And Jehozadak went into exile when the LORD sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile: Judah here refers to “the people of Judah” (Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation; similarly Good News Translation). Bible en français courant says “the kingdom of Judah.” The phrase Judah and Jerusalem must often be expressed differently in some languages to avoid giving the impression that two totally separate geographical areas are in view. Since Jerusalem was the capital of Judah, some translators say “Jerusalem and the rest of Judah” or “Judah with its capital, Jerusalem.”

By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar: Nebuchadnezzar was a famous king of Babylonia, who ruled 605–562 B.C. He may be identified as “King Nebuchadnezzar” (Good News Translation). It was the LORD who sent the people into exile, but the means he used was Nebuchadnezzar. The word hand refers to the power or perhaps, in this context, the instrumentality of this king. Nouvelle version Segond révisée and Nouvelle Bible Segond translate it “intermediary.” Good News Translation‘s restructuring of this verse may be a helpful model in some languages since it makes Nebuchadnezzar the subject of the sentence and the agent of the action. A literal rendering of Revised Standard Version, which reflects the Hebrew, may be quite unnatural and possibly give the impression that Jehozadak went into exile without being forced to do so.

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 .