Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada … and Abiathar: Ahithophel committed suicide according to 2 Sam 17.23. So although the Hebrew does not state here that Jehoiada and Abiathar succeeded Ahithophel because he died, Good News Translation makes that explicit by beginning with “After Ahithophel died” (similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

Revised Standard Version‘s rendering of this sentence reflects the ambiguity of the Hebrew, which is literally “and after Ahitophel Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar.” Did Jehoiada and Abiathar succeed Ahithophel at the same time, or did Abiathar follow Jehoiada after a period of time? Contemporary English Version follows the second sense by saying “Jehoiada the son of Benaiah was the king’s advisor after Ahithophel, and later, Abiathar was his advisor.” However, it is more likely that they became advisers at the same time (so Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Nueva Versión Internacional). New Jerusalem Bible expresses this sense by saying “Jehoiada son of Benaiah and Abiathar succeeded Ahitophel,” but this rendering sounds as if Benaiah and Abiathar were both parents of Jehoiada. Translations should be clear that Jehoiada was not the son of Abiathar also. New International Version, for example, says “Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada son of Benaiah and by Abiathar.”

According to the Masoretic Text, both Jehoiada and Abiathar were advisers to King David. Since Abiathar was a priest, some interpreters think that a scribe accidently omitted the words “his priest,” so they correct and Abiathar to read “and his priest was Abiathar” (Knoppers). Einheitsübersetzung says “Abiathar was priest,” and then states in a footnote that this rendering is “expanded by analogy.” However, there is no textual support for such a correction.

Joab was commander of the king’s army: See 1 Chr 11.6 and 18.5.

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 .