Bible Commentaries
1 Chronicles 22

Introduction

First Chronicles Chapter 22

1 Chronicles 22:1 "Then David said, This [is] the house of the LORD God, and this [is] the altar of the burnt offering for Israel."

David felt that God had chosen this place for the temple to be built. David knew in his heart that this place was acceptable unto the LORD.

1 Chronicles 22:2 "And David commanded to gather together the strangers that [were] in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God."

Even though God would not allow David to build the temple, he felt in his heart, that he wanted to prepare as much of the material as he could to have it ready when it was needed. These masons were people who were foreigners who had come into the country to work. There was to be no sound of a hammer in the temple, so everything must be prepared ahead and brought there.

1 Chronicles 22:3 "And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight;"

The brass had been taken in battle, as we read in a previous lesson. 1 Chronicles 18:8 "Likewise from Tibhath, and from Chun, cities of Hadarezer, brought David very much brass, wherewith Solomon made the brasen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass." Even the gates would be assembled and brought in.

1 Chronicles 22:4 "Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David."

We know that the king had given David cedar to build him a house. He had even sent workmen to build David’s house. They had much cedar for building, and David had grain they needed. This cedar wood was brought into Israel by water.

1 Chronicles 22:5 "And David said, Solomon my son [is] young and tender, and the house [that is] to be builded for the LORD [must be] exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will [therefore] now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death."

Much of the material used for the temple would be gathered by David, before his death. This temple must be the most beautiful of anything on the earth, because it will be God’s house in the midst of His people. Solomon was thought to be about 12 years old, when he took the throne. This may account for David speaking of him being young and tender. His reign would last for 40 years. David felt that his age would help him in making better choices about the material for the temple. David had wanted to build the temple himself, but God would not allow him to. He did not tell him not to gather material to be used in the temple, however.

1 Chronicles 22:6 "Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the LORD God of Israel."

David knew that it was Solomon that He had called to build the house of the LORD. David is just like so many fathers here, who try to pass the knowledge they have accumulated over to their sons. David wanted to help with the temple any way he could, and he called Solomon to him, to remind him that he was to build the temple.

1 Chronicles 22:7 "And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God:"

1 Chronicles 22:8 "But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight."

Solomon was to build the temple, because he was a man of peace. David had been a bloody king. He had been involved in many wars. God had blessed him greatly in the winning of the wars. God, however, would have David’s son, Solomon, to build the temple. This particular reason for David not building the temple is given just in Chronicles.

1 Chronicles 22:9 "Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days."

This son would be David’s by Bathsheba. Solomon was, also, given the name of Jedidiah by Nathan, the prophet. "Solomon" means peaceable. His reign would be of world renown. He would be the wisest and the wealthiest of all earthly kings. The temple he built for God, would be the talk of the known world. He would be able to do this,because he would have peace in the land.

1 Chronicles 22:10 "He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I [will be] his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever."

The temple he built would be to the glory of God, and would not be glorifying man. This temple would be a magnificent house for the ark of the covenant. When Solomon built this temple, he was in right standing with God. God accepted the temple and His presence was in the most holy place. To be called a son of God is a very high honor. Jesus made it possible for all believers to be sons of God.

1 Chronicles 22:11 "Now, my son, the LORD be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the LORD thy God, as he hath said of thee."

This verse is the beginning of the charge that David gave Solomon concerning the temple. This was not David’s oldest son. It was the son that God chose for this honor. It is as if David was speaking a blessing on Solomon, as well as a charge. All of the things that David was having prepared for the building of the temple would need someone to see that it was carried out. Solomon would be the one to see to it for David.

1 Chronicles 22:12 "Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God."

Solomon would need the wisdom that only God could give him for the tremendous undertaking. We know that Solomon received the greatest wisdom that any person on the earth ever had, until his time. It was a gift from God. God never calls anyone to complete a task for Him, unless He equips him to complete the task. David was fully aware of the importance of keeping the law of the LORD. He could not impress upon Solomon enough to keep the law of the LORD God.

1 Chronicles 22:13 "Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which the LORD charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed."

God had promised Abraham and all of his descendents the blessings of God, as long as they kept the laws and commandments of God. If they did not keep the commandments, they would be cursed as greatly, as they could have been blessed. The law was given to Moses for the people on their way to the promised land. God loved Israel and wanted to bless them. He is a just God and could not bless them, if they did not keep His commandments.

1 Chronicles 22:14 "Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the LORD an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto."

A talent weighed 125 pounds. A gold pound has 12 ounces to a pound. One talent would weigh 1,500 ounces. This is 150,000,000 ounces of gold. Present gold prices are approximately $400.00 per ounce. This would make the value of the gold, alone that he prepared for the temple at present prices of $400.00 worth $60,000,000,000.00. The figure for the silver is astronomical, as well. This is 1,000,000 talents, or 125,000,000 pounds of silver. This means there was 1,500,000,000 ounces of silver. At present day prices of $5.00 per ounce, that would be worth $7,500,000,000.00. This value does not even estimate the bronze, or any of the other precious things. David was an extremely wealthy man, but Solomon was even wealthier. In fact, Solomon would be the richest man who ever lived.

1 Chronicles 22:15 "Moreover [there are] workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of cunning men for every manner of work."

These workmen were there for the purpose of building with the stones and with the cedar. These had been sent by Hiram to help. 2 Samuel 5:11 "And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house."

1 Chronicles 22:16 "Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, [there is] no number. Arise [therefore], and be doing, and the LORD be with thee."

This is the end of the commission that David gave Solomon, his son. He says, "You have what you need for the job, now get started".

1 Chronicles 22:17 "David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, [saying],"

David’s sons were jealous of Solomon, and probably, would not have helped with this work, had their father not told them to. This was not just speaking to David’s sons, but to all the leaders in Israel.

1 Chronicles 22:18 "[Is] not the LORD your God with you? and hath he [not] given you rest on every side? for he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the LORD, and before his people."

It had been about 900 years since the promise of peace and prosperity had been given these Israelites. David {the beloved of God} had the privilege to tell them that peace was here. They had conquered their enemies, and now, they could live in peace.

1 Chronicles 22:19 "Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD."

David’s greatest desire was that these people would build the temple, and worship God in the temple. He reminded them that their blessings were conditional on them keeping God’s commandments. The ark symbolized the presence of God with His people Israel. David’s desire that this permanent house they would build for the LORD would be a permanent connection for them with the LORD. He knew that was what the LORD wanted if the people would just do it.

1 Chronicles 22 Questions

1. In 1 Chronicles 22:1, what did David say about this spot where the threshingfloor had been?

2. Who were the strangers in 1 Chronicles 22:2?

3. Why was David having the stones hewed?

4. What were the nails made of?

5. Quote 1 Chronicles 18:8.

6. Where did the cedar come from?

7. What did David say about Solomon, that makes us think he was very young?

8. What did David say the house of the LORD must be?

9. How long did Solomon reign?

10. What did David charge Solomon to do?

11. Why had God not allowed David to build the temple?

12. Solomon shall be a man of _________.

13. What does "Solomon" mean?

14. Solomon would be the __________ and the __________ of all earthly kings.

15. The temple Solomon builds will be to the glory of ___.

16. ________ made it possible for all Christians to be sons of God.

17. What was David speaking on Solomon, besides giving him a charge?

18. Where did Solomon’s wisdom come from?

19. What did David warn Solomon to do?

20. How could Israel be blessed?

21. How much gold had David prepared for the temple?

22. How much would it be worth at $400.00 per ounce?

23. How much silver did he give for the temple?

24. How much does a talent weigh?

25. What king had sent workers skilled in these things to help?

26. Who did David command to help Solomon?

27. How long had it been, since the original promise had been given of peace in their promised land?

28. What was the temple to be built to house?

29. What were their blessings dependent upon?

30. What did the ark symbolize?

Verse 1

1Ch 22:1

1 Chronicles 22:1

DAVID’S PREPARATION TO BUILD THE TEMPLE

"Then David said, This is the house of Jehovah God, and this is the altar of burnt-offering for Israel."

Practically all of the rest of First Chronicles is devoted to a discussion of David’s extensive preparations to build the temple. There is no parallel elsewhere for what is given in this chapter, aside from obvious references to the Law of Moses, to Joshua and to Nathan’s prophecy delivered to David in 2 Samuel 7. This verse indicates David’s decision to have the temple built in Jerusalem, on the site purchased from Ornan the Jebusite.

This was that very place called, "one of the mountains of Moriah," upon which Abraham prepared to offer Isaac as a burnt-offering (Genesis 22:22), as confirmed by our Chronicler in 2 Chronicles 3:1. "Today it is occupied by the Dome of the Rock Mosque."

E.M. Zerr:

1 Chronicles 22:1. David was told that he could not build the house of the Lord. He was permitted, however, to do some preparatory work for it, and this verse is an introduction to that subject. This is the house means, "this is what I propose to do in preparation for the house of the Lord."

Verses 2-5

1Ch 22:2-5

1 Chronicles 22:2-5

DAVID GATHERS MATERIAL FOR THE TEMPLE’S CONSTRUCTION

"And David commanded to gather together the sojourners that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the couplings; and brass in abundance without weight; and cedar trees without number: for the Sidonians and they of Tyre brought cedar trees in abundance to David. And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded by Jehovah must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and of glory throughout all countries; I will therefore make preparations for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death."

"David commanded to gather together the sojourners" (1 Chronicles 22:2). These were the aliens, the original Canaanites, whom Israel enslaved, contrary to God’s commandments. The complete record of this is found in the first chapter of Judges. (See our Commentary on the Historical books of Judges and Ruth.) "2 Samuel 20:24 indicates that David used forced labor."

These verses indicate that David proceeded to gather vast quantities of materials with which the temple would be constructed.

GOD DID NOT COMMAND DAVID TO DO THIS

There can be no doubt whatever that David missed the significant point in the words of God to him through the prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 7), in which it was certainly clear enough that God did not desire the erection of any earthly temple whatever. David understood, of course, that he was commanded not to build it, which by any fair interpretation of the prohibition laid upon David would also have included the extensive preparations which David made to have it done, even commanding it most emphatically to be done by Solomon. And upon the principle that any man does, what he commands others to do, David must be charged with violation of God’s commandment in this particular.

The Chronicler, King David, Solomon, all the princes of Israel, and the entire nation nevertheless looked upon this temple as the most wonderful thing that ever happened to Israel. That God indeed allowed it, accommodated to it, used the temple in many ways to further the achievement of God’s purpose, even sending a special manifestation of his Eternal Presence to dwell within the Holy of Holies upon the occasion of its dedication --none of this can be denied; but God’s destruction of Solomon’s temple, and also his destroying the one constructed by Israel upon their return from captivity, cannot be harmonized with the proposition that the Jewish temple was, in any sense, the complete will of God.

Allowed, tolerated, used by God Himself, yes; but it still stands as a thing David conceived, promoted, commanded, planned, prepared for and projected in its entirety. From its conception in the mind of David, and throughout its entire history, the temple, in a sense, similar to pagan temples all over the world, was the conception and project of a mortal human being, not of God.

Furthermore, David was grossly mistaken about that temple’s being the "house" that God promised to build for David; and he was also totally in error in his conception that Solomon was the mighty one of his posterity whose throne God would establish forever.

In this light, the following paragraph must be read as the Chronicler’s true and accurate statement of the things David did and said, but not as proof that David was totally correct either in his words or deeds.

E.M. Zerr:

1 Chronicles 22:2. Strangers is from a word that means foreigners or aliens. The work of hewing stone was purely secular, so it was appropriate to employ such men in that work. The church should not call upon any but its members to participate in the congregational worship. But it would be altogether lawful to employ a man of the world to do any secular work needed.

1 Chronicles 22:3. The joinings were some kind of clamps to be used where nails alone would not be sufficient. Brass without weight means that he did not take the trouble to weigh it; he just got a great amount of it ready.

