Nahshon was the father of Salma: Salma was twenty-ninth in the generations from Adam to David. The spelling of this name varies in its different occurrences in the Bible. In the book of Ruth it is spelled “Salmah” in 4.20God’s Word and “Salmon” in the very next verse. In the genealogy of Matthew it is spelled “Salmon” (Matt 1.4-5). In order to avoid confusion, it may be wise to harmonize the spelling of the name, adopting the form found in Ruth 4.21 and Matthew.

Salma of Boaz: According to Matt 1.5, Salmon married Rahab and their child was Boaz. The name of Boaz is very familiar to most Bible readers from the story in the book of Ruth. Boaz married Ruth, a woman from Moab. Ruth’s first husband had died and yet she remained loyal to her Israelite mother-in-law, Naomi, and accompanied her back to Israel, becoming a part of the history of the people of God.

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 .

She also bore …: Also renders the common Hebrew conjunction (literally “And”). New Living Translation and International Children’s Bible translate it in the same way. For the sake of logic and smooth-flowing English, Good News Translation begins with the transition word “Later” (also Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

Since Madmannah, Machbenah, and Gibe-a are almost certainly the names of places and not persons, the expression the father of is better rendered “the founder of” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch; similarly Good News Translation, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje).

And the daughter of Caleb was Achsah: Good News Translation makes this sentence a separate paragraph and introduces it with the words “In addition” (similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). This may be wise in other languages since the mention of a daughter is a new and different thought.

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 .

Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah: According to the Masoretic Text of 1 Chr 2.24, Ashhur was the son of Hezron, but the Hebrew text of that verse is very difficult, and many translations correct the text of 2.24 on the basis of the Septuagint to say that Caleb, rather than Hezron, was the father of Asshur. Since 1 Chr 2.19 lists Hur as a son of Caleb, some interpreters think that Hur and Ashhur refer to the same person and that the name “Hur” is an abbreviated form of the longer name Ashhur. Others, however, think that Ashhur was a younger brother of Hur.

For the father of Tekoa, see the comments on 1 Chr 2.24. Tekoa was a town located about 8 kilometers (5 miles) south of Bethlehem, and about 16 kilometers (10 miles) south of Jerusalem. It was the hometown of the prophet Amos. Since the father of Tekoa means Asshur founded this town, Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, and Peregrino say “founder of Tekoa,” and Contemporary English Version has “who settled the town of Tekoa.”

The names of Asshur’s two wives Helah and Naarah are missing in the Syriac of this verse.

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 .