Good News Translation and New Jerusalem Bible add a paragraph break here, which may be helpful in other languages.

And in the days of Saul may be translated “During the reign of Saul” (Moffatt). Saul may be identified more precisely as “King Saul” (Good News Translation, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). For this whole phrase Contemporary English Version has “When Saul was king.”

They made war on the Hagrites: The pronoun they clearly refers to the descendants of Reuben. Good News Translation makes this clear by saying “the tribe of Reuben,” and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente is similar with “the Reubenites.” However, New Century Version translates more specifically, saying “Bela’s people” as in verse 9. The Hagrites were a nomadic tribe east of the Jordan River (see also the comments on verse 19). They are listed in Psa 83.6 among the enemies of the Israelites.

Who fell by their hand means the Hagrites were defeated by the Reubenites. A literal rendering of this clause may be misleading or unnatural. Some other possible models are “whom they conquered” (Revised English Bible) and “whom they defeated.” New American Bible turns this relative clause into a temporal clause to introduce the statement that follows, saying “when they had defeated them.” New Living Translation combines this clause with the previous one, saying “the Reubenites defeated the Hagrites in battle.”

And they dwelt in their tents is understood by most versions to mean that the Reubenites lived in the tents that had previously belonged to the Hagrites. Good News Translation says simply “and occupied their land.” Revised English Bible stays closer to the strict sense of the Hebrew by saying “occupying their encampments.” But it is also possible to understand the subject of the verb dwelt as the Hagrites (so New Jerusalem Bible, which reads “and who were then living in their tents”).

Throughout all the region east of Gilead is literally “on all the face east of Gilead.” This phrase refers to the land east of Gilead. The region of Gilead was on the eastern side of the Jordan. It was only about 40 kilometers (25 miles) wide with a desert on its eastern side. Good News Translation says “in the eastern part of Gilead,” but New Century Version is more accurate with “in all the area east of Gilead.”

Moffatt translates this verse as follows: “During the reign of Saul the Reubenites attacked the Hagrites and cut them to pieces, occupying all their territory east of Gilead.”

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 .