The thirty (verse 6): See the comments on 1 Chr 11.25. New Living Translation says “David’s elite military group known as the Thirty.”

Ammizabad his son was in charge of his division (verse 6): The Hebrew is literally “and his [Benaiah’s] division was Ammizabad his son.” The meaning of this clause in Hebrew is not clear, and the many different translations of it reflect the difficulty of knowing what the intended meaning is. The Septuagint changed the text to read “and Ammizabad his son was over his division.” But Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {C} rating to the Masoretic Text, arguing that the Septuagint changed the text to agree with the form of the following verses. Even if someone follows the Masoretic Text here, as Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament recommends, a literal translation will be confusing or without meaning.

The difficulty in giving a clear translation is that the intended meaning is not immediately obvious. Probably more is intended than simply “His son was Ammizabad” (God’s Word). In the Masoretic Text this clause almost certainly means at the least that “his son Ammizabad was in his division” (so An American Translation, Moffatt, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, La Bible Pléiade, El libro del Pueblo de Dios, Nueva Versión Internacional, Reina-Valera revisada, Osty-Trinquet, Peregrino.

But the clause “his division was Ammizabad his son” may mean more than simply that Ammizabad was in his father’s division. In agreement with the Septuagint, it may mean that Ammizabad was in charge of the division of 24,000 men while his father was in charge of the elite corps of “The Thirty” (so Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). Bible en français courant, for example, renders the last half of verse 6 as “when he became leader of them [the Thirty], it was his son Ammizabad who took charge of his division” (similarly Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), and Revised English Bible has “was a chief among the thirty … but his son Ammizabad commanded his division.”

On the other hand, this clause may mean that Ammizabad became the leader of the elite corps after his father died (so Good News Translation, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje).

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 .

All this he made clear …: Before discussing the details of the various problems in this verse, two matters need to be clarified: (1) The expression All this refers to the whole plan for the Temple which David gave in verses 11-18. New Century Version makes this somewhat clearer by translating “All these plans.” (2) The referent for the pronoun he is Yahweh, and for this reason some versions will translate “the LORD” in place of the pronoun.

There are numerous difficulties in translating this verse, and these difficulties are reflected in the considerable differences found in the existing English versions. Klein states, “This short verse is difficult to translate and therefore difficult to interpret” (page 527). A rather literal translation of this verse in the Masoretic Text reads as follows: “The all in writing from the hand of the LORD upon me has made wise, all the works of the plan.” The problems are the following:

• (1) David spoke to Solomon in verses 9-10, but verses 11-18 are narrative, telling that David gave Solomon the plans for the Temple. Now suddenly in verse 19, it appears that David must be speaking again since we find the words “upon me.” (These words are in the Masoretic Text but not in Revised Standard Version since the Revised Standard Version rendering is based on a slight correction of the Masoretic Text.) The Septuagint paraphrases this verse under the influence of verse 11 in order to avoid the difficulty created by the unexpected presence of the first person pronoun “me.” (Some interpreters think the Hebrew suffix pronoun for “me” is a rare third person singular rather than first person singular, but few scholars accept this view.) Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, which gives a {B} rating to the reading in the Masoretic Text, argues that the Masoretic Text reading is the harder reading and is therefore more likely original. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament also notes that the writer of 1 Chronicles unexpectedly inserts the first person pronoun in 23.5 in a context in which the writer is speaking about David. But whatever textual decision someone makes here, a literal translation of the Masoretic Text will probably be confusing to many readers. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, for example, says “All of this is found in a writing from the hand of the LORD, who made me understand all the works of the plan,” but this sounds as if the writer of the story is referring to himself.

If translators follow the MT here, there are various ways to translate “upon me.” Unlike Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, An American Translation encloses the entire verse in quotation marks and reads “The whole in writing is from the hand of the LORD to me, causing me to understand, even all the works of the pattern.” New Revised Standard Version similarly puts the verse in quotation marks, saying “All this, in writing at the LORD’s direction, he made clear to me–the plan of all the works.” But such literal translations will not help the person who only hears the text read and cannot see the quotation marks. For this reason Good News Translation adds the words “King David said” to introduce the quote (similarly New International Version, New Living Translation, Revised English Bible, Moffatt, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

Some interpreters correct the Masoretic Text to read “upon him” (New American Bible) or “upon it” instead of “upon me.” This is the basis for the Revised Standard Version rendering concerning it.

