Much of the meaning of verses 4-6 will probably be lost in a literal translation such as that in Revised Standard Version. Good News Translation helps the reader by making explicit that the names that follow are descendants of Judah’s three sons Perez, Shelah, and Zerah. Some scholars think that the words “Among the sons of Judah” were accidentally omitted from the beginning of verse 4 by a scribe. For this reason some translations restore the words by beginning the verse with “Among the Judahites” (New American Bible) or simply “Judahites” (Revised English Bible).

Good News Translation combines verses 4-6 and places the information about the number of families at the beginning of these verses. Verse 3 indicates that the following verses refer to people who lived in Jerusalem. Good News Translation makes that explicit here and in the following verses by adding the words “[who] lived in Jerusalem.”

Uthai the son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani, from the sons of Perez the son of Judah: Good News Translation adds that Uthai was “their leader.” This is probably based on the fact that he is the first person mentioned from the clan of Perez. The parallel text in Neh 11.4 has the name “Athaiah,” and some interpreters think that this refers to the same person as Uthai. Other scholars, however, think that the writer of 1 Chronicles was not using the same list of genealogy as that in Nehemiah, and that the two names do not refer to the same person. Instead of son of Imri, son of Bani, from the sons of Perez, the Masoretic Text says “son of Imri, son of Benjamin, sons of Perez.” However, nearly all versions follow the correction in the margin of the Masoretic Text, which says “son of Imri, son of Bani, from the sons of Perez.” In the Hebrew text, if the consonants of the name “Benjamin” are divided into two words and if different vowels are used, the resulting text is “Bani, from [the sons of Perez].”

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 .