1 Chronicles 22:4. Tyre and Zidon (sometimes spelled Sidon) were prominent cities of Phoenicia, a country just north and west of Palestine. It included a part of the land where the famous "cedars of Lebanon" grew, and the inhabitants of these cities delivered much of this timber to David as a gift from a neighbor country.

1 Chronicles 22:5. Having been told that his son would be permitted to build the house of the Lord, David did what he could to help by having some things in readiness. Young and tender means he was inexperienced, being young, and David was desirous of having the building made properly. Magnifical means large and conspicuous. It was to be of such proportions as would impress the people of the surrounding countries. The closing sentence indicates the general scope of the verse and the others of the chapter preceding this one. That is, David did what he was permitted to do by way of preparation for the building that his son was to construct. All of this was going on before Solomon knew of the conversation the Lord had with his father relative to the temple.

Verses 6-11

1Ch 22:6-11

1 Chronicles 22:6-11

DAVID COMMANDS SOLOMON TO BUILD THE TEMPLE

"Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build a house for Jehovah, the God of Israel. And David said to Solomon his son, As for me, it was in my heart to build a house for the name of Jehovah my God. But the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build a house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about him; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his time. He shall build a house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever. Now, my son, Jehovah be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of Jehovah thy God, as he hath spoken concerning thee."

"David charged him (Solomon) to build a house for Jehovah" (1 Chronicles 22:6; 1 Chronicles 22:11). Throughout the Bible, the principle that one actually does what he commands others to do is fully established; and in this command, David went beyond God’s Word.

"Thou hast shed blood abundantly" (1 Chronicles 22:8). Great significance attaches to this verse. It presupposes that war is sinful, wrong, contrary to God’s will. This cannot mean that David’s wars were not justified. God commanded his people to fight wars; but here shines the eternal truth that bloodshed is inherently evil, no matter how necessary it may be at times.

"Behold, a son shall be born unto thee" (1 Chronicles 22:9). The words used here show that David was referring to the words of God through Nathan (2 Samuel 7:12-14). Yes, God promised that son, all right, but David failed to understand what God said about WHEN that son would be born. It would not happen during David’s lifetime, but when thou shalt sleep with thy fathers (2 Samuel 7:12).

Furthermore, the kingdom of that son would be established after David (2 Samuel 7:12); but Solomon’s kingdom was established during David’s lifetime. "Solomon was made king before David’s death (1 Kings 1:32-40; 1 Chronicles 23:1) ... there was a co-regency of four years."

"His name shall be called Solomon" (1 Chronicles 22:9). We believe this to be a mistranslation, because all scholars agree that the Hebrew word here rendered Solomon is "peace," or "peaceful"; and on the basis that the word Solomon is supposed to mean peaceful, the translators have incorrectly injected the proper name Solomon into this verse.

REGARDING THE NAME SOLOMON

1. "For his name shall be Solomon" (1 Chronicles 22:9). It is a mistake to read these words as revealing the name that God Himself gave to that Great One who would build David a house. This clause is the word of David, not the Word of God. God indeed gave Solomon a name, but that name was Jedidah (2 Samuel 12:25). God certainly did not name Solomon twice!

2. The word in the Hebrew text is not "Solomon" (S-L-M-H), but "peace" (S-L-W-M). There are two different words here; and there is no authority for changing the word PEACE to SOLOMON. The conviction of this writer is that the passage in 2 Samuel 7 is focused, not upon Solomon at all, but upon Jesus Christ the Messiah. Certainly the word PEACE is far more applicable to the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) than it is to Solomon with his legions of slave-laborers.

3. God did not name David’s successor to be Solomon; Bathsheba did so. "The name corresponds to `Irenaeus’ in Greek, `Friedrich’ in German (Frederick in English), and `Selim’ in Arabian. The name should be pronounced `Shillumah,’ meaning compensation, because Solomon was given to her (Bathsheba) in the place of a child who had died."

