Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje introduces this verse with “And David continued,” and in verse 8 it begins with “David also said.” Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje adds these words to indicate that David is still the speaker.

He said to me …: See 1 Chr 22.10 for God’s words in this verse. Some versions replace the pronoun He with the phrase “The LORD” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, Parole de Vie, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). In the Hebrew text David is quoting the words that God spoke to him. Therefore the pronouns my and I refer to God.

It is Solomon your son who shall build my house and my courts: Courts does not refer to a building where legal cases are tried, but rather to the Temple “courtyards” (New Living Translation). See the comments on 1 Chr 23.28. For this whole clause International Children’s Bible says “Your son Solomon will build my Temple. And he will build the area around it.” Good News Translation combines my house and my courts into the single expression “my Temple” (also Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). Often the references to the Temple include the courtyards as well. But since the writer here mentions both the Temple and its courtyards, translators should not collapse the two into one as Good News Translation has done. For the people of Israel the courtyards of the Temple were the place where festivals were celebrated (see Psa 84.2).

For I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father: See the comments on 1 Chr 17.13. The Hebrew particle rendered for introduces why Solomon will build the Temple. It is because God has adopted him. This reason reinforces what has already been said about God’s choice of Solomon.

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 .