He went out and made war against the Philistines: Since Zechariah was mentioned in the previous verse, translators should make it clear that the pronoun He here refers to Uzziah, which some versions make explicit by replacing the pronoun with the name (so Good News Translation, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). This change is even more important if a new paragraph is started here. For Philistines see the comments on 1 Chr 1.12. Other translations for this first part of the verse include “Uzziah attacked the Philistines” ( NET Bible) and “While Uzziah was king, he started a war against the Philistines” (Contemporary English Version).

And broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod: The Hebrew verb rendered broke down means “to break through,” in the sense of making a hole in a city wall so that the attacking troops can enter the walled city. So it may be better to say “broke through” (English Standard Version) rather than “demolished” (New Jerusalem Bible), although the meaning is not greatly different in terms of the end result. Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod were Philistine cities in the coastal region, west of Jerusalem. For Gath see the comments on 1 Chr 7.21. The city of Jabneh was located on the southern border of the tribe of Judah (Josh 15.11). This city passed back and forth between control by the Philistines and the Israelites. In the Hellenistic period the city was known by the name “Jamnia” (so Good News Translation). The city of Ashdod was located about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) inland from the Mediterranean Sea and about 45 kilometers (28 miles) west of Jerusalem.

And he built cities in the territory of Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines: Some scholars do not think this clause was in the original text, so New American Bible places square brackets around it. However, we recommend keeping it. The Hebrew text of this clause may mean that Uzziah built new cities in the territory of Ashdod and the rest of Philistia (so New Century Version) or that he fortified existing cities (so Bible en français courant). Cities in the territory of Ashdod is literally “cities in Ashdod,” but since Ashdod was itself a city, Revised Standard Version expresses the correct sense here. And elsewhere among the Philistines is literally “and among the Philistines.” Since Ashdod was in the Philistine territory, Good News Translation says “and in the rest of Philistia” to show that Ashdod was not a city separate from the Philistines. Bible en français courant is similar with “and in the rest of the Philistine territory.” A possible model for this whole clause is “and he built/fortified cities in the land of Philistia, including the territory near the city of Ashdod.” The Hebrew preposition translated in and among may also be rendered “against.” If this interpretation is followed, then the meaning is that Uzziah built walled cities to protect Judah against the inhabitants of Ashdod and other Philistine cities.

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 .