There I have provided a place: There means “in the Temple” (Good News Translation). In many languages it will be appropriate to supply this information rather than translating the adverb of place literally.

The ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD: The Hebrew says literally that the covenant of the LORD is in the ark. But the ark did not contain the covenant itself, but rather the objects that represented the covenant and on which the agreement was written. Good News Translation makes it clear that this refers to “the stone tablets of the covenant” (see verse 9).

Which he made with our fathers is literally “which he cut with our fathers.” See the comments on verse 9. In this context fathers obviously refers not to the immediately preceding generation but rather to the “ancestors” who lived several hundred years before. So it will be better translated as “ancestors” (Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible) or “forefathers” (Revised English 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 .