1 Chronicles 29

Contributions for Building the Temple

1 Then King David said to all the assembly, "My son Solomon-God has chosen him alone-is young and inexperienced. The task is great, for the temple will not be for man, but for the Lord God.

2 So to the best of my ability I've made provision for the house of my God: gold for the gold [articles], silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, and wood for the wood, as well as onyx, [stones for] mounting,^[a] antimony,^[b] stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and a great quantity of marble.

3 Moreover, because of my delight in the house of my God, I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the house of my God over and above all that I've provided for the holy house:

4 100 tons^[c] of gold (gold of Ophir) and 250 tons^[d] of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the buildings,

5 the gold for the gold [work] and the silver for the silver, for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who will volunteer to consecrate himself to the Lord today?"

6 Then the leaders of the households, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king's work gave willingly.

7 For the service of God's house they gave 185 tons^[e] of gold and 10,000 gold drachmas,^[f]; 10,000 darics weighed about 185 pounds. 375 tons^[g] of silver, 675 tons^[h] of bronze, and 4,000 tons^[i] of iron.

8 Whoever had [precious] stones gave them to the treasury of the Lord's house under the care of Jehiel the Gershonite.

9 Then the people rejoiced because of their leaders'^[j] willingness to give, for they had given to the Lord with a whole heart.^[k] King David also rejoiced greatly.

David's Prayer

10 Then David praised the Lord in the sight of all the assembly. David said, "May You be praised, Lord God of our father Israel, from eternity to eternity.

11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all.

12 Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything. In Your hand are power and might, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all.

13 Now therefore, our God, we give You thanks and praise Your glorious name.

14 "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your own hand.^[l]

15 For we are foreigners and sojourners in Your presence as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.

16 Lord our God, all this wealth that we've provided for building You a house for Your holy name comes from Your hand; everything belongs to You.

17 I know, my God, that You test the heart and that You are pleased with uprightness. I have willingly given all these things with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are present^[m] here giving joyfully and^[n] willingly to You.

18 Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep this desire forever in the thoughts of the hearts of Your people, and confirm their hearts toward You.

19 Give my son Solomon a whole heart to keep and to carry out all Your commandments, Your decrees, and Your statutes, and to build the temple for which I have made provision."

20 Then David said to the whole assembly, "Praise the Lord your God." So the whole assembly praised the Lord God of their ancestors. They bowed down and paid homage to the Lord and the king.

21 The following day they offered sacrifices to the Lord and burnt offerings to the Lord: 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs, along with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.

22 They ate and drank with great joy in the Lord's presence that day. Then, for a second time, they made David's son Solomon king; they anointed him^[o] as the Lord's ruler, and Zadok as the priest.

The Enthronement of Solomon

23 Solomon sat on the Lord's throne as king in place of his father David. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.^[p]

24 All the leaders and the mighty men, and all of King David's sons as well, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.

25 The Lord highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been [bestowed] on any king over Israel before him.

A Summary of David's Life

26 David son of Jesse was king over all Israel.

27 The length of his reign over Israel was 40 years; he reigned in Hebron for seven years and in Jerusalem for 33.^[q]

28 He died at a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor, and his son Solomon became king in his place.

29 As for the events of King David's [reign], from beginning to end, note that they are written about in the Events of Samuel the Seer, the Events of Nathan the Prophet, and the Events of Gad the Seer,

30 along with all his reign, his might, and the incidents that affected him and Israel and all the kingdoms of the [surrounding] lands.

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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or mosaic
• [b]. Ex 28:18 reads turquoise, which is spelled nearly the same in Hb.
• [c]. Lit 3,000 talents; about 113 tons
• [d]. Lit 7,000 talents; about 263 tons
• [e]. Lit 5,000 talents; about 188 tons
• [f]. The drachma, or daric, was a Persian gold coin, first minted by Darius I about 515 b.c.
• [g]. Lit 10,000 talents; about 378 tons
• [h]. Lit 18,000 talents; about 680 tons
• [i]. Lit 100,000 talents; about 3,750 tons.
• [j]. Lit because they
• [k]. 1 Ch 28:9
• [l]. Lit and from Your hand we have given to You
• [m]. Lit found
• [n]. Or now with joy I've seen Your people who are present here giving
• [o]. LXX, Tg, Vg; MT omits him
• [p]. 1 Kg 2:12
• [q]. 2 Sm 5:4-5; 1 Kg 2:10-11

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.