Whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by any man or by all thy people Israel: For whatever see the comments on the previous verse. Regarding the nouns prayer and supplication, see the comments on verse 19.

The passive verb is made will have to be changed into an active one in some languages. The agent is actually specified in the text as any man or … all thy people Israel. An active expression for this whole clause is “when any person in Israel or all your people truly feel sorry and sincerely pray.” In this context any man refers to an individual person, whether male or female, in contrast to the whole nation of Israel.

Each knowing his own affliction, and his own sorrow: Affliction renders the same Hebrew noun translated “plague” in the previous verse. The Hebrew word for sorrow can refer to mental anguish or physical “pain” (New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The precise meaning of this clause is not clear. The sense appears to be that each person will recognize that his own suffering is the result of God’s punishment of his sin. New Jerusalem Bible says “each being aware of his own affliction and pain.”

And stretching out his hands toward this house is literally “and he spreads the palms of his hands toward this house.” See the comments on verse 12. This gesture was commonly used in fervent prayer to God in the Old Testament but usually the hands were stretched out toward God in heaven rather than toward the Temple, his dwelling place on earth. This house clearly refers to the Temple, and in some languages it may be wise to make this explicit as Good News Translation has done.

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 .