But the people of the land slew all those who had conspired against King Amon: But correctly translates the common Hebrew conjunction because the story takes a somewhat unexpected turn at this point. Another appropriate connector is “however” (New Jerusalem Bible). The exact identity of the people of the land, used twice in this verse, is not clear. Scholars have proposed various suggestions, ranging from the lower social classes or the population in general to free landowners or a council of elders. The Good News Translation rendering “the people of Judah” seems to assume that the reference is to the population in general, and this interpretation is most likely correct. Moffatt similarly says “the nation.” Knox translates “the common folk.” See the comments on 2 Chr 23.13. The archaic verb slew is rightly translated “killed” in New Revised Standard Version.

And the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead: The Hebrew verb rendered made … king is a causative form of a root meaning “to be king” or “to become king.” See the comments on 2 Chr 1.8.

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 .