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 sn Gen 4:10 indicates that Abel’s blood cried out for justice.

² sn The name Abel is not defined here in the text, but the tone is ominous. Abel’s name, the Hebrew word הֶבֶל (hevel), means “breath, vapor, vanity,” foreshadowing Abel’s untimely and premature death.

¹ tn Heb “But Abel brought, also he….” The disjunctive clause (conjunction plus subject plus verb) stresses the contrast between Cain’s offering and Abel’s.

³ sn The name Abel Mizraim means “the mourning of Egypt.”

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

³ sn The name Beth Leaphrah means “house of dust.”

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

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

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

² sn Abel’s shed blood cried out to the Lord for justice and judgment, but Jesus’ blood speaks of redemption and forgiveness, something better than Abel’s does (Gen 4:10; Heb 9:11-14; 11:4).

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

³ tn The parallel text in 1 Kgs 15:2 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).

⁴ sn The place name Beth Ezel means “house of nearness” or “house of proximity” in Hebrew.

⁴ sn See the note on the place name Beth Aven in 4:15.

¹ sn See the note on the place name Beth Aven in 4:15.

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

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

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