 16:1-4 — Simon commissions Judas and John. Simon sends his sons out with instructions that frame the final campaign under his leadership.
• B · 16:5-10 — Judas and John defeat Cendebeus. The brothers repel the threat effectively and preserve the land through successful action in the field.
• C · 16:11-17 — Ptolemy plots and murders Simon. Domestic treachery, not foreign battle, abruptly ends Simon's rule through a carefully staged murder plot.
• D · 16:18-24 — John escapes and assumes leadership. John survives the conspiracy, moves quickly, and becomes the figure who carries Hasmonean leadership forward.

Translation & textual notes. The book closes with victory over Cendebeus, Simon's murder by domestic treachery, and John's rapid emergence as successor. The style is concise and annalistic, but speeches and summary notices frame the final transition of Hasmonean leadership. The book closes not with repose but with succession under threat, making John Hyrcanus the carrier of a story that has not yet reached its political end.

How the data set is organized

• lxx-interlinear/data/1maccabees{1..16}.json — the durable scholarly content: one JSON object per chapter (reference, titles, text-note, outline, and verses with per-word annotation and per-verse discourse notes). The data set shares the nt-interlinear toolkit and schema with the New Testament volumes.
• lxx-interlinear/ — the LXX data home and index builder; rendering reuses the chapter-agnostic nt-interlinear toolkit (stdlib-only HTML; headless-Chromium PDF). Adding a chapter (or a book) requires no code changes.
• Rendered artifacts — 1Maccabees{1..16}.html and .pdf under lxxsite/1Maccabees/, linked from its index.html in the Septuagint site root.

The interpretive tiers (syntactic function, semantic force, discourse structure, and the proposed argument outlines) are interpretive by nature; where readings legitimately differ, the more common analysis was generally chosen, and the lexical notes are condensed orientation rather than a substitute for a lexicon (e.g. LEH / Muraoka) or a full commentary.