Verse 1 in Hebrew is literally “And they sat three years and there was not war between Aram and between Israel.”

For three years: In the Old Testament way of counting years, part of a year is counted as a full year. Since verse 2 tells about a war that broke out in the third year of the peace between Syria and Israel, it is obvious that the period of peace did not last for three full years. For this reason some translations say that there was peace for “two years” (Good News Translation, Parole de Vie). Chapter 20 tells of the war between King Benhadad of Syria and King Ahab of Israel. Some may prefer to translate “for nearly three years” or “during the next three years.” Some interpreters suggest that for three years is not intended in any case as an exact chronological reckoning, but rather means only “for a short time.”

It is unclear why Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version change the order of the two names, Syria and Israel. For the translation of “Aram” as Syria, see 1 Kgs 10.29.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .