Only, may the LORD grant you discretion and understanding: David asks the LORD to give wisdom and knowledge to Solomon, so that Solomon will not only be able to build the Temple, but also be able to rule as king. The Hebrew adverb rendered Only has several different uses, depending on the context. Here it seems to have a restrictive use, meaning “no more than” or “at least.” The English word Only expresses this restrictive sense. The Hebrew noun rendered discretion has the meaning of being wise, having good sense and insight. The noun translated understanding refers to understanding that comes through the senses, that is, through observation and listening. These Hebrew nouns are translated with a variety of near synonyms in English: “intelligence and understanding” (Braun), “prudence and discernment” (New American Bible), “sense and understanding” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

That when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the LORD your God: This second half of the verse in Hebrew is difficult grammatically. A literal translation of the whole verse in the Masoretic Text reads as follows: “Only may the LORD give you discretion and understanding and give you charge over Israel and to keep the law of the LORD your God.” Nouvelle Bible Segond takes the second clause of this verse as grammatically parallel to the first one, saying “Only, may the LORD grant you sense and intelligence, may he install you firmly over Israel….” However, most modern versions treat the second clause as a temporal clause; for example, Revised Standard Version has when he gives you charge over Israel. This is probably the best solution to this difficult text. Good News Translation says simply “so that you may govern Israel.” Good News Translation correctly expresses the sense of the Hebrew verb here, but it fails to show that Solomon will govern Israel because God has given him this position.

New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh follows the Hebrew of this verse by saying “Only let God give you sense and understanding and put you in charge of Israel and the observance of the Teaching of the LORD your God.” This rendering seems faithful to the Hebrew, but it is not clear in what sense Solomon is to be in charge of the observance of the Law. According to New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh’s rendering, this verse seems to be referring to the people’s observance of the Law rather than Solomon’s observance, but the next verse seems to indicate that the reference is to Solomon’s observance of the Law. The law refers to the Pentateuch. Braun simply transliterates the Hebrew noun here, saying “the Torah.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “the Teaching.”

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 .

As noted in the comments on verse 24, some scholars think this verse is misplaced and that it originally followed verse 24 (so New American Bible). Revised Standard Version indicates the parenthetical nature of this verse by placing long dashes around it and by using closing quotation marks at the end of verse 26 and opening quotation marks at the beginning of verse 28. According to the wording in the Masoretic Text, verse 27 is clearly not a part of the direct quotation spoken by David. If verses 28-32 are considered part of David’s speech, then translators may begin verse 28 with “And David continued by saying….” Contemporary English Version translates all of verses 25-32 as David’s words in the following way:

25 David said:
The LORD God of Israel has given his people peace, and he will live in Jerusalem forever. 26 And so, the Levites won’t need to move the sacred tent and the things used for worship from place to place. 27 From now on, all Levites at least twenty years old 28 will serve the LORD by helping Aaron’s descendants do their work at the temple, by keeping the courtyards and rooms of the temple clean, and by making sure that everything used in worship stays pure….

Contemporary English Version‘s rendering of verse 27 is a paraphrase. However, there is no need to make this verse part of David’s words.

For by the last words of David: Other translations include “According to David’s final decision” (Bible en français courant) and “According to these last instructions of David” (Revised English Bible). The connector for may be omitted (so Good News Translation, New International Version).

These were the number of the Levites from twenty years old and upward: See the comments on 1 Chr 23.3. Levites is literally “sons of Levi.”

New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh provides a good model for this verse, saying “Among the last acts of David was the counting of the Levites from the age of twenty and upward.”

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 .

King David appointed him and his brethren …: The pronouns him and his refer to Jerijah. The word brethren here, as in verse 30, clearly refers to relatives and not to blood brothers.

For men of ability, see the comments on verses 6-7.

To have the oversight of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites: The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh were Israelites who lived on the east side of the Jordan River (see 1 Chr 5), as some versions make explicit (so Good News Translation, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje).

For everything pertaining to God and for the affairs of the king expresses the same thought as the end of verse 30. Other ways of expressing the sense are “all religious and civil matters” (Good News Translation) and “in religious and civil affairs alike” (Revised English 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 .

Verses 11-13 indicate that David gave to Solomon the plans for building the various parts of the Temple. Nearly all interpreters and translations understand verses 14-18 to be a continuation of this thought, meaning that David gave instructions about how much silver and gold was to be used to make the utensils for the Temple services, which included the lamps, lampstands, tables, forks, bowls, jars, altar, and cherubim.

