These also, the head of each father’s house and his younger brother alike, cast lots: The words the head of each father’s house and his younger brother alike come at the end of this verse in Hebrew, and they may be understood in different ways. The Hebrew words rendered the head of each father’s house are difficult to make sense of. They are literally “fathers of the head.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh does not translate the word “fathers.” Bible en français courant has “Thus the family of an older brother was treated in the same way as that of a younger brother.” Revised English Bible says “the senior and junior houses … side by side” (similarly New Jerusalem Bible with “senior and junior alike”). Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente is similar with “So no difference was made between the families descended from the firstborn and those of the younger brothers.” New American Bible reads “the more important family did so in the same way as the less important one.” His younger brother seems to suggest that there was only one younger brother in each case. But this is quite unlikely and is probably not the intention of the writer. Rather, the meaning is “one of his younger brothers.” For cast lots, see the comments on 1 Chr 24.5, and compare Lev 16.8 and Josh 14.2, where lots are cast for other purposes. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente renders cast lots as “established by lot the order of their service.”

Just as their brethren the sons of Aaron: The sense here is that these Levites cast lots in order to determine the order in which the divisions of Levites would serve at the Temple, just as the priests had done. Revised English Bible and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh take the Hebrew word for brethren in a broader sense by saying “kinsmen.” Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version are similar with “relatives.” The sons of Aaron refers to “the descendants of Aaron” (La Bible du Semeur). Good News Translation and Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje are more specific with “the priests descended from Aaron.” For the whole phrase Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente has “just like their relatives descended from Aaron.”

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 .