For the background to verses 7-10, see 2 Sam 7.1-16 and 1 Chr 17.1-14.

Verses 7-16 are David’s words to Solomon. Within this long quotation David reports the words of God in verses 8-10. Good News Translation restructures these verses by making verse 8 an indirect quotation and then making verses 9 and 10 a direct quotation within the words of David to Solomon. Other languages may find this restructuring helpful.

David said to Solomon, “My son …: The Masoretic Text reads “And David said to Solomon his son….” If this reading is followed, then David’s direct speech to Solomon begins with the words I had it in my heart…. But the margin of the Masoretic Text contains the reading “my son” rather than “his son.” This marginal reading, which is followed by nearly all versions, is the basis for Revised Standard Version‘s rendering (also Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, La Bible Pléiade, El libro del Pueblo de Dios).

I had it in my heart to build a house … is literally “As for me, it was with my heart to build a house….” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible preserves the emphasis of the first person pronoun in Hebrew by saying “I myself had it in my heart to build a House…” (similarly Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur). Another way of keeping this emphasis is “it was my purpose to build a house myself…” (New American Bible). In languages that have emphatic pronouns, it will certainly be fitting to use the first person singular form in this context to reflect the emphasis of the original. In the Old Testament the heart was not regarded as the seat of feelings and emotions. Depending on the context, it may refer primarily to a person’s disposition, determination, will or intention, or reason. Here it may be rendered “mind” (King James Version). I had it in my heart may be rendered simply “I wanted” (Good News Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Revised English Bible says “it was my intention” (similarly Nouvelle version Segond révisée).

To the name of the LORD my God may be translated “dedicated to the Lord my God” (Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente) or “in honor of Yahweh my God” (American Bible; similarly Good News Translation, La Bible du Semeur). A literal translation of these words in some languages may imply that David’s God (my God) was different from Solomon’s God, but the pronoun my simply emphasizes David’s personal devotion to God, not that he worshiped a different God from Solomon. If this problem exists in the receptor language, it will be acceptable to translate “our God.”

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 .