Jeconiah stands in the fifty-first generation, beginning with Adam. This king of Judah who ruled briefly in the year 598 B.C. is referred to by three different names in the Old Testament: “Jeconiah,” “Coniah,” and “Jehoiachin.” The writer of 2 Kings is consistent in using the form “Jehoiachin” (2 Kgs 24.6, 8-17; 25.27-29). But the Chronicler sometimes uses Jeconiah, a name also found once in the book of Esther (2.6), and sometimes “Jehoiachin” (2 Chr 36.8-9). The prophet Jeremiah uses all three forms in different places in his book. Translators are advised to use “Jehoiachin” throughout the Old Testament, since it is the most common and best known form of the name. However, relatively few modern versions adopt this strategy (so Good News Translation, New International Version, New Century Version, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje).

The accounts of 2 Kings and 1–2 Chronicles are hard to reconcile regarding Zedekiah (see the discussion on the previous verse). According to 2 Kgs 24.17, King Zedekiah was the son of King Josiah. But according to 2 Chr 36.10, King Zedekiah was the son of King Jehoiakim and the grandson of King Josiah. Here in 1 Chr 3.16 the Hebrew phrase rendered Zedekiah his son probably means “Zedekiah the son of Jehoiakim,” since this is consistent with the claim in 2 Chr 36.10 that King Jehoiachin and King Zedekiah were brothers. Good News Translation‘s rendering is based on this interpretation that Jehoiachin and Zedekiah were brothers and sons of Jehoiakim (so also Contemporary English Version, Reina-Valera revisada).

It seems probable that for the Chronicler the Zedekiah in this verse is not the same as the Zedekiah in the previous verse. In other words, in 1–2 Chronicles King Zedekiah was the son of Jehoiakim and not the son of Josiah. Possibly by the time of the exile, there was confusion between Zedekiah, son of Josiah, and Zedekiah, son of Jehoiakim, and the son of Jehoiakim was incorrectly thought to have been a king.

Some translations attempt to reconcile the accounts in 2 Kings and 1 Chronicles; for example, New International Version simply does not translate the Hebrew word rendered his son at the end of this verse. New International Version has no note explaining this textual decision. New Living Translation takes the two occurrences of the phrase his son to mean “his successor,” so it renders this verse as follows: “Jehoiakim was succeeded by his son Jehoiachin; he, in turn, was succeeded by his uncle Zedekiah.” But this translation cannot be recommended as a model since 2 Chr 36.10 clearly says that Zedekiah was a brother of Jehoiakin.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Bethuel was located on the west of the Dead Sea, and it is called “Bethul” in Josh 19.4. Most English versions maintain the difference in spelling in the two passages.

Hormah is the Hebrew word for “destruction,” but it is obviously the name of a city here. It was located on the eastern border of Judah near Edom. It was first allocated to Judah (Josh 15.30), but later it was considered a part of the territory of Simeon (Josh 19.4).

Ziklag came under the control of the Philistines during the reign of King Saul. Achish, the Philistine ruler of Gath, gave this town to David and his men, and it became their base for attacking towns in southern Judah (see 1 Sam 27).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

And some of them, five hundred men of the Simeonites, went to Mount Seir: Men of the Simeonites is literally “from the sons of Simeon” (New American Standard Bible). Since this is a military movement, it may be possible to speak of “warriors” or “invaders” (New Living Translation). But the text seems to emphasize the fact that they were descendants of Simeon, so this element should not be omitted. Mount Seir refers to the mountainous region of Edom southeast of Canaan, as if a single mountain is intended. However, it may be better to say “the mountainous region of Seir” (Nouvelle Bible Segond) or “the mountainous region of Edom” (Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie). This region was inhabited by the Edomites and may have included territory on both the east and west sides of the Rift Valley (called “the Arabah” in the Old Testament). In any case, the Simeonites would have moved in an easterly direction into the area controlled by the Edomites. For this reason Good News Translation translates went to Mount Seir as “went east to Edom.” If translators wish to retain something of the form of the original text while still clarifying the meaning, it is possible to translate “went to Mount Seir in the east, where the Edomites lived.”

International Children’s Bible restructures this whole verse, which may be helpful for other languages, saying:

• Ishi’s sons, Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah and Uzziel, led 500 of the Simeonite people. They attacked the people living in the mountains of Edom.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

And Jehozadak went into exile when the LORD sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile: Judah here refers to “the people of Judah” (Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation; similarly Good News Translation). Bible en français courant says “the kingdom of Judah.” The phrase Judah and Jerusalem must often be expressed differently in some languages to avoid giving the impression that two totally separate geographical areas are in view. Since Jerusalem was the capital of Judah, some translators say “Jerusalem and the rest of Judah” or “Judah with its capital, Jerusalem.”

By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar: Nebuchadnezzar was a famous king of Babylonia, who ruled 605–562 B.C. He may be identified as “King Nebuchadnezzar” (Good News Translation). It was the LORD who sent the people into exile, but the means he used was Nebuchadnezzar. The word hand refers to the power or perhaps, in this context, the instrumentality of this king. Nouvelle version Segond révisée and Nouvelle Bible Segond translate it “intermediary.” Good News Translation‘s restructuring of this verse may be a helpful model in some languages since it makes Nebuchadnezzar the subject of the sentence and the agent of the action. A literal rendering of Revised Standard Version, which reflects the Hebrew, may be quite unnatural and possibly give the impression that Jehozadak went into exile without being forced to do so.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

In the parallel text in Josh 21.16, the town of Juttah with its pasture lands is mentioned between Ashan and Beth-shemesh. Some versions of the Septuagint contain Juttah also here in 1 Chronicles. On the assumption that verse 59 originally had “Juttah with its pasture lands,” some translations have added those words here (so New Living Translation, New American Bible, Braun, and Einheitsübersetzung, which places the addition within parentheses).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

All these were the sons of Jedia-el: All these refers back to the names just mentioned in the previous verse. Sons must be taken in this context as including grandsons as well as sons, so it may be translated “descendants” (God’s Word).

The heads of their fathers’ houses is literally “the heads of the fathers.” But the meaning “heads of families” (New International Version) is clear from the context. Compare verses 2, 7, and 9.

Ready for service in war is literally “going out to service in war.” The meaning is “prepared to go out to serve in war.” Some possible renderings are “fit for active service” (Moffatt), “prepared to fight in battle” (Contemporary English Version), and “ready for combat” (American Bible).

The total of the numbers in verses 7, 9, and 11 equals 59,434, which was the number of men eligible for military duty from the tribe of Benjamin.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

In a footnote Osty-Trinquet states that the text of these two verses is “obscure and in disorder.” As the following paragraphs will indicate, the exact sense is far from clear, and there are numerous ambiguities in the Masoretic Text. Good News Translation, New Living Translation, and Bible en français courant restructure these two verses in a more chronological order, speaking first of the divorce of Shaharaim from his first two wives before talking about the birth of the seven sons by his new Moabite wife. International Children’s Bible restructures even more extensively, drawing material from verse 11 to the beginning of the restructured verses 8-11, which read as follows:

Shaharaim and his wife Hushim had sons named Abitub and Elpaal, In Moab Shaharaim divorced his wives Hushim and Baara. Shaharain and his wife Hodesh had these children: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, Jeuz, Sakia and Mirmah. These sons were leaders of their families.

Compare also Contemporary English Version, which similarly restructures verses 8-11 as follows:

Shaharaim and his wife Hushim had two sons: Abitub and Elpaal. But Shaharaim later divorced her and his other wife, Baara. Then he moved to the country of Moab and married Hodesh, and they had seven sons: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, Jeuz, Sachia and Mirmah. They were all family leaders in his clan.

And Shaharaim had sons in the country of Moab: Nothing more is known of Shaharaim, and these verses have no clear connection to the preceding verses. Possibly the family of Shaharaim was among the families exiled from Geba. The country of Moab is called more precisely “the Moabite plateau” (New American Bible) or “the Plains of Moab” (New Jerusalem Bible; similarly Complete Jewish Bible). The Hebrew word translated country is the common term for open fields located outside cities and villages. It sometimes refers to the region of a family or tribe. Some scholars think the Hebrew word is related to words in closely related languages which mean “mountain” or “highland.”

After he had sent away Hushim and Baara his wives is literally “from his sending them, Hushim and Baara his wives.” Most interpreters understand this to mean that Shaharaim “divorced” (Good News Translation) these two wives. The pronoun “them” in Hebrew is masculine, so some interpreters suggest that his sending refers to Gera having expelled the people of Geba, and the plural pronoun “them” refers to the inhabitants of Geba rather than to Hushim and Baara. But this interpretation leaves the last part of the clause without a clear connection to the first part. Other interpreters suggest that the single letter for “m,” which is the pronoun meaning “them” in Hebrew, should be added to the beginning of the name Hushim, which gives the name “Mehushim.” But most likely the masculine pronoun should be understood here as referring to the two wives Hushim and Baara. Possibly the Hebrew text of this clause is missing something, because the name Baara is preceded in Hebrew by the direct object particle, but the name Hushim is not. Some Jewish interpreters thought that the two Hebrew words shilcho ʾotham (“his sending them”) were the name of a third wife. According to this understanding, the translation of verse 8 would read “And Shaharaim had sons in the country of Moab by/from Shilcho-Otham, Hushim, and Baara his wives.” But no modern translation follows this interpretation.

The Hebrew does not clearly indicate whether Shaharaim lived in Moab while he was married to Hushim and Baara (so New Century Version) or whether he moved there later (so Contemporary English Version). The intended sense may be that he moved there after he divorced his first two wives. This understanding is made explicit in Good News Translation, which adds the word “Later, when he lived.” Neither does the Hebrew clearly indicate whether Shaharaim was already married to Hodesh when he divorced Hushim and Baara or whether he married her after he divorced his first two wives (so Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje).

The sons of Hushim and Shaharaim are listed in verse 11. Revised English Bible corrects the Masoretic Text to read “Mahasham” instead of Hushim here and in verse 11 because some of the Septuagint manuscripts have “Mahasham” in verse 11.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Besides their kinsmen …: This verse continues the sentence of verses 10-12 in Revised Standard Version. However, it is better to start a new sentence here as in Good News Translation. Bible en français courant does so by saying “With the other priests….”

For heads of their fathers’ houses, see the comments on 1 Chr 5.24.

Very able men for the work of the service of the house of God: The two Hebrew words translated very able men are often rendered “valiant warriors” in military contexts. The second Hebrew word sometimes refers to physical strength or ability, sometimes to wealth or importance, and sometimes to bravery. In this context the meaning seems to be that these men were capable “experts” (Good News Translation; similarly New Jerusalem Bible) or “qualified” (New Revised Standard Version) to do this particular work. However, Revised English Bible puts the focus on wealth, saying “men of substance.” Nouvelle Bible Segond says that they were “important men.” Of course, these different nuances do not necessarily exclude one another: experts may also have been considered important men. The house of God refers to “the Temple” (Good News Translation).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .