1 Chronicles 29:1

1 And king David spake to all the church, (and said,) God hath chosen Solomon, my son, yet a child and tender; forsooth the work is great, and a dwelling is not made ready to man, but to God. (And King David spoke to all the congregation, and said, God hath chosen my son Solomon, yet a tender young man; and the work is great, but this dwelling place is not made for man, but for God.)

1 Chronicles 29:1 Meaning and Commentary

1 Chronicles 29:1

Furthermore, David the king said unto all the congregation,
&c.] Having finished what he had to say to Solomon, he addressed the congregation again:

Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen;
both to be king, and to build the temple

is yet young and tender;
see ( 1 Chronicles 22:5 )

and the work is great;
both of governing so great a people, and of building so magnificent a temple, especially the latter is meant:

for the palace is not for man;
for any mortal king, though ever so great:

but for the Lord God;
the Targum is,

``but for the Word of the Lord God,''

who is the King of kings, and Lord of lords; and therefore is to be built as with the greatest exactness, according to the pattern he himself has given, so with the greatest splendour and magnificence.

1 Chronicles 29:1 In-Context

1 And king David spake to all the church, (and said,) God hath chosen Solomon, my son, yet a child and tender; forsooth the work is great, and a dwelling is not made ready to man, but to God. (And King David spoke to all the congregation, and said, God hath chosen my son Solomon, yet a tender young man; and the work is great, but this dwelling place is not made for man, but for God.)

2 Soothly I in all my mights have made ready the costs of the house of my God; gold to golden vessels, silver to silveren vessels, brass to brazen vessels, iron to iron vessels, and tree to treen vessels, onyx stones, and stones as of the colour of women's ointment, and each precious stone of diverse colours, and marble of diverse colours, most plenteously. (And with all my power I have prepared the expenses and the materials for the House of my God; gold for the gold vessels, silver for the silver vessels, bronze for the bronze vessels, iron for the iron vessels, and wood for the wooden vessels, and onyx stones, and stones the colour of women's ointment, and each precious stone of diverse colour, and most plentiful marble of diverse colours.)

3 And over these things, I give gold and silver into the temple of my God, which I have offered of my proper chattel into the house of my God, besides these things which I have made ready into the holy house, (And in addition to these things, I have given gold and silver for the Temple of my God, which I have offered out of my own substance, or possessions, for the House of my God, besides these things which I have prepared for the Holy House,)

4 (namely) three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand of talents of silver most proved (and seven thousand talents of most proved silver), to overgild the walls of the temple;

5 and (for the) works (which) be made by the hands of craftsmen, wherever gold is needful, of gold, and wherever silver is needful, of silver; and if any man offereth by his free will, [full-]fill he his hand today, and offer he that that he will to the Lord. (and for the works which be made by the hands of craftsmen, yea, the gold, wherever gold is needed, and the silver, wherever silver is needed; and if anyone else will offer by his free will, open he his hand today, and offer he what he will to the Lord.)