And the king made of the algum wood steps for the house of the LORD and for the king’s house: For clarity the king may be rendered “Solomon” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) or “King Solomon” (New Century Version). Steps translates a Hebrew word whose meaning is uncertain. Other renderings include “stairs” (Good News Translation, New American Bible), “ramps” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “stands” (Revised English Bible), “flooring” (Bible en français courant), “gateways” (God’s Word, New Living Translation alternative translation), “coverings” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), and “balustrades” (Moffatt), that is, railings. Elsewhere the same Hebrew word is taken to mean “highway/road” (see Num 20.19; 1 Chr 26.16) or “course” for the stars (see Jdg 5.20), so the meaning here might possibly be more general. The house of the LORD and the king’s house may be rendered “the temple of the LORD” (New International Version) and “the royal palace” (New International Version, God’s Word).

Lyres also and harps for the singers: For lyres and harps, see the comments on 1 Chr 13.8. Good News Translation reverses the order of these terms, perhaps because harps are more familiar. The singers (or, “musicians” [New Jerusalem Bible], “chanters” [New American Bible]) may refer to the Temple musicians or to musicians in the royal court. Since the text does not specify where they performed, translators should not do so in the receptor language either.

There never was seen the like of them before in the land of Judah: New Living Translation takes the pronoun them to refer only to the musical instruments by saying “Never before had there been such beautiful instruments in Judah.” But the pronoun may just as likely refer to both the stairs and the musical instruments.

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 .