The sons of Gomer: Here the word sons is used in the broader sense of “descendants” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Living Translation, New American Bible). In the previous verses sons was intended literally, but here it will be better to say “descendants.” Another possibility is to change the focus slightly by beginning this verse with “Gomer was the ancestor of” (Contemporary English Version). The descendants of Gomer consist of three branches.

Ashkenaz is also listed as the first son/descendant of Gomer in Gen 10.3. His descendants lived in the area between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, and later became known as the Scythians.

The Masoretic Text reads Diphath, but many Hebrew manuscripts as well as the Septuagint and the Vulgate read “Riphath,” which seems to be a correction to make the name agree with the one in Gen 10.3. The Hebrew letters for “d” and “r” are similar in shape, so copyists frequently confused them. Since neither name is known apart from their mention in these two verses, there is no way to know whether the correct name is “Diphath” (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente) or “Riphath” (Good News Translation, New International Version, New Living Translation, Bible de Jérusalem, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, El libro del Pueblo de Dios, Nueva Versión Internacional, Reina-Valera revisada, Osty-Trinquet, Peregrino. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {C} rating to the reading in the Masoretic Text: “Diphath.”

The book of Ezekiel twice refers to the descendants of Togarmah, and the context suggests that they lived north of Israel.

Several times in the remainder of this chapter there are differences in the spelling of some names that have parallels in Genesis. Often the difference is between the Hebrew letters for “d” and “r,” as in the case of Diphath and Riphath in this verse. There was also confusion between the Hebrew letter waw , which could function as a “w,” “o,” or “u,” and the Hebrew letter yod, which could function as a “y,” “i,” or “e.” For example, the first consonant in the Hebrew name for “Ebal” in verse 22 is written with a yod, but the same person’s name begins with a waw in Gen 10.28, so it is spelled “Obal.” Translators will need to decide whether to use the same spelling in the receptor language in both Genesis and 1 Chronicles, or whether to maintain the differences and explain them in a footnote. The decision will be determined by the type of translation being done and the intended audience. Functional equivalent translations are more likely to use the same spelling for Genesis and 1 Chronicles in the receptor language.

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 .

Magdi-el is mentioned by the Christian historian Eusebius in the early fourth century A.D. as a place name, so some interpreters regard this as a place name rather than a person’s name.

Iram: Nothing more is known regarding this chief.

These are the chiefs of Edom: Good News Translation leaves out the repetition of this information given in verse 51. But in languages where such repetition is not considered unnatural, this statement may be retained in translation. The Hebrew has no verb in this clause. A better translation may be “these were the chiefs of Edom” (similarly Knoppers).

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 .

Good News Translation restructures verse 36-41 and introduces “Elishama,” the last person in Attai’s family line, from verse 41. This gives the reader an idea of the overall significance of these verses, that is, that they refer to the family line from Attai to Elishama. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch provides another possible model for verses 36-41, saying “Attai begot Nathan, Nathan begot Zabad, Zabad Ephlal, then follow in a direct line Obed, Jehu, Azariah, Helez, Eleasah, Sismai, Shallum, Jekamiah and Elishama.”

The Hebrew name Nathan means “gift.” There are at least six different people who bear this name in the Old Testament, including the prophet who was active at the time of King David. But the reference here is not to that prophet.

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 .

Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah: Since the previous verse ends with the words “his son,” some interpreters have thought that these six men were the sons of Shealtiel rather than his brothers. But the Hebrew here is literally “and Malchiram and Pedaiah and Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah.” The presence of the conjunction before the name Malchiram suggests that he and those whose names follow are brothers of Shealtiel. The ancient Syriac translation has the words “his son” after each name in this verse, making this list a linear genealogy of seven generations.

In the past scholars thought that Shenazzar and “Sheshbazzar” (Ezra 1.8, 11; 5.14, 16) were variant spellings of an Akkadian name, and that the same person was referred to by the two different names. More recent studies, however, indicate that these two names most likely do not refer to the same person. So the name should appear in translation as it is in Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and virtually all other modern translations; that is, the spelling of these names should not be harmonized but should be spelled differently.

The line of descent, which began with Adam in chapter 1, continues with Pedaiah and his sons. Pedaiah is the fifty-second generation from Adam.

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 .

Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and Sha-araim: In Josh 19.5-6 the last three towns are called “Hazar-susah,” “Beth-lebaoth,” and “Sharuhen.” The names of these places have meaning in Hebrew, but nearly all translations transliterate the names rather than translate them. Beth-marcaboth means “house of chariots” and was most likely a place where chariots were made and stored. Hazar-susim means “enclosure of the mares.” The consonants of the name Beth-biri suggest the meaning “house of my creator,” but the vowels do not. In the parallel passage in Josh 19.6, the same place is called “Beth-lebaoth,” which means “house of lionesses.” It is possible that this city was called “Beth-lebaoth” before the exile, and then it was called Beth-biri after the exile. Sha-araim means “two gates,” but since the parallel list in Josh 19.6 mentions a town called “Sharuhen,” it is possible that Sha-araim is a mistake for “Sharuhen.” It is also possible that this town had different but similar names at different times in its history.

These were their cities until David reigned: As already noted at verse 28, some common language translations have moved this sentence forward to the beginning of verse 28. This restructuring may be a good model for other languages; but if it is followed, the verses should probably be numbered together as 28-31 (so Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). For the translation of this sentence see the comments on verse 28.

