New Jerusalem Bible omits the words the son of Hilkiah for textual reasons, considering them to be a scribal addition since the parallel text in Isa 36.11 does not have them. But Good News Translation omits them for reasons of style since this information has already been given in verse 18.

The Rabshakeh: See the comments at verse 17.

Pray renders the Hebrew particle of entreaty, which occurs also in verses 19 and 23. This particle shows politeness and may be rendered by the equivalent of “please” (Contemporary English Version) in certain languages.

Speak to your servants: The three officials of Hezekiah show their submission to the Assyrian official by referring to themselves in the third person. But since this is unnatural in many languages, their submission may be shown in other ways. The use of a word like “sir” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) may be a good way to do this, beginning the quotation as follows: “Sir, please speak to us….”

The comment of the three men focuses on the difference between Aramaic, a West Semitic dialect related to Hebrew and which was the language of diplomacy at that time, and the language of Judah, which was Hebrew. However, the expression the language of Judah may suggest a Judean dialect of Hebrew since Hebrew is elsewhere referred to as “the language of Canaan” (Isa 19.18). In this passage a number of modern versions have translated “Hebrew” (Good News Translation, New International Version, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur, Contemporary English Version) instead of the language of Judah. The three men ask that the communication take place in Aramaic in order to prevent Judean observers from understanding the meaning of what was being said.

Within the hearing of the people who are on the wall is literally “in the ears of….” Others translate “in the presence of…” (Nouvelle Bible Segond) or “because all the people on the city walls can hear us” (Parole de Vie).

The people who are on the wall would have been bystanders standing or sitting on the wall around the city of Jerusalem (see the comments on 1 Kgs 3.1). In some languages the idea of people up on a wall might be so distracting to the main point of the story that it would be better to translate simply “observers,” “onlookers” or “spectators,” rather than focusing undue attention on the fact that they happened to be on the city wall.

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 .