And Ethan’s son was Azariah is literally “and the sons of Ethan: Azariah” (similarly New American Bible). As in the case of Carmi and Achar in the previous verse, the plural word “sons” is difficult to understand. The Old Testament does not indicate elsewhere whether Ethan had other sons, so it will be better not to say as directly as Good News Translation does that Ethan had “one” son. It is probably best to follow the example of Revised Standard Version and say Ethan’s son (also New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Ethan was named in verse 6 as one of Zerah’s sons, which makes him a grandson of Judah. Nothing more is known of Azariah. The name Azariah occurs frequently in the Old Testament and refers to twenty-seven different people.
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 .
