He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city: The Hebrew term for judges (shaphat) is the same one used in 1 Chr 23.4 and 2 Chr 1.2 (see the comments there). In this context it refers to those who decided legal cases. The name Jehoshaphat contains within it the element “shaphat,” which means “to judge” in Hebrew. His name means “Yah [= Yahweh] has judged.” The fortified cities were cities that were protected by high, strong walls (see the comments on 2 Chr 17.2).

Revised Standard Version‘s overall wording of this verse follows the structure of the Hebrew, but it may be seen as awkward if translated literally into other languages. Since all the … cities and city by city say essentially the same thing, it may be more natural to translate this meaning only once. Similarly, the land and Judah refer to the same geographical area. So the meaning of this verse may be rendered by saying simply:

• Jehoshaphat appointed judges in all the land of Judah, in each one of its strong cities with walls.

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 .