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 .

So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria: The connector So translates the common Hebrew conjunction. This connector is appropriate in the present context since what is described in verse 26 is a direct result of the unfaithfulness depicted in the previous verse. Most other English versions use the same connector or a similar one, such as “Therefore” (New American Bible).

Revised Standard Version preserves the form of the Hebrew by saying the God of Israel. Good News Translation omits of Israel but without any obvious reason. Even if these words would be understood by the reader, the writer may well have included them for emphasis, and this emphasis should be preserved.

The Hebrew expression rendered stirred up the spirit is found elsewhere in the Old Testament (see, for example, 2 Chr 21.16; 36.22; Ezra 1.1; Jer 51.11; Hag 1.14). It is often used when the person involved is not an Israelite (for example, King Cyrus of Persia). The verb here is a causative form in Hebrew and may often be translated in other languages by a causative verb, such as “caused Pul … to attack” or “made Pul … want to go to war” (New Century Version).

The Assyrian ruler referred to here as Pul is better known as Tiglath Pileser. The name Pul is found elsewhere in the Old Testament only in 2 Kgs 15.19. The name Pul is an abbreviated form of the name Pulu, by which this Assyrian ruler is sometimes known in cuneiform records.

The spirit of Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria: For the name Tilgath-pilneser, see the comments on 1 Chr 5.6. This name is in apposition with Pul, as Good News Translation indicates with the parenthetical comment “also known as Tiglath Pileser.” Compare “King Pul of Assyria, that is King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria” (Revised English Bible; similarly New Jerusalem Bible). Some interpreters, however, think that the author misunderstood his sources and considered these to be two different kings. The Hebrew for the beginning of this verse may indeed be translated as follows: “Therefore the God of Israel incited against them the anger of Pul, king of Assyria, and of Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria” (New American Bible; similarly Reina-Valera revisada). But the following verbs in Hebrew are both singular (carried away and brought), so it is most likely that the author intended the two names to refer to one king only.

The form Tilgath-pilneser is also found in 2 Chr 28.20, and the form “Tiglath-pileser” is found in 2 Kgs 15.29 and 16.7, 10. Three Assyrian rulers had the name Tiglath Pileser. The reference here is to Tiglath Pileser III, who ruled 744–727 B.C.; but since the other two rulers by this name are not mentioned in the Old Testament, there is no danger of readers confusing the different rulers with one another. Therefore it is not necessary to identify him as Tiglath Pileser III.

And he carried them away, namely, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh: Most versions take the pronoun he as referring to the Assyrian king, but some take it as referring to God. New Jerusalem Bible and New American Bible clearly imply in English that the subject here is Tiglath Pileser by beginning this clause with “who deported….” For the half-tribe of Manasseh, see the comments on verse 18. Good News Translation renders this whole clause helpfully as “He deported the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh.”

And brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river Gozan: Classifier terms should almost certainly be added to the proper names here. All these places were located east and north of the Assyrian capital Nineveh, far from the land of Israel. Halah most likely refers to Halahhu, the name of both a town and a district northeast of Nineveh. The precise location of Halah is uncertain.

Habor was a river that flowed into the larger Euphrates River. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “the river Habor.”

Hara was apparently either a district or a city. This name is omitted in the Septuagint, and the parallel passages in 2 Kgs 17.6 and 18.11 do not have it in the Masoretic Text. Because the Hebrew name Hara is similar in spelling to the Hebrew words for “cities” ( Masoretic Text) or “mountains” (Septuagint) in 2 Kgs 17.6 and 18.11, some scholars think that Hara was not really a place but the result of an error in copying the text. Early editions of Jerusalem Bible omitted Hara, but New Jerusalem Bible includes it. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives a {D} rating to the Masoretic Text, but Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament does not even discuss this problem.

Along with both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, most modern translations say that Gozan is a river. However, the Hebrew expression rendered the river Gozan should be understood to mean “the river of Gozan” (New Jerusalem Bible) since Gozan, in northern Mesopotamia, has been identified with the modern-day city Tell Halaf on the border of Turkey and Syria. Others consider Gozan to be a region or territory in northern Mesopotamia. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch reads “the valley of Gozan.”

To this day means that the situation was still the same at the time the author was writing (see the comments on 1 Chr 4.41). Good News Translation expresses this sense with the word “permanently.”

The chapter division in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation does not follow the Masoretic Text from this point until the beginning of chapter 7. The Masoretic Text has 41 verses in chapter 5. Translations in other languages such as Bible en français courant, Bible de Jérusalem, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente and Peregrino follow the numbering of the Hebrew text, so they continue with fifteen more verses in chapter 5. The same is done by the Roman Catholic translations New Jerusalem Bible and New American Bible in English. These last fifteen verses become verses 1-15 of chapter 6 in Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and most other English versions.

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 .

Jahath was the son of Libni according to verse 20.

For the spelling of the name Gershom, see the comments on 1 Chr 6.1.

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 .

As in the previous verses, Good News Translation has avoided the repetition of the phrase with its pasture lands (see the comments on verse 66). Instead of repeating this phrase in verses 71-81, The Message summarizes at the end of this verse, saying “Pastures were included in all these towns.”

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 .