But Nadab and Abihu died before their father: But translates the common Hebrew conjunction. Since it is not expected that sons will die before their father dies, a contrastive conjunction is appropriate here. However, Good News Translation and many other versions leave this conjunction untranslated. The reason for the deaths of Nadab and Abihu is found in Lev 10.1-2 and Num 3.4. Died before their father may be expressed as “died in their father’s lifetime” (New Jerusalem Bible; similarly New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Others may have to say “died while their father still had life.” The Hebrew word translated before may be used in a temporal sense, as it is here, or in a spatial sense. La Bible Pléiade takes it in the second sense here, saying that these two sons “died in the presence of their father.”

And had no children means Nadab and Abihu had no sons to take their places as priests. No children is literally “no sons” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New American Bible).

So Eleazar and Ithamar became the priests: So renders the common Hebrew conjunction. Here it is a logical connector since it introduces the result of Eleazar and Ithamar being the only remaining sons. This clause may be translated “therefore Eleazar and Ithamar became priests.”

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 .