And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to David: Revised Standard Version follows the form of the Hebrew in using the name Joab as the subject of the verb gave. Since Joab was the subject of the last verbs in the previous verse, he is clearly the subject here also, so Good News Translation substitutes the pronoun “He.” Translators need to use nouns and pronouns in ways that are clear and natural in the receptor language. Gave the sum of the numbering is literally “gave the number of the numbering.” The rather awkward wording in Revised Standard Version is replaced in New Revised Standard Version by “gave the total count.” Compare “reported … the results of the census” (American Bible, La Bible du Semeur) and “provided the tally, the muster” (Knoppers). As in previous verses, here the Hebrew noun translated people is better rendered “warriors” ( NET Bible) or “men capable of military service” (similarly La Bible du Semeur) since the word people will often suggest to the reader that the reference is to all of the inhabitants of Israel.

In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and in Judah four hundred and seventy thousand who drew the sword: The numbers here do not correspond to those in the parallel account in 2 Sam 24.9, where they are given as 800,000 for Israel and 500,000 for Judah. The wording is different in 2 Samuel, and various explanations have been given for the different figures. However, translators must render the numbers as they stand and not attempt to harmonize them. In both passages the numbers seem very high, and some scholars have interpreted the Hebrew word that is normally translated “thousand” as representing a military unit considerable smaller than a thousand men. For these scholars one million one hundred thousand (literally “a thousand thousands and one hundred thousand”) and four hundred and seventy thousand mean that Israel had 1,100 military units and Judah had 470. But virtually all translations retain the idea of “thousand.”

Writing large numbers is difficult in some languages. In English some versions write out the amounts in words (so Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible), while others use figures (so Good News Translation, NET Bible). In some languages it is beneficial to use both systems, adding the figures in parentheses after the spelled-out words.

The meaning of the clause who drew the sword is expressed in various ways, such as “capable of bearing arms” (Revised English Bible), “capable of wielding a sword” (New American Bible; similarly New Jerusalem Bible), “capable of military service” (Good News Translation, El libro del Pueblo de Dios, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje), “who could serve in the army” (Nueva Versión Internacional), and “fit for war” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). The Good News Translation rendering of this clause in Jdg 8.10 is well translated as “soldiers.”

Since the writer often refers to both Israel and Judah as “all Israel,” some interpreters think that all Israel here refers to the whole united kingdom and not just to the northern kingdom, with a separate figure given for the tribe of Judah. In fact, a number of interpreters think that the words and in Judah four hundred and seventy thousand who drew the sword are a later addition to the text. Braun, for example, places these words in square brackets to show that they are not original. This understanding is supported by the fact that Judah is not mentioned separately in verse 2. But these words are firmly established in the Masoretic Text and should be included in the translation.

It is possible to take all Israel as referring to both Israel and Judah by taking the census figure for Judah as included within the larger figure for all Israel. This interpretation is the basis for the New International Version translation: “In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah.” But nearly all other modern versions translate the common Hebrew conjunction here as and rather than “including.”

Others think that all Israel and Judah probably refer respectively to the tribes of the north and the southern tribe of Judah. If this interpretation is followed, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente may provide a helpful model: “in Israel, to the north, the men capable for combat were one million one hundred thousand, in Judah, to the south, four hundred seventy thousand.” The Good News Translation rendering assumes this same interpretation (so also Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje).

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 .