And Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed, five: As indicated in the previous verse, these five men are not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament. This verse seems out of place since it lists these people without any apparent connection to the preceding verse. A literal translation such as that in Revised Standard Version (also Nouvelle version Segond révisée) leaves the meaning ambiguous, as it is in the Hebrew. Who are these five men? Some translations attempt to identify them in the following ways:

• (1) As sons of Zerubbabel’s first son Meshullam. The second half of verse 19 lists two sons of Zerubbabel and one daughter. Verse 21 lists the sons of Zerubbabel’s second son Hananiah. So it makes sense that verse 20 probably lists the sons of Zerubbabel’s first son. Therefore some interpreters correct the Masoretic Text by inserting the words “the sons of Meshullam” as follows: “and the sons of Meshullam: Hashubah, Ohel…” (so New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Einheitsübersetzung, Osty-Trinquet). Some translations add the words “and the sons of Meshullam were” and place them within parentheses (so Menge) or within square brackets (so La Bible Pléiade). We recommend this first interpretation and suggest that the words “the sons of Meshullam” be added in the text, accompanied by a footnote stating that these words are added as the context seems to require.

• (2) As additional sons of Zerubbabel. Here there are two possibilities:

(a) The five children in verse 20 are children of Zerubbabel who were born to a different wife than the children in verse 19.
(b) The children in verse 19 were born to Zerubbabel during the Babylonian Exile, while those in verse 20 were born after the return from exile. Following this interpretation, the common conjunction at the beginning of this verse is sometimes translated “Then.” Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia suggests in its textual notes that the Masoretic Text may originally have read “And after his return…” (see the comments on “and the sons of Zerubbabel” in the previous verse).

• If the children of verse 20 are thought to be those of Zerubbabel, then Revised English Bible may provide a useful model: “There were five others: Hashubah…” (similarly New International Version). Compare “He had five other sons: Hashubah…” (Good News Translation; similarly Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), “then again five sons, Hashubah…” (Bible en français courant; similarly Moffatt), “Then Hashubah…” (La Bible du Semeur), “moreover these five: Hashubah…” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), and “Zerubbabel was the father of five other sons: Hashubah…” (Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje; similarly New Century Version).

Jushab-hesed is expressed as a double name in Good News Translation (“Jushab Hesed”), but spelled without even a hyphen in Contemporary English Version (“Jushabhesed”). This Hebrew name means “may steadfast love be returned.” Some writers believe that this name is a symbolic one.

In keeping with its usual practice in such contexts, Good News Translation has shifted the number five forward to the beginning of this verse. But translators should feel free to provide this information wherever in the verse it sounds most natural.

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 .