He appointed the priests to their offices: A number of modern versions translate the pronoun He as “Josiah” for the sake of clarity (so New Living Translation, New Century Version, God’s Word, Bible en français courant, Bible de Jérusalem). The Hebrew verb rendered appointed is the ordinary verb meaning “to set” or “to place,” but in this context it may be translated “chose” (New Century Version), “assigned” (Good News Translation, New Living Translation), or “installed” (Nouvelle Bible Segond). Since King David had long ago appointed the priests to certain duties according to their families and clans, a translation such as “reappointed” (New American Bible) is also acceptable here. The Hebrew noun for offices refers to the “duties” (Good News Translation, Moffatt) or “functions” (La Bible du Semeur) of the priests (see the comments on 1 Chr 26.12, where it is rendered “duties”).

And encouraged them in the service of the house of the LORD: The Hebrew verb rendered encouraged literally means “to cause to become strong.” This clause says the king provided moral support and inspiration to the priests in their work. Although the terminology is different, according to 2 Chr 30.22, Hezekiah had done the same. The Hebrew verb here may also be understood to mean that Josiah “connected” (Nouvelle Bible Segond) the priests to their service, but this interpretation is less common than the first one.

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 .