And now behold: The Hebrew focusing particle rendered behold is intended to concentrate God’s attention on what Jehoshaphat is about to say. Like Good News Translation, many modern versions leave it untranslated.
The men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir: The men (literally “the children/sons”) may be rendered “the armies” (Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation) or “the soldiers.” Several Old Testament passages show clearly the relationship between Seir and Edom (see Gen 32.3; 36.8-9, 21; Num 24.18; Jdg 5.4; 2 Chr 25.14). Therefore it is not surprising that several modern versions translate Mount Seir as “Edom” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version) or “Edomites” (Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). Even where this identity with Edom is not made, other versions show clearly that Mount Seir does not refer to a mountain but to people by saying “the people of the hill-country of Seir” (Revised English Bible) or “the inhabitants of the mountains of Seir” (La Bible du Semeur). See the comments on 1 Chr 4.42.
Whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy: The nations that God protected when the Israelites came to possess the land are now the very nations that are threatening Judah. See Num 20.14-21 and Deut 2.4-19. Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version both make it clear that the term Israel refers to “our ancestors,” that is, the ancestors of Jehoshaphat and his people. In the Hebrew text the word Israel is a collective noun in the singular, but the verbs rendered came, avoided, and destroy are plural. When they came from the land of Egypt refers to the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. New Century Version provides a helpful model for the last half of this verse, saying “You wouldn’t let the Israelites enter their lands when the Israelites came from Egypt. So the Israelites turned away and did not destroy them.”
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 .