And he ruled over all the kings …: This verse is similar to the first half of 1 Kgs 4.21. According to Gen 15.18, God made a covenant with Abram (Abraham), saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.” Here the text refers to borders in three directions starting with the Euphrates to the north and northeast, to the land of the Philistines toward the west, and to the border of Egypt in the south.

The Euphrates is literally “the river” (see the comments on 1 Chr 19.16). Without including the name of the river, some versions capitalize the word “River” to show that a particular well-known river is intended (so New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), but it is unwise to rely on capitalization to convey meaning since the hearer will be unaware of this subtle distinction. So in most languages it will be better to state the name, as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

To the land of the Philistines is a literal rendering of the Hebrew. Good News Translation says simply “to Philistia.” This phrase refers to the plain along the Mediterranean coast, where the constant enemies of the people of Israel lived (see the comments on 1 Chr 1.12).

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 .