Have you not driven out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other nations?: See 2 Chr 11.13-15. Only descendants of Aaron were supposed to serve as priests (see verse 10), but Jeroboam appointed people from other tribes to perform this work. Bible en français courant renders the priests as “the true priests,” which makes explicit what is implicit in the text; namely, that those priests appointed from other tribes were false priests. The priests are called the sons of Aaron, but in this context the sense is “the descendants of Aaron” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Bible en français courant). The phrase the sons of Aaron is in apposition to the priests, but Revised Standard Version‘s literal translation may incorrectly suggest that three groups are referred to: the priests, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites. Good News Translation has restated this part of the verse in order to make it clearer that only two groups are mentioned.

The peoples of other lands is literally “the people of the lands.” Revised Standard Version inserts the word other as the context seems to require (also Good News Translation, New International Version). Following this interpretation, the reference is surely limited to “the surrounding nations” ( NET Bible) and not to unknown nations far away. But the same Hebrew expression occurs in Ezra 3.3; 9.1, 11; and Neh 10.28 to refer to the people who had remained in the land of Israel since the time of the Babylonian Exile. If this second interpretation is accepted, then the writer of 2 Chronicles is using the expression in an anachronistic fashion by having Abijah use these words in direct discourse.

This question is rhetorical, so NET Bible rephrases it as a strong statement, saying “But you banished the LORD’s priests, Aaron’s descendants, and the Levites, and appointed your own priests just as the surrounding nations do!” (similarly Good News Translation, Bible en français courant).

Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are no gods: To consecrate himself is literally “to fill his hand.” Since the same idiom occurs in Lev 16.32 and 21.10 in the context of ordaining a priest, it is clear that this idiom refers to induction into the office of priesthood. However, it is not known whether something was actually placed into the person’s hand in order to symbolize his new status as priest. A Hebrew noun that comes from the same root as the verb for “fill” means “ordination offering” (New International Version) in Lev 7.37. A literal translation of this Hebrew expression will probably be meaningless in most languages. The Hebrew may be understood as in Revised Standard Version and NET Bible (“to consecrate himself”) or as in New Revised Standard Version (“to be consecrated”). The focus in the Hebrew is not whether the person consecrates himself or whether someone else consecrates him, but rather on the fact that anyone can function as a priest even though they are not descendants of Aaron.

Rams translates a Hebrew noun referring to male sheep. Most English versions say “rams.” Good News Translation has “sheep,” which is less specific than the Hebrew.

What are no gods belittles the deities set up by Jeroboam as not being worthy of the name gods. Other possible renderings are “so-called gods” (Good News Translation), “fake gods” ( NET Bible), and “nonexistent gods” (God’s Word).

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 .