Revised Standard Version seems to give the impression that both Baalath and Tamar were in the land of Judah. But Baalath was in the coastal region of the territory originally given to the tribe of Dan (Josh 19.44), and Tamar was located in the wilderness of Judah, south-southwest of the Dead Sea. Its exact location is not certain. In order to avoid any misunderstanding, some languages may have to restructure the verse to say “Tamar in the wilderness of Judah, and Baalath.”

The Masoretic Text reads Tamar, but the margin of the Masoretic Text (as well as some other Hebrew manuscripts) reads “Tadmor” (so New International Version, New Century Version, La Bible du Semeur). In Hebrew the names Tamar and “Tadmor” are similar in spelling, so it is possible that the Hebrew here originally read “Tadmor” and that a scribe accidentally omitted the consonant “d.” Furthermore, “Tadmor” agrees with the parallel text in 2 Chr 8.4. Tadmor was an oasis in northern Syria about 190 kilometers (118 miles) northeast of Damascus. Since the Hebrew word for Tamar means “palm

,” it is possible that Tamar is intended to refer to this oasis town where palm trees grew. But since the cities in this list in verses 15-18 move from north to south, it seems unlikely that the text is referring here in verse 18 to the Syrian city Tadmor in the far north. If the words in the land, which follow in the Masoretic Text, refer to the land of Judah, then Tamar fits the context better than “Tadmor.” Therefore, translators should follow the reading Tamar.

In the wilderness, in the land of Judah is literally “in the wilderness in the land.” New Revised Standard Version says “in the wilderness, within the land” and New Jerusalem Bible has “in the desert, inside the country.” Since the reference is to the desert (or, wilderness) of Judah (see the comments on 1 Kgs 2.34), this information may be made explicit, as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. Compare also “in the desert of Judah” (New American Bible) and “which is in the Judean desert” (International Children’s Bible). Osty-Trinquet says “in the Desert, in the Land.” This version uses a capital letter to indicate the land of Judah. But capital letters do not help people who only hear the text read. Furthermore, not many readers will understand the significance of a capital letter. Revised English Bible follows the Septuagint by omitting the words in the land, so it reads simply “in the wilderness,” but this reading is not recommended.

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 .