• (2) The meaning and subject of the Hebrew verb hiskil (“he has made wise”) is not certain. The normal meaning of this Hebrew verb is “teach” or “cause to understand,” but Revised English Bible takes it to mean “consider.” Additionally, what is the subject of this verb? According to Good News Translation, for example, it was David who made Solomon understand. But according to New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, it was God who made David understand.

• (3) In the punctuation of the Masoretic Text, the verb hiskil is connected to the preceding Hebrew word ʿalay (“upon me”) and comes at the end of the first half of this verse. Revised English Bible follows the punctuation in the Masoretic Text, saying “my part [ʿalay] was to consider [hiskil].” However, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh takes the word ʿalay (“upon me”) with the preceding Hebrew words for “from the hand of LORD,” referring to divine inspiration. For this whole verse New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “All this that the LORD made me understand by His hand on me, I give you in writing–the plan of all the works.” Compare Moffatt, which says “ ‘All this,’ said David, ‘all these plans have I been inspired to write down by the Eternal, who has instructed me.’ ” New International Version similarly says “ ‘All this,’ David said, ‘I have in writing from the hand of the LORD upon me, and he gave me understanding in all the details of the plan.’ ” Like New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Revised Standard Version does not follow the punctuation in the Masoretic Text, but rather connects alay (“upon me”) with the preceding words by saying from the hand of the LORD concerning it.

• (4) Regarding the words “in writing,” who did the writing? David (Good News Translation) or God (Revised Standard Version)?

(a) With Revised Standard Version, the sense may be “ ‘Every part of this plan,’ David told Solomon, ‘was given to me in writing from the hand of the LORD’ ” (New Living Translation). The same sense is found in La Bible du Semeur, which reads “All of this, David said, is found in a writing from the hand of the Eternal who caused me to understand all the details described in the plan” (similarly Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch similarly reads “And David said, ‘For all of this work, which is necessary for the completion of the building, the LORD has given me written instructions, which come from his hand.’ ”
(b) Or with Good News Translation, the sense may be “ ‘Every part of this plan,’ David told Solomon, ‘was written under the direction of the LORD’ ” (New Living Translation alternative translation; similarly Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). Compare “All this [do I give thee] in writing, as the LORD hath made me wise by His hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern” (Jewish Publication Version). New American Bible is similar with “He had successfully committed to writing the exact specifications of the pattern, because the hand of the LORD was upon him.”

The above translations show that scholars disagree in many details regarding the interpretation and translation of this verse. In any case, the writer is saying that just as God gave Moses a pattern for building the Tabernacle (Exo 25.9, 40), so he also gave specific instructions to David for the Temple. The writers of this Handbook recommend the following Revised English Bible translation as most likely to represent the intended meaning: “ ‘All this was drafted by the LORD’s own hand,’ said David; ‘my part was to consider the detailed working out of the plan.’ ”

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 .

The content of this verse provides background information, which is indicated in several translations by the use of parentheses (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), square brackets (so Anchor Bible), or long dashes (so Menge). It is a kind of flashback referring to a time prior to that of the immediate context. The purpose of these words is to explain to the reader that, although the Tabernacle was still in Gibeon, Solomon’s father, David, had previously removed the Covenant Box from the town of Kiriath Jearim and placed it in Jerusalem in a tent specially prepared for it (see 2 Sam 6.1-17; 1 Chr 13.1-14; 15.25–16.1). It is possible to understand both verses 4 and 5 as parenthetical (so NET Bible). If this interpretation is followed, then the statement in verse 5 that Solomon and the assembly sought the LORD refers to a practice that had been repeated in the past and does not refer to the current trip to Gibeon mentioned in verse 3.

