³ sn In the parallel passage in 1 Kgs 15:20, this city’s name appears as Abel Beth Maacah. These appear to be variant names for the same place.

¹ tn “Beth Shean” is a variant spelling of “Beth Shan.”

¹ tn Heb “the people living in Beth Shemesh or the people living in Beth Anath.”

¹ tn Or “it included in the valley, Beth Haram.”

³ tn Or “Arameans of Beth Rehob and Arameans of Zobah.”

² tn Heb “Beth Millo which goes down [toward] Silla.”

¹ tn Heb “and Rehoboam appointed for a head Abijah son of Maacah for ruler among his brothers, indeed to make him king.”

² tn The parallel text in 1 Kgs 15:1 identifies his mother as “Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom” [=Absalom, 2 Chr 11:20). Although most English versions identify the mother’s father as Uriel of Gibeah, a number of English versions substitute the name “Maacah” here for the mother (e.g., NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT).

³ tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 10:6 has “Aram Beth Rehob and Aram Zobah.”

¹ tn The preposition serves as the beth essentiae – the glory is the abundant population, not in it.

¹ sn See the note on the place name Beth Aven in Abel+Beth+Maacah&tab=notes" ver="">4:15.

⁴ sn See the note on the place name Beth Aven in Abel+Beth+Maacah&tab=notes" ver="">4:15.

⁵ sn The place name Beth Ezel means “house of nearness” or “house of proximity” in Hebrew.

³ tn Heb “and she gave birth to him after Absalom.” This does not imply they had the same mother; Absalom’s mother was Maacah, not Haggith (2 Sam 3:4).

² tn The Hebrew term גְּבִירָה (gÿvirah) can denote “queen” or “queen mother” depending on the context. Here the latter is indicated, since Maacah was the wife of Rehoboam and mother of Abijah.

⁶ tn Heb “the lamentation of Beth Ezel.” The following words could be the lamentation offered up by Beth Ezel (subjective genitive) or the mourning song sung over it (objective genitive).

² tn The expression בַּעוֹז (ba’oz) employs a beth essentiae, meaning he “is strong,” not “in strength.”

³ sn To sit in the dust was an outward sign of mourning. The name Beth Leaphrah means “house of dust.”

¹ tc The LXX and Syriac read “to Baal Peor,” that is, the god worshiped at that place; see note on the name “Beth Peor” in Deut 3:29.

¹ tn Heb “the men of the house of Azmaveth”; some regard בֵּית (bet, “house of”) as a part of the place name: NAB, NLT “Beth-azmaveth.”