These mentioned by name were princes in their families (verse 38): Some interpreters take princes in their families to mean that these clan leaders were officers in the tribal military units. The word princes is frequently rendered “leaders” (Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New Century Version, New American Standard Bible) and sometimes “chiefs” (Bible en français courant, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible).

And their fathers’ houses increased greatly (verse 38): For their fathers’ houses, Good News Translation has “their families” (also New International Version), which is more natural in many languages. The Hebrew verb translated increased is literally “spread abroad” (Gen 28.14), “broke out,” or “exploded,” implying that the population spread in all directions. Parole de Vie renders increased greatly as “became very numerous.” For this whole clause New Century Version has “These families grew very large.”

The Masoretic Text does not make an explicit connection between the end of verse 38 and the beginning of verse 39. However, the sense seems to be that these families went to search for new pasture lands because they had increased in number and needed more land for their animals. So some versions connect the last clause of verse 38 with the beginning of verse 39 (so Good News Translation, New American Bible, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). New American Bible does this by saying “and their ancestral houses spread out to such an extent 39 that they went to the approaches of Gedor.” Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch begin a new paragraph with the last clause of verse 38 and thereby imply that the growth in the size of the families is the reason that they spread out.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .