Good News Translation (also Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje) replaces the pronoun he with the full subject “King Josiah,” which is implied, but may not be understood by some readers. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Bible en français courant, and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy say simply “Josiah” rather than “King Josiah,” while New Living Translation says simply “the king.”

For the verb defiled, see the comments at verse 8.

Topheth: This proper name refers to a place where there was a large oven-like structure in which children were burned in the worship of the god Molech. The only other biblical book in which this place is mentioned is the book of the prophet Jeremiah (chapters 7 and 19), where it is found frequently. God condemned the people of Judah for sacrificing their children.

The valley referred to here as the valley of the sons of Hinnom is elsewhere called Gehinnom or Gehenna. It was located to the southwest of the old city of Jerusalem. Because of the atrocities that occurred there, this valley acquired a dreadful reputation and eventually became known as a place of eternal punishment. In several other places in the Old Testament, this valley is called “the valley of the son of Hinnom” (for example, Josh 18.16; Jer 7.31-32) or “the valley of Hinnom” (Josh 15.8; 18.16; Neh 11.30). The Masoretic Text here in verse 10 has the plural sons of, but the margin of the Masoretic Text says to read the singular “son of.” Many translations simply transliterate the Hebrew as “the valley of Ben-hinnom” (New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, La Bible Pléiade). Since the Old Testament refers to this location as “the valley of the son of Hinnom,” “the valley of the sons of Hinnom,” and “the valley of Hinnom,” Good News Translation uses the shorter and more natural form here, which is the better known name in English.

That no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech: See the comments at 2 Kgs 16.3 and 17.17. This practice was specifically forbidden to the people of Israel (Lev 18.21; 20.2-5). In some languages it will be more natural to say simply “his child” in place of his son or his daughter.

Molech was a god of the Ammonites to whom devotees sacrificed their children. See the detailed comments at 1 Kgs 11.7.

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 .