"He shall be my son, and I shall be his father" (1 Chronicles 22:10). This is a direct quotation of 2 Samuel 12:14. "It refers to Christ," fully in keeping with our interpretation of the entire passage. Solomon, a `son of God’? Ridiculous! Where, in all the Bible is any passage that supports such a notion as that? He built more pagan temples than any other man in human history.

In this light, we must discern David’s mistaken interpretation of God’s prophecy through Nathan. Those magnificent messianic passages of the Psalms, written by David under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, may not have been fully understood, even by David himself, as an apostle stated (1 Peter 1:10-12).

"Now my son, ... build the house of Jehovah thy God" (1 Chronicles 22:11). Thus David, in effect, by his previous preparations, and by direct orders to his son and successor, did the very thing God had prohibited him from doing.

Of course, God forgave David for this misunderstanding and mistake. As a forerunner and type of Messiah himself, David’s temple was overruled and utilized by the Lord in the ultimate achievement of the divine purpose of providing salvation to be made available for all men. God allowed it to stand under the old covenant as a type of the true temple of God, namely, the Holy Church of Jesus Christ. Such a thing was possible only because the temple incorporated so many features of the tabernacle which it replaced (As conclusively indicated in the Book of Hebrews).

Thus, God allowed to stand for the time then present David’s mistake regarding the nature of God’s true temple; but over and beyond David’s application of God’s Word through Nathan to the building of Solomon’s temple, there still stood, and it still stands, the immortal prophecy of the Son of God Himself.

E.M. Zerr:

1 Chronicles 22:6. After making the preparations referred to above, David informed his son of the same, and explained why the work was to be left for him to do.

1 Chronicles 22:7-8. David did not want him to think that his father was putting some task upon his shoulders in order to be relieved of the responsibility. He told him it had been his desire to do the great work but was not permitted to do so. And now we have the statement as to why David was not permitted to build the house. It was not because of any personal defects, for he certainly would have compared favorably with Solomon in that. The reason is given in the statement, thou hast shed blood abundantly. This shedding of blood had reference to war.

1 Chronicles 22:9. The reason that Solomon was to build the house is given in the statement, "who shall be a man of rest." A question might come to the mind of the reader, if this would not constitute a charge against David personally. It would not, because the Lord even commanded the destruction of the heathen nations through war. The key to the proposition is the fact that the material temple was to be a type of the immaterial church. Christ was to be the builder of the church, and he is represented in the scriptures as the "prince of peace." (Isaiah 9:6.) It was therefore appropriate that the type of the church be erected by a man who was free from wars. It is true that Solomon caused the death of three men. (1 Kings 3.) But they were slain under the criminal section of the civil law and not by the sword of war, which was the item under consideration with Solomon. It is true that in all of the activities of the "wise monarch," and his contact with so many foreign nations, he never had to resort to war to accomplish the desired results. In harmony with that truth he alone reached the full enjoyment of the promise as to subjugation of the entire promised land. (Genesis 15:18, 1 Kings 4:21.)

1 Chronicles 22:10. The terms father and son are used as figures of speech, to give the idea of nearness and affectionate cooperation.

1 Chronicles 22:11. The absence of bitterness in David’s attitude is gratifying. He must have been disappointed at being denied the honor of building the house of the Lord. But it did not cause him to show the least resentment toward another who was given the work. Instead, he manifested a spirit of absolute unselfishness, both in his speech and actions, by wishing Solomon good fortune in the work, and by furnishing some of the material. A common trait would have caused him to fling the proposition from him with the attitude of, "Well, if some one else is to have the honor of the job, he can just have all the burden also, and I will not have a thing to do with it."

Verses 12-16

1Ch 22:12-16

1 Chronicles 22:12-16

DAVID’S FURTHER CHARGE TO SOLOMON

"Only Jehovah give thee discretion and understanding, and give the charge concerning Israel; that so thou mayest keep the law of Jehovah thy God. Then shalt thou prosper, if thou observe to do the statutes and the ordinances which Jehovah charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong and of good courage; fear not, neither be dismayed. Now, behold, in my affliction I have prepared for the house of Jehovah a hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver, and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: amber also and of stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto. Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all men that are skillful in every manner of work: of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise and be doing, for Jehovah is with thee."

