26:1 All the people of Judah took Uzziah, 4 who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place.
1 tn Heb “Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders which they advised and he consulted the young men with whom he had grown up, who stood before him.”
2 tn The Hebrew word עֵדוּת (’edut) normally means “witness” or “testimony.” Here it probably refers to some tangible symbol of kingship, perhaps a piece of jewelry such as an amulet or neck chain (see the discussion in M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings [AB], 128). Some suggest that a document is in view, perhaps a copy of the royal protocol or of the stipulations of the Davidic covenant (see HALOT 790-91 s.v.).
3 tn Or “they made him king and anointed him.”
3 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 15:1-8 has the variant spelling “Azariah.”