1 Chronicles 29

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Offerings for the Temple

1 And David the king said to all the assembly, "Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is 1young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for 2the palace will not be for man but for the LORD God.
2 So I have provided for the house of my God, so far as I was able, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, besides great quantities of 3onyx and stones for setting, antimony, colored stones, all sorts of precious stones and marble.
3 Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God:
4 4 3,000 talents[a] of gold, of the gold of 5Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house,[b]
5 and for all the work to be done by craftsmen, gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver. Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself[c] today to the LORD?"
6 Then 6the leaders of fathers' houses made their freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and 7the officers over the king's work.
7 They gave for the service of the house of God 5,000 talents and 10,000 8darics[d] of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze and 100,000 talents of iron.
8 And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, in the care of 9Jehiel the Gershonite.
9 Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a 10whole heart they had offered freely to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly.

David Prays in the Assembly

10 Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: 11"Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever.
11 12Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.
12 13Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. 14In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.
13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
14 "But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.
15 15For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are 16like a shadow, and there is no abiding.[e]
16 O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own.
17 I know, my God, 17that you test the heart and 18have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you.
18 O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you.
19 19Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may 20build the palace 21for which I have made provision."
20 Then David said to all the assembly, 22"Bless the LORD your God." And all the assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers, 23and bowed their heads and paid homage to the LORD and to the king.
21 And they offered sacrifices to the LORD, and on the next day offered burnt offerings to the LORD, 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs, with their 24drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.
22 And they ate and drank before the LORD on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king 25the second time, and they 26anointed him as prince for the LORD, and 27Zadok as priest.
23 28Then Solomon sat on the 29throne of the LORD as king in place of David his father. And he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.
24 All the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.
25 And the LORD made Solomon very 30great in the sight of all Israel and 31bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

The Death of David

26 Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.
27 The 32time that he reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
28 Then he died 33at a good age, 34full of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place.
29 Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the Chronicles 35of Samuel the seer, and in the Chronicles of 36Nathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of 37Gad the seer,
30 with accounts of all his rule and his might and of the circumstances 38that came upon him and upon Israel and upon all the kingdoms of the countries.

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1 Chronicles 29 Commentary

Chapter 29

David induces the princes and people to offer willingly. (1-9) His thanksgiving and prayer. (10-19) Solomon enthroned. (20-25) David's reign and death. (26-30)

Verses 1-9 What is done in works of piety and charity, should be done willingly, not by constraint; for God loves a cheerful giver. David set a good example. This David offered, not from constraint, or for show; but because he had set his affection to the house of God, and thought he could never do enough towards promoting that good work. Those who would draw others to good, must lead the way themselves.

Verses 10-19 We cannot form a right idea of the magnificence of the temple, and the buildings around it, about which such quantities of gold and silver were employed. But the unsearchable riches of Christ exceed the splendour of the temple, infinitely more than that surpassed the meanest cottage on earth. Instead of boasting of these large oblations, David gave solemn thanks to the Lord. All they gave for the Lord's temple was his own; if they attempted to keep it, death would soon have removed them from it. They only use they could make of it to their real advantage, was, to consecrate it to the service of Him who gave it.

Verses 20-25 This great assembly joined with David in adoring God. Whoever is the mouth of the congregation, those only have the benefit who join him, not by bowing down the head, so much as by lifting up the soul. Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord. Solomon's kingdom typified the kingdom of the Messiah, whose throne is the throne of the Lord.

Verses 26-30 When we read the second book of Samuel, we could scarcely have expected to behold David appear so illustrious in his closing scene. But his repentance had been as remarkable as his sin; and his conduct during his afflictions, and towards the end of his life, appears to have had a good effect on his subjects. Blessed be God, even the chief of sinners may hope for a glorious departure, when brought to repent and flee for refuge to the Saviour's atoning blood. Let us mark the difference between the spirit and character of the man after God's own heart, living and dying, and those of worthless professors, who resemble him in nothing but their sins, and who wickedly try to excuse their crimes by his sins. Let us watch and pray, lest we be overcome by temptation, and overtaken by sin, to the dishonour of God, and the wounding of our own consciences. When we feel that we have offended, let us follow David's example of repentance and patience, looking for a glorious resurrection, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Cross References 38

  • 1. 1 Chronicles 22:5; [1 Kings 3:7]
  • 2. ver. 19
  • 3. [Isaiah 54:11, 12; Revelation 21:19-21]
  • 4. [1 Chronicles 22:14]
  • 5. See 1 Kings 9:28
  • 6. 1 Chronicles 27:1; 1 Chronicles 28:1
  • 7. See 1 Chronicles 27:25-31
  • 8. Ezra 2:69; Ezra 8:27; Nehemiah 7:70-72
  • 9. 1 Chronicles 23:8; [1 Chronicles 26:21]
  • 10. [2 Kings 12:4; 2 Corinthians 9:7]
  • 11. Luke 1:68
  • 12. [1 Timothy 1:17; Revelation 5:13]
  • 13. [1 Kings 3:13; 2 Chronicles 1:12; Romans 11:36]
  • 14. 2 Chronicles 20:6
  • 15. See Leviticus 25:23
  • 16. Job 14:2; Psalms 102:11; Psalms 144:4
  • 17. 1 Chronicles 28:9; Proverbs 17:3; [1 Samuel 16:7]
  • 18. [Proverbs 11:20]
  • 19. [Psalms 72:1]
  • 20. ver. 1, 2
  • 21. 1 Chronicles 22:14
  • 22. See Joshua 22:33
  • 23. See Exodus 4:31
  • 24. Genesis 35:14
  • 25. [1 Chronicles 23:1]
  • 26. See 1 Kings 1:38, 39
  • 27. 1 Kings 2:35
  • 28. 1 Kings 2:12
  • 29. 1 Chronicles 28:5; [2 Chronicles 9:8]
  • 30. 2 Chronicles 1:1; [Joshua 3:7]
  • 31. 1 Kings 3:13; 2 Chronicles 1:12; [Ecclesiastes 2:9]
  • 32. 2 Samuel 5:4, 5; 1 Kings 2:11
  • 33. [Genesis 15:15; Genesis 25:8]
  • 34. 1 Chronicles 23:1
  • 35. 1 Chronicles 26:28; [1 Samuel 9:9]
  • 36. See 2 Samuel 12:1
  • 37. See 1 Samuel 22:5
  • 38. [Daniel 4:23, 25]

Footnotes 5

  • [a]. A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
  • [b]. Septuagint; Hebrew houses
  • [c]. Or ordaining himself; Hebrew filling his hand
  • [d]. A daric was a coin weighing about 1/4 ounce or 8.5 grams
  • [e]. Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew hope, or prospect

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES 29

This chapter relates how largely and liberally David, besides what he had before done, and his princes, offered towards defraying the expenses of building the temple, 1Ch 29:1-8 and the joy and thankfulness that he and his people expressed on that account, attended with prayers for Solomon, and offering sacrifices unto the Lord, 1Ch 29:9-21 and the chapter is closed, and so the book, with an account of the second unction of Solomon, the placing him on the throne, and the submission of all ranks of men unto him, and of the death of David, 1Ch 29:22-30.

1 Chronicles 29 Commentaries

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.