1 Chronicles 29

1 CHRONICLES CHAPTER 29

Gifts for Building the Temple

      • King David said to the entire assembly, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great because the palace is not for man, but for Yahweh God. I have provided what is needed for my God’s house to the best of my ability: gold for the gold items, silver for the silver items, bronze for the bronze items, iron for the iron items, wood for the wood items, as well as large amounts of onyx, settings of antimony and other stones, all kinds of precious stones and marble. Moreover, because of my devotion to the house of my God, I now donate my personal treasure of gold and silver to my God’s house, in addition to all that I have already supplied for the house of my God. This includes 100 tons of gold from Ophir and 250 tons of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the buildings, for gold and silver items, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who else will offer willingly and consecrate himself to Yahweh today?”

        • ESV Study Bible writes, “David exhorts all of the assembly to support Solomon in his task by contributing to the temple fund, just as he himself has given generously from his own personal property. The temple is designated a palace, indicating that it is God’s kingly residence among his people. The freewill offerings that David calls for signify that they are consecrating themselves to Yahweh (cf. v. 5, ESV footnote: it is the same expression used of the ordination of priests; Ex 28:41). The people’s response calls to mind the gifts made by the Israelites for the tabernacle in Moses’ day (Ex 35:20-29). The writer stresses their wholehearted and joyful devotion to the task.”

      • Then the leaders of the families, the leaders of the Israelite tribes, the commanders of units of a thousand and a hundred, and the officials over the king’s work contributed willingly. For the service of God’s house they donated 185 tons and 10,000 darics of gold, 375 tons of silver, 675 tons of bronze, and 4,000 tons of iron. Anyone who had precious stones donated them to the treasury of Yahweh’s house, which was under the supervision of Jehiel, a descendant of Gershon. Then the people rejoiced, because they had given willingly and wholeheartedly to Yahweh. King David also rejoiced greatly.

        • On the “daric,” NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible says, “The mention of darics here is an example of the Chronicler converting an amount into contemporary currency. Although historians credit the Lydians in western Turkey with inventing coinage, coins were not in common use until the Persian period when Darius the Great, presumably having borrowed the idea from the Lydians, introduced them. The term daric probably derived its name from Darius. It bore the image of an archer and weighed about one-tenth of a gram. The daric was about 95 percent gold and 3 percent copper in order to give it some hardness. ‘Ten thousand darics,’ therefore, weighed about 185 pounds…and was worth just over one million dollars in today’s currency.”

        • However, NET Bible disagrees, writing, “On the ‘daric’ as a unit of measure, see BDB 204 s.v…Some have regarded the daric as a minted coin, perhaps even referring to the Greek drachma, but this is less likely…The daric was a unit of weight perhaps equal to between 8 and 9 grams (just under one-third of an ounce), so 10,000 darics of gold would weigh between 80 and 90 kilograms (between 176 and 198 pounds).”

David’s Prayer

      • Then David blessed Yahweh in the presence of the entire assembly:

        • “Blessed are you, O Yahweh, God of our father Israel, forever and ever. Yours, O Yahweh, are the greatness, power, glory, majesty, and splendor, because everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You. Yours, Yahweh, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor come from You, and You rule over everything. Power and strength are in Your hands, and it is by Your discretion to make great and give strength to all. Now our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.

        • “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be in a position to give as generously as this? Indeed, everything comes from You, and we have simply given back to You what is Yours. We are resident foreigners and temporary settlers in Your presence, just as all our ancestors were. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. O Yahweh our God, all this wealth that we’ve provided to build You a house for Your holy name comes from You; it all belongs to You. I know, my God, that You test the heart and that You are pleased with integrity. I have willingly given all these things with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are present here giving joyfully and willingly to You. O Yahweh, God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of Your people forever, and direct their hearts toward You. Grant my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep Your commandments, Your decrees, Your statutes, and to do everything necessary to build this palace for which I have made the preparations.”

        • Then David said to the entire assembly, “Bless Yahweh your God!” So the entire assembly blessed Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. They bowed down and stretched out flat on the ground before Yahweh and the king.

