Bible Commentaries
1 Chronicles 29

Introduction

First Chronicles Chapter 29

1 Chronicles 29:1 "Furthermore 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."

The fact that Solomon was so young at the time, would make some people wonder at David’s choice of him for king. Actually, David had older sons that would have been in line to be king. David settled that quickly by saying that Solomon was the choice of God for this task. The palace, here, was speaking of the temple. This was a giant undertaking.

1 Chronicles 29:2 "Now 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, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance."

David had been gathering for quite a while the things for use in the building of the temple. In an earlier lesson, we saw that David had gathered billions of dollars worth of silver and gold to be used in the temple. Cedar woo had been brought in from foreign countries. Most of the silver, gold, and brass had been spoils of war. The nails had been made with the iron. This temple would have enough precious metals and precious stones in it to cover a modern country’s national debt. The marble and all of the stones to use in the temple had been prepared elsewhere, and brought to the location of the temple. This temple would be the most beautiful building in all the world.

1 Chronicles 29:3 "Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of 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,"

The wealth could have all belonged to David, but he loved God and wanted all of this wealth to belong to his God. It was by David’s own free will he gave these treasures for the temple.

1 Chronicles 29:4 "[Even] 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]:"

A talent of gold weighs 125 pounds. There are 12 ounces in a pound of gold. This means that one talent weighs 1,500 ounces. This would mean that there were 4,500,000 ounces of gold for the temple. Present price of gold is about $400.00 per ounce. At present prices, just the gold would be worth $1,800,000,000. This is in addition to the gold we read about in chapter 22. This is speaking of David’s personal gold and silver, and the other Scripture, perhaps, is speaking of the gold and silver in the treasury. 1 Chronicles 22:4 "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 163 thereto."

The silver at $5.00 per ounce, that David gave of his own, would figure $52,500,000.00.

1 Chronicles 29:5 "The 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 who [then] is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the LORD?"

David had told them of his generous gifts, and he was encouraging them to give to the construction of the temple themselves. This was, also, a call for volunteers, who had skills in these areas, to come forward.

1 Chronicles 29:6 "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,"

1 Chronicles 29:7 "And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron."

This was a large offering given by the leaders of the people. 5,000 talents of gold would be worth $3,000,000,000.00 today. A dram is an uncertain measure, so we will not figure that. Some believe it to be 1/3 the size of a shekel. The 10,000 talents of silver would be worth $75,000,000.00 today. Iron is measured by the pound, so there would be 12,500,000 pounds of iron. This is a tremendous offering.

1 Chronicles 29:8 "And they with whom [precious] stones were found gave [them] to the treasure of the house of the LORD, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite."

1 Chronicles 29:9 "Then 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."

Many of the stones had, probably, been spoils of war. The wonderful thing was that the people gave these things willingly. God does not want anything from us that we give begrudgingly. He accepts gifts we give from a free heart.

1 Chronicles 29:10 "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."

1 Chronicles 29:11 "Thine, 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."

David was so overwhelmed by the generosity of the people, that he immediately began to praise God. We see an adoration of God, and a stating of His great power and goodness. This was an acknowledgment that truly everything and everyone belong to God. God created all. It all is His.

1 Chronicles 29:12 "Both riches and honour [come] of thee, and thou reignest 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."

A person is rich, because God chooses for him to be rich. A person is honored, because God wants them to be honored. A very good example of the fact that everything belongs to God, is the coin in the fishes mouth to pay Jesus’ taxes. The people vote and believe they elect a president, but truly, the person God had chosen to be president is who wins the race. David was fully aware that God made him great.

1 Chronicles 29:13 "Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name."

There was only one thing left for David to do, and that was to praise God for what had happened. When God pours out a blessing on us, the only thing we can do is thank Him and praise Him.

1 Chronicles 29:14 "But who [am] I, and what [is] my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things [come] of thee, and of thine own have we given thee."

David was feeling humbled by all the wealth and greatness that God had poured on him and on the people of Israel as a whole. He was aware these things were just loaned to him for awhile.

1 Chronicles 29:15 "For we [are] strangers before thee, and sojourners, as [were] all our fathers: our days on the earth [are] as a shadow, and [there is] none abiding." David was no different than us all. We are all just passing through this world. Life on the earth is like a vapor. It is just a very short time considering the time we will spend in heaven. The flesh of man is few of days. No one lives forever in flesh. The important life begins, when we shed this house of flesh.

1 Chronicles 29:16 "O 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."

David was saying that they were not really giving God anything. It all belonged to Him in the first place.

1 Chronicles 29:17 "I 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."

David knows his heart was right with God, and now, he felt his people were right in their hearts, as well. The willingness to give to God said a lot about the condition of their hearts.

1 Chronicles 29:18 "O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:"

Abraham, Isaac, and Israel were the patriarchs. They were the recipients of the promises of God. The blessings on David and these people were fulfillment of the promises He made to Abraham. David wanted his people to remain faithful to God.

1 Chronicles 29:19 "And 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."

David was asking God to give Solomon a perfect heart. He knew that Solomon would be tempted with all the wealth and attention he would get. He would be so blessed with things of this earth, it would be difficult for him to overcome the flesh.

1 Chronicles 29:20 "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 the LORD, and the king."

David was a good leader. Good leaders lead their people to a closer relationship with God.

