Since the Assyrian king Sargon II (722-705 B.C.) had conquered the Philistines about twenty year earlier, Hezekiah’s attack on the Philistines was equal to rebellion against the Assyrians.

He smote the Philistines: The Hebrew verb rendered by the archaic verb smote in this context means “defeated” (Good News Translation, New International Version) or “attacked” (New Revised Standard Version). The subject of the verb is Hezekiah and this is made explicit by New Century Version. Another way of handling this verse is to take the Hebrew word translated the Philistines as referring to the country in which the Philistines lived (see the comments at 1 Kgs 4.21). This would result in a translation like “he overran Philistia” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Such an understanding has the advantage of fitting better with the words that follow.

As far as Gaza and its territory: The name Gaza refers to a settlement near the Mediterranean Sea in the southernmost part of Canaan (see the comments on 1 Kgs 4.24). But the whole expression suggests that the surrounding territory was also included in the area conquered.

From watchtower to fortified city: See the comments at 2 Kgs 17.9, where the same expression is used. New Living Translation says “from their smallest outpost to their largest walled city.”

In some languages it will be important to restructure this verse and break it down into shorter sentences in order to make it flow more naturally. A possible model is as follows:

• Hezekiah defeated the people of Philistia completely. He extended his control as far as Gaza and the area around it. His army took over even the smallest villages as well as the large, well-fortified towns.

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 .