And he appointed his own priests …: See 1 Kgs 12.31, which says that Jeroboam appointed as priests people who were not Levites. The common Hebrew conjunction rendered and may be understood as marking a contrast between those who were not allowed to serve as priests and those whom Jeroboam appointed as priests. For this reason God’s Word translates “Instead” and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has “But.”

High places: See the comments on 1 Chr 16.39 and 2 Chr 1.3.

In classical mythology satyrs were forest gods with goat-like characteristics. The Hebrew noun translated satyrs means “hairy ones,” and probably refers to male goats. Lev 17.7 forbids sacrificing to goat deities, spirits in the form of goats. The context here in 2 Chronicles indicates that the Hebrew noun refers to some kind of goat-like cult object. Like Revised Standard Version, some other versions use the technical term “satyrs” (New American Bible, Moffatt, Bible de Jérusalem), but it will be better to express the meaning with a non-technical term. Possible renderings that do this are “demons” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible), “goat idols” (English Standard Version; similarly New International Version, New Living Translation), “idols in the form of goats” (La Bible du Semeur; similarly Bible en français courant), “goat-demons” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), and “statues of goat-demons” (Contemporary English Version).

The calves which he had made: See 1 Kgs 12.26-33. Calves refers to “calf-idols” (New Living Translation, New Century Version) that Jeroboam had made and not to literal calves. Since it is not likely that Jeroboam himself made these idols, La Bible du Semeur says that he “had them made.” In some languages it may be appropriate to translate satyrs and calves as “idols that resembled goats and young cows.”

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 .