Then hear thou in heaven: See the comments at verses 30 and 32.

Forgive the sin of thy people Israel: Sin is singular in Hebrew as in Revised Standard Version, but it is used in the collective sense and should probably be translated as a plural in many languages.

Bring them again to the land which thou gavest to their fathers: These words imply that the enemy who defeated them has forced them out of the Promised Land into exile. In order to avoid the problem that the people cannot pray in the Temple before they have returned, Moffatt says “letting them remain within the land…,” but the Hebrew verb rendered bring … again means “to restore” (so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “to bring back” (so Good News Translation).

The land may be translated “the country” in some languages (so New Jerusalem Bible). Since this is a reference to the land in which Solomon and the people of Israel were living at the time of this prayer, it may be better to say “this land” (New Living Translation).

Their fathers are not their biological fathers but rather their ancestors (Josh 11.23; Jdg 2.1). Although Solomon says their fathers, this should not be understood to mean that they were not also his ancestors. In some languages it may be necessary to say “our fathers [or, ancestors].”

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 .