So they laid hands on her: So correctly renders the common Hebrew conjunction since this verse has a logical connection with the previous one. The pronoun they refers to the army commanders. Since the expression laid hands on has a very different meaning elsewhere in Scripture, it is better translated “seized” (Good News Translation, New International Version) or “arrested” (God’s Word). For this whole clause Contemporary English Version says “She tried to escape, but the commanders caught … her.” However, the Hebrew text does not mention any attempt by Athaliah to escape, so this rendering is not recommended.

And she went into the entrance of the horse gate of the king’s house: Since Athaliah had already been arrested, she probably did not go willingly to the Horse Gate of the palace. Therefore she went may be rendered “she was forced to go,” “they made her go,” or “they compelled her to go.” The horse gate is sometimes identified as the gate on the eastern side of the wall surrounding Jerusalem (see Neh 3.28; Jer 31.40). However, the gate here more likely led into the stables of the royal compound. This gate probably connected the courtyard of the king’s palace with that of the Temple. Horse gate is often taken as a proper name and capitalized (so New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New International Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible). The horse gate of the king’s house may be rendered “the place where horses entered the royal courtyard” or “the passageway where horses went into the courtyard around the palace.”

And they slew her there: The archaic verb slew is rightly translated “put [her] to death” in New Revised Standard Version. The verb “killed” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, God’s Word) may also be used.

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 .