The covenant which he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac: Verse 16 stands in apposition to verse 15. Revised Standard Version does not reflect the Hebrew word-for-word at this point since the word covenant does not actually appear in this verse. The Hebrew text begins with the relative pronoun “which,” referring to the word “covenant” in the previous verse. The Hebrew word translated made (New Jerusalem Bible “concluded”) is literally “cut” as is usually the case in expressions dealing with the idea of making a covenant. The covenant made with Abraham was renewed with Isaac, so his sworn promise to Isaac does not really refer to a new or different covenant. For God’s promise to Abraham, see Gen 12.7 and 17.4-8; for his promise to Isaac, see Gen 26.3-4. Parole de Vie provides a possible model for this verse, saying “This is the covenant established with Abraham, confirmed to Isaac by an oath.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .