Whom Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria carried away into exile (verse 6): Tilgath-pilneser transliterates the name of the Assyrian king here (so also Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). 2 Kgs 15.29 also tells of a deportation by “Tiglath-pileser,” as he is called there. Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, Jerusalem Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Bible en français courant, Peregrino, and most other versions use this better-known form of the name here instead of Tilgath-pilneser. For additional information regarding this king of Assyria, see the comments on verse 26. Carried away into exile translates a single Hebrew verb. It is a causative form of the verb meaning “to remove” or “to depart.” In some contexts it has been translated “deported.” In this context the sense is clearly that Tiglath Pileser moved Beerah away from his home to another place against his will. In some languages it may be necessary to say “forced him to go to Assyria” or “made him leave his country.” New Century Version makes explicit what is only implicit in the text, namely, the Assyrian king “captured him” before he “took him away.”

He was a chieftain of the Reubenites (verse 6): Be-erah was a leader of the tribe of Reuben. The Hebrew word translated chieftain may be rendered “prince” (Revised English Bible, American Bible) or “leader” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New Century Version), which is a better model.

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 .