Meanwhile all the men of Judah stood before the LORD …: Meanwhile translates the common Hebrew conjunction, which is ignored in some versions (so Good News Translation, New International Version). Perhaps the beginning of a new paragraph will be an adequate expression of the conjunction here. All the men of Judah is literally “all Judah” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible). Judah a collective noun here, as it is also in verses 15, 18, 20, and 24 (compare “Israel” in verse 10). The remainder of this verse makes it clear that the men of Judah are in view here. Stood before the LORD means they stood in the presence of God, that is, “at the Temple” (Good News Translation).

With their little ones, their wives, and their children: The Hebrew noun rendered little ones probably refers to children before the age of walking, so it may be translated “infants” (An American Translation, Moffatt). Good News Translation combines little ones and children as “children,” but this translation lacks the precision of the Hebrew. In many languages it will be more natural to mention the wives before the infants and the other children. An alternative models for this whole phrase is “with their wives, infants, and other children.”

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 .