These were the sons of Levi …: This verse is a summary statement about the list of the descendants of Levi, which began in verse 7. Parole de Vie attempts to convey that this is a summary by beginning with “All these men were of the tribe of Levi….”

By their fathers’ houses, the heads of fathers’ houses is literally “by their fathers’ houses, the heads of fathers.” See the comments on 1 Chr 5.24. Revised Standard Version adds houses at the end of this expression as the context requires. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “by clans, with their clan chiefs,” and New International Version has “by their families–the heads of families.” Good News Translation says simply “by clans and families,” but the sense is that the preceding names were not only organized into groups by clans and families, but that they were registered in groups under the names of the clan chiefs.

As they were registered according to the number of the names of the individuals from twenty years old and upward: See the comments on 1 Chr 23.3.

Who were to do the work for the service of the house of the LORD: The Hebrew participle rendered who were to do is singular. This may be the basis for the Good News Translation rendering “Each … had a share.” However, many Hebrew manuscripts have a plural participle here. It seems unlikely that any difference in meaning is intended whether the original text had the singular or the plural.

Revised English Bible provides a useful model for the first half of this verse, saying “Such were the Levites, grouped by families in the father’s line whose heads were named in the detailed list.” In those languages where passive expressions are not possible in such a context, the verb were registered (Revised English Bible “were named”) will have to be expressed differently. It may also be necessary to break this verse down into simpler sentences. If so, the following model may be helpful:

• This is the list of the descendants of Levi according to their families. These were the leaders of their families. The list contained the name of each person who was twenty years old or older. They served in the LORD’s Temple.

Some interpreters think verse 27 originally followed verse 24. This understanding is the basis for the New American Bible translation, which then has verses 25-26 and 28-32 as direct speech. New American Bible renders verses 24b and 27 as follows:

• 24 … They performed the work of the service of the house of the LORD from twenty years of age upward, 27 for David’s final orders were to enlist the Levites from the time they were twenty years old.

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 .