Helez the Pelonite, of the sons of Ephraim (verse 10): See 1 Chr 11.27. The meaning of the Hebrew word rendered the Pelonite is not known. The Targum says “who was from the family of Pelen.” Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente has “from the village of Pelon,” and Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje says “from the city of Pelon.” In 2 Sam 23.26 Helez is called a “Paltite,” and some translations harmonize the text here in chapter 27 to read “Paltite” instead of Pelonite (so La Bible Pléiade, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). HALOT suggests that the Hebrew word refers to “someone or other, someone not known.” This is the basis for the rendering in New English Bible and Revised English Bible, which says that Helez was an Ephraimite “from a place unknown.” Of the sons of Ephraim may be translated “an Ephraimite” (Good News Translation), “a descendant of Ephraim” (New Century Version), or “from the tribe of Ephraim” (Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, Peregrino.

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 .