But David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it: The Hebrew conjunction rendered But (also King James Version) has a contrastive sense here, as it does also in 2 Chr 19.3 and 33.17. Good News Translation expresses the contrast with the connector “however” (also NASB, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, El libro del Pueblo de Dios). The contrast is between the location of the Covenant Box and that of the Tabernacle mentioned in the previous verse. The Tabernacle was still in Gibeon at that time. Because this verse is a kind of flashback, the verb tense is especially important in English. Revised Standard Version uses the past perfect tense: had brought up … had prepared … had pitched. New Living Translation emphasizes the pastness of these actions by adding the adverb “already.” For the ark of God, see the comments on 1 Chr 6.31. Kiriath-jearim was located about 13 kilometers (8 miles) northwest of Jerusalem in the central hill country. The name Kiriath-jearim means “city of forests.” The words to the place are not found in the Hebrew text; Revised Standard Version has added them to complete the sense. This implicit information is also supplied by other versions such as New International Version and Revised English Bible. Something similar may be required in other languages.

For he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem: See the comments on 1 Chr 15.1. Translators should ensure that readers understand that the tent mentioned here is different from the one in verse 3. In some languages it may even prove necessary to speak of “another tent” or “a different tent” in this verse.

Good News Translation restructures the information in this verse by making “the Covenant Box” the subject of the sentence and by using the passive verb “kept” (similarly Revised English Bible). However, in those languages where passive constructions are rare, this will not be a good model. Good News Translation also renders the second occurrence of the name David as a pronoun, which may sound more natural in other languages.

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 .

These are Solomon’s measurements for building the house of God: In the Masoretic Text this clause is literally “And these [were] the founding [or, to found] of Solomon for building the house of God.” The exact meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. Revised Standard Version and New Revised Standard Version have followed the ancient Syriac in reading measurements instead of the Hebrew infinitive meaning “to found.” Anchor Bible also has the word “measurements” and makes a slight change in the form of the Hebrew verb by rendering this clause as “Now these are the measurements which Solomon fixed for the building of the house of God.”

Others understand the Hebrew to be referring not to the measurements of the whole building but rather to the layout of the foundation. Translations based on this interpretation include “Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for the building of the house of God” (An American Translation), “Here is the ground-plan drawn up by Solomon for building the temple of God” (Moffatt), and “These are the foundations which Solomon laid for building the house of God” (Revised English Bible). Since the author of 2 Chronicles omits most of the height measurements found in the parallel passages in 1 Kings, this understanding seems preferable to that in Revised Standard Version. Good News Translation avoids the difficulty by not translating literally. It is not clear whether the Hebrew words translated the house of God refer (1) only to the central room (the nave), (2) to the nave and the Most Holy Place, or (3) to the entire Temple.

If the first interpretation is followed, then the nave was 60 cubits long, the Most Holy Place at the back was an additional 20 cubits by 20 cubits, and the vestibule at the front was also an additional 20 cubits by 20 cubits.

If the second interpretation is followed, the Temple (nave + Most Holy Place) was 60 cubits long, and the vestibule was 20 cubits long. This interpretation is most likely the intended meaning of the difficult Hebrew of this verse.

If the third interpretation is followed (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), then the Temple consisted of three parts (vestibule + nave + Most Holy Place), each 20 cubits wide and 20 cubits long.

The length, in cubits of the old standard, was sixty cubits, and the breadth was twenty cubits: Regarding the modern equivalents of the cubit, see the comments on 1 Chr 11.23. There were two different lengths of the cubit. One was equivalent to about 45 centimeters (18 inches), and the other was equivalent to about 50 centimeters (20 inches). See Ezek 40.5 and 43.13, where the cubit used is a handbreadth longer than the shorter cubit. Some interpreters claim that the old standard refers to the shorter cubit, while others state that it refers to the longer cubit. The historical evidence is simply insufficient to provide a definitive answer. Therefore equivalents in modern measurements of meters and feet will differ, depending on whether translators think cubits of the old standard refers to the shorter or longer cubits. According to the shorter cubit, the Temple measured approximately 90 feet by 30 feet as in Good News Translation, but according to the longer cubit, it measured about 100 feet by 33 feet. Assuming the shorter cubit is intended here, the approximate equivalents for sixty cubits and twenty cubits in meters are “27 meters” and “9 meters” (GNT British edition, Nueva Versión Internacional, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje).

