And they did not turn aside from what the king had commanded the priests and Levites: And renders the common Hebrew conjunction, but it is omitted by New Revised Standard Version and most other major versions. The pronoun they refers to the priests and Levites, which may be made explicit. The king refers to David, which Good News Translation makes explicit for clarity. The negative expression did not turn aside from may have to be restated in a positive way in some languages by beginning this verse with “The priests and Levites carefully obeyed all of David’s commands.”

Concerning any matter and concerning the treasuries: The order of these two phrases will probably have to be reversed in many languages since it is not normal to place a general statement before a more specific one. A model that does this is “concerning the treasuries or any other matter.” Or it may be possible to say “in any matter, including that of the treasuries” (New International Version). The Hebrew word translated treasuries is understood by Good News Translation and NASB as referring to “storehouses” (similarly Contemporary English Version with “storage rooms”), but God’s Word sees it as a reference to the “temple’s finances.” The Hebrew noun may refer to storehouses where agricultural produce was kept and it may refer to a treasury where valuable items were kept, so either interpretation is possible here (see the comments on 1 Chr 9.26 and 26.20).

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 account of Solomon’s reign is concluded by the common formula used to summarize the reign of most of the kings of Israel and Judah. It refers to his death, burial, and successor.

And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: Slept with his fathers (literally “lay down with his fathers”) is a common Old Testament euphemism meaning “to die.” It occurs numerous times in 1-2 Kings and 2 Chronicles in reference to the kings of Israel and Judah. It is frequently accompanied as here by the words was buried, but there are cases where these words are not added and the euphemism seems to mean “died and was buried.” So this idiomatic expression refers to burial in a place that is physically close to the dead person’s parents, grandparents, and other ancestors. If there is no corresponding idiom in the receptor language, it will be best to translate slept with his fathers, and was buried as “died and was buried with his ancestors.” The passive verb was buried will have to be made active in some languages. One possible model that does this is “his people buried him.”

For the city of David, see the comments on 1 Chr 11.5 and 2 Chr 5.2.

And Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead: Rehoboam became the first king of the southern kingdom of Judah. Regarding his reign, see 2 Chr 10.1-19 and 12.13-16. According to 2 Chr 12.13, he became king when he was forty-one years old. The expression reigned in his stead is a formula found frequently in 1-2 Kings and 1-2 Chronicles (see the comments on 1 Chr 19.1). It may be translated in a variety of ways depending on the resources of the receptor language. Some possible models are “succeeded him as king” (Good News Translation, New International Version), “became king in his place” (New Century Version), “took power after he died,” and “began to govern following his death.”

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 .

After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom: After her refers to after Rehoboam had married Mahalath. In some languages it may be important to give some kind of indication of the amount of time that passed between the marriage of Rehoboam to Mahalath and his subsequent marriage to Maacah. If translators are forced to make such a decision, it was probably a matter of months rather than days, but there is no way of being certain. Absalom was one of David’s sons, so Maacah and Rehoboam were both grandchildren of King David. For this whole clause New Living Translation says “Later Rehoboam married another cousin, Maacah, the daughter of Absalom.” Most likely Maacah was the granddaughter of Absalom by his only daughter Tamar (2 Sam 14.27), who was married to Uriel (2 Chr 13.2). The Hebrew noun translated daughter may also mean “granddaughter” (so Revised English Bible, Moffatt). It is also possible that the Absalom mentioned here is a different person and not one of David’s sons.

Who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith: According to Good News Translation, all four of these children were sons, but several women in the Old Testament have the name Shelomith (Lev 24.11; 1 Chr 3.19). Whether this Shelomith was a son or a daughter is simply not known. Verse 22 makes it clear that Abijah was a son.

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 Judah looked is literally “And Judah turned.” The soldiers of Judah turned around and saw the ambush. New Century Version says “When the soldiers of Judah turned around.”

Behold, the battle was before and behind them: The Hebrew focusing word rendered behold is used here to show the surprise of the soldiers of Judah. For this whole clause Bible en français courant has “they discovered that they would have to fight on two fronts.”

And they cried to the LORD: The common Hebrew conjunction translated and connects the two parts of this verse. In this context the troops of Judah shouted for God’s help as a result of what they had seen, so the conjunction may be translated “So” ( NET Bible). It is also possible to understand the conjunction here as a temporal connector introducing the next event, so it may be rendered “Then” (New International Version). The Hebrew verb translated cried does not mean “to weep,” but rather “to shout [for help or deliverance].” Some possible models are “prayed desperately” (The Message) and “called … for help” (Parole de Vie).

And the priests blew the trumpets: See the comments on verse 12.

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 he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon …: Asa summoned all the people of Judah and Benjamin as well as the people from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had defected to him. Contemporary English Version renders Manasseh as “West Manasseh,” but we do not advise doing this.

