And Uzziah prepared for all the army …: In this context the Hebrew verb translated prepared is better rendered “provided” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “distributed” (La Bible du Semeur), or simply “gave” (New Century Version). The Hebrew does not mean that Uzziah made the military items listed here.

The Hebrew word for shields refers to smaller shields, as in 1 Chr 5.18 and 2 Chr 9.16 (see the comments there).

For spears see the comments on 1 Chr 11.11.

Helmets were worn to protect the heads of soldiers and were often made of leather but some were also made of metal.

Coats of mail, also called “coats of armor” (Good News Translation), were made of small metal plates that were sewn or tied together in fishlike scales. They covered the chests and backs of soldiers. They were heavy and awkward, but they protected soldiers against enemy arrows.

Bows were about 1-2 meters (3-6 feet) long and were usually made of wood, animal horn, and sinew. Wooden arrows with stone or metal arrowheads could be shot a distance of 160-180 meters (175-200 yards). For a good discussion on bows and arrows, see WTH, pages 106-108|fig:WTH.Bow.106-108.html.

And stones for slinging is literally “and for stones of slinging.” Most versions omit the preposition “for” since it makes no sense in this context. Such stones were round and about 5-7 centimeters (2-3 inches) in diameter. The sling was a long string with a leather or woven cloth pouch in the middle to hold the stone. The warrior would spin the sling around over his head and then let go of one end of the sling, releasing the stone at a speed of more than 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour.

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 .