Do not turn away the face of thy anointed one: The idiomatic expression turn away the face of may be translated literally in some languages, but in others it will be necessary to convey the meaning using a receptor language idiom or a verb meaning “turn away from,” “turn your back to,” or “reject” (Good News Translation, New International Version, Revised English Bible).

Thy anointed one refers to the king of Israel. For anointed see the comments on 1 Chr 11.3 and 16.22. Good News Translation says “the king you have chosen,” and Moffatt has “thine own king.” Instead of thy anointed one, some Hebrew manuscripts have the plural, “your anointed ones.” But few modern translations adopt this reading. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives an {A} rating to the singular reading in the Masoretic Text.

Remember thy steadfast love for David thy servant: In some languages the verb Remember may be translated “Do not neglect” or “Do not abandon” in order to avoid suggesting that God may be forgetful. The Hebrew words translated thy steadfast love for David thy servant may be understood two different ways, as the footnote in Good News Translation indicates: (1) Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and the majority of other English versions take these words to mean God’s love for David. (2) It is also possible to understand the meaning to be David’s love for God. Revised English Bible, for example, says “the loyal service of David your servant.” Similarly, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has “the acts of piety of your servant David,” and Nouvelle Bible Segond translates “what David, your servant, has done with faithfulness.” A very similar statement also appears in Isa 55.3. In this context the focus seems to be more on David’s faithfulness in establishing the Temple cult. For steadfast love, see the comments on 1 Chr 16.34.

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 .