1 Chronicles 29:4

4 three thousand talents[a] of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents[b] of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings,

1 Chronicles 29:4 in Other Translations

KJV
4 Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal:
ESV
4 3,000 talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house,
NLT
4 I am donating more than 112 tons of gold from Ophir and 262 tons of refined silver to be used for overlaying the walls of the buildings
MSG
4 3,000 talents (about 113 tons) of gold - all from Ophir, the best - and 7,000 talents (214 tons) of silver for covering the walls of the buildings,
CSB
4 100 tons of gold (gold of Ophir) and 250 tons of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the buildings,

1 Chronicles 29:4 Meaning and Commentary

1 Chronicles 29:4

Even three thousand talents of gold
Which, according to Scheuchzer F3, amount to 36,660,000 ducats of gold; and, according to Brerewood F4, to 13,500,000 pounds of our money:

of the gold of Ophir;
which was reckoned the best gold; not Ophir in India, which was not known till Solomon's time, but in Arabia, as Bochart F5 has shown; so Eupolemus F6, an Heathen writer, says, that David having built ships at Achan, a city of Arabia, sent miners to Urphe (supposed to be the same with Ophir) in the island of the Red sea,(See Gill on :) and that he was able to give so great a sum out of his own substance, Dr. Prideaux F7 thinks, can only be accounted for by his great returns from this traffic; since these 3000 talents, according to him, amounted to 21,600,000 pounds sterling:

and seven thousand talents of refined silver;
amounting, according to Scheuchzer F8, to 31,500,000 imperials, or rix dollars; and, according to Brerewood F9, to 2,625,000 pounds of our money:

to overlay the walls of the houses withal;
the gold was to overlay the walls of the holy and most holy place, the silver to overlay the walls of the chambers built around the temple.


FOOTNOTES:

F3 Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 631.
F4 De Ponder. & Pret. Vet. Num. c. 5.
F5 Phaleg. l. 2. c. 27. col. 140.
F6 Apud Euseb. Evangel. Praepar. l. 9. c. 30. p. 447.
F7 Connection, par. 1. p. 5, 6.
F8 Ut supra. (Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 631.)
F9 Ut supra. (De Ponder. & Pret. Vet. Num. c. 5.)

1 Chronicles 29:4 In-Context

2 With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities.
3 Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple:
4 three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings,
5 for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the LORD today?”
6 Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly.

Cross References 2

  • 1. S Genesis 10:29
  • 2. 1 Chronicles 22:14

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. That is, about 110 tons or about 100 metric tons
  • [b]. That is, about 260 tons or about 235 metric tons
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