If this interpretation is followed, it will be necessary to add some kind of introduction to verse 14, such as “He gave instructions as to how much” (Good News Translation), “He determined the weight” (El libro del Pueblo de Dios), “[David specified] the weight” (God’s Word), or “He indicated the amount” (Peregrino. International Children’s Bible follows this interpretation by rendering the whole verse as “Many things made of gold or silver would be used in the Temple. David told Solomon how much gold or silver should be used to make each thing.”

However, it is possible to understand the implied verb phrase at the beginning of verses 14-18 to be “He gave,” which is found in verse 11, and the meaning would then be that David gave the gold and silver needed for making these objects. According to this interpretation, verses 14-18 do not say that David gave instructions for making these objects (as Good News Translation states), but that he actually gave the gold and silver needed to make them. This interpretation is found in several Spanish translations (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Nueva Versión Internacional, Reina-Valera revisada, Reina-Valera revisada). See the Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translation of these verses, which is quoted at the end of the comments on verse 18.

The weight of gold for all golden vessels is literally “for the gold by the weight for the gold.” Revised Standard Version adds the word vessels as the sense requires.

For each service is literally “for all the vessels of service and service.” The sense of this phrase is “according to their respective use” (Bible en français courant). The Hebrew word translated service has to do with work or labor, but in this context it seems to refer to different uses or different ways in which the utensils would be employed in the work of the Temple. New International Version says “to be used in various kinds of service.” Neither Good News Translation nor Contemporary English Version retains this phrase, but there is no apparent reason to omit it from the translation.

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 .

Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written …: Now translates the common Hebrew conjunction, which introduces a new topic here. The acts of King David do not refer to the personal details of David’s life, but rather to the political aspects of his reign. New Century Version says “Everything David did as king.” From first to last may be rendered “from beginning to end” (Good News Translation, New International Version, American Bible; similarly Bible en français courant) or “from the beginning of his reign until he died.” Rather than translate this phrase literally, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente begins the verse with “The complete history of David’s reign is found….” In the Hebrew a focusing particle often translated “behold” or “lo” follows the phrase from first to last. This particle draws attention to what follows but is not translated in Revised Standard Version or Good News Translation. King James Version keeps it by beginning this verse with “Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written….”

The passive expression are written will have to be transformed into an active one in some languages. Translators may do this by beginning the verse with “They [indefinite] have written the record of David’s acts…” or “The three prophets, Samuel, Nathan and Gad, have recorded the history of David….”

In the Chronicles of Samuel the seer, and in the Chronicles of Nathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of Gad the seer: Regarding the meaning and translation of the terms seer and prophet, see the comments on 1 Chr 9.22. In many languages it will be difficult to find two terms that are basically synonyms here. Some versions use the word prophet for all three people mentioned at the end of this verse (so Good News Translation, La Bible du Semeur). The chronicles is literally “the words.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “the history,” and New Revised Standard Version and New International Version have “the records.” These three writings may refer to the biblical books of 1–2 Samuel and 1–2 Kings, in which case the author of 1 Chronicles attributes the authorship of those books to Samuel (see 1 Sam 16.1-13; 1 Chr 9.22), Nathan (see 2 Sam 7 and 1 Chr 17), and Gad (see 2 Sam 24 and 1 Chr 21), but there is no way to be sure that this is the case. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente has a footnote on this verse which says, “It is very likely these do not refer to the biblical books of Samuel, but to writings we no longer have.” In any case, the writer of 1 Chronicles intended this as a reference to previous writings. Since these writings are the names of books, Bible en français courant has the names in italics by rendering this verse as “The history of King David, from the beginning to the end, is contained in the books called Acts of the Seer Samuel, Acts of the Prophet Nathan, and Acts of the Prophet Gad.” Bible en français courant also has a footnote stating that the three books mentioned in this verse are lost.

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 .

Now therefore is literally “And now.”

The wheat and barley, oil and wine: See the comments on verse 10.

Of which my lord has spoken: Hiram refers to Solomon as my lord in the same way that he referred to David in the previous verse. Good News Translation replaces my lord with the pronoun “you” in order to make it clear that Hiram is referring to Solomon and not to someone else. But some languages may be able to say “honorable sir” to reflect the respect implied by such an expression.

Let him send it to his servants: Hiram refers to himself and his workers as servants. He also uses the third person pronouns him and his to refer to Solomon in a continued effort to show respect. Like Good News Translation, Bible en français courant replaces his servants with the pronoun “us,” and uses the second person imperative verb “send” instead of let him send. A model that expresses the respect here in Hebrew is “please send it to us, your servants.”

The structure of this verse in Hebrew with the main verb send coming near the end may present a problem in some languages. But this is easily resolved by shifting the verb toward the beginning of the verse as Good News Translation has done. Compare also “I accept your offer of wheat, barley, wine, and oil” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

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 .