That they may fear thee …: Verse 31 expresses the purpose for which God should forgive and deal with each person as he deserves. Given the length of the sentence, which begins in verse 28, it may be advisable to begin a new sentence here by saying “Do this so….” Solomon prays for forgiveness for his people in order that they might fear God. Here, as often is true in the Old Testament, the idea is not so much that of cowering fearfully before the Almighty God as it is showing him the respect that is due to him. So Good News Translation says “honor,” La Bible du Semeur uses “revere,” while Bible en français courant and Parole de Vie have “respect.”

And walk in thy ways all the days: See the comments on verses 14, 16, and 27.

That they live in the land which thou gavest to our fathers: See the comments on verse 25. In the land is literally “on the face of the ground.” The land is usually understood as referring to the land of Israel. Most interpreters take the relative clause which thou gavest to our fathers with the land, so that Solomon is referring to the land of Canaan, which God gave to the people of Israel. But it is also possible to take this relative clause with the words thy ways. New Jerusalem Bible, for example, renders this whole verse as “so that they may revere you by following your directions, which you gave to our ancestors, throughout their lives on earth.” If this second interpretation is followed, then in the land is better translated “on earth.”

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 .