The Hebrew of this verse is difficult. A rather literal translation reads “And Jehoram passed over to Zair and all his chariots with him, and it happened that he arose in the night and attacked the Edomites who surrounded him and [attacked] the chariot commanders, and the people fled to their tents.” It seems to say that Jehoram smote the Edomites and the chariot commanders since both “the Edomites” and “the chariot commanders” are preceded by the Hebrew sign for the direct object. Nor is it clear whose army fled since the Hebrew is literally “the people fled.”

Because this verse is difficult, a footnote in New Jerusalem Bible states that the last part of “the passage has been mutilated in an attempt to expunge [remove] the record of a defeat.” While the meaning of the verse is not completely clear, apparently these events occurred in the following order:

• 1. Jehoram and his army went to Zair.

• 2. The Edomites surrounded Jehoram and his army.

• 3. Jehoram and his army attacked during the night.

• 4. Jehoram and his military leaders broke through the enemy lines.

• 5. The soldiers of Jehoram escaped to their homes.

Joram passed over to Zair: The precise location of Zair is uncertain since the name is found only here in the Bible. But it is generally agreed that this site, “the city of Zair” (so Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), was somewhere near the border between Judah and Edom. The use of the verb passed over seems to indicate that it was outside the borders of Judah, probably in Edom. Some scholars have identified it with “Zoar” mentioned in Gen 13.10 (Montgomery), while others think it might have been “Seir,” that is, Edom itself (Peregrino, Hobbs). But translators are advised to follow the vast majority of modern versions in translating Zair rather than identifying it with one of these other sites.

And rose by night: This clause begins with the Hebrew verbal transition marker that is sometimes rendered “And it happened.” As in verse 3, this marker makes a break in the timeline of the story here and helps to move the story forward. The grammatical subject of the Hebrew verb rendered rose is singular and refers technically only to Jehoram. This is also true of the previous verb passed over, but since the king represents the entire army, it is implied that both Jehoram and his army are the real subjects of these actions. The more serious question is what the verb rose really means. Does it mean to get up from a sitting or sleeping position? Because there is mention of the night, most versions will probably be understood in this way. Or does it mean to “set out” (New Revised Standard Version, American Bible) to do something? This seems to be the understanding of several modern versions, including New Jerusalem Bible and Contemporary English Version. As Hobbs (page 104) states, the Hebrew verb translated rose “in this context is best understood as a technical military term” indicating a combat maneuver. Revised English Bible translates “made a sortie by night.” This is probably the best way to understand the text.

For chariot commanders, see 1 Kgs 9.22.

The relative clause who had surrounded him will have to be made into a separate sentence and shifted forward in some languages to follow the chronological order of events.

But his army fled home: As noted above, his army is literally “the people” (King James Version), so it is ambiguous in Hebrew. Translators should ensure that their rendering is understood to mean that Jehoram’s army, and not the Edomites, returned to their homes. Bible en français courant makes the meaning clear by translating “and the soldiers of Judah fled home.” According to some translations, such as Revised English Bible (similarly Moffatt), it is only the “main force” of the army that fled home, not Jehoram and his military leaders. However, the Hebrew word for “the people” may include the king and his commanders as well as the rest of the army. Contrary to most modern translations, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy says that Jehoram and his chariot commanders attacked the Edomites “and made them flee” (similarly La Biblia: Traducción en Lenguaje Actual).

As in 1 Kgs 8.66, the Hebrew word rendered home is literally “tents.” See the comments there.

One possible model for this very difficult verse is:

• So Jehoram and all his chariots went to Zair. At night the Edomite army came and surrounded them. Then Jehoram and his chariot commanders attacked the Edomites and were able to break out and escape. But his soldiers ran away to their homes.

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 .