And the men did the work faithfully: Faithfully translates a Hebrew noun that may be translated “steadiness,” “reliability,” “honesty” or “duty,” depending on the context (see the comments on 2 Chr 31.12). Good News Translation says the workers were “thoroughly honest” (Good News Translation), while others say they did their work “honestly” (Moffatt) or “conscientiously” (Bible en français courant, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible).

Over them were set … is literally “And over them [were] overseers….” This statement may be made active by saying “Their overseers were….”

Obadiah is literally “Obadyahu” (so La Bible Pléiade). As frequently happens in translations of 1-2 Chronicles, the longer forms of the names in Hebrew are shortened.

In a literal translation such as Revised Standard Version readers may not realize that Zechariah and Meshullam were also Levites. Good News Translation has restructured this verse to show clearly that Merari and Kohath were clans of Levites and that all four of the men mentioned here were Levites. Regarding the clans of Merari and Kohath, see 1 Chr 6.

The Levites, all who were skilful with instruments of music: The exact meaning of this clause is not clear. It may be simply a parenthetical statement that says the Levites were all skillful musicians. This interpretation is expressed in Good News Translation with the use of parentheses. An American Translation similarly uses long dashes to show that this statement is parenthetical. But the sense may be rather that the music provided a rhythm by which certain workers labored, as the footnotes in Bible en français courant and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible state. The Good News Translation rendering with parentheses excludes this possible meaning. La Bible Pléiade gives a different meaning to this clause by saying “with the Levites who knew how to handle well the instruments of music.” According to this interpretation, the clause lists additional Levites who had other responsibilities. However, New Century Version and Nouvelle Bible Segond understand this clause to refer specifically to the four Levites who are mentioned at the beginning of this verse by saying “These Levites were all skilled musicians.”

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 .