The pronoun, You, at the beginning of this verse is plural and probably refers to the entire group although the focus is on Zadok, Nathan and Benaiah to whom David is speaking (verse 32).

Come up after him is translated “Return to the city with him” by Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente (similarly Bible en français courant). The entire group was instructed to accompany Solomon back to Jerusalem following the coronation ceremony at the spring. The explicit mention of movement in an upward direction here and in verses 40 and 45 may or may not be necessary depending on receptor language usage in such a situation. Here it refers to a return to the palace area.

Sit upon my throne: In some languages it will be necessary to say something like “he will sit on the king-chair on which I am now sitting.”

He shall be king in my stead: Some more natural ways of stating this idea are “he will take my place as king” (Contemporary English Version) and “he will … rule in my place” (New Century Version).

Ruler translates a Hebrew term often rendered “prince.” This noun has a wide range of meaning, referring to persons who have widespread influence, from court officials and heads of families, to military officers, and to leaders appointed by God, including high priests and kings. The word probably means “the designated one” or “the one proclaimed.” It may therefore be rendered “chosen leader” or “designated ruler.”

Israel … Judah: See the comments on verse 34.

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 .

I have one request to make of you is literally “one request I am requesting from you.”

Do not refuse me is literally “do not turn back my face.” The Hebrew idiom, which occurs also in verses 17 and 20, means “do not turn me away in humiliation.” Though many translations are similar to or identical to that in Revised Standard Version, the Hebrew idiom is a bit stronger. The sense is “don’t cause me to turn my face away in shame and humiliation.”

The word “please” is not in the Hebrew but is introduced by Good News Translation because of the context. The statement may in fact sound too abrupt without it. And it should be noted that the next verse contains a polite particle in the speech of Adonijah.

Say on is the same expression as at the end of verse 14. However, it may be translated differently because of the slightly different context. Since Adonijah has specifically stated that he wants to request something, Bathsheba’s answer may be something like “What is your request?” or “Tell me what you want” or simply “Go on” (New Jerusalem Bible).

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 .

At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: This clause begins in Hebrew with the words At Gibeon, and it ends with a single Hebrew noun, which is literally “the night.” Since Good News Translation and Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje have already indicated in verse 4 that a specific trip to Gibeon is being discussed, they make the time relationship explicit by saying “That night.” The Hebrew, however, does not indicate how long Solomon was at Gibeon nor whether God appeared in a dream the first night or some other night during this particular visit. For this reason the rendering “While Solomon was at Gibeon, the Lord God appeared to him during the night…” (Bible en français courant) is preferable since it does not specify which night (similarly Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). Since dreaming is common to all cultures, translators should have no problem conveying the idea of seeing someone or something in a dream.

In Hebrew the first half of the verse has YHWH (“Yahweh”), the proper name of God which is traditionally rendered LORD, and the second half of the verse has the noun God (see the discussion on “Translating Lord and LORD” in “Translating 1–2 Kings,” pages 11-12). For reasons of style Good News Translation omits the noun God and makes “the LORD” the subject of the verb “asked.” If both terms are used, it should be quite clear to the reader that the same being is intended.

Ask what I shall give you: While a more or less literal translation of this direct quotation will be perfectly acceptable in many languages, others may render it as indirect discourse; for example, “invited him to choose whatever gift he wanted to be given” or “telling him that he could ask for anything he wanted.”

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 .

Ben-abinadab, or “The son of Abinadab” (Contemporary English Version), was in charge of the fourth administrative district, which was located north of the third district in the northern part of the Plain of Sharon.

Naphath-dor was a city-state located about 19 kilometers (12 miles) south of Mount Carmel on the seacoast. The exact meaning of Naphath is uncertain. Suggested meanings include “district,” “[sand] dune,” and “wooded country.” Anchor Bible translates “the district of Dor,” and Bible en français courant and Parole de Vie say “the region of the hills of Dor.”

He had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as his wife: Ben-abindab was a son-in-law to Solomon since he had married his daughter Taphath. This daughter of Solomon is not mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. Taphath and her sister “Basemath” (verse 15) are the only daughters of Solomon mentioned in the Old Testament.

As in the previous verse, the parentheses here seem unnecessary and may be omitted.

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 .