Hezekiah welcomed them: This translation follows the ancient versions in Greek, Latin and Syriac, as well as a number of Hebrew manuscripts. The Hebrew verb rendered welcomed is more literally “rejoiced” (so La Bible Pléiade), but there is strong textual evidence in favor of the verb “heard” since the two words are very similar in Hebrew. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament recommends translating the Masoretic Text, which has the verb “heard,” and gives this reading a {C} degree of certainty. The whole clause could mean either “Hezekiah heard about them” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “… listened to the messengers” (New Century Version). Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament also notes that Isaiah’s question in verse 14 (“What did these men say?”) fits well with the verb “listened.” The parallel text in Isa 39.2 has the word “rejoiced” in Hebrew. Certain modern versions translate the verb “rejoiced” here as “was pleased at this” (New American Bible) and “was delighted at this” (New Jerusalem Bible). Many modern translations (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation) follow the reading “rejoiced,” but the recommended translation is “listened to.” Although there is technically no antecedent for the pronoun them, it refers to the people sent by the king of Babylonia with letters and a gift (see verse 12).

All his treasure house …: The Hebrew word translated treasure house is a rare word, and the margin of the Masoretic Text corrects it to read “treasury,” which is the rendering in Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and several other modern translations. His treasury included the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil (so New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

The Hebrew word rendered spices is the same word as found in 1 Kgs 10.2, 10 and 25 (see the comments there). According to Exo 25.6, this material was used in the making of sweet-smelling incense. Here it is sometimes taken in the sense of “seasonings” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, La Bible du Semeur), but the Hebrew noun for spices refers to balsam oil, which was used for its fragrance, not for cooking. Certain versions have correctly understood this as a reference to “perfumes” (Bible en français courant) rather than to spices, which were used to give added flavor or special odors to food. The problem has been avoided in some languages by translating the Hebrew word here in a such way that it could be understood as having either of these meanings, for example, “good-smelling things.”

Precious oil is literally “good oil.” It has also been rendered “fine oil” (New International Version, New American Bible). The adjective “good” has been slightly corrected by some scholars to read “fragrant,” which is the basis for the rendering “fragrant oil” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Revised English Bible). Ancient Jewish commentators saw this as a reference to balsam, which is an oily, pleasant-smelling resinous material taken from certain plants in the Jordan Valley. A common language equivalent is “perfumes” (Good News Translation) or “expensive perfumes” (New Century Version).

His armory is literally “the house of his utensils/weapons.” In certain languages this will be much easier to translate than the English word armory. Others may prefer to say something like “the place where he kept all his weapons.” It was not very wise for Hezekiah to show his weapons even if he was at peace with Babylonia at that time.

The words all that was found in his storehouses repeat the idea already expressed in all his treasure. The repetition may be retained for the sake of emphasis if it is not awkward in the language of translation. Similarly, the final sentence again reemphasizes the fact that there was absolutely nothing in … all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. The author is trying to make this as emphatic a statement as possible. This emphasis should be retained in translation even if the form has to be changed in order to do so.

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 .