This same Hezekiah closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David: This same Hezekiah is literally “he Hezekiah.” The construction here in Hebrew focuses on King Hezekiah and reminds the reader who is in view. In addition to all the wealth and accomplishments discussed above, the writer takes up additional matters that made him famous.

Gihon refers to a spring in the Kidron Valley just outside the city wall of Jerusalem. It will be important to add the classifier term “spring” (as in New International Version) in most languages since the readers may think it is a river or something else. This spring was apparently considered a sacred place since it had a prominent place in King Solomon’s coronation (see 1 Kgs 1.32-48). Hezekiah obstructed the natural flow of the spring water and caused it to go down to the west side of the city of David through an underground tunnel so that it would be accessible inside the city walls. This was a major work undertaking, and the result is still evident today to visitors in Jerusalem. Verses 2-4 describe this project in greater detail. For the city of David, see the comments on 1 Chr 11.5.

And Hezekiah prospered in all his works: For the verb prospered, see the comments on 2 Chr 31.21. New Century Version renders this whole clause as “And Hezekiah was successful in everything he did.”

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 .