THE FIRST BOOK OF THE
CHRONICLES

1 Chronicles 29

1David by example and exhortation 6causeth the princes and people to offer willingly for the service of the temple. 10David's thanksgiving and prayer. 20The people having blessed God, and sacrificed, make Solomon king the second time. 23The prosperity and majesty of Solomon's reign. 26David's reign and death.


1FURTHERMORE David the king said 1unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom 2alone God hath chosen, is yet 3young and tender, 4and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the LORD God.

1 See 1 Chron. 28:1.

2 Hebr. one; namely, of all my sons. Therefore David in his lifetime caused him to be crowned king, and the other sons of David have, by giving their hand, promised obedience to Solomon, verse 24.

3 At that time Solomon had married a wife, as may be gathered from his son Rehoboam’s age, 2 Chron. 12:13, for he reigned forty years, 2 Chron. 9:30, and his son Rehoboam was forty-one years of age when he came to the crown after the death of Solomon; from which it appears that Rehoboam was a year old when Solomon was crowned king; yet David calls him young and tender with reason, because at that time (according to the opinion of some) he was but eighteen or nineteen years old, and had brothers who were older than he.

4 Namely, the building of the temple, which Solomon was to perform.

2Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, 5glisteringa stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.

5 Other, stones of ornament and embroidery; or, for ornament and embroidery.

a shining

3Moreover, because I have set 6my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own properb good,c7of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,

6 That is, out of particular affection toward the house of my God.

b personal

c property*

7 That is, of mine own jewels and other costly things, which I have gathered and kept for this very end.

4Even three 8thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, 9to overlay the walls of the houses withal:

8 See Exod. 25 on verse 39.

9 Namely, the gold to overlay the walls of the temple, and the silver to overlay the walls of the other houses and chambers appertaining to the temple.

5The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And 10who then is willing to consecrate 11his service this day unto the LORD?

10 Namely, among you.

11 Or, and who is there willing to fill his hand this day unto the LORD? That is, to consecrate his service unto the Lord, and to offer a freewill offering unto Him. See Exod. 32:29; Lev. 8:33.

6¶Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king's work, offered willingly,

7And gave 12for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand 13drams,d and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass 14eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.

12 That is, toward the building of the temple.

13 A dram weighs as much as a French crown.

d OT weight (Heb. adarkon): 0.31 ounce or 8.8 grams, often in coin form (darics, drachmae)

14 Hebr. ten thousand, and eight thousand talents of brass.

8And they with whom precious 15stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the LORD, by the hand of 16Jehiel the Gershonite.

15 Namely, costly or precious stones.

16 This man was the keeper general of all the treasures of the sanctuary, whom we may call the Receiver-General, but Shelomith was placed over the treasures which were gathered for the building of the temple, 1 Chron. 26:26.

9Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.

10¶Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.

11Thine,e O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.

e Mat. 6:13; 1 Tim. 1:17; Rev. 5:13.

12Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest 17over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.

17 Or, over everything.

13Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise 18thy glorious name.

18 Or, the name of thy glory.

14But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly 19after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own 20have we given thee.

19 That is, all these things.

20 That is, as we first received this of Thee, so we now give it to Thee again.

1521For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are asf a shadow, and there is 22none abiding.

21 This is David’s argument: Seeing men are but strangers and pilgrims here on earth, who must assuredly depart from here, Psalm 39:12, and that we cannot keep our goods or estates after our death, therefore we cannot better bestow them then upon the service of God, Who will graciously reward it unto all eternity.

f Psalm 90:9; 102:12.

22 Intimating that there is nothing firm, sure or steadfast in this life. It is all vanity and like a shadow, and no man can expect that he shall escape death. Other, which (namely, the shadow) is not gathered.

16O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.

17I know also, my God, that thou triest theg heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.

g 1 Chron. 28:9.

18O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in 23the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:

23 Or, inclination, affection. Hebr. frame.

19And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for 24the which I have made provision.

24 That is, for which I have gathered and made ready all this provision, yea, for which I have bought the place itself, 1 Chron. 21:25; 2 Chron. 3:1, and have made a model or concept of it.

20¶And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the LORD your God. And all the congregation blessed the LORD God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped 25the LORD, and the king.

25 Before the Lord, with religious worship, and before the king with civil reverence.

21And they sacrificed sacrifices unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings unto the LORD, on the morrow after that day, even a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel:

22And did eat and drink before the LORD on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king 26the second time, and anointed him unto the 27LORD to be the chief governor, and Zadok to be 28priest.

26 This was another anointing than that whereof we read 1 Kings 1:33; for, the first anointing was done in haste, at which those of Jerusalem were only present to hinder the seditious intent of Adonijah, but this second anointing was performed in David’s lifetime (as appears in the beginning of this verse) yet with greater solemnity, in the presence of princes and rulers of the people, yea, also of the rest of David’s sons.

27 That is, to the service of the Lord, to the maintaining and defending the two tables of the law.

28 Namely, to be high priest, and Abiathar was put out, because he had also been in the sedition of Adonijah, 1 Kings 1:7.

23Then Solomon sat 29on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.

29 That is, the throne which the Lord had given him, and on which as vice-regent, he kept the Lord’s place.

24And all the princes, and the mighty men, and all the sons likewise of king David, 30submitted themselves unto Solomon the king.

30 That is, they acknowledged and accepted Solomon to be their king and sovereign. Hebr. gave the hand under king Solomon.

25And the LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such 31royal majesty as had not been on any 32king before him in Israel.

31 Hebr. a majesty of the kingdom.

32 Neither judge nor ruler among the Israelites. See 1 Kings 3:13; 2 Chron. 1:12.

26¶Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.

27And the time that he reigned over Israel was fortyh years; seven years reigned he in Hebron,i and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.

h 1 Kings 2:11.

i 2 Sam. 5:5.

28And he died in a good 33old age, full of days, riches, and honour: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead.

33 Hebr. grayness, or, hoariness, as Gen. 25:8.

29Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written 34in the 35book of Samuel the seer, and in the 36book of Nathan the prophet, and in the 37book of Gad the seer,

34 This may be understood of the two books of Samuel, whereof the most important parts were written by the prophets that are named here, namely, by Samuel, Nathan and Gad, who are called seers here.

35 Hebr. words, things.

36 Hebr. words, things.

37 Hebr. words, things.

3038With all his reign and his might, and 39the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries.

38 That is, with the entire government of his kingdom.

39 That is, with that which in his time happened and occurred to him, to Israel and to the surrounding kingdoms.