The gatekeepers were on the four sides, east, west, north, and south: The Hebrew implies but does not state explicitly that there were Temple gates facing in all four directions. Good News Translation makes this clear before stating that each gate “had a chief guard.” Verses 17 and 26 refer to four chief gatekeepers, and 1 Chr 26.14-16 names the chief gatekeeper at each of the four gates. Good News Translation is correct in making explicit here that each gate had one chief guard. Contemporary English Version similarly and correctly translates “There was one full-time guard appointed to each of the four sides of the temple.”

The translation of the cardinal points, east, west, north and south, presents some problems in certain languages. East and west are usually translated with reference to the rising and setting of the sun, but north and south are more difficult. In some languages, with an orientation toward the rising sun (east), north is spoken of as being on the “left hand” and south is referred to as the “right hand.”

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 .