Chapter XXIX
1–5.
David’s Challenge to Liberality.
¹And David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God.
1. congregation] or, assembly; the Hebrew word is cognate to the verb translated assembled in xxviii. 1.
whom alone God hath chosen] Compare xxviii. 5.
the palace] Hebrew bīrāh, a late word in Hebrew, perhaps derived from Assyrian bīrtu. Ordinarily it denoted a palace or fortress (compare Nehemiah i. 1; Esther i. 2), and is applied to the Temple only here and verse 19. In Nehemiah ii. 8 (compare Ryle in loco) the building which afterwards became the Tower of Antonia (ἡ παρεμβολή, the castle, Acts xxi. 37, xxii. 24) which overlooked the Temple is called the castle (bīrāh) which appertaineth to the house. In Nehemiah i. 1 Shushan is described as a bīrāh, probably as being a fortress as well as a royal city. See G. A. Smith, Jerusalem, II. 347.
The Temple is frequently called hēykāl (palace, great house) in the Old Testament, but the normal appellation is simply kabbayith (the house) or such a phrase as the house of the Lord, or again qǒdshěkhā (Thy sanctuary).
²Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, and the silver for the things of silver, and the brass for the things of brass, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood; onyx¹ stones, and stones to be set, stones for inlaid work, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.
¹ Or, beryl.
2. onyx] or, as margin, beryl. Compare Genesis ii. 12 (margin beryl).
stones for inlaid work] Compare Isaiah liv. 11, I will lay thy stones with fair colours (the same word is used in Hebrew).
³Moreover also, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, seeing that I have a treasure of mine own of gold and silver, I give it unto the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house;
3. I give it] not all his private fortune, but the splendid offering announced in verses 4, 5. David then challenges the leaders to display a like generosity (verse 5).
even three thousand talents of gold, etc.] i.e. about £20,000,000 or £10,000,000 (light standard). The amount is impossibly vast, and may be compared with the exaggeration noted in xxii. 14.
⁴even 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:
4. gold of Ophir] Ophir is probably to be identified with some part of the south-east coast of Arabia; see note on 2 Chronicles viii. 18. The reference here is no doubt an anachronism, for it is clear that Israelite tradition regarded this trade with Ophir as an innovation of Solomon’s reign (see 2 Chronicles viii. 18, ix. 10 = 1 Kings ix. 28, x. 11).
to overlay] compare 2 Chronicles iii. 4–8.
the houses] i.e. the porch, the greater house, and the most holy house; 2 Chronicles iii. 4, 5, 8.
⁵of gold for the things of gold, and of silver for the things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. Who then offereth willingly to consecrate himself¹ this day unto the Lord?
¹ Hebrew to fill his hand.
5. offereth willingly to consecrate himself] The phrase to consecrate himself (Hebrew, to fill his hand) means properly to make himself a priest, and is here used metaphorically. The sense is “Who will give these gifts for the sacred Temple in the same willing spirit which is required of a priest in his self-dedication to priestly service?”
6–9.
The Offerings of the Chiefs of Israel.
⁶Then the princes of the fathers’ houses, and the princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers over the king’s work, offered willingly;
6. over the king’s work] See xxvii. 25–31.
⁷and they gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand darics, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and of iron a hundred thousand talents.
7. five thousand talents] i.e. of uncoined gold by weight, an immense sum, compare verse 3.
ten thousand darics] A daric was a Persian gold coin worth about 22 shillings. Used thus in connection with the reign of David, the word is of course a curious anachronism. The translation of Authorized Version drams (i.e. drachmæ) may possibly be right. The value of a gold drachma was about 9s. 5d.
⁸And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the Lord, under the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite.
8. Jehiel the Gershonite] Compare xxiii. 8, xxvi. 21, 22.
⁹Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with a perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
9. with a perfect heart] i.e. with a single heart, ungrudgingly. Compare xxviii. 9, note.
10–19.
The Blessing of David.
¹⁰Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. ¹¹Thine, 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. ¹²Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou rulest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. ¹³Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.
11. thou art exalted as head above all] Better thine it is to be exalted as head over all.
¹⁴But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able¹ to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own² have we given thee.
¹ Hebrew retain strength.
² Hebrew of thine hand.
14. be able] Literally retain strength. David praises God for the great success of the efforts of so transitory a creature as man.
of thine own] Literally out of thine hand, compare margin.
¹⁵For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers were: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding¹. 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 the 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.
¹ Hebrew hope.
15. strangers before thee, and sojourners] David describes himself and his people not as strangers to God, but as strangers dwelling before God. In ancient states foreigners were sometimes allowed to reside in the capital under the immediate protection of the king or of the heads of the state; compare 1 Samuel xxii. 3, 4, xxvii. 3; 2 Samuel xv. 19; compare also the position of the aliens at Athens. David appeals to God on the ground that Israel is immediately under God’s protection. Compare Psalms xxxix. 12.
no abiding] Or, as margin, hope; i.e. no continuance, no hopeful expectation, apart from the favour of Jehovah.
¹⁸O Lord, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare¹ their heart unto thee:
¹ Or, establish.
18. in the imagination] Render, as the imagination. Imagination here means not the faculty, but the result of the exercise of the faculty, a mental image or impression.
prepare] Better, as margin, establish. David prays that the people may continue in their present mind.
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 the which I have made provision.
19. a perfect heart] See xxviii. 9, note.
the palace] See verse 1, note.
20–22.
The Great Rejoicing.
²⁰And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the Lord your God. And all the congregation blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the Lord, and the king.
20. worshipped] i.e. prostrated themselves.
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;
21. And they sacrificed] Compare xvi. 1–3.
²²and did eat and drink before the Lord on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him unto the Lord to be prince¹, and Zadok to be priest.
¹ Or, leader.
22. the second time] Compare xxiii. 1. The first time which is described in 1 Kings i. 39 (Solomon hastily anointed in order to assert his claim to the throne against his brother Adonijah) is omitted in Chronicles, unless perhaps the vague phrase of xxiii. 1 “Now David... made Solomon his son king over Israel” is intended to refer to it.
Zadok] One of Solomon’s earliest acts seems to have been to put an end to the double priesthood by deposing Abiathar; compare 1 Kings ii. 27, 35. The Chronicler appears to have this in mind, but he avoids narrating anything so derogatory to the high-priesthood.
23–25.
The Beginning of Solomon’s Reign.
²³Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.
23. the throne of the Lord] See xxviii. 5, note.
²⁴And all the princes, and the mighty men, and all the sons likewise of king David, submitted themselves¹ unto Solomon the king.
¹ Hebrew gave the hand under Solomon.
24. the mighty men] Compare 1 Kings i. 10, 38, from which it is clear that the faithfulness of Benaiah and the Cherethites and Pelethites was the main factor in the elevation of Solomon to the throne.
all the sons] The Chronicler here glances at the submission of Adonijah (1 Kings i. 53).
²⁵And the Lord magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.
25. such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel] Strictly speaking, the comparison is limited to Solomon on the one side, and his predecessors, David and Saul (Ishbosheth is ignored in Chronicles) on the other, but we may suppose that the Chronicler is writing somewhat loosely from his own standpoint, and really means to say that Solomon was surpassed in glory by no king of Israel. It is just possible (compare Job xxxiv. 19) to render the Hebrew royal majesty which was not on any king more than on him in Israel.
In Chronicles the character of Solomon is idealised somewhat in the same fashion as that of David. He is depicted as the monarch who attained the ideal of inspired wisdom and of royal splendour, and whose piety was supremely manifested in the privilege permitted him of building and dedicating the Temple. In this last fact the Chronicler doubtless felt that Solomon had a claim to the praises of posterity which completely outweighed any sinister traits of his character revealed in Kings. Elsewhere he refers to Solomon’s failings in order to point a moral; “Did not Solomon, king of Israel, sin by these things?... Even him did strange women cause to sin” (Nehemiah xiii. 26). But here, where he relates his reign as a whole, the darker aspects—his many wives and his tolerance of their idolatrous worship—are passed over and only the king’s zeal for Jehovah and the glories of Israel in his day are allowed to appear.
26–30.
A Summary of David’s Reign.
²⁶Now David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. ²⁷And the time that he reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem. ²⁸And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead.
27. forty years] Compare 2 Samuel v. 4, 5; 1 Kings ii. 11.
²⁹Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the history¹ of Samuel the seer, and in the history¹ of Nathan the prophet, and in the history¹ of Gad the seer;
¹ Hebrew words.
29. On the “histories” cited in this verse, see the Introduction, § 5, pp. xxx–xxxii. Compare 2 Chronicles ix. 29.
in the history] literally words. The Book of Chronicles itself is called in Hebrew, The words (or the acts) of the days.
Samuel the seer] Compare 1 Samuel ix. 9, 19.
Nathan the prophet] See 2 Samuel vii. 2 (= 1 Chronicles xvii. 1); 2 Samuel xii. 1; 1 Kings i. 8–39.
Gad the seer] See 2 Samuel xxiv. 11 (= 1 Chronicles xxi. 9), Gad the prophet, David’s seer.
In the Hebrew Samuel is called rōeh (seer), Nathan, nābī (prophet), and Gad, ḥōzeh (gazer or seer of visions).
³⁰with all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries.
30. the times] i.e. the changes, vicissitudes. Compare xii. 32, note.