And he brought into the house of God the votive gifts of his father and his own votive gifts: Votive gifts (literally “holy things”) were gifts made to God when the person freely made a vow to God or later when God had granted a request that the person had made earlier. Here these gifts refer to the treasures that Asa and his father had dedicated to God. Votive gifts may be rendered “dedicated things to God.” His father refers to Abijah, which Good News Translation makes explicit.

Silver, and gold, and vessels: These were the things dedicated to God. In the Hebrew text vessels clearly refers to items or objects for use in the Temple (see the comments on 1 Chr 28.13) in addition to silver and gold. Good News Translation has taken the words silver and gold as adjectives that modify the noun vessels, but this does not seem to represent accurately the intended sense of the Hebrew. A better rendering is “gold, silver, and other objects” or “silver, gold, and various utensils” (New American Bible). According to Revised Standard Version, these things refer only to the votive gifts of Asa. But the Hebrew should probably be understood to mean that both Asa and his father brought gifts of gold, silver, and vessels. New Revised Standard Version, for example, renders this whole verse as “He brought into the house of God the votive gifts of his father and his own votive gifts—silver, gold, and utensils” (similarly New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

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 .