The battle against Seron, like the confrontation with Apollonius, is described only in I Maccabees (3.13–26). As stated above, II Maccabees refers to this affair as well in the brief summary on Judas Maccabaeus’ exploits at the start of his career, before the battle of Ammaus (8.1–7). The two battles are reported in I Maccabees in the narrative framework of the year 146 which is mentioned in connection with a domestic event, that is, between April 166 and April 165 b.c., and could have taken place any time between the summer of 166 and April 165 b.c. (see p. 200 above).

The description of the ambush for Seron is longer and more detailed than that of the battle that preceded it. The author locates the battle site in a general way, mentions the operational method of the Jewish force, and reports the number of enemy dead and the direction in which the vanquished retreated. At the same time, important details are missing on points dealt with in I Maccabees in regard to the other battles such as the number of Seleucid combatants, their tactical units, the number of soldiers Judas Maccabaeus had, the features of the terrain, and the precise location of the ambush. The author probably did not take part in the battle, but may possibly have had the assistance of an eye-witness account. The book exaggerated both the enemy numbers and Seron's status in the royal army and stressed the small number of the Jewish combatants, although presumably Judas Maccabaeus deliberately chose to use a small force to set the ambush (re verse 16).