Pekah the son of Remaliah: As often happens, a high military authority becomes the leader of a coup and takes power for himself. Nothing is known about Pekah’s father, but several times in the book of Isaiah (7.4-5, 9; 8.6), Pekah is referred to as simply “the son of Remaliah” without using his own name. The form of the father’s name here in the Masoretic Text is “Remalyahu” (so La Bible du Semeur, Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), but in translation the spelling should be consistent throughout the Old Testament.

The Hebrew word rendered his captain refers to the military position that Pekah held as the commander of the army of Israel which was ultimately under King Pekahiah, the man he assassinated. For a discussion of the various translations of the Hebrew noun here, see 2 Kgs 7.2. The pronoun his refers to Pekahiah, and so do the three occurrences of the pronoun him later in the verse. In some languages one or more of these pronouns may need to replaced by the proper name “Pekahiah” (so Good News Translation) or a noun phrase like “the king.”

Conspired against him: See the comments on 1 Kgs 15.27 and 2 Kgs 9.14.

The Gileadites refers to the people of Gilead, the northeast region of the kingdom of Israel.

Slew him: In some contexts the Hebrew verb rendered slew means “to hit” or “to beat” someone or something. In other contexts it means “to strike dead.” A different Hebrew verb, also rendered slew, at the end of this verse means “to kill.” If the two verbs are understood as synonyms here, then in some languages it will be better not to repeat them (so Good News Translation). In other languages two synonymous verbs can be used here, with the second verb summarizing the first one; for example, New International Version renders the whole verse as follows:

• One of his chief officers, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him. Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he assassinated Pekahiah, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and succeeded him as king.

If the two verbs are not seen as synonymous, then the first verb will mean “to hit without killing” or “to attack,” and the second verb will mean “to kill”; for example, New Revised Standard Version renders the whole verse as follows:

• Pekah son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him with fifty of the Gileadites, and attacked him in Samaria, in the citadel of the palace along with Argob and Arieh; he killed him, and reigned in place of him.

Any of these possible interpretations of the two verbs rendered slew is acceptable.

In the citadel of the king’s house: This expression apparently refers to a strongly fortified place within the royal palace. The same phrase is found in 1 Kgs 16.18, where the meaning is discussed in greater detail.

As indicated in the footnote of Good News Translation, there are two additional words in the Hebrew text at this point, which are rendered “Argob and Arieh” in the Revised Standard Version footnote. Various interpretations have been proposed, including the following:

• (1) Argob and Arieh are the names of two men killed along with Pekahiah because they happened to be in the palace with him when the attack took place. New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, and New Living Translation reflect this interpretation by including the words “along with Argob and Arieh” (similarly New Century Version, Segond, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, La Bible Pléiade, Nouvelle Bible Segond, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament also recommends this interpretation with an {A} rating.

• (2) Argob and Arieh are men’s names, but they were on the side of Pekah (so Peregrino, La Bible du Semeur, Reina-Valera revisada). For the first half of the verse Peregino says “His official Pekah … conspired against him: with fifty men from Gilead (with Argob and Arie) he killed him in Samaria….” Another way of expressing this interpretation is “… He assassinated him in the interior fortress of the royal palace with the help of Argob and Arie and with the support of fifty men of Gilead” (La Bible du Semeur).

• (3) Argob and Arieh are place names. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh reflects this interpretation by translating “His aide, Pekah … conspired against him and struck him down … with him were fifty Gileadites, with men from Argob and Arieh….”

• (4) Argob and Arieh are place names that were mistakenly inserted after Gileadites. They possibly belong after “Gilead” in verse 29 (so Revised Standard Version footnote).

• (5) In addition to Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, a number of other respectable modern versions omit these words (Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant, Osty-Trinquet), but not all of them add a footnote explaining the omission (for example, New American Bible, Moffatt, An American Translation, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). If these words are omitted in translation, there should certainly be an explanatory footnote. It should be noted that all of the ancient versions support the Masoretic Text in including these two names.

• (6) Another interpretation is also possible, but it does not seem to be the basis for any existing translation. The name Arieh means “lion” in Hebrew, and Ugaritic parallel words suggest that the name Argob means “eagle.” Instead of being the names of people, these two Hebrew words may refer to figures in the shape of a lion and an eagle which guarded the doors of the palace. The sense will then be that Pekah killed Pekahiah in the citadel of the king’s house “near the eagle and the lion.”

Reigned in his stead: See the comments at 1 Kgs 11.43 and 2 Kgs 8.24.

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 .