But when all Jabesh-gilead heard …: But renders the common Hebrew conjunction. New Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation, and English Standard Version also have “But,” while King James Version and the New King James Version [New King James Version ] use “And.” Either connector is appropriate in this context. However, most other modern versions omit this conjunction since it serves only to connect verse 11 with what goes before it.

Instead of all Jabesh-gilead, the parallel text in 1 Sam 31.11 reads “the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead.” New Jerusalem Bible corrects the Hebrew here to follow the parallel in 1 Samuel by saying “the inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead.” But there is no reason to change the Hebrew, since the text may be rendered “the people of Jabesh in Gilead” for translational reasons (so Good News Translation, Bible en français courant). According to 1 Sam 11, Saul had rescued the people of Jabesh from the Ammonites at the beginning of his reign. The name Jabesh-gilead is better translated “Jabesh in Gilead” or “the city of Jabesh in the region of Gilead.” Jabesh was one of the main Israelite cities east of the Jordan River. It was located on the eastern side of the Jordan River, about 70 kilometers (44 miles) from Jerusalem.

Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation treat verse 11 as a temporal clause. In some languages it may be better to make this verse a complete sentence; for example, Bible en français courant says “The people of Jabesh, in Gilead, learned all that the Philistines had done to Saul” (similarly Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

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 .