A common misinterpretation views this as an unconditional promise guaranteeing perpetual political dominance for David's literal descendants on earthly thrones, ignoring the covenant's conditional elements tied to obedience (as seen in later biblical judgments on Judah's kings) and its prophetic fulfillment in the Messiah's spiritual kingdom rather than a restored monarchy; others erroneously apply it to justify modern nationalistic claims or ethnic superiorities, overlooking the passage's historical context of Abijah's rebuke to idolatrous Israel during civil war.
II Chronicles 13:5
King James Version (1769)
5 Ought ye not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?
In this passage, Abijah king of Judah asserts God's irrevocable covenant with David, granting the kingdom of Israel to him and his descendants forever through a 'covenant of salt,' symbolizing its enduring and unbreakable nature like salt's preservative quality; it underscores divine sovereignty in establishing and legitimizing David's dynasty as part of God's redemptive plan, ultimately fulfilled in the eternal reign of Jesus Christ, the Son of David.