The significance here is the reference to the Law of God through Moses, a reference to Exodus 20:1, and the direct quotations from Exodus 3:4 and Joshua 1:6-9 and Deuteronomy 31:24, thus providing incontrovertible evidence of the prior existence of the Pentateuch long centuries prior to the discovery of that allegedly `false document’ in the reign of Josiah. No wonder the radical critics hate Chronicles. An example of that hatred is the following.

"This chapter is full of general and exaggerated statements. No statement suggests a trustworthy historian. That David contemplated building a temple is likely, and he might have made some preparations for it, but the Chronicler’s description must have been drawn by inference ... assisted by a vivid imagination ... a careless list of such things as happened to occur to the writer."

Regarding the tremendous amounts of gold and silver mentioned here, Elmslie referred to the passage as hyperbole, There is also the question of exactly what constituted a talent in the times of Solomon. "Any accurate calculation of the value of the silver and gold mentioned here is a hopeless task, because of the uncertainly of our data, our uncertain knowledge of the Hebrew weights of money, and our total ignorance of the relative value of those precious metals to the commodities of life."

The Roman historian Pliny wrote that Cyrus in his subjugation of Asia took half a million talents of silver and 34,000 pounds of gold, a sum not too very far from the immense amount mentioned here.

E.M. Zerr:

1 Chronicles 22:12-13. Wisdom and understanding. There is very little difference between these words. If a technical distinction is made, the first means the natural intelligence, the second the information a person has acquired by the proper use of the natural intellect. The three words, law, statutes and judgments are used in this paragraph. There are some more words with slight difference, yet with some minor distinction. The first pertains to the government as a whole; the second means the formal enactments of the governments; the third has special reference to the decisions of God, made necessary by some issue arising from the indefiniteness of the statutes. This paragraph closes with an encouraging word of cheer, and inviting his son to take courage for the great work before him.

1 Chronicles 22:14. In my trouble. The last word is from ONI and is defined by Strong, "depression, i. e. misery." He further says it is from another Hebrew word that means, to depress, literally or figuratively," and has been rendered in the A. V. by, "abase self, deal hardly with, submit self." The statement in 1 Chronicles 29:3 should also be considered in this connection, where David is speaking on the same subject, and where he distinguishes between his personal assets and those of his royal income. The central thought in the passage of this paragraph is, David was disappointed in not being permitted to build the house of God. But he would not let that slow him down any in doing what be could to prepare stuff for Solomon’s use. In the midst of his concern, and at great sacrifice from his private possessions, he had "earmarked" the amounts named to be used by his son in the work of the temple. Without weight means he did not take the time to weigh the brass; just got together a vast amount of it regardless of its weight, since it was so plentiful. David did not expect what he had collected to be all that might be needed, he therefore suggested that Solomon might add to it.

1 Chronicles 22:15. The workmen of Tyre and Zidon had offered their services to David in some other building projects, now they may be available for Solomon when needed.

1 Chronicles 22:16. No number is a figurative expression, meaning there was no end to the resources for all these materials. With such an opportunity, Solomon was urged by his father to set himself about the task before him.

Verses 17-19

1Ch 22:17-19

1 Chronicles 22:17-19

DAVID’S COMMAND FOR THE PRINCES OF ISRAEL TO AID SOLOMON

"David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, Is not Jehovah your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand; and the land is subdued before Jehovah, and before his people. Now set your heart and your soul to seek after Jehovah God, to bring the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of Jehovah."

E.M. Zerr:

1 Chronicles 22:17-19. David was near the end of his life and therefore he was making these immediate arrangements for his son, who was soon to take actual charge of the kingdom. As an aid to him, the leading men of Israel were commanded to work with him. Their services had been needed previously in the defense of the country. That need was past, and the Lord had given them rest from their enemies. They were free, therefore, to turn their attention to peacetime activities. The special reason for the building program being prepared was to provide a permanent place for the ark. It was then in the tent that David had pitched for it in Jerusalem.