Since the LORD was speaking in verse 19, it may be helpful to make explicit that Solomon continues speaking in this verse; for example, Parole de Vie begins with “Solomon continued.”

The LORD has fulfilled his promise which he made: There is a strong emphasis in this passage on the fulfillment of God’s promises. The promise (literally “word”) in view here is the one found in the previous verse, that is, that David’s son should build the Temple. The Hebrew verb rendered fulfilled differs from the one used in verses 15 and 24. It is different in this case because there is a wordplay involved here with the next clause. A more literal rendering of the first half of this verse is “And the LORD raised up his word … for I have risen in the place of David….” Such a wordplay probably cannot be maintained in translation since “to raise up a word” will not mean “to fulfill/keep a promise” in most languages. Some possible models for the first clause are “the LORD has upheld the promise he made” (New Revised Standard Version) and “… has done what he promised” (Moffatt).

The two expressions I have risen in the place of David my father and sit on the throne of Israel refer to one event and not two separate events. But there are two separate ideas: it is not just that Solomon has become king; he has become king and at the same time he has replaced his father. For throne see the comments at 1 Kgs 1.13.

The words I have built should not, of course, be understood to mean that Solomon did the construction by himself. Rather, he commissioned the work and supervised it to be sure that it was done correctly.

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 .