Although the Hebrew says that Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold, the sense is that he ordered this work to be done by others. In some languages a causative form of the verb will naturally be used here; for example, “Solomon caused the inside of the Temple to be overlaid…” or “… caused workers to cover….” The house usually refers elsewhere in this chapter to the Temple, but some interpreters think that here and in verses 22, 29, and 30, the house refers specifically to the Most Holy Place. The decision that translators make here regarding the meaning of the house will determine how the literal words “the inside and the outside” in verses 29 and 30 will be understood and translated. If the house refers to the Temple itself in this verse, then Good News Translation correctly adds “also” at the end of the verse, since the end of the verse refers specifically to the Most Holy Place.
And he drew chains of gold across, in front of the inner sanctuary: The verb translated drew … across means simply that “he placed gold chains across…” (International Children’s Bible). New International Version translates “he extended … across….”
The inner sanctuary, which is called “the inner room” in Good News Translation, is the cube-shaped Most Holy Place at the rear of the Temple.
The parallel passage in 2 Chr 3 adds the information that a veil was hung, apparently from chains (specifically verse 14), and this is the basis for the correction of the Masoretic Text here in Revised English Bible to read “and drew a veil with golden chains across in front of the inner shrine.” While Revised English Bible no doubt correctly expresses the reason for the chains, it will be better not to harmonize this verse with the parallel verse in 2 Chronicles.
New Jerusalem Bible omits the beginning of verse 21 and connects the end of verse 20 with the end of verse 21 as follows: “He made an altar of cedar wood 21 in front of the Debir [the inner sanctuary] and overlaid it with gold.” New Jerusalem Bible has the following note on verse 21: “The Hebr. has some extra words at the beginning of v. 21 but the sense is uncertain.” It is certainly true that the New Jerusalem Bible translation reads smoothly, but we cannot recommend that translators simply omit the difficult words at the beginning of verse 21.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .