Removed is literally “caused to cease.” It renders the same Hebrew verb that is translated “deposed” in verse 5.
The horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun: This reference to the horses is widely separated from the statement about the chariots of the sun by a parenthetical explanation about the location of the horses, but the two belong together logically. The parenthetical statement interrupts the main thought in Revised Standard Version. Good News Translation, on the other hand, clearly sets it off within parentheses and places it at the end of the verse. Although Revised Standard Version accurately reflects the structure of the Hebrew, restructuring along the lines of Good News Translation will be necessary in many languages. Apparently the text refers to chariots carrying the sun while being pulled by horses.
Translators should make it clear that the reference to the kings of Judah does not include Josiah, nor does it include all the previous kings of Judah. In some languages this may be accomplished by the verb forms chosen. But in other cases it may be helpful to speak of “some of the past kings of Judah” or “his predecessors” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). Although no kings are named here, the writer was probably thinking of Ahaz (2 Kgs 16.1-20), Manasseh (2 Kgs 21.1-18), and Amon (2 Kgs 21.19-26).
There is little certainty about the horses and the chariots that were dedicated to the sun. Some scholars think that the horses were statues (New Living Translation “the horse statues”), while others conclude that they were live horses used in cultic processions. A square, hollow cult stand from the tenth century B.C., which was discovered in 1968 in the Old Testament city of Tannic, shows a winged sun disk above an animal that is either a bull or a horse. This may indicate that some Israelites worshiped the sun as early as the tenth century B.C. Archaeologists working at Lachish, Hazor, and Jerusalem have also discovered figurines of horses with a sun disk above their heads. In any case, it was quite common to use horses and chariots in the worship of the sun. Chariot riders would often ride toward the east to welcome the rising sun. The worship of the sun was strictly forbidden to the people of Israel in Exo 20.3 and more specifically in Deut 4.19. But this prohibition had obviously been forgotten or ignored (compare also Ezek 8.16).
At the entrance: The Hebrew is literally “from entering,” but the sense is correctly expressed as at the entrance or “near the entrance.”
By the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain: The chamber mentioned here is best understood as referring to the place where Nathan Melech lived. It may be translated “the room” (New International Version, New Century Version, Revised English Bible), “the apartment” (New Jerusalem Bible), or “the living quarters” (Good News Translation).
The meaning of the Hebrew name Nathan-melech is “the king has given.” He is mentioned only here in the Old Testament, so this text tells all that is known about him.
The word chamberlain renders the Hebrew term that is translated elsewhere in 2 Kings as “eunuch” (9.32; 20.18). It is, in fact, so translated here by a number of modern versions (New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New American Bible, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). But in this context it seems best to understand the word in the more general sense of an “official” (New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje) or a trusted “officer” (New Century Version, Jewish Publication Version) of the king. See the comments at 1 Kgs 22.9 and 2 Kgs 8.6.
In the precincts: The precise meaning of the Hebrew plural noun rendered precincts is uncertain. This Hebrew noun, which is parwarim, is often considered to have the same meaning as the singular Hebrew word parbar, which is transliterated by Revised Standard Version in 1 Chr 26.18 (so Holladay). In later Hebrew, parbar seems to refer to large open spaces outside the city. Some interpreters suggest that the word parwarim is related to a Persian noun meaning “court” or “open pavilion,” and this may be the basis for the rendering “in the colonnade” in Revised English Bible. Hobbs follows this interpretation and translates “in the area.” Others have suggested that this noun is related to the Egyptian words pr wr, which mean “great house.” This may be the basis for the New American Bible rendering “in the large building.” The precise meaning is uncertain, but in this context the word seems to refer to an open “court” (New International Version) or “courtyard” (New Century Version).
Burned … with fire: This type of expression will be considered redundant in certain languages and may be translated more naturally by using only the verb “burned” or the more general term “destroyed.”
Contemporary English Version provides a helpful model for the verse as a whole:
• He also got rid of the horses that the kings of Judah used in their ceremonies to worship the sun, and he destroyed the chariots along with them. The horses had been kept near the entrance to the LORD’s temple, in a courtyard close to where an official named Nathan-Melech lived.
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 .