Baana the son of Hushai was in charge of the ninth administrative district, which corresponded in part to the territory that had been allotted to the tribe of Asher. The specific statement that this Baana was a son of Hushai distinguishes him from “Baana the son of Ahilud” mentioned in verse 12.

Bealoth: Some interpreters take the initial consonant of this name to be the Hebrew preposition meaning “in,” so the resulting translation is “in Aloth” (New International Version, Revised English Bible). Neither the name Bealoth nor the name “Aloth” is otherwise known in the Old Testament, so translators may choose either name.

Another suggestion has been that the name “Zebulun” (zebulun in Hebrew) may have been misread by a scribe as “and Bealoth” (ubeʿalot in Hebrew). New Jerusalem Bible follows the Septuagint and corrects the Hebrew text to read “ascents.” New Jerusalem Bible reads “in the highlands.” New American Bible similarly corrects the Hebrew to read “along the rocky coast.” Translators are encouraged to follow the Masoretic Text as reflected in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .