Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary: See the comments on 2 Kgs 18.18. The spelling of the name of Shebna should conform to what was done in the previous chapter (verses 18, 26, and 37).

The senior priests is literally “the elders of the priests” (New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). This is an unusual expression found only here and in Isa 37.2 (the parallel text) and Jer 19.1. It seems to refer to “the older priests” (Knox, New Century Version) or possibly “the leading priests” (New International Version).

Covered with sackcloth: See the comments on the previous verse.

The prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz: This verse contains the first specific mention of Isaiah the son of Amoz. The name Isaiah, which means “Yahweh is salvation,” became a common name among the people of Israel in the period following the Exile. Isaiah the son of Amoz is most closely associated with one of the longest prophetic books in the Old Testament. Isaiah apparently grew up in Jerusalem, the capital city of the southern kingdom. According to an ancient tradition, his father Amoz was the brother of one of the kings of Judah, Amaziah. In those languages that do not distinguish the sounds “s” and “z,” special care should be taken to make a distinction between the name of Isaiah’s father and the prophet Amos.

In some ancient versions the word prophet occurs after Isaiah the son of Amoz rather than before it (so American Bible). But the order of these elements will be determined by naturalness in the receptor language. Either order is permissible. The word prophet has already been dealt with in 1 Kgs 1.8.

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 .