9:2, 3, 10, 19: “Bottomless Pit”
2 Esdras 7:36: “Then the pit of torment shall appear, and opposite it shall be the place of rest; and the furnace of hell shall be disclosed, and opposite it the paradise of delight.”
“Locusts…as scorpions” See 6:8 above for Sirach 39:28-31.
9:7. “On their heads were crowns of gold…”
2 Maccabees 4:12: “… he induced the noblest of the young men to wear the Greek hat.” Note on 12: “The broad-brimmed Greek hat was worn by the god Hermes; headgear has usually had national or religious significance in the East.” (OAA p. 269-70).
9:11. “Hebrew tongue“
Regarding Ezra‘s reading of the Scripture at that time, Metzger notes that: “The Levites explained the law to the people, perhaps translating it (or its difficult portions) into Aramaic for those who may not have been familiar with Hebrew.” (OAA. p. 21, note 48).
2 Esdras 14:42: “And the Most High gave understanding to the five men, and by turns they wrote what was dictated, in characters which they did not know…” Note 42: “…in a new Hebrew script, the (modern) square characters.” (OAA, p. 57).
Sirach, Prologue: “…For what was originally expressed in Hebrew does not have exactly the same sense when translated into another language. Not only this work, but even the law itself, the prophecies, and the rest of the books differ not a little as originally expressed.” (OAA p. 129).
Introduction by Bruce Metzger to the book of Baruch: “The decidedly Hebraic cast of many sentences suggests that the book was written originally in Hebrew. In fact, the Greek text, particularly in the first part, is often incomprehensible without re-translating it back into Hebrew…. According to a widely held opinion its final redaction took place sometime between about 150 and 60 B.C.” (OAA p. 198).
9:14. “Euphrates“
1 Maccabees 7:8: “…the province Beyond the River….” [i.e. the Euphrates.] (See also 16:12 below).
9:16. “Horsemen”
1 Maccabees note on 16:4: “Horsemen are now for the first time part of the Judean army.” [Under John Hyrcanus I in about 138 B.C.]