And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah, and took it: Revised Standard Version follows the Hebrew by repeating the name Solomon, but it may be more natural to use a pronoun here (so Good News Translation). In this military context Bible en français courant and Parole de Vie render went to as “attacked,” and Nouvelle Bible Segond has “marched against.” Good News Translation leaves it implied. Some versions render the Hebrew verb for took as “captured” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Century Version, Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie), which expresses its sense well in this context.

Hamath-zobah was apparently located north of Damascus in southern Syria. It is not clear whether this was a city or a region. There are two acceptable ways of translating the Hebrew here:

• (1) As the name of a city. In the Hebrew text the singular pronoun rendered it clearly indicates that a single settlement is intended. It is not clear whether the city’s name was Hamath-zobah or whether its name was “Hamath of Zobah” (New American Bible, Bible de Jérusalem), implying that the city of Hamath was a part of a region named Zobah. Compare also “the city of Hamath in the region of Zobah” (La Biblia: Traducción en Lenguaje Actual).

• (2) As the names of two separate regions. According to 2 Sam 8.3, 9 and 1 Chr 18.3, Hamath and Zobah were two separate kingdoms. Based on that evidence, Good News Translation refers here to separate territories. Verse 4 makes it clear that Hamath was a region since storage towns were in it.

There is not enough historical information available to know which interpretation is correct. It may be helpful to deal with the different possibilities in a footnote.

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 .