The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin that is transliterated “Levites” in English (only the Contemporary English Version translates it as “temple helpers”) is translated in Ojitlán Chinantec as “temple caretakers,” Yatzachi Zapotec as “people born in the family line of Levi, people whose responsibility it was to do the work in the important church of the Israelites,” in Alekano as “servants in the sacrifice house from Jerusalem place,” and in Tenango Otomi as “helpers of priests.” (Source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
In American Sign Language with a sign that combines “temple” + “servant.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Levite” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
And the temple singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their place …: The connector And may be omitted (so Good News Bible). Since the temple singers also played instruments (see 1 Chr 25), this phrase may be rendered “the Temple musicians” (similarly Contemporary English Version). These singers were the sons of Asaph, that is, Asaph’s descendants, who were a clan of Levites who specialized in singing and playing for the Temple services.
According to the arrangement made by David, and also Asaph, Zechariah, and Eddinus, who represented the king: See 1 Chr 25.1; 2 Chr 8.14. In the Greek text Asaph, Zechariah, and Eddinus are all representatives of King David; the relative pronoun who does not refer only to Eddinus, although some manuscripts have it so. This whole phrase may be rendered “in the positions that King David and his representatives [or, officials], Asaph, Zechariah and Eddinus, had assigned to them.”
The gatekeepers were at each gate: The gatekeepers of the Temple also were Levites, but had special duties (see 1 Chr 9.17-27; 26.1-19). Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version refer to them as Temple “guards,” but this suggests they had police or military duties, which would be misleading. In addition to opening the Temple gates in the morning and closing them at night, they had responsibility for the Temple treasury and certain Temple rooms. We may refer to them as “attendants” or “men who had responsibility for opening and shutting the gates.”
No one needed to depart from his duties means that neither the Temple musicians nor the men who opened and shut the Temple gates needed to leave their assigned places during the Passover Festival.
For their brethren the Levites prepared the passover for them may be rendered “because the other Levites prepared the Passover meat for them” (similarly Good News Bible). As in verse 13 (see the comments there), Revised Standard Version adds the implied object the passover.
Good News Bible provides a helpful model for combining verses 15 and 16. Our following models for combining them are based on Contemporary English Version:
• While everybody was celebrating the Passover feast [or, fiesta], some of the Levites prepared food for those Levites who were assigned to the gates of the Temple, and also for the Temple musicians who were Levites from the Asaph clan. They did this so that these people didn’t have to leave the posts [or, positions] assigned to them by King David and his representatives Asaph, Zechariah and Eddinus.
• While everybody was celebrating the Passover feast, some of the Levites prepared food for the Levites who were at the gates of the Temple, and for those Levites from the Asaph clan who were Temple musicians. They did this so that these people didn’t have to leave the positions that King David and his representatives Asaph, Zechariah and Eddinus had assigned to them.
Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.
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