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.
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?
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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;
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.
THE SECOND BOOK OF
THE CHRONICLES
Chapters I.–IX.
Solomon.
Chapter I.
1–6.
Solomon’s great Sacrifice at Gibeon.
Verses 1–5 are the composition of the Chronicler; for verse 6 compare 1 Kings iii. 4.
¹AND Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly.
1. was strengthened] or, strengthened himself, a favourite expression of the Chronicler; compare xii. 13, xiii. 21 (waxed mighty), xvii. 1, xxiii. 1, etc.
magnified] compare 1 Chronicles xxix. 25.
²And Solomon spake unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every prince in all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ houses.
2. unto all Israel] The impression, conveyed in the preceding chapter, that Solomon’s accession was marred by no internal discord in the nation, is again emphasised.
³So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness.
3. the high place ... at Gibeon] Compare 1 Chronicles xvi. 39, xxi. 29; 1 Kings iii. 4. The passage in Kings naïvely states that Solomon offered his sacrifice at Gibeon (6 miles north-west of Jerusalem) because that was the great high place. The Chronicler regarded the worship of the high-places as an illegal act, and sought to justify Solomon’s action in this undeniable instance by the theory that the tent of meeting and the brasen altar (verse 5) were at the high-place of Gibeon (see the head-note to 1 Chronicles xiii.). Without doubt the high-place at Gibeon had been used by the Canaanites for worship from a very early date.
in the wilderness] See Exodus xxv. 1 ff., xxxv. 4 ff.
⁴But the ark of God had David brought up from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it: for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.
4. Kiriath-jearim] Compare 1 Chronicles xiii. 5.
pitched a tent] compare 1 Chronicles xv. 1.
⁵Moreover the brasen altar, that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, was there¹ before the tabernacle of the Lord: and Solomon and the congregation sought unto it.
5. Bezalel] See Exodus xxxi. 2, xxxviii. 1–7, and compare 1 Chronicles ii. 20.
was there] margin he had put. In the Hebrew the position of a point makes the difference between these two translations.
sought unto it] See 1 Chronicles xxviii. 8, note.
⁶And Solomon went¹ up thither to the brasen altar before the Lord, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it.
6. went up thither] or, as margin, offered there, upon. It is to be noted that the Chronicler does not ignore the exercise of priestly functions by Solomon, although such exercise must have seemed wrong in his eyes, but follows his authority (1 Kings iii. 4) without adding any explanation.
7–13 (= 1 Kings iii. 5–15).
Solomon’s Vision, and Return to
Jerusalem.
⁷In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. ⁸And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great kindness unto David my father, and hast made me king in his stead.
7. did God appear] In Kings, the Lord appeared in a dream.
⁹Now, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.
9. thy promise] i.e. that Solomon would be king after David, that he would build the Temple, and that his house would reign over Israel for ever (1 Chronicles xxii. 9 ff.). Part of this promise had come true, and Solomon now prays for the fulfilment of the remainder. It is, however, possible that the particular reference is to the first words of 1 Chronicles xxii. 12, which may be translated as a promise, Surely the Lord will give thee wisdom and understanding.
¹⁰Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? ¹¹And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of them that hate thee, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:
10. go out and come in] The phrase denotes the transaction of business of all kinds.
judge] Although every village by its headmen dispensed its own justice to its inhabitants, yet enough cases too hard for local decision remained over to make the king’s judicial functions of very great importance; compare 2 Samuel xiv. 4 ff., xv. 2–4.
¹²wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.
12. wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee] The incident illustrates the truth that To him that hath shall be given; Solomon had wisdom enough to offer a wise prayer; increase of wisdom followed as the answer to the prayer.
¹³So Solomon came from his journey¹ to the high place that was at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, unto Jerusalem; and he reigned over Israel.
13. from his journey to the high place that was at Gibeon] This clause yields no sense in the Hebrew and is probably a misplaced gloss. Read simply, Then Solomon came to Jerusalem (compare 1 Kings iii. 15), or, as margin following LXX., came from the high place....
14–17 (= 1 Kings x. 26–29).
Solomon’s Horses and Chariots.
¹⁴And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he placed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
14. a thousand and four hundred chariots] See note on ix. 25.
the chariot cities] The greater part of Palestine is unsuitable for the evolutions of chariots, but flat country is found along the coast of the Mediterranean, in the plain of Esdraelon, and east of Jordan, and in these three districts the chariot cities were probably situated. Compare G. A. Smith, Historical Geography of the Holy Land, p. 667, Appendix v.
¹⁵And the king made silver and gold to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the lowland, for abundance.
15. to be in Jerusalem as stones] In Kings this is asserted of silver only. Jerusalem is one of the stoniest places in the world. See Kelman, Holy Land, pp. 9–11.
the sycomore trees] See 1 Chronicles xxvii. 28, note.
lowland] Literally the Shephelah; i.e. essentially the stretch of low hills separating the maritime plain from the hill country of Judah, yet perhaps also including the Philistine plain. See Hastings, Dictionary of the Bible III. 893–894.
¹⁶And the horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt; the king’s merchants received them in droves, each drove at a price.
16. And the horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt] Egypt is an agricultural not a pastoral country; it lacks the broad plains suitable for the rearing of large numbers of horses. But the Arabs of the Sinai peninsula stood in close political and mercantile relations with Egypt, and it may be that though the horses were raised in Arabia and Central Asia they passed through Egyptian hands (Barnes on 1 Kings x. 28). It is possible, however, that the reading Egypt is a mistake—see the following note.
in droves, each drove at a price] The word “droves” is incorrectly translated “linen yarn” in the Authorized Version The rendering droves is just possible; but it is probable that, on the basis of some versions, we should read from Ku‘i (or Kuë) at a price. Kuë is a district mentioned in Assyrian inscriptions and generally identified with Cilicia. It is further proposed that, instead of Egypt (Hebrew Miṣraim), we should read Muṣri, a name applied (1) to Egypt, and (2) extended beyond it to the area south of Palestine, and (3) also denoting a district in north Syria, south of the Taurus, and named in Assyrian inscriptions. In this case, in connection with Kuë, we should identify it with the last mentioned.
¹⁷And they fetched up, and brought out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.
17. out of Egypt] Hebrew Miṣraim. If the suggestion mentioned in the previous note be adopted, then here also read Muṣri, the north Syrian district.
and so ... by their means] i.e. by means of Solomon’s merchants horses were exported for the kings of the Hittites and of Syria.
Hittites] Settlements of Hittites seem to have existed here and there in Canaan, but in the regions north-east of Syria they formed a powerful state, able for many centuries to contend on equal terms with the Assyrians and Egyptians. Their chief cities were Carchemish on the Euphrates and Kadesh on the Orontes. They were subdued in the eighth century by the Assyrians.