All the assembly agreed to do so is literally “And all the assembly said to do thus,” that is, all the Israelites agreed to retrieve the Covenant Box.

For the thing was right in the eyes of all the people: This clause explains why the people agreed to David’s proposal. For an idea to be right in the eyes of someone, means to be pleasing or agreeable. Some other ways of expressing this clause are “for everyone found that it was a good idea” (Parole de Vie) and “because all the people thought that this was the right thing to do” (New Jerusalem Bible). In certain languages the two parts of this verse may have to be reversed as Good News Translation has done, stating first the reason before the actual agreement.

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 .