The precise sense of verses 5-7 is not clear, and translations vary considerably in their renderings. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente states in a footnote that “verses 5-7 are obscure and the translation is uncertain.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has a similar footnote: “The Hebrew text of verses 5-7 is unclear and the translation is uncertain.” Such a footnote may be advisable in other languages in which footnotes are used. The many interpretations that have been proposed for this verse cannot all be mentioned here, but the most common ones will be considered. Translators should read all of the comments on verses 5-8 before attempting to translate these four verses.
A rather literal translation of verses 5b-7 reads as follows:
• The third of you coming the sabbath and keeping guard [at/in] the house of the king and the third at the gate Sur and the third at the gate behind the guards/runners and you [plural] shall guard at the house massah and the two divisions of you all going out the sabbath and they guard [in/at] the house of LORD to the king.
He commanded them: The pronoun he might possibly be understood as referring to Joash, but the orders were given by Jehoiada. So in cases where there is a danger of misunderstanding, the proper name “Jehoiada” or the phrase “the priest” should replace the pronoun. Commanded is literally “commanded … saying.”
This is the thing that you shall do: The strategy outlined by Jehoiada begins with these words and continues through the end of verse 8. Instead of the future tense as in Revised Standard Version, it may be more natural in many languages to translate these words as “This is what I want you to do” or “This is what you must do” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).
One third of you: Jehoiada had called together the leaders of the different groups mentioned in verse 4. But the orders concern not only the leaders, but also the men under their command. For this reason some languages may require a translation like “a third of your forces” or “the men led by a third of you.”
Those who come off duty on the sabbath: The English expression come off duty (and “go off duty” in verse 9) renders the common Hebrew verb most often translated “come” or “arrive,” but sometimes “go.” The expression “come on duty” in verses 7 and 9 is based on the ordinary Hebrew verb usually meaning “to go out,” but which is also used with a wide variety of meanings. The interpretation of verses 5-8 hinges partly on the understanding of these two verbs. Of the major English versions, only Revised Standard Version and New Revised Standard Version translate come off duty in this verse. Good News Translation, New American Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible say “come on duty” (similarly Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New International Version, New Century Version, em>Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Nouvelle Bible Segond).
There were three groups of guards. Each of the three groups kept watch for a full week and then had two weeks off. The changing of the guard apparently took place on the sabbath. For the word sabbath, see 2 Kgs 4.23.
Guard translates a participle plus a noun in Hebrew, which is literally “guarding the guard,” but some interpreters have thought that the context and the grammar require that the first and last consonants of the Hebrew verb be reversed to read “you shall guard.” La Bible Pléiade, for example, has the following translation for the last half of this verse: “a third of you, those who enter on the day of the Sabbath, will guard the house of the king.” But such a correction of the text misses the point. The author is not stating that this third is to guard the palace, rather he is describing this third of the troops as those who normally guard the palace.
Commentators are not agreed on the number and status of the groups nor of their precise arrangement.
Group A would normally be on duty while groups B and C would be officially off duty on the Sabbath day when the events were to occur. The usual placement of those on and off duty would be as follows:
A* at the Royal Palace (verse 5b)
A* at the Sur Gate (verse 6a)
A* at the gate behind the other guards (verse 6b)
B off duty (verse 7)
C off duty (verse 7)
A possible model for verses 5-8 as a whole is given at the end of verse 8 below. But it is important to recognize the fact that soldiers who were to be officially off duty would play a very active role in the proposed activities.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .