And they spoke of the God of Jerusalem as they spoke of the gods of the peoples of the earth: The pronoun they refers to the Assyrian messengers, which New Living Translation makes clear by saying “These officials.” The God of Jerusalem is literally “the gods of Jerusalem,” as the alternative translation in Revised English Bible indicates. But the point is that the people of Jerusalem considered their God to be radically different from all other gods, and they were offended that anyone would compare Yahweh with any other deity.

Which are the work of men’s hands: With the phrase men’s hands the focus here is not on men as opposed to women, but rather human beings in contrast to God. So Good News Translation says “human hands” (also New Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation, New Century Version, New American Bible). This comparison between Yahweh and the gods of other nations was a scandalous one to the believers in Judah.

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 .