Shime-i had sixteen sons and six daughters: Instead of six daughters, the Septuagint has “three daughters.” Klein suggests that the word six is an error in the Hebrew, created under the influence of the preceding number sixteen, and he follows the Septuagint here, but few other modern translations adopt this reading.

But his brothers had not many children, nor did all their family multiply like the men of Judah: The tribe of Simeon had ceased to be a separate tribe by the time this book was written and had been absorbed into the tribe of Judah. According to Josh 19.1 and 9, the land settled by the tribe of Simeon was within the land belonging to the tribe of Judah. His brothers is not intended to be taken in the strict literal sense of male offspring of the same father and mother. Rather, the broader notion of “his relatives” (Good News Translation) is what is meant. Revised English Bible translates “others of his family.”

All their family renders the text of the Masoretic Text. But two Hebrew manuscripts as well as the Septuagint (followed by Nouvelle Bible Segond) have “all their families/clans.” If the singular is followed, the sense may be that the clan of Shimei did not grow as fast as the clans in the tribe of Judah did. If the plural is followed, the meaning is most likely that the clans or families of the tribe of Simeon did not grow in size as much as the clans of Judah. Some versions make this interpretation explicit by saying “the tribe of Simeon” (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or “Simeon’s tribe” (New Living Translation).

The men of Judah refers to the whole tribe of Judah and not just to its male members. So this phrase may be translated “the Judeans” (New Revised Standard Version), “the people of Judah” (New International Version), or “the tribe of Judah” (Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

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 .