Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Chronicles 6:5

"Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be prince over my people Israel:" — 2 Chronicles 6:5 (ASV)

My people out of the land of Egypt. — In Kings, My people Israel out of Egypt (Compare to 2 Chronicles 5:10). The Syriac and Arabic versions also have Israel here.

Neither chose I any man to be a ruler (nâgîd) over my people Israel. — Neither this sentence nor the following is found in the parallel passage, where the second half of 2 Chronicles 6:6 forms the last clause of the preceding verse (1 Kings 8:16). The Syriac and Arabic versions here follow Kings as often. There is nothing in the language against the supposition that the words originally formed part of the older text.

Neither chose I any man. — Saul was originally the people’s, not God’s, choice. Holy Scripture nowhere teaches that the vox populi is identical with the vox Dei (See 1 Samuel 8:5, and Bishop Wordsworth’s Note).