All these, who were chosen as gatekeepers at the thresholds, were two hundred and twelve: The demonstrative pronoun these refers to Shallum and the Temple guards already mentioned. The passive expression were chosen will have to be made active in certain languages. Since the agent is not specified in the text, it may be necessary to use an indefinite expression such as “they chose.” The figure two hundred and twelve does not correspond to the one given for the Temple guards in the parallel text of Neh 11.19, but this may be due to a different way of calculating or a different criteria for which categories of guards were included. For this whole sentence Revised English Bible has “Those picked to be door-keepers numbered two hundred and twelve in all.” Revised English Bible follows the ancient Syriac, which reads “numbered” rather than at the thresholds. Translators should follow the Masoretic Text here, although the meaning is the same. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives an {A} rating to the Masoretic Text.

They were enrolled by genealogies in their villages: This sentence seems to mean more than the Good News Translation rendering suggests. Good News Translation seems to mean that the Temple guards chose where to live and then were registered as living there. But the intended meaning is probably that these guards were living in the villages that had been given to their clans at the time of Joshua. That is, they were living in the villages where their ancestors had lived, according to the genealogical records. Like the previous verb, the passive verb were enrolled may have to be transformed into an active one. For villages see the comments on verse 16.

David and Samuel the seer established them in their office of trust: According to 1 Sam 25.1, Samuel died before David became king. Samuel the seer is, of course, “the prophet Samuel” (Good News Translation). The same Hebrew word for seer is used of Samuel again in 1 Chr 26.28 and 29.29. The word seer translates two different Hebrew words in 1–2 Chronicles. The word here (and in 2 Chr 16.7, 10) comes from the root rʾh, which means “to see” or “to perceive.” This may mean that the prophet’s revelation came in the form of a vision or dream, but sometimes the context does not support this view. The second Hebrew word comes from the root chzh, which also means “to see” or “to perceive.” This word describes Gad in 1 Chr 21.9 and 29.29 and Heman in 25.5. The same word occurs also in 2 Chr 9.29; 12.15; 19.2; 29.25, 30; 33.18-19; 35.15. Translators do not need to find two different words or expressions in the receptor language for these two different Hebrew nouns. Both terms focus on the subjective element of receiving a revelation from God, of perceiving that which other people cannot see. The Hebrew noun usually translated “prophet” focuses more on the work of the person who speaks on behalf of God, without focusing on the manner in which that person receives the revelation or message from God. It may be very difficult for some translators to find an adequate equivalent for the word seer. An expression such as “person who sees” should probably be avoided, since the meaning is rather a person who sees beyond what ordinary people see. Such a person was thought to have deep spiritual insight. Some languages may say “person who sees the affairs of God.”

The pronouns them and their in the last sentence of this verse do not refer to the guards at the time of the writing of the book of 1 Chronicles, but to their ancestors. This is quite clear from the historical reference to David and Samuel. It will be better in most languages to translate the pronoun them as “their ancestors” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, Bible en français courant).

The phrase their office of trust highlights the importance of the Temple guards’ responsibility. The Hebrew noun rendered office of trust, which occurs also in verses 26 and 31, is sometimes translated “steadfastness,” “faithfulness,” or “honesty.” The meaning of in their office of trust has been expressed in a variety of ways in modern versions; for example, “because of their dependability” (New Jerusalem Bible), “because they were trustworthy” (Revised English Bible), and “because they were reliable men” (New Living Translation). The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament: Study Edition by Koehler, Baumgartner, and Stamm (HALOT) gives the meaning “permanent official duty” to the Hebrew word here. This understanding of the word is the basis for the translation “in their permanent responsibility” (Nouvelle Bible Segond; similarly Traduction œcuménique de la Bible).

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 .