Good News Translation does not keep the information that the measurement was according to the old standard, which was no longer in use when the author wrote 2 Chronicles. However, this information should not be omitted. El libro del Pueblo de Dios manages to keep the form of the Hebrew while at the same time giving modern equivalents: “the length measured thirty meters, that is, sixty cubits in the old measure, and the width was ten meters.” Bible en français courant gives another model for providing this information by using meters in the translation and then stating the following in a footnote: “The author, who gives the dimensions in ‘cubits,’ states that the usage is in the old ‘cubit,’ shorter than that in use in his time.” Either of these solutions is preferable to that of Good News Translation, which simply omits this element.

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 .

The lampstands and their lamps of pure gold: See verse 7 and the comments on 1 Chr 28.15. The meaning of the Hebrew word translated pure is uncertain. Some scholars think it comes from a word meaning “to heat in an oven.” According to this interpretation, the gold would have been heated to remove the impurities. Others think it means “red” (so Revised English Bible). Another possible solution is that the word comes from a root meaning “to shut” or “to close,” with the meaning that this gold was something rare and valuable. Pure gold most likely refers to the highest quality gold. See the comments on 1 Chr 28.17, where a similar expression in Hebrew occurs.

To burn before the inner sanctuary: Inner sanctuary translates the Hebrew term debir, which refers to the Most Holy Place (see the comments on 2 Chr 3.16). Translations include “Debir” (New Jerusalem Bible, Bible de Jérusalem), “inner room” (God’s Word, La Bible du Semeur), and “Most Holy Place” (Good News Translation). It will be better to translate the Hebrew word, since the word “Debir” will have no meaning in other languages.

As prescribed is literally “according to the plan.” See the comments on 2Chr 4.7, where a similar expression in Hebrew occurs. For languages that have to avoid passive constructions, this clause may be rendered “in the way that God ordered,” “according to the rule that God established,” or “as the law required.”

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 .

Since there are no eyewitnesses and no evidence, God is asked to be the judge to determine which party is guilty and to punish that person by doing to him or her the punishment which that person had called down upon himself or herself. Then hear thou from heaven: Then renders the common Hebrew conjunction. Here it introduces the consequence of the condition in the previous verse, so then is an appropriate rendering. After this conjunction the Hebrew text has the independent pronoun for “you” (also in verses 25, 27, 30, and 33), which gives a slight emphasis that is overlooked in most translations. Chouraqui attempts to express this emphasis by saying “and you, you listen from heaven.”

As noted earlier, hear thou from heaven is repeated eight times in this chapter. Because it is a common theme in the prayer of Solomon, it should be translated in the same way each time it occurs, if it is natural to do so in the receptor language. See the comments on verse 21.

And act, and judge thy servants: The meaning of this expression is made clear by what follows. In this case judging includes both the condemnation of the guilty and the vindication of the innocent. Act renders the Hebrew verb that is often translated “do.” This verb refers to the same action as the verb judge, and for this reason Good News Translation leaves the verb act untranslated. Others may translate “and take action by judging your servants” or “and do justice between your servants” (New Jerusalem Bible). Thy servants refers to the people involved in the conflict. This may be confusing in some languages if it is translated literally since the idea is simply that they are subject to God as part of the people of Israel. For the whole clause here Contemporary English Version says simply “and decide who is right.”

Requiting the guilty by bringing his conduct upon his own head: Requiting the guilty means to punish the guilty person. Bringing his conduct upon his own head is literally “giving his way on his head.” This expression is common in the Old Testament as a way of saying that a person will be punished for the deeds that he does (see, for example, 1 Sam 25.39; 1 Kgs 2.32; 8.32; Est 9.25; Psa 7.16; Ezek 33.4). Other versions have translated the clauses here as follows: “Repay the guilty person with the proper punishment” (God’s Word), “cause to come on the guilty person the punishment that his conduct deserves” (La Bible du Semeur), and simply “Punish the guilty party” (New Living Translation).

And vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness: Vindicating the righteous is literally “by declaring righteous the righteous.” Vindicating is the opposite of condemning. It is the act of declaring an innocent person not guilty of wrongdoing. The technical legal term for this action is to “acquit” (Good News Translation, New Living Translation). The Hebrew words rendered righteous and righteousness should not be understood in the theological sense that these words have in the New Testament. The righteous is better translated in English as “the innocent” (Good News Translation, New International Version, Revised English Bible, Moffatt), and righteousness is better rendered “innocence” (New International Version, Revised English Bible, Moffatt). Two models for this last part of the verse are “and let the innocent one go free” (Contemporary English Version) and “Prove that the person who has done right is innocent” (International Children’s Bible).

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 .

If my people …: This verse is a conditional sentence in which there are four separate requirements for God’s people: humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways. In some languages the word if will have to be repeated for each of these conditions.

Who are called by my name describes my people more fully. This passive clause may be expressed actively by saying “who bear my name” or “who belong to me” ( NET Bible). Revised English Bible makes it clear that the implied agent is God himself: “whom I have named my own.”

Humble themselves means they acknowledge their wrongdoing and repent. New Century Version says “are sorry for what they have done,” and Good News Translation has simply “repent.”

Seek my face may be rendered “seek me” (Revised English Bible), “turn back to me” (Contemporary English Version), or “obey me” (New Century Version). See the comments on 1 Chr 16.11.

Turn from their wicked ways may be translated “turn away from the evil they have been doing” (Good News Translation) or simply “stop sinning” (Contemporary English Version).

Then I will hear from heaven: From his position in heaven God will hear the prayers of his people. Possible models for this clause are “I will hear them from heaven” (New Century Version) and “then I will hear their prayers from heaven” (similarly God’s Word).

And will forgive their sin: The Hebrew term for sin is singular but collective in meaning. For this reason some versions say “sins” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, Moffatt).

And heal their land means God will restore the land of Israel to its former productivity. The use of the verb heal with land as the object may present problems in some languages. Bible en français courant has “and I will reestablish the prosperity of their land,” and Contemporary English Version translates “and make their land fertile once again.”

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 .

Happy are your wives!: Happy may be rendered “blessed,” “fortunate” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible), or even “lucky” (Contemporary English Version, New Century Version). Revised Standard Version‘s emphatic rendering of this clause reflects the Hebrew, but this exclamation may have to be restructured in some languages by saying “Your wives are very lucky.”

As the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates, there is a textual problem here. The Masoretic Text says “Happy are your men” (followed by New International Version, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Nouvelle Bible Segond, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). The Septuagint says “Happy are your wives,” and this is the basis for the translation in Revised Standard Version (also Revised English Bible, Moffatt, Osty-Trinquet). The Hebrew words for your wives (nasheyka) and “your men” (ʾanasheyka) are very similar. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the reading “your men” and suggests that the Septuagint reading is the result of making the words agree with the parallel text in 1 Kgs 10.8. If the Masoretic Text is followed, translators may choose to render “your men” as “your officials” since “men” and servants may be parallel in meaning (so Good News Translation). Some translations take “your men” to refer to “your subjects” (La Bible Pléiade) or “your people” (New Revised Standard Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) in general.

Happy are these your servants: As noted above, your servants refers to Solomon’s officials. New Living Translation says “your officials.”

Who continually stand before you: The Hebrew expression for “to stand before someone” means “to be ready to serve someone.” The same expression occurs with this meaning in 2 Chr 10.6, 8. This whole clause may be translated “who continually attend you” (New Revised Standard Version), “They are always in your presence” (Bible en français courant), or “They are always near you” (Parole de Vie).

And hear your wisdom: For the Hebrew noun rendered wisdom, see the comments on 2 Chr 1.10. Good News Translation says “wise sayings,” but this rendering narrows the focus of this abstract noun too much. It will be better to use a more general term such as wisdom if possible in the receptor language.

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 .