Once again the indirect reference, my lord the king, will be unnatural if translated literally into other languages. But it may be replaced by something like “Your Majesty” (Good News Translation).

As the LORD has been with … even so may he be with Solomon: The request that God be with Solomon may be translated “May the Lord help Solomon as he has helped you” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). The words “may the LORD be with [someone]” or “the LORD was with [someone]” constitute a common Old Testament expression, referring to God’s protection. Compare Contemporary English Version: “The LORD has always watched over you, and I pray that he will now watch over Solomon.”

The verb for be in the Masoretic Text is in a form that indicates a command, so Revised Standard Version has may he be with (similarly Good News Translation). The reading in the margin of the Masoretic Text, however, corrects the text to a form that has a future meaning, “he will be with.” Perhaps the verb was changed to “he will be with” in order to avoid the thought that God might not be with Solomon. Translators should follow the reading in the Masoretic Text here.

Make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David: His throne here refers to the entire reign of Solomon and not specifically to the seat on which he sat in the palace. See the comments on throne in verse 13. Instead of make … greater, New American Bible uses the verb “exalt.” Another way of expressing the idea in the last part of this verse is to avoid the image of the throne altogether; for example, Contemporary English Version has “May the LORD help Solomon to be an even greater king than you.”

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 .