And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites: Spoke encouragingly to literally “spoke to the heart of.” This idiomatic expression is used again in 2 Chr 32.6. Knox attempts to keep some of the form of the Hebrew with “spoke to hearten.” But the meaning may be more naturally conveyed by saying “congratulated” (Anchor Bible) or “encouraged” (Dillard). Contemporary English Version says simply “thanked.”

Who showed good skill in the service of the LORD is literally “who understood good understanding to Yahweh.” The Hebrew clause here has a verb and noun that come from the same root. The Hebrew verb may mean either “to understand” or “to achieve success,” depending on the context. Likewise, the meaning of the noun may be either “understanding” or “success.” The precise meaning of this clause is not clear. It could mean any of the following: (1) the Levites did a good job in teaching people about God; (2) the Levites sang songs to God with good skill, that is, they did a very satisfactory job in leading the service of worship (so Good News Translation, Moffatt); or (3) the Levites had a good understanding regarding matters of God. Renderings that follow the last interpretation are “who had shown true insight in the service of the LORD” (Revised English Bible) and “who had such understanding of Yahweh” (New Jerusalem Bible).

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 .