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 .

And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that the army had fled …: As in verse 1, the men of Israel is literally “the man of Israel.” The singular word “man” should be taken collectively here also, as is clearly indicated by the use of the word all. The valley is “Jezreel Valley” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje), which was located immediately to the northeast of Mount Gilboa (see 1 Chr 10.1). It is better to make this information explicit in the translation itself rather than putting the information in a footnote (so Bible en français courant) since the Hebrew implies that the writer had a definite place in mind and the original readers would have understood it to refer to Jezreel Valley. All the men of Israel who were in the valley may be rendered “all the Israelites who lived in the Jezreel Valley.”

The text says that these other Israelites saw what happened to their fellow Israelites. However, it is unlikely that this is meant to be taken in its literal sense of witnessing the events themselves. The idea is rather that they became aware of what had occurred. So some possible translations of the verb saw are “heard” (Good News Translation) and “learned” (Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant).

The army had fled is literally “they had fled.” The pronoun “they” may refer to Saul and his sons, but it more likely refers to the Israelite army. It will be helpful in many languages to make the subject explicit as Revised Standard Version and many other versions have done.

They forsook their cities means they abandoned the towns in which they had lived previously.

And the Philistines came and dwelt in them: The Hebrew verb rendered dwelt is the common verb for “living” or “dwelling.” In this context a more specific verb for the settling of invading foreign troops may be used, such as “occupied” in English (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

The text does not indicate how long it took for the Philistines to come and occupy the Israelite towns, but a period of at least several days is probably implied. This whole verse interrupts the flow of action and time between the preceding verses and those that follow. Moffatt correctly places it within parentheses in order to mark this break in the chronological sequence.

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 .

The names in this list are thought to be those of the Thirty famous soldiers referred to earlier in this chapter. When compared with the parallel list in 2 Sam 23.24-39, there are some discrepancies that may be due to scribal errors. In some cases there may be two variants of the same name which may be harmonized in translation. But where the names are significantly different, translators must reflect the differences found in the text.

Existing translations follow different policies regarding the renderings of the names in these verses. Some keep the forms of the names in the Masoretic Text here in 1 Chronicles. Others change the forms to correspond to the forms in the Septuagint and the parallel text in 2 Samuel. Einheitsübersetzung, for example, states the following in a footnote for verses 26-47: “The names are sometimes distorted through errors in copying. The corrections for the most part are based on 2 Samuel and G [that is, the Septuagint].” But even those translations that correct the text here to correspond with the parallel text do not do so in all places where names are different.

Most of the places named in verses 26-41 are in Judah and the hill country west of Jerusalem. The places that are known in verses 42-47 are mostly from Transjordan (east of the Jordan River).

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 .

These are the men refers back to the men listed in verses 9-13. Good News Translation changes the focus of the passage somewhat by referring to them simply as “they” in the middle of the verse. In order to maintain its focus, it may be better to begin this verse by saying “It was they who…” (New American Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) or “These are the ones who…” (New American Standard Bible). Contemporary English Version highlights the fact that the event described in this verse had taken place previously by beginning with the word “Earlier.”

Who crossed the Jordan in the first month: The bravery of these men from the tribe of Gad is shown by the fact that they crossed the Jordan River while it was at flood level. These men did not regularly cross the Jordan River in the first month of each year. This verse refers to something that happened on one single occasion, so Good News Translation adds the words “of one year.” For the same reason Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente begins this verse by saying “One time…,” and American Bible has “These were the ones who once crossed the Jordan….” The Jordan is “the Jordan River” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation), and the men crossed it from east to west. The first month is Nisan, which corresponds to mid-March to mid-April.

When it was overflowing all its banks: The flooding may have been caused by the melting snow from Mount Hermon in the north or it may have been caused by heavy rains or a combination of the two.

And put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west is literally “and they put to flight all the valleys to the east and to the west.” Most interpreters understand “the valleys” as referring to the people who lived in the valleys, as do Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. In some languages it may be more natural to render to the east and to the west as “on both sides of the Jordan River” or “on both sides of the river.” This last part of the verse may be understood in three different ways:

• (1) Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and most other versions interpret the Hebrew to mean that the soldiers from the tribe of Gad fought against the people living on both sides of the Jordan River and caused them to flee.

• (2) The flooding Jordan River, not the soldiers, caused the inhabitants of the valley to flee. Braun follows this interpretation by rendering the whole verse as “These were the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all the inhabitants of the valleys to the east and to the west.” New Jerusalem Bible is similar by making the flooding Jordan River the subject of the verb put to flight, but most versions either leave it ambiguous or clearly make the invading army of the tribe of Gad the subject of this verb.

• (3) Some interpreters make a slight change in the Hebrew verb translated put to flight, and then take the flooding river as the subject of the verb. The Hebrew verb is understood as related to the word for “bar” (of a gate). Following this interpretation, American Bible translates the final part of this verse as “and made impassable all the lowlands to the east and to the west.” Knoppers is similar with “rendering the lowlands impassable to the east and to the west.”

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 .

Moreover he appointed certain of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD: Moreover renders the common Hebrew conjunction, which is left untranslated by most modern versions, including New Revised Standard Version. The translation certain of the Levites may give the impression that specific Levites were appointed, but the Hebrew is literally “from the Levites.” A better rendering in English is “some of the Levites” (New International Version, Knoppers). The Hebrew term translated ministers refers here to those who led others in worship. They were to stand in front of the Covenant Box.

The Levites have three responsibilities: to invoke, to thank, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel. The exact meaning of the Hebrew verb translated to invoke is not clear in this context. The Hebrew verb is used with God’s name as the object in Exo 20.24, so the sense may be that the Levites are “to cause God’s name to be mentioned.” New English Bible has “to repeat the Name,” perhaps referring to liturgical responses or chants, such as found in Psa 136. Braun says “to commemorate.” The verb may also be translated “to praise” or “to confess” and may refer to singing psalms of lament. Some scholars note the similar root of the Hebrew word rendered “memorial portion” in Lev 2.2, 9, 16; 5.12, and suggest that to invoke involves some liturgical practice related to sacrifice.

Exactly how and when the Levites were to thank … the LORD is not stated, but probably this involved giving thanks on specific occasions both on behalf of the people as a whole and on behalf of individuals. The song of praise that follows in verses 8-36 indicates how they are to praise the LORD.

In Hebrew sometimes a series of near synonyms is used to express the idea of totality. Some interpreters think that the Hebrew verbs rendered to invoke, to thank and to praise are not to be understood as referring to separate activities but as referring to all that is involved in worship.

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 .