And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah: Because Zobah was part of the Syrian federation, the other Syrians set out to help their fellow countryman. Syrians is literally “Aram.” Many versions say “Arameans” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Living Translation, New Century Version, God’s Word, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), but as far back as King James Version the Hebrew noun here has been translated “Syrians” since it refers to the same geographical area. Some consider the term Syrians misleading when used for the period prior to 1000 B.C., but many modern versions find it acceptable in this context (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie, Nouvelle version Segond révisée, La Bible du Semeur). This is true for the frequent references to the name throughout this book (especially in chapters 18 and 19). Since readers are more likely to think of Damascus only as a city, it may be better to add a word with a wider meaning such as “territory,” “region” or “country” to show that a “nation-state” is involved. For the Syrians of Damascus, Contemporary English Version speaks of “the Syrian kingdom of Damascus.” In the Masoretic Text Damascus is written here as “Darmeseq,” but it will be best to use the same spelling in the receptor language as elsewhere in the Old Testament. The Hebrew verb for came is third person singular. Since “Aram” refers to the people of Syria, most translations will use a plural verb. Good News Translation clarifies the meaning of the verb came with “sent an army.” Similarly, Contemporary English Version speaks of “troops.” Since Hadadezer has already been identified in verse 3 as king of Zobah, Good News Translation omits the name Zobah for reasons of English style. Bible en français courant abbreviates even more, saying simply “Hadadezer.”

David slew twenty-two thousand men of the Syrians: Slew renders the same Hebrew word translated “defeated” in verses 1-3. But this context seems to require the more specific meaning “killed” (Good News Translation) since the victims are counted. Of course, David would not have personally killed all twenty-two thousand enemy soldiers, so some languages may require “David and his men” or “the army of David” as the subject of this verb. The object of this verb includes the words of the Syrians (literally “of Aram”), repeating the name used at the beginning of this verse. However, in some languages it will be more natural to use a pronoun, saying “of them,” or to leave this phrase untranslated.

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 .