And they demolished the pillar of Baal …: Instead of the pillar of Baal, some scholars propose that the original text read “the altar of Baal” (Jerusalem Bible, La Bible Pléiade, Osty-Trinquet, Gray, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Peregrino, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh footnote), but scholars generally agree that the best textual evidence has the word for pillar here. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensiarecommends deleting they demolished the pillar of Baal as accidental repetition from the previous verse, but Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives an {A} rating to the Masoretic Text. The Hebrew text does seem contradictory since verse 26 says that the pillars of Baal were burned, and now verse 27 says that the pillar of Baal was demolished. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible renders the beginning of verse 27 as “After having destroyed the stele of Baal, they demolished the house….” This rendering eliminates the difficulty. Good News Translation translates the common Hebrew conjunction at the beginning of this verse as “So,” treating what follows as a summary of what had been stated earlier rather than as the next event in a sequence of events. It is difficult to know what the author intended, so any of these interpretations may be accepted.

The Hebrew word translated latrine occurs only here in the Old Testament, but it is said to be related to the word for “dung” found in 2 Kgs 18.27 and Isa 36.12. Some modern renderings are “sewage pit” (New Century Version, em>Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), “public toilets” (Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie), and “privy” (Revised English Bible). In some languages the idea will have to be translated by a lengthy expression like “place where people urinate” or “site where creatures relieve themselves.”

To this day: New Living Translation says “That is what it is used for to this day.” For this expression, see 1 Kgs 8.8; 2 Kgs 2.22 and 8.22.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .