This verse provides a more detailed account of the burial of Asa than does the parallel passage of 1 Kgs 15.24. The information here is not presented elsewhere.
They buried him in the tomb which he had hewn out for himself in the city of David: The referent for the pronoun They is unclear. For this reason Good News Translation renders buried as a passive verb, but in languages where this is not possible, the referent will have to be left indefinite. Tomb is literally “tombs,” but all translations use the singular according to the sense. At this time in Israelite culture, tombs were cut into rocky hillsides. There were stone shelves on which the bodies were placed until they decomposed, leaving only the bones. Then the bones were placed into a pit beneath the shelves and the tomb was reused. Hewn out for himself most likely means “cut for himself out of a rock,” but since the Hebrew verb for “to buy” has the same three consonants as the verb for “to dig,” Revised English Bible has “bought for himself.” Either interpretation makes good sense and either is possible. Since Asa almost certainly did not make the tomb himself, it is legitimate to translate “caused someone to hew out for him.” For the city of David, see the comments on 1 Chr 11.5 and 2 Chr 5.2.
They laid him on a bier: A bier was a board on which a body was carried to its place of burial. The context does not favor such a translation here. The Hebrew word translated bier is the same word that is elsewhere rendered “bed” (see, for example, 1 Kgs 1.47) and means simply a place to stretch out. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “resting-place,” and New Jerusalem Bible has “burial chamber.” In this context of death and burial, the term clearly refers to the final resting place of Asa’s corpse. Almost certainly, the reference here is to a rock shelf in the tomb.
Which had been filled with various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumer’s art is literally “which was filled with spices and different kinds [of aromatic oils] prepared by the perfumer’s work.” The Hebrew here says that spices and aromatic oils were placed in the tomb. Good News Translation seems to suggest, incorrectly, that the body was embalmed. Contemporary English Version is better with “the tomb was filled with spices and sweet-smelling oils.” For spices see the comments on 1 Chr 9.29.
And they made a very great fire in his honor: It may be helpful in many languages to render a very great fire as “a very great funeral pyre” (New American Bible) or “a very great funeral fire” (New Jerusalem Bible). But it will be important for translators to ensure that there is no hint of the cremation of the king’s body. Such a practice was unknown to the people of Israel. However, it was common to have large fires, including the burning of incense, to mourn the loss of a king (see 2 Chr 21.19 and Jer 34.5). In his honor may be rendered “to mourn his loss” or “to honor him past his death.”
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 .