And also Obed-edom and his sixty-eight brethren …: Revised Standard Version follows the Septuagint in reading his sixty-eight brethren (so also many other versions). The Masoretic Text has “their sixty-eight brothers.” These were not all children of the same parents but rather “his kinsmen” (Revised English Bible) or “members of his family” (Parole de Vie) in the larger sense of the word “brothers.”

Obed-edom was mentioned with the Levites in verse 5. Some interpreters consider this Obed-edom to be the same person, but others think this is another person with the same name. In keeping with common practice in English, the qualification of Obed-edom as the son of Jeduthun is shifted forward in Good News Translation to go with the first mention of this person in the verse. It is not clear in the context whether this verse refers to one person by the name of Obed-edom or whether two different people with the same name are intended. On the assumption that the same person is intended, some versions contract the wording of this verse so that Obed-edom is mentioned once only; for example, New Living Translation says “This group included Obed-edom (son of Jeduthun), Hosah, and sixty-eight other Levites as gatekeepers” (similarly Nouvelle Bible Segond).

While Obed-edom … and Hosah were to be gatekeepers: Hosah appears again in chapter 26, where he is said to be from the clan of Merari. Since Obed-edom and Hosah are named specifically, they were most likely the leaders of the group. Good News Translation makes this explicit by saying “Hosah and Obed Edom were in charge of guarding the gates.” For gatekeepers see the comments on 1 Chr 9.17.

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 .