All this he made clear …: Before discussing the details of the various problems in this verse, two matters need to be clarified: (1) The expression All this refers to the whole plan for the Temple which David gave in verses 11-18. New Century Version makes this somewhat clearer by translating “All these plans.” (2) The referent for the pronoun he is Yahweh, and for this reason some versions will translate “the LORD” in place of the pronoun.
There are numerous difficulties in translating this verse, and these difficulties are reflected in the considerable differences found in the existing English versions. Klein states, “This short verse is difficult to translate and therefore difficult to interpret” (page 527). A rather literal translation of this verse in the Masoretic Text reads as follows: “The all in writing from the hand of the LORD upon me has made wise, all the works of the plan.” The problems are the following:
• (1) David spoke to Solomon in verses 9-10, but verses 11-18 are narrative, telling that David gave Solomon the plans for the Temple. Now suddenly in verse 19, it appears that David must be speaking again since we find the words “upon me.” (These words are in the Masoretic Text but not in Revised Standard Version since the Revised Standard Version rendering is based on a slight correction of the Masoretic Text.) The Septuagint paraphrases this verse under the influence of verse 11 in order to avoid the difficulty created by the unexpected presence of the first person pronoun “me.” (Some interpreters think the Hebrew suffix pronoun for “me” is a rare third person singular rather than first person singular, but few scholars accept this view.) Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, which gives a {B} rating to the reading in the Masoretic Text, argues that the Masoretic Text reading is the harder reading and is therefore more likely original. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament also notes that the writer of 1 Chronicles unexpectedly inserts the first person pronoun in 23.5 in a context in which the writer is speaking about David. But whatever textual decision someone makes here, a literal translation of the Masoretic Text will probably be confusing to many readers. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, for example, says “All of this is found in a writing from the hand of the LORD, who made me understand all the works of the plan,” but this sounds as if the writer of the story is referring to himself.
If translators follow the MT here, there are various ways to translate “upon me.” Unlike Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, An American Translation encloses the entire verse in quotation marks and reads “The whole in writing is from the hand of the LORD to me, causing me to understand, even all the works of the pattern.” New Revised Standard Version similarly puts the verse in quotation marks, saying “All this, in writing at the LORD’s direction, he made clear to me–the plan of all the works.” But such literal translations will not help the person who only hears the text read and cannot see the quotation marks. For this reason Good News Translation adds the words “King David said” to introduce the quote (similarly New International Version, New Living Translation, Revised English Bible, Moffatt, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).
Some interpreters correct the Masoretic Text to read “upon him” (New American Bible) or “upon it” instead of “upon me.” This is the basis for the Revised Standard Version rendering concerning it.
• (2) The meaning and subject of the Hebrew verb hiskil (“he has made wise”) is not certain. The normal meaning of this Hebrew verb is “teach” or “cause to understand,” but Revised English Bible takes it to mean “consider.” Additionally, what is the subject of this verb? According to Good News Translation, for example, it was David who made Solomon understand. But according to New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, it was God who made David understand.
• (3) In the punctuation of the Masoretic Text, the verb hiskil is connected to the preceding Hebrew word ʿalay (“upon me”) and comes at the end of the first half of this verse. Revised English Bible follows the punctuation in the Masoretic Text, saying “my part [ʿalay] was to consider [hiskil].” However, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh takes the word ʿalay (“upon me”) with the preceding Hebrew words for “from the hand of LORD,” referring to divine inspiration. For this whole verse New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “All this that the LORD made me understand by His hand on me, I give you in writing–the plan of all the works.” Compare Moffatt, which says “ ‘All this,’ said David, ‘all these plans have I been inspired to write down by the Eternal, who has instructed me.’ ” New International Version similarly says “ ‘All this,’ David said, ‘I have in writing from the hand of the LORD upon me, and he gave me understanding in all the details of the plan.’ ” Like New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Revised Standard Version does not follow the punctuation in the Masoretic Text, but rather connects alay (“upon me”) with the preceding words by saying from the hand of the LORD concerning it.
• (4) Regarding the words “in writing,” who did the writing? David (Good News Translation) or God (Revised Standard Version)?
(a) With Revised Standard Version, the sense may be “ ‘Every part of this plan,’ David told Solomon, ‘was given to me in writing from the hand of the LORD’ ” (New Living Translation). The same sense is found in La Bible du Semeur, which reads “All of this, David said, is found in a writing from the hand of the Eternal who caused me to understand all the details described in the plan” (similarly Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch similarly reads “And David said, ‘For all of this work, which is necessary for the completion of the building, the LORD has given me written instructions, which come from his hand.’ ”
(b) Or with Good News Translation, the sense may be “ ‘Every part of this plan,’ David told Solomon, ‘was written under the direction of the LORD’ ” (New Living Translation alternative translation; similarly Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). Compare “All this [do I give thee] in writing, as the LORD hath made me wise by His hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern” (Jewish Publication Version). New American Bible is similar with “He had successfully committed to writing the exact specifications of the pattern, because the hand of the LORD was upon him.”
The above translations show that scholars disagree in many details regarding the interpretation and translation of this verse. In any case, the writer is saying that just as God gave Moses a pattern for building the Tabernacle (Exo 25.9, 40), so he also gave specific instructions to David for the Temple. The writers of this Handbook recommend the following Revised English Bible translation as most likely to represent the intended meaning: “ ‘All this was drafted by the LORD’s own hand,’ said David; ‘my part was to consider the detailed working out of the plan.’ ”
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 .