The prophet Ezekiel refers to this event in his explanation of his parable of the eagles and the vine (Ezek 17.12).

The Hebrew verb translated carried away is the same one as in the previous verse. And the implied subject continues to be Nebuchadnezzar.

The king’s mother: Some languages may have a special word to refer to the mother of a chief or a king. It would be appropriate to use such a term here.

The king’s wives: In some languages it will be necessary to choose between a plural form for wives that indicates a few wives or a plural form that indicates many wives. There is, however, no statement in the biblical text or other ancient documents which indicates the number of Jehoiachin’s wives.

The Hebrew word translated officials is the same as the one rendered “palace officials” in verse 12. As in verse 12, some modern versions therefore translate it “eunuchs” (Revised English Bible, La Bible Pléiade, em>Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). But the more general meaning given in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation is probably more appropriate in this context.

The chief men of the land: This expression refers to the leading citizens of Judah. Its meaning is virtually the opposite of “the poorest people of the land” in verse 14. These two groups represent the opposite ends of the social scale in Judah. New Revised Standard Version says “the elite of the land.” The Hebrew word for chief men is ʾewil. This word is sometimes translated “foolish” or “fool” in other contexts, but such a meaning has no clear sense here. Probably the Hebrew word here is a loanword from Akkadian which means “man” or “citizen.” The reading in the margin of the Masoretic Text has the Hebrew word ʾayil (meaning “male sheep”). This word occurs in Exo 15.15 and Ezek 17.13 in a metaphorical sense to refer to rulers or powerful men. Whichever reading is followed, the meaning will be the same.

The repetitious information in this verse may be reduced if it is considered unnatural. The two verbal expressions, he carried away … to Babylon at the beginning of the verse and he took into captivity … to Babylon at the end, may be reduced to a single verb phrase if necessary.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .