Now therefore in the sight of all Israel … and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of the LORD your God: The words Now therefore introduce the first part of the conclusion of King David’s speech. What follows is an exhortation. David commands his people to obey God’s Law. Here he is addressing them, not Solomon alone. The verbs and second person pronouns in this verse are plural in the Hebrew text, addressed to all the Israelites present. Good News Translation makes this clear by beginning with “So now, my people….” Good News Translation also adds the implied clause “I charge you.” David does not tell the people to obey God in the sight of all Israel and in the hearing of our God. Rather, his exhortation is in their presence and the hearing of God. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch adds “I exhort you” to make this clear. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh adds “I say,” which it places within square brackets. God’s Word also uses square brackets for its addition “I order you.” Some other possible ways of saying this are “I say to you” (Revised English Bible) and “I want you to promise.”

The people of Israel are sometimes called the assembly of the LORD in other parts of the Old Testament (see, for example, Num 16.3; Deut 23.1-3). Here the assembly of the LORD is in apposition to all Israel. La Bible Pléiade says “all Israel, which is the assembly of Yahweh.” The Septuagint says simply “all the assembly of the Lord,” which is followed by Klein.

In the hearing of our God means “calling our God as witness” (Peregrino.

Your God does not mean the people worship a different God from David. The pronoun your places the focus on the people’s relationship to God.

That you may possess this good land: The translation of this clause should not give the impression that the people of Israel do not yet possess the land where they live. Good News Translation says “so that you may continue to possess this good land” (similarly An American Translation, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje), American Bible has “that you may retain possession of the good land,” and Bible en français courant reads “In this way you will continue to possess the good land where you are.” New Century Version is similar with “Then you will keep this good land.” The words here echo those in Deut 4.22 and 6.18.

And leave it for an inheritance to your children after you for ever: The Hebrew verb translated leave it for an inheritance must be understood as “to give it as a possession.” That is, when the people listening to David’s words die, they are to pass the land on to their children. Revised English Bible uses the English idiom “hand it down as an inheritance.” Some other possible models for translating this verb are “pass it on” (New Century Version; similarly New International Version) and “bequeath it” (New American Standard Bible), which is a technical expression in English.

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 .