complete verse (1 Chronicles 23:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 23:20:

  • Kupsabiny: “Uzziel had two sons. The big/first one was called Micah and the young/small one was Ishiah.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The sons of Uzziel [were] Micah, the leader, and Isshiah, the second.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The male children of Uziel were Micas, the chief-leader/[lit. chief-head] of their family, and Ishia the second.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 23:20

The sons of Uzziel …: Uzziel was Kohath’s fourth son (verse 12), as Good News Translation makes explicit, again helping to tie the passage together. Instead of saying “fourth son,” Contemporary English Version uses a more natural style in English with “youngest son.”

Micah the chief and Isshiah the second: According to Exo 6.22, the sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. Micah and Isshiah were probably descendants of Uzziel rather than sons. Braun expresses the sense of this whole verse as “The sons of Uzziel had Micah as chief and Isshiah second.” If this meaning is accepted, then the word sons should be translated “descendants.”

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 .