          • ESV Study Bible writes, “David’s great prayer of praise and supplication marks the climax of his reign. Israel’s king praises God for his universal kingdom and recognizes him as the source of all wealth and strength… Indeed, even the generosity of David and the people in providing for the temple comes from God himself… They depend entirely on God for their security and well-being, and even in the Promised Land they are strangers and sojourners before God…David then reflects that God examines the human heart for uprightness or integrity…a further indication that the Chronicler cares above all for the inner reality of faith. David concludes by praying that God will keep the people in the same purpose and mind as they have shown this day, and will give to Solomon a whole heart in obedience to God’s commandments…”

        • NET Bible comments on the meaning of the Hebrew terms rendered “resident foreigners” and “temporary settlers” above, “The Hebrew terms ger (…’resident foreigner’) and toshav (…’resident/dweller’) have similar meanings. They are not used here with the technical distinctions of most references in Mosaic Law. 1 Chron 29:15 takes up this language from Lev 25:23 where the terms emphasize that Israel would be a guest on God’s land. This is a privileged but dependent position; they did not own the land. Cf. also Ps 39:12 and Gen 23:4.”

Solomon Anointed King

      • The next day they made sacrifices to Yahweh and presented burnt offerings to Him: 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs, together with their drink offerings and many other offerings for all Israel. They ate and drank with great joy in Yahweh’s presence that day.

      • Then they acknowledged David’s son Solomon as king for a second time. They anointed him before Yahweh as their leader, and they anointed Zadok as priest. So Solomon sat on Yahweh’s throne as king in place of his father David. He was successful and all of Israel obeyed him. All the leaders and the mighty men, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon. Yahweh made Solomon very great before all Israel and bestowed greater majesty upon him than any king of Israel before him.

        • ESV Study Bible explains, “Solomon had been rather hurriedly anointed and installed as king in response to Adonijah’s attempted coup (1 Kgs 1:28-40, not mentioned in Chronicles). This second ceremony occurred when his succession was secure and widely acknowledged…David himself had been anointed king on three occasions: privately before his family (1 Sam 16:13), and twice in Hebron (2 Sam 2:4; 5:3).”

Summary of David’s Reign

      • Jesse’s son David reigned over all Israel. He ruled over Israel for 40 years- 7 years in Hebron and 33 years in Jerusalem. He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth, and honor. His son Solomon succeeded him as king. All of King David’s accomplishments, from beginning to end, are recorded in the books, “Annals of Samuel the Seer,” “Annals of Nathan the Prophet,” and “Annals of Gad the Seer.” Recorded there are the accounts of his rule, his power, and all the events that happened to him, and to Israel, and to the kingdoms of all the other lands.

        • NLT Illustrated Study Bible remarks, “The sources used for the chronicles of David’s reign are associated with three prophets, named in the order in which they appear in Chronicles: Samuel (11:3), Nathan (17:1-27), and Gad (21:9). The Chronicler had access to various sources in addition to the books of Samuel and Kings…”

        • NLT Illustrated Study Bible includes a table listing some sources consulted by the the Chronicler:

Source

References

The Book of the Kings of Israel

1 Chr 9:1; 2 Chr 20:34; 33:18

The Record of Samuel the Seer

1 Chr 29:29

The Record of Nathan the Prophet

1 Chr 29:29; 2 Chr 9:29

The Record of Gad the Seer

1 Chr 29:29

The Prophecy of Ahijah from Shiloh

2 Chr 9:29; see 2 Chr 10:15; 1 Kgs 11:29-39; 14:1-18; 15:29

The Visions of Iddo the Seer, The Record of Iddo the Seer

2 Chr 9:29; 12:15

The Record of Shemaiah the Prophet

2 Chr 12:15; see 2 Chr 11:2-4; 12:5-8; 1 Kgs 12:22-24

The Commentary of Iddo the Prophet

2 Chr 13:22

The Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel

2 Chr 16:11; 25:26; 28:26; 32:32

The Record of Jehu Son of Hanani

2 Chr 20:34; see 2 Chr 19:1-3; 1 Kgs 16:1-4, 7

The Commentary on the Book of Kings

2 Chr 24:27

The Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah

2 Chr 27:7; 35:27; 36:8

The Vision of the Prophet Isaiah the Son of Amoz

2 Chr 32:32; see 2 Kgs 18:13-20:19; Isa 36-39

The Record of the Seers

2 Chr 33:19

The Book of Laments

2 Chr 35:25