He killed ten thousand Edomites: Depending on the structure and wording of the previous verse, it may be necessary to substitute the proper name “Amaziah” for the pronoun He, which is emphatic in Hebrew (so Good News Translation). Since Amaziah undoubtedly did not kill all ten thousand Edomites by himself, some translators may prefer to render the verb killed as “had killed” or “caused to die.” The context of battle seems to indicate that the Edomites that were killed were military personnel. It is for this reason that Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version specify “Edomite soldiers.” For Edomites see the comments at 1 Kgs 11.1.

The Valley of Salt: The location of this valley is debated by scholars, but most situate it in Edom to the south of the Dead Sea. This valley is mentioned in 2 Sam 8.13 as well as in the Hebrew title at the beginning of Psa 60.

Took … by storm: The Hebrew words translated by this English idiom may be more literally rendered “took … in battle” (New American Bible). But they may also be translated with a verb like “captured” (Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible), “conquered” (New Living Translation), or simply “took” (New Century Version).

Sela: This city, which was the capital of Edom, is almost certainly the one that is today referred to as Petra and is located between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba in modern Jordan. The Hebrew word Sela, like the Greek word “Petra,” means “rock.” Osty-Trinquet, in fact, translates Sela as “the Rock.”

Called it Joktheel: The meaning of Joktheel, the new name of the city, is uncertain, but possibly it has to do with honoring God. This is probably not the same place that is called by this name in Josh 15.38. As both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation indicate, the Hebrew says that he called it Joktheel, but it is possible to understand the third person singular verb here as impersonal and therefore translate “they called it Joktheel.”

To this day: See the comments at 1 Kgs 8.8 and 2 Kgs 2.22.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .