And Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains …: Since the phrase Jehoiada the priest is used twice in the previous verse, it may be unnecessarily redundant in some languages to restate here that Jehoiada was a priest. In fact, Good News Translation omits this information in both verses because it is given earlier in 2 Chr 22.11. The Hebrew verb translated delivered is simply “gave,” and it is so rendered in Good News Translation and many other versions. But in this context it may be preferable to use a more technical military term such as “issued” (New Jerusalem Bible), “supplied” (New Living Translation), or “handed out” (Revised English Bible). Captains translates the same Hebrew expression that is rendered “commanders of hundreds” in verse 1. New Jerusalem Bible says “regimental commanders” both here and in verse 1.

The spears and the large and small shields: For spears see the comments on 1 Chr 11.11. The Hebrew word rendered large … shields does not occur in the parallel text of 2 Kgs 11.10. Good News Translation translates this word as “smaller shields” in 2 Chr 9.16 (see the comments there). The meaning of the Hebrew noun translated small shields is uncertain. See the comments on 1 Chr 18.7 for this noun, where it is recommended that it be rendered “bow-and-arrow cases.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh provides a helpful model for all the weapons here, saying “spears and shields and quivers.”

That had been King David’s probably does not mean that these weapons were all used personally by King David. Rather, they were weapons that he had captured from his enemies in war.

Which were in the house of God: These weapons were probably stored in a special storehouse on the Temple grounds.

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 .