As the footnote in Good News Translation states, verse 17 in Hebrew is unclear and the text is uncertain. New Jerusalem Bible has a footnote on this verse which states “The text of vv. 17-20 is disordered and in places corrupt. Restoration conjectural.” This means that the translators of New Jerusalem Bible have found the Masoretic Text to be too difficult to understand and they have concluded that the text must contain errors. They have, therefore, attempted to correct the text to what they think it most likely read originally.

He made two nets of checker work with wreaths of chain work for the capitals upon the tops of the pillars; a net for the one capital, and a net for the other capital: The following New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translation of this verse is based entirely on the Masoretic Text: “also nets of meshwork with festoons of chainwork for the capitals that were on the top of the columns, seven for each of the two capitals.” “Festoons” are decorative garlands. Commentators are not agreed on whether these wreaths were decorative or merely functional. A more common language rendering of the Masoretic Text for this verse would be “He also made something like a net out of chains for the heads of the columns, seven chains for the head of each column.” The nets were made of bronze.

Revised Standard Version follows the Septuagint, which makes clear sense of the verse. He made two is based on the Septuagint; the Masoretic Text does not have these words. A net … a net is also based on the Septuagint, and agrees with the information in verses 41-42. The Masoretic Text reads “seven … seven,” that is, “seven for the one capital and seven for the second capital” (so Anchor Bible). The Hebrew word for “seven” (shibʿah) is similar to the Hebrew word for net (sebakah).

Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text but acknowledges that it is a difficult text. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament argues that the translators of the Septuagint may have used the information in verses 41-42 to clarify the content of verse 17. Despite the recommendation of Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament to translate the Masoretic Text here, translators are encouraged to follow the example of those versions that adopt the Septuagint here (so Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible).

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 .