Revised Standard Version‘s literal translation of this verse will be difficult for many readers to understand. Good News Translation has recast it in order to clarify the content.
Jerijah was chief of the Hebronites: Jerijah is also named as chief of the descendants of Hebron in 1 Chr 23.19 and 24.23. The spelling variants of this name are harmonized in some versions by dropping the letter j in the middle of the name here to make it conform to 23.19 and 24.23 (so Good News Translation, New International Version, New Living Translation).
Of whatever genealogy or fathers’ houses: There is disagreement on how these words are to be connected to the rest of the verse. Among the possible interpretations and translations are the following:
• (1) One interpretation is represented by Revised Standard Version, which places these words in the first part of the verse. According to Revised Standard Version, a search of the genealogical records showed that Jerijah was the founding ancestor of the descendants of Hebron. Following the same understanding of the Hebrew structure, New International Version begins this verse with “As for the Hebronites, Jeriah was their chief according to the genealogical records of their families” (similarly La Bible du Semeur). Another clear expression of this interpretation is the rendering in New Living Translation, which says “Also from the clan of Hebron came Jeriah, who was the leader of the Hebronites according to the genealogical records.” Compare also “Among the Hebronites, Jerijah was their chief according to their family records” (New American Bible).
• (2) Another interpretation is represented by Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, which also connects the words of whatever genealogy or fathers’ houses with the first part of the verse, but with a different sense from the translations cited in the previous paragraph. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente says “Other descendants of Hebron had Jerijah as their leader, according to their genealogy.” According to this interpretation of the Hebrew, some descendants of Hebron claimed Hashabiah as their chief ancestor (verse 30), while other Hebronites claimed Jerijah as their chief ancestor on the basis of their ancestral records.
• (3) However, the correct position of these words is expressed in the New Revised Standard Version rendering for this verse: “Of the Hebronites, Jerijah was chief of the Hebronites. (In the fortieth year of David’s reign search was made of whatever genealogy or family, and men of great ability among them were found at Jazer in Gilead.)” The Good News Translation and Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje translations are based on the same understanding of the Hebrew as New Revised Standard Version. Compare also “The head of the Hebronites was Jeriah. In the fortieth year of David’s reign, searches were made of the genealogies of the Hebronites, and among them were found brave men in Jazer of Gilead” (El libro del Pueblo de Dios; similarly Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Nueva Versión Internacional, Osty-Trinquet).
The fortieth year of David’s reign was his last year as king (1 Kgs 2.11; 1 Chr 29.27).
Search was made and men of great ability among them were found at Jazer in Gilead: For men of great ability, see the comments on verses 6-7. According to 1 Chr 6.81, Jazer was a Levitical city in the territory of Gilead. The territory of Gilead was on the east side of the Jordan River. Jerijah and his relatives had oversight of the two and a half tribes east of the Jordan.
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 .