David also defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah: In Hebrew this verse begins with the words “And he struck” just as the previous verse does. But since this defeat of Hadadezer is one in a series of defeats by David, for reasons of narrative flow in English, Good News Translation begins this verse with the adverb “Next.” New International Version uses the somewhat archaic word “Moreover.” The name Hadadezer means “Hadad is help.” Hadad, the storm god, was the name of the chief deity among the Syrians. Various kings had names composed of this god’s name: Hadadezer, Hadoram (see verse 10), and Ben-hadad (meaning “son of Hadad”; see 1 Kgs 15.18). Some translations here say “Hadarezer” (so Menge). In many Hebrew manuscripts and in some older editions of the Hebrew Bible, this king’s name is “Hadarezer” here in chapters 18 and 19, but in 2 Sam 8.3-12 and 1 Kgs 11.23 his name is “Hadadezer.” It will probably be a good idea to expand the translation of Zobah to include information that would have been known by the original readers or hearers of this text. Zobah was one of the independent city-states of Syria, north of Damascus. For this reason some versions add “the Syrian state of” (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant). This also ties in with verse 5 and helps the reader to understand why the Syrians of Damascus came to the aid of the people of Zobah.

Toward Hamath: A footnote in New Revised Standard Version states that the meaning of the Hebrew here is uncertain, and this uncertainty is reflected in the different versions. In Hebrew the name Hamath has a final consonant that is usually understood to indicate direction toward (somewhere). This is the basis for the rendering toward Hamath (also New American Bible). New Jerusalem Bible, American Bible, and Bible en français courant are also based on this understanding, but they express the meaning more clearly as “which lies in the direction of Hamath.” However, Revised English Bible takes the name Hamath as part of the name “Zobah-hamath.” Hamath was located about 210 kilometers (130 miles) north of Damascus on the Orontes River in Syria.

As he went renders a Hebrew infinitive plus third person suffix, but a literal translation may be ambiguous as to whether the subject is David or Hadadezer. Some English versions show in various ways that the subject is Hadadezer; for example, Revised English Bible has “King Hadadezer … who was on his way” (similarly New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), and New American Bible says “when the latter was on his way” (similarly New Jerusalem Bible). However, it is possible, and perhaps probable, that David is the intended subject of the verb since it seems strange that David and Hadadezer would have met if Hadadezer was the subject. Israel was to the south of Zobah, while the Euphrates River was to the north. So if Hadadezer had traveled north, he would not likely have encountered David and his troops. Most English versions reproduce the pronoun and leave the meaning of the text ambiguous. However, if the pronoun stands for Hadadezer, the proper name Hadadezer should be used (so Good News Translation, Bible en français courant).

To set up his monument: The meaning of this phrase is debatable. While many versions take it to mean “to set up his monument” (Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), others take it to mean “to establish his dominion” (American Bible, Bible en français courant), “to establish his rule” (New American Standard Bible), or “to assert his rule” (New Jerusalem Bible). The Hebrew word for monument is literally “hand,” which is often used for power, but sometimes refers to a physical monument that is symbolic of power and indicates the boundaries of a ruler’s kingdom. The Hebrew noun for “hand” occurs with the meaning “monument” in 1 Sam 15.12, where Saul set up a monument for himself in order to celebrate his victory over the Amalekites. This monument probably consisted of stones that were placed one on top of another (see also 2 Sam 18.18, where the same word refers to a pillar erected by Absalom). For his monument, Revised English Bible says “his monument of victory.” Other renderings include “his victory stele” (New American Bible) and “his stela” (Knoppers). Given the symbolism of the act of setting up a monument, it is probably best to translate the idea of power in any case.

At the river Euphrates: The preposition in this expression will probably have to be clarified in most languages. The reference is to a location or a stretch of land adjacent to the upper part of the Euphrates River. Bible en français courant says “in the region of the Euphrates.”

In some languages it will be more natural to restructure this whole verse by moving the reference to the Euphrates River forward and leaving the idea of Hadadezer’s defeat to the end of the verse. Contemporary English Version provides a possible model:

• While King Hadadezer of Zobah was trying to gain control of the territory near the Euphrates River, David met him in battle at Hamath and defeated him.

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 .