Who were sojourning with them is better translated “who were residing as aliens with them” (New Revised Standard Version).

For great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him: The Hebrew conjunction rendered for introduces why many Israelites from the northern kingdom were living in the southern kingdom. They defected there because they saw that the LORD was on Asa’s side. As in the time of Rehoboam (2 Chr 11.13-16), they came to Judah, where the inhabitants generally worshiped God according to the Law of Moses. This logical connector may be rendered “because.” Had deserted to him is literally “had fallen upon him.” These people from Israel had abandoned their loyalty to the leaders in the northern kingdom and had willingly become subject to King Asa. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates “had thrown in their lot with him.”

Good News Translation reorders this verse by first mentioning the Israelites who defected to the southern kingdom and then referring to the whole assembly brought together by Asa. Such restructuring may be a helpful model for translators in other languages.

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 .

Apparently the southern kingdom of Judah controlled a number of trade routes, which meant that the Philistines and Arabs paid taxes to King Jehoshaphat.

Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and silver for tribute: For Philistines see the comments on 1 Chr 1.12. The Hebrew noun translated presents is the same word rendered “tribute” in verse 5 (see the comments there since it has the same meaning here). The Hebrew noun rendered tribute does not have this meaning elsewhere in the Old Testament. It means “load” or “burden.” Like Revised Standard Version, some other versions take these two nouns as two distinct items. New Jerusalem Bible, for example, renders presents, and silver for tribute as “presents and a load of silver,” and New American Bible says “gifts and a tribute of silver.” If this interpretation is followed, then the sense appears to be that the Philistines brought tribute in some form, as well as great quantities of silver. But others consider the second item as a more detailed explanation of the first one; for example, Revised English Bible says “a gift of a great quantity of silver.”

And the Arabs brought him … rams and … he-goats: The Arabs probably does not refer to the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula, but to the tribes mentioned also in 2 Chr 21.16 and 26.7, who lived in southwestern Palestine near the Philistines. However, the only way to deal with this is probably in a footnote. Rams is literally “a flock of male sheep.” Good News Translation has “sheep,” which is correct, but not as precise as the Hebrew. It is better to say “rams” (see the comments on 1 Chr 15.26). He-goats is more naturally rendered “male goats” (New Revised Standard Version) or “billy goats” in English. Good News Translation says simply “goats,” but this rendering is not as specific as the Hebrew.

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 Micaiah said: In the context of this ongoing conversation, the verb said may be more naturally translated “answered” (New Century Version), “replied” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New International Version), or “responded” (Nouvelle version Segond révisée).

The Hebrew focusing particle rendered Behold highlights Micaiah’s response.

You shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself: The verb see is intended in the sense of “understand.” On that day refers to the day when the Syrians defeat the Israelites. Good News Translation omits these words. Zedekiah would be trying to hide from the Syrians or perhaps from his own people because of his false prophecy. An inner chamber is literally “a chamber in a chamber.” The exact sense of this phrase is not clear. It may refer to a particular part of the citadel (that is, the city’s fortress) or simply to a well-hidden inside room of a house in the city. The second sense is the basis for the Bible en français courant rendering, which says “the most secret place of your house.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says more generally “the innermost room.” Another interpretation of this Hebrew phrase is that once Zedekiah was inside the city walls, he would go from room to room in order to hide himself (so New Jerusalem Bible, La Bible du Semeur, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Osty-Trinquet, La Sainte Bible: La version Etablie par les moines de Maredsous, Peregrino. New Jerusalem Bible, for example, renders this whole clause as “That is what you will find out … the day you go from room to room, trying to hide.” Others may wish to translate “the day will come when you will have to hide from the enemy; then you will understand what I am talking about.”

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 .

Meanwhile all the men of Judah stood before the LORD …: Meanwhile translates the common Hebrew conjunction, which is ignored in some versions (so Good News Translation, New International Version). Perhaps the beginning of a new paragraph will be an adequate expression of the conjunction here. All the men of Judah is literally “all Judah” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible). Judah a collective noun here, as it is also in verses 15, 18, 20, and 24 (compare “Israel” in verse 10). The remainder of this verse makes it clear that the men of Judah are in view here. Stood before the LORD means they stood in the presence of God, that is, “at the Temple” (Good News Translation).

With their little ones, their wives, and their children: The Hebrew noun rendered little ones probably refers to children before the age of walking, so it may be translated “infants” (An American Translation, Moffatt). Good News Translation combines little ones and children as “children,” but this translation lacks the precision of the Hebrew. In many languages it will be more natural to mention the wives before the infants and the other children. An alternative models for this whole phrase is “with their wives, infants, and other children.”

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 .