In a footnote Osty-Trinquet states that the text of these two verses is “obscure and in disorder.” As the following paragraphs will indicate, the exact sense is far from clear, and there are numerous ambiguities in the Masoretic Text. Good News Translation, New Living Translation, and Bible en français courant restructure these two verses in a more chronological order, speaking first of the divorce of Shaharaim from his first two wives before talking about the birth of the seven sons by his new Moabite wife. International Children’s Bible restructures even more extensively, drawing material from verse 11 to the beginning of the restructured verses 8-11, which read as follows:

Shaharaim and his wife Hushim had sons named Abitub and Elpaal, In Moab Shaharaim divorced his wives Hushim and Baara. Shaharain and his wife Hodesh had these children: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, Jeuz, Sakia and Mirmah. These sons were leaders of their families.

Compare also Contemporary English Version, which similarly restructures verses 8-11 as follows:

Shaharaim and his wife Hushim had two sons: Abitub and Elpaal. But Shaharaim later divorced her and his other wife, Baara. Then he moved to the country of Moab and married Hodesh, and they had seven sons: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, Jeuz, Sachia and Mirmah. They were all family leaders in his clan.

And Shaharaim had sons in the country of Moab: Nothing more is known of Shaharaim, and these verses have no clear connection to the preceding verses. Possibly the family of Shaharaim was among the families exiled from Geba. The country of Moab is called more precisely “the Moabite plateau” (New American Bible) or “the Plains of Moab” (New Jerusalem Bible; similarly Complete Jewish Bible). The Hebrew word translated country is the common term for open fields located outside cities and villages. It sometimes refers to the region of a family or tribe. Some scholars think the Hebrew word is related to words in closely related languages which mean “mountain” or “highland.”

After he had sent away Hushim and Baara his wives is literally “from his sending them, Hushim and Baara his wives.” Most interpreters understand this to mean that Shaharaim “divorced” (Good News Translation) these two wives. The pronoun “them” in Hebrew is masculine, so some interpreters suggest that his sending refers to Gera having expelled the people of Geba, and the plural pronoun “them” refers to the inhabitants of Geba rather than to Hushim and Baara. But this interpretation leaves the last part of the clause without a clear connection to the first part. Other interpreters suggest that the single letter for “m,” which is the pronoun meaning “them” in Hebrew, should be added to the beginning of the name Hushim, which gives the name “Mehushim.” But most likely the masculine pronoun should be understood here as referring to the two wives Hushim and Baara. Possibly the Hebrew text of this clause is missing something, because the name Baara is preceded in Hebrew by the direct object particle, but the name Hushim is not. Some Jewish interpreters thought that the two Hebrew words shilcho ʾotham (“his sending them”) were the name of a third wife. According to this understanding, the translation of verse 8 would read “And Shaharaim had sons in the country of Moab by/from Shilcho-Otham, Hushim, and Baara his wives.” But no modern translation follows this interpretation.

The Hebrew does not clearly indicate whether Shaharaim lived in Moab while he was married to Hushim and Baara (so New Century Version) or whether he moved there later (so Contemporary English Version). The intended sense may be that he moved there after he divorced his first two wives. This understanding is made explicit in Good News Translation, which adds the word “Later, when he lived.” Neither does the Hebrew clearly indicate whether Shaharaim was already married to Hodesh when he divorced Hushim and Baara or whether he married her after he divorced his first two wives (so Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje).

The sons of Hushim and Shaharaim are listed in verse 11. Revised English Bible corrects the Masoretic Text to read “Mahasham” instead of Hushim here and in verse 11 because some of the Septuagint manuscripts have “Mahasham” in verse 11.

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 .