And there was again war at Gath: As in verse 5, this expression marks another episode in the section. It will be important in some languages to make it clear that this war was “still another battle” (New International Version), distinct from those in verses 4 and 5.
Where there was a man of great stature: A man of great stature may be rendered “a large man” ( NET Bible) or “a man of great size” (Klein).
Who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number is literally “and his fingers six and six twenty-four.” The Hebrew leaves implied that the second number refers to the toes, but this should probably be spelled out in most languages as it is in most English versions. The summary statement twenty-four in number may not work well in certain languages that have totally different terms for fingers and toes. They may have to say “twelve fingers and twelve toes.” But in other languages it will be perfectly natural to summarize in this way since the same word is used for the digits on the hand or on the feet. Contemporary English Version leaves the overall total implicit, saying only “six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot.”
And he also was descended from the giants: The giants is literally “the giant” (King James Version, Holman Christian Standard Bible). See the comments on 1 Chr 20.4. According to texts such as Deut 2.10-11, these giants were a race that existed in the distant past. Therefore Good News Translation says “the ancient giants.” It is possible to say “the Rapha” (similarly New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), reflecting the singular form in the Hebrew. Some interpreters understand the Hebrew word for the giants as a proper noun; for example, New Jerusalem Bible renders this whole clause as “He too was a son of Rapha” (similarly Nouvelle Bible Segond), and NET Bible says “He too was a descendant of Rapha.”
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 .