2 Chronicles 1:8

2Ch 1:8 And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead.

Ver. 8. Thou hast showed, &c.] God must be praised for the kindness he hath showed to our ancestors also. See on 1Ki 3:6.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ch 1:8. And hast made me to reign — Give me the spirit of my father David, that Israel may not suffer by the change. The eminence of those that went before us, and the obligation that lies upon us to keep and carry on the good work they were engaged in, should quicken our prayers for wisdom and grace, that we may do the work of God in our day as faithfully as they did in theirs.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(8) Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David.—Literally, Thou, thou hast done great kindness with David. (The regular phrase; comp. Luk_1:72.) From this point the relation here is briefer on the whole than that of Kings. The greater part of the long verse (1Ki_3:6) is omitted, and the variations between the two texts become numerous, though the general sense is the same in each.

And hast made me to reign in his stead.—Comp. 1Ki_3:7; and the similar language of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria (B.C. 681-668): “Ever since Asshur, Samas, Bel, Nebo . . . made me, Esarhaddon, sit securely on the throne of my father” (Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia, 3:15, Colossians 2).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. mercy] R.V. kindness (as 1Ki_3:6). God shewed David not merely compassion, but also bounty.

made me to reign] R.V. made me king.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Thou hast showed great mercy unto David my father. These also are the exact words found in the parallel place, but they omit the words, "thy servant," before "David," found there. And hast made me to reign in his stead. This concise expression takes the place of two equivalent expressions, found at the end of the sixth and beginning of the seventh verses in the parallel passage, the former of which passages also describes it as "this great kindness," i.e. kindness on the part of God a description very much in harmony with David"s own grateful acknowledgment to God. (1Ki_1:48) Up to this point our present account differs from its parallel in cutting out Solomon"s eulogy of his father ("According as he walked before thee in truth and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with thee"), and his humbler disparagement of himself ("And I, a little child, know not how to go out or come in").

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

To reign, &c. - Give me the spirit of my father David, that Israel may not suffer by the change. The eminency of those that went before us, and the obligation that lies upon us, to keep and carry on the good work they were engaged in, should quicken our prayers for wisdom and grace, that we may do the work of God in our day, as faithful as they did in theirs.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

You have shown great covenant faithfulness to David

The abstract noun "faithfulness" can be stated as "faithfully" or "faithful." AT: "You have greatly and faithfully loved David" or "You have been very faithful to David" (See: Abstract Nouns)

Now

Here the word "Now" is used to draw attention to the important point that follows.

let your promise to David my father be carried out

This can be stated in active form. AT: "please do what you promised to David my father that you would do" (See: Active or Passive)

a people as numerous as the dust of the earth

This simile emphasizes the great number of Israelites. AT: "countless people" or "very many people" (See: Simile)

give me wisdom and knowledge

This can be restated to remove the abstract nouns "wisdom" and "knowledge." AT: "cause me to be wise and to know many things" (See: Abstract Nouns)

who can judge your people, who are so many in number?

Here "judge" means to govern or rule. Solomon uses a question to state that it is impossible to rule over so many people without God's help. AT: "no one can judge all of your countless people without your help." (See: Rhetorical Question)

Because this was in your heart

Here "heart" represents desire. AT: "Because this was your desire" or "Because this is what you wanted" (See: Metonymy)

nor for the life of those who hate you

"nor to be able to defeat those who hate you" or "nor to be able to kill your enemies"

translationWords

covenant faithfulness

king

promise

people group

wise

know

judge

people of God

heart

honor

life

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.