At the beginning of this verse, the Hebrew reads literally “And drew near the days of David to die.” The same Hebrew expression occurs regarding Jacob in Gen 47.29 and Moses in Deut 31.14. Some modern versions remain close to the Hebrew, substituting time for the Hebrew noun “days” (so Revised Standard Version, New International Version). If it is not natural in the receptor language to speak of time “drawing near,” Good News Translation provides another way in which to express the meaning. Other versions go a step further and make explicit the fact that David was aware that he was approaching death; for example, Bible en français courant has “When David sensed that he was going to die soon” (similarly Parole de Vie).

He charged Solomon: The Hebrew verb rendered charged in Revised Standard Version is often translated “to command” in other passages. In some contexts it is used of a superior giving instructions to a subordinate. In a few cases, such as Gen 49.33 and 2 Sam 17.23, this verb seems to have the sense of “to give parting/final charges” and such a meaning fits the context of this verse. Compare “he gave his last charges to Solomon” (Gray).

The Hebrew verb translated saying serves to introduce the direct quotation in the following verse. In some languages it will be quite natural to use a verb of speaking in such a context, but in other cases the presence of a colon followed by quotation marks at the beginning of verse 2 will be sufficient.

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 .