Then King David rose to his feet and said: Instead of King David, Good News Translation uses only the proper name “David” since it has “King David” in the previous verse. Revised Standard Version follows the Hebrew literally in saying that David rose to his feet. Nouvelle version Segond révisée is similar with “stood up on his legs.” Because such a rendering is considered redundant and unnatural in English, most modern versions leave out any explicit reference to feet or legs, saying simply that he “stood up” (Revised English Bible) or “stood before them” (Good News Translation).

Hear me, my brethren and my people: David may be addressing two different groups: (1) my brethren, referring only to members of his own tribe, and (2) my people, referring to all of the other tribes of Israel. The Targum understood my brethren as the Israelite people and my people as proselytes. However, it is more likely that the two expressions refer to the same group. God had chosen David as king, so the Israelites are his subjects, and he addresses them as my people. But David was also chosen from among them (verse 4) and feels a sense of tribal solidarity with them, so he addresses them as my brethren. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “Men of my people, my brothers,” and God’s Word has “my relatives and subjects.” Good News Translation combines the two expressions, saying “My friends.” By using the word “friends,” Good News Translation apparently attempts to avoid the impression of excluding women. Contemporary English Version similarly says “my people.” However, in this context women probably were not included.

I had it in my heart is literally “As for me, with my heart.” It is possible that the first person pronoun for “me” in the Hebrew text gives a stronger contrast than in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation between what David wanted to do and what God wanted (verse 3). The sense may be “As for me, I wanted … 3 but God….” Compare “I wanted, I … 3 but God…” (La Bible de Jérusalem: Nouvelle édition revue et corrigée). In some languages the use of the independent first person singular pronoun before the verb will convey this emphasis. But an expression of emphasis here is probably an overtranslation of the Hebrew grammar.

To build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and for the footstool of our God: The Covenant Box had been moved from place to place: in the desert, to Gilgal, to Shiloh, among the Philistines, to Kiriath Jearim, and finally to Jerusalem. David wanted to build a house of rest for it in Jerusalem. This phrase may be rendered “a permanent home” (Good News Translation, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy; similarly New Living Translation). For the ark of the covenant of LORD, see the comments on 1 Chr 6.31.

Many interpreters consider the footstool of our God to be in apposition to the ark of the covenant of the LORD even though these two phrases are connected by the conjunction and in the Hebrew text (so Good News Translation, New Living Translation, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Nueva Versión Internacional, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, Braun). For this whole clause Revised English Bible has “to build a house as a resting-place for the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD which might serve as a footstool for our God” (similarly Nueva Versión Internacional), and New Century Version says “to build a place to keep the Ark of the Agreement with the LORD. I wanted it to be God’s footstool.” God’s Word has “building the temple where the ark of the LORD’s promise could be placed. This temple would be a stool for our God’s feet.” This translation is not correct. It was the ark that was to become the footstool, not the Temple itself. The image is that of God seated on a throne created by the wings of the cherubim, with his feet resting on the ark itself.

But it is also possible to understand the footstool as referring to the cover of the ark (see verse 11), as the footnote in La Bible du Semeur indicates. If this interpretation is followed, then the ark and the footstool are two separate items.

And I made preparations for building: The common Hebrew conjunction rendered and may be better translated “So” (New Century Version) or “therefore” (Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie). Because of his intention to build a permanent place for the ark, David began to make the necessary preparations for this important work. An alternative model for this clause is “So I started preparing to build a temple.”

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 .

For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers were: The Hebrew conjunction rendered For functions as an emphatic particle here, so it may be rendered “Indeed.” The Hebrew words translated strangers and sojourners are synonyms here. They are used of the patriarchs in Gen 15.13 and 23.4. Such persons lived in a land without owning property and without most rights of the people who were citizens (see the comments on 1 Chr 22.2, where the Hebrew word for strangers is rendered “aliens”). Other translations of these synonyms include “guests … passing visitors” (New Jerusalem Bible) and “aliens … transients” (New Revised Standard Version). In some languages it may be necessary to state at this point where David and his people were temporary guests. Some may have to add “in this world” or “in this life” (similarly Good News Translation). This is merely a matter of shifting forward a little the phrase on the earth. Since the Israelite people were not literally strangers and sojourners, Good News Translation changes these metaphors into similes, saying “like exiles and strangers.” Good News Translation renders before thee as “You know,” which is a helpful model. As is often the case, fathers in this context refers to “ancestors” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible).

Our days on the earth are like a shadow: The comparison of life to a shadow that is not lasting is common in the Psalms (102.11; 109.23; 144.4).

And there is no abiding is literally “and there is no hope.” This means that people do not have hope of continuing to live indefinitely. Good News Translation and Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje express this clause as “and we cannot escape death.” Other translations include “without hope” (New International Version, Nueva Versión Internacional, Peregrino and “without hope and longevity” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Some interpreters understand the Hebrew word translated abiding to mean “security.” This is the basis for the American Bible translation “without security” (also NET Bible, Bible en français courant).

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 .

Solomon’s message to King Hiram of Tyre begins here and continues through verse 10. Contemporary English Version indents the entire message to help readers easily see the extent of the quotation. Likewise, Contemporary English Version indents all of Hiram’s reply in verses 11-16. Translators may wish to consider using this format in their own language.

And Solomon sent word to Huram the king of Tyre: Instead of sent word, the Hebrew has only the verb “sent” with no direct object, but this verb introduces the rather long quotation. It will be better rendered in some languages as “sent messengers” (La Bible du Semeur), “sent this message” (New International Version, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Moffatt), or “sent … the following message” (Bible en français courant).

For Huram the king of Tyre, see the comments on 1 Chr 14.1. Huram is the spelling in most Hebrew manuscripts. Some translations (Good News Translation, New International Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), in agreement with the Septuagint, Syriac and Vulgate, spell this name “Hiram,” because it is written that way in other passages where this king of Tyre is mentioned (see 2 Sam 5.11; 1 Kgs 5.1; 1 Chr 14.1). The spelling “Hiram” also serves to distinguish this king from the artisan who was important in the actual building of the Temple and whose name is also written “Huram” or sometimes “Huramabi” (2 Chr 2.13; 4.16). The Phoenician form of his name was Ahiram.

As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me: See 1 Chr 14.1. The Hebrew verb translated dealt with and deal with is the common verb meaning “to do” or “to make,” so a more literal translation would read “As you did to/for David … do to/for me.” New Jerusalem Bible translates “Do as you did for my father David….” But this very general meaning is clarified when Solomon adds sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in. Others have translated this verb as “Do business with” (Good News Translation) and “collaborate with” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Sent is a literal translation of the Hebrew. According to 1 Kgs 5, David paid Hiram for the cedar wood. This is apparently the reason for the Good News Translation rendering “sold.” For cedar see the comments on 1 Chr 14.1. Good News Translation says “cedar logs” for clarity (so also NET Bible). Since David was a king, many versions render house as “palace” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Moffatt) or “royal residence” (Revised English Bible).

The clause so deal with me is not actually in the Hebrew text, but it is implied in the structure that begins with As you dealt with David my father…. Revised Standard Version and most other versions have added this clause as the sense requires. Nouvelle version Segond révisée places the implied clause in parentheses at the beginning of the sentence instead of coming after the comparison with David, and this may be the more logical position to place this implied information in certain other languages. Rather than adding words as Revised Standard Version has done, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh simply uses a long dash at the end of the verse to show that the thought has not been completed. For the same reason Osty-Trinquet ends the verse with three dots.

If it seems more natural to restructure this whole sentence, Bible en français courant and Parole de Vie provide a possible model, saying “You furnished cedar logs to my father David so that he could build his palace. Do the same for me.” New Century Version has “Help me as you helped my father David. You sent him cedar logs so he could build himself a palace to live in.”

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 .

Then he made the molten sea: Then translates the common Hebrew conjunction. Here it introduces the next thing that was made, so the connector Then (also La Bible de Jérusalem: Nouvelle édition revue et corrigée) is appropriate. Others translate the conjunction as “also” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy).

The pronoun he refers to Solomon. However, in the parallel passage of 1 Kgs 7.23 the implied subject of the verb made is Huram, the skilled craftsman who was introduced in 2 Chr 2.13-14. Here many versions follow the Hebrew in saying “he made,” without stating the agent’s name. International Children’s Bible gives his name as “Solomon.” But Parole de Vie and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente say “Huram made,” which is not recommended. Contemporary English Version provides a possible model with “He [Solomon] also gave orders to make.”

The molten sea or “the Sea of cast metal” (Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible) is a literal rendering of the Hebrew. Of course, it was not the water in the tank that was made from cast metal but the round tank that held the water. The word molten refers to the bronze-casting technique used to make the tank (see the comments on 1 Chr 18.8). For this reason it may be better to say “a bronze tank” or “a tank of bronze” as in a number of common language versions (so Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). Other possible translations include “a large metal bowl called the Sea” (Contemporary English Version) and “a large bronze basin for water” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “a huge round bronze basin, [called] the ‘Sea.’ ” Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente is similar with “a large basin of bronze … It was called the ‘Sea.’ ”

It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference: The size of this tank is given in cubits. As in the above verses, the American edition of Good News Translation consistently expresses the measurements in feet, saying “7½ feet deep, 15 feet in diameter, and 45 feet in circumference.” In meters this is expressed by the British edition of CEV as “It was 4.5 meters across, just over two meters deep, and 13.5 meters around” (similarly Nueva Versión Internacional). The British edition of GNT attempts to be more precise with “2.2 metres deep, 4.4 metres in diameter, and 13.2 metres in circumference.” Such precision may give the false impression that scholars know exactly what is intended. So more approximate measurements may be preferable.

In the expression from brim to brim, the Hebrew word translated brim is more often rendered “lip” or “edge.” In some languages it will be more natural to say “from one side to the other” or “from edge to edge.” Others may say simply “it was 15 feet across from edge to edge” (New Century Version). Good News Translation and New American Bible use idiomatic English with “in diameter.”

A line of thirty cubits measured its circumference will have to be restructured in many languages because it will be unnatural to speak of a line (string) measuring something. According to this clause, if a person took a string and wrapped it around the outside of the tank, that string would be thirty cubits long. New Revised Standard Version says “A line of thirty cubits would encircle it completely,” while Revised English Bible has “it took a line thirty cubits long to go round it.” In other languages it may be necessary to say “If a person wanted to measure around it, he would need a string 13.5 meters [or, 45 feet] long.”

As verse 6 states, the water in this tank was used by the priests for their ritual, or ceremonial, washing. The tank itself was 2.25 meters (7.5 feet) high, and it sat on top of bronze bulls, so the tank would have been too tall for the priests to reach over and wash in it. Probably there were faucets or spigots that drained the water from the tank into a reservoir around the tank. For a good description and illustration of this huge bronze tank, see WTH, pages 243-244|fig:WTH.4.3.2.Temple – Sea, tank.243-244.html.

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 5-6 consist of a quotation within a quotation. Solomon speaks in verses 4-11; and within these verses he quotes the words of God in verses 5-6 and 8-9. Contemporary English Version transforms verses 5-6 into indirect discourse, but by doing this it drops certain elements.

Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt …: The word day is clearly not to be taken in its literal sense of twenty-four hours here. Bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt took far more time than a single day. The reference is to a longer period of time, so in some languages a better translation of this whole clause may be “Long ago I brought my people out of the land of Egypt and since that time [or, then]….”

In all the tribes of Israel: Good News Translation says simply “in the land of Israel,” but this rendering fails to maintain the reference to the tribes within the people of Israel. Moffatt is better with “out of any clan of Israel.”

House refers to a “temple” (Good News Translation). But in some languages it may be more appropriate to use a general term for a “building” in this context.

That my name might be there is literally “to be my name there.” This clause expresses the purpose of the words to build a house. The words my name might be there indicate that this is where people should come to worship God (see the comments on 1 Chr 22.7-8). This clause may be translated “where people can worship me.” In the Old Testament a name is more than a label by which a person or place is identified. Most names had a meaning and represented the person. In this case there is an indirect reference to God’s mysterious name Yahweh. For this reason some translations capitalize the word “name” (so New International Version, Bible de Jérusalem, La Bible des Communautés Chrétiennes, Osty-Trinquet). Some other ways of translating a house, that my name might be there are “a Temple where I might be present” (La Bible du Semeur), “a temple for my presence” (Moffatt), and “a temple … to honor my name” (New Living Translation).

And I chose no man as prince over my people Israel: For prince see the comments on 1 Chr 5.2. As prince over may be rendered “to lead” (Good News Translation) or “to rule” (Moffatt).

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 they repent with all their mind and with all their heart: For repent see the comments on the previous verse. With all their mind and with all their heart is literally “with all their heart and with all their soul” (similarly New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible; see the comments on 1 Chr 28.9). This expression is a common Old Testament way of saying “earnestly,” “sincerely,” or “completely.” It occurs often in the book of Deuteronomy (4.29; 6.5; 10.12; 11.13; 13.3; 26.16; 30.2, 6, 10). The heart refers to the intellect or will, while the “soul” stands for the emotions or feelings. Here this phrase emphasizes the sincerity and genuineness of the repentance. Good News Translation uses the adverbs “truly” and “sincerely” to convey the meaning, while New Century Version has “truly.”

In the land of their captivity, to which they were carried captive: See the comments on the previous two verses. This expression is repetitious. As in the previous verse, Good News Translation says simply “that land.” If the fuller expression is retained and the passive construction is a problem, then translators may say “in the land where their enemies forced them to live.”

And pray toward their land, which thou gavest to their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name: In exile in a foreign land, the people of Israel are exhorted to pray in the direction of the land of Israel, the city of Jerusalem, and the Temple (see the comments on verse 21). For their land, which thou gavest to their fathers, see verse 25; for the city which thou hast chosen, see verse 34; and for the house which I have built for thy name, see verses 7 and 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 .

And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon: Sought the presence of is literally “sought the face of.” This expression may be rendered “consulted” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible) or “came to see” (International Children’s Bible).

To hear his wisdom: In some languages it may be necessary to select a different verb since hear does not go with wisdom. If so, it may be better to say “to learn his wisdom” or “to discover his wisdom.”

Which God had put into his mind: Mind is literally “heart,” which was considered the location of wisdom in Hebrew thought (see the comments on 1 Chr 17.2).

Some languages may prefer the restructuring of this verse found in Bible en français courant, which says:

• In effect, God had accorded him such wisdom that the kings came from everywhere to consult him.

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 .