When the Ammonites saw: The Ammonites no doubt includes their king also, so Good News Translation says “King Hanun and the Ammonites” (similarly Bible en français courant). The verb saw is not to be taken literally as referring to physical seeing, but rather to becoming aware of something. A number of modern versions use the verb “realized” (Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Bible en français courant).

That they had made themselves odious to David: The root of the Hebrew word translated odious has to do with emitting an unpleasant odor or smelling bad. New International Version reflects this by translating this clause as “that they had become a stench in David’s nostrils.” But here the expression is used figuratively for being offensive. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh renders it nonfiguratively by saying “that they had incurred the wrath of David.” It may be better to say “that they had antagonised David” (New Jerusalem Bible) or “that they had given offence to David” (Revised English Bible) in order to show the responsibility of the Ammonites more clearly.

Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver: A “talent” was the approximate equivalent of 34 kilograms or 75 pounds. However, the weight of a talent differed over time and in different places, so it is not possible to be certain of the exact amount of a thousand talents of silver in modern terms. Good News Translation says “nearly forty tons of silver,” and New Century Version has “about seventy-four thousand pounds of silver”; but according to other calculations, it is closer to “thirty tons of silver” (Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie). Whatever the exact equivalence, this was clearly a very large amount of silver and represented a great deal of money. The translation should somehow communicate this fact.

To hire chariots and horsemen: The Masoretic Text says “to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen.” The parallel text in 2 Sam 10.6 and a manuscript from Qumran do not have the words “for themselves.” It is not clear whether Revised Standard Version has followed a different text here from the Masoretic Text or has simply left this information implicit. The latter seems more likely since most English versions do not include these words. For chariots and horsemen, see the comments on 1 Chr 18.4.

From Mesopotamia, from Aram-maacah, and from Zobah: Mesopotamia is literally “Aram-naharaim” (so New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Complete Jewish Bible). This name occurs also in Gen 24.10; Deut 23.4, Jdg 3.8; and the title of Psa 60. Naharaim is the dual form of the Hebrew word for “river,” so Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates “Aram-of-two-Rivers.” The name refers to an area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in upper Mesopotamia, located around the bend of the Euphrates River in northern Syria. Some versions call this “Upper Mesopotamia” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant), and others refer to it as “Northwest Mesopotamia” (New Century Version). Aram-maacah was a small Syrian kingdom east of the Jordan River, south of Mount Hermon, and southwest of Damascus. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had failed to conquer Maacah (see Josh 13.8-13). Zobah was a small Syrian kingdom north of Mount Hermon (see the comments on 1 Chr 18.3). Since the soldiers from Upper Mesopotamia were also Syrians, Bible en français courant translates this last part of the verse as “Syrians from Upper Mesopotamia, Maacah and Zobah.”

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 .