Solomon made all these things in great quantities: As in the rest of this section, it was not actually Solomon who made these things, but he commissioned them and supervised the work. It is for this reason that Good News Translation uses the passive verb “were made,” but this solution is not available to all languages. In some cases translators will have to use a causative verb form or to begin this verse with “Solomon had people make….”

So that the weight of the bronze was not ascertained: These words have been interpreted in two different ways:

• (1) The quantities were so great that no one tried to determine the total weight of all the bronze that was used. Translations based on this understanding of the Hebrew verb here include “was not determined” (New Revised Standard Version) and “no one determined” (Good News Translation). For the whole clause Bible en français courant says “so that no one even tried to know the weight of the bronze used.” A model that restructures the whole verse is “No one even tried to measure the amount of bronze used in the Temple because there were so many things made of it.”

• (2) The quantities were so great that no one was able to determine the total weight of all the bronze that was used. This second interpretation is more likely the correct meaning. This may be expressed by rendering the verb phrase as “could not be calculated” (New Jerusalem Bible), “could not be reckoned” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or “was beyond reckoning” (Revised English Bible). For the whole clause Nouvelle Bible Segond says “so that no one could evaluate the weight of the bronze” (similarly Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Another possible model is “so that they could not know the weight of all the bronze.”

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 .