And as he was worshiping: And renders the Hebrew verbal transition that is sometimes translated “And it happened.” Here it should probably be rendered in such a way as to indicate the passage of a certain amount of time rather than to have it simply link with the previous verse. Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and Contemporary English Version begin this verse with “One day….” Many other versions begin a new paragraph at this point (New American Bible, New Century Version). Other translators should, at the very least, begin a new paragraph, but many will also have to add a more significant transition expression than the one found in Revised Standard Version.
The house of Nisroch his god: Apart from this verse and its parallel in Isa 37.38, the name of the god Nisroch is not found elsewhere in the Bible. Scholars have long been puzzled about this name since there seems to be no mention of a god by this name in Assyrian sources. Various attempts have been made to associate this name with the Assyrian god of war, Ninurta, or other Assyrian or Babylonian gods, but there is no certainty in these matters. Translators must be content to transliterate the name and indicate that it was in the temple of a god by this name that Sennacherib was assassinated.
Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons: Since Adrammelech and Sharezer were not the only sons of King Sennacherib, it will probably be better in many languages to say “two of his sons” (Good News Translation) rather than simply his sons. It will be recalled that the name Adrammelech in 2 Kgs 17.31 refers to one of the gods of the people of Sepharvaim, but here the name is used for a person. The traditional Hebrew text does not have the words his sons, but they are included here in the margin of the Masoretic Text and in the parallel text in Isaiah. So most modern versions translate these words.
Slew: This rather archaic English verb has been replaced by “killed” in New Revised Standard Version.
Escaped: This verb may also be translated “fled” (New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “ran away.”
The land of Ararat: The name Ararat is best known to most Bible readers as the mountainous area where the ark of Noah landed following the Flood (Gen 8.4). This region is thought to be located somewhere around Lake Van near where the borders of the modern countries of Turkey, Iran and Russia meet. Some translations indicate in a footnote that the land of Ararat is equivalent to the modern nation of Armenia (so Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Bible en français courant).
Esarhaddon his son: Since the text has already mentioned two other sons of King Sennacherib, Good News Translation translates his son as “Another of his sons” (also La Bible du Semeur). This will probably be a reasonable model to follow in a number of other languages. Esarhaddon ruled 681–669 B.C.
Reigned in his stead: See 1 Kgs 11.43.
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 .