Under their command was an army … is literally “And under their hand was an army force….” The pronoun their refers to the family leaders mentioned in the previous verse. They commanded Uzziah’s army.

Who could make war with mighty power: The Judean soldiers were an effective fighting force. Moffatt calls them “sturdy fighters,” and God’s Word says “They were a powerful force.”

To help the king against the enemy: The Hebrew word rendered the enemy is singular but the reference is not to a single specific enemy. Rather, the sense is “the persons or nations who are enemies of the king.” For this reason Good News Translation says “his enemies” (similarly Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

The structure of this verse may be awkward if translated literally into other languages because it begins with a prepositional phrase. An alternative model is:

• The army they commanded included 307,500 men, all of them choice troops. They were available to help the king against all his enemies.

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 .