1 Chronicles 29:21 "And 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:"

This was all sealed with the sacrifices they made to the LORD. Even the sacrifices were given in abundance. This showed the sincerity of those who were sacrificing.

1 Chronicles 29:22 "And 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] the chief governor, and Zadok [to be] priest."

This was a time of great celebration. The people were as joyful about the building of this temple, as David was. Solomon would be anointed the second time. This would show that all the people had accepted him as king in the stead of David. Zadoc would be anointed again, also, to take the position of high priest.

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

In an earlier book, we mentioned the fact that it was very unusual for a son to become king, before the death of his father. This was exactly what happened here, however. His prosperity was so great that he was known as the richest man in the world.

1 Chronicles 29:24 "And all the princes, and the mighty men, and all the sons likewise of king David, submitted themselves unto Solomon the king."

Solomon was obviously the choice of David to succeed him. Most of the people were aware that Solomon was chosen of God to be king of Israel. They accepted him as king, partly because they did not want to displease David or God.

1 Chronicles 29:25 "And 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."

Solomon was the richest and the wisest king who had ever reigned. He was so blessed, that people from all over the known world came to see the greatness of Solomon.

1 Chronicles 29:26 "Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel."

1 Chronicles 29:27 "And 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."

This is a recap of the reign of David in Israel. His reign of 40 years included 7 years over Judah and 33 years over all Israel.

1 Chronicles 29:28 "And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead."

David was 30 when he began to reign, so he was seventy years old when he died. He had experienced blessings from God that few men ever know. His son, Solomon, would know even greater blessings, as he reigned over Israel, and built the temple.

1 Chronicles 29:29 "Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they [are] written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer,"

1 Chronicles 29:30 "With all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries."

The book, spoken of as of Samuel, the seer, is, possibly, the book of Samuel in the Bible. The other books, I am not sure of. We do know that Nathan, the prophet, and Gad, the seer, were both highly respected. Nathan had prophesied to David. All of the things mentioned, above, are mentioned in the Bible in other Scriptures than this one. We, also, know that had accurate records of events of their day.

1 Chronicles 29 Questions

1. Who had chosen Solomon to be king?

2. What did David say about the age of Solomon?

3. Palace, was speaking of the ____________.

4. What did 1 Chronicles 29:2 say, David had prepared for the temple?

5. Most of the silver, gold, and brass, had come from ________ of ________.

6. What was made with the iron?

7. Where had the stones been prepared?

8. What type of wood would be used?

9. How many talents of gold does 1 Chronicles 29:4 say David gave?

10. How many talents of silver had he given?

11. How much does a talent weigh?

12. Who would do the work with the gold?

13. Who did David encourage to give, also?

14. How many talents of gold did they give?

15. Who gave precious stones?

16. Quote 1 Chronicles 29:10-11.

17. Why is someone rich?

18. Who truly chooses the president?

19. What had greatly humbled David?

20. God tries the __________ of mankind.

21. In 1 Chronicles 29:18, who are the three patriarchs?

22. What did David ask God to give Solomon?

23. Great leaders do what?

24. How many bullocks were sacrificed?

25. How did all of Israel accept Solomon as king?

26. How rich was Solomon?

27. Why did they all accept Solomon as king?

28. What does verses 26 and 27 recap?

29. How old was David, when he began to reign in Hebron?

30. How old was David, when he died?

31. The book of Samuel, mentioned in 1 Chronicles 29:29, is, probably, what?

Verses 1-5

1Ch 29:1-5

1 Chronicles 29:1-5

CONCLUSION OF THE REIGN OF DAVID;

DAVID GIVES HIS GREAT WEALTH FOR THE TEMPLE

"And David the king said unto all the assembly, Solomon my son whom God alone hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great; for the palace is not for man, but for Jehovah God. Now 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; onyx stones, and stones to be set, stones for inlaid work, and of divers colors, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. Moreover also, because I have set my affection on 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, even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, wherewith to overlay the walls of the house; of 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 himself this day unto Jehovah ?"

Due to the uncertainty that prevails with respect to the numbers given here, and to our equal uncertainty as to the exact value of the talent used in these calculations, we are not able to assign any exact value to the amount in dollars of David’s magnificent gift; but there is no doubt that many millions of dollars should be assigned as the value of his gift. He gave it publicly in order to inspire others to do likewise.

The big point here is not the actual cash value of David’s gift, but the principle propounded here in the last sentence.

"Who then offereth willingly to consecrate himself this day unto Jehovah" (1 Chronicles 29:5 c). This is indeed a profound proposition. What David gave and urged others to give to the house of the worship of God was, in the last analysis, unto Jehovah. How much more is it true that what men freely give to the holy Church of Jesus Christ is actually the consecration of the giver unto God in Christ.

Honestly mistaken as David certainly was about some things, his sincere love of God was the central passion of his life; and, in that light, there can be no wonder that God accepted his loving gift of the temple and continued to use it throughout Israel’s history.

E.M. Zerr:

1 Chronicles 29:1. There was never more than one man chosen to be a king at the same time, nor to supervise a great work like the tabernacle or the temple. Whom alone means there was no other to compare with Solomon, or to stand any chance in the estimation of God. Young and tender means he was inexperienced in the matters soon to claim his attention. Were the building to be for man’s use only, it would not have been so important; but it was for the Lord and must have the utmost attention.

1 Chronicles 29:2. Part of the definition of the original for prepared is, "appoint, render sure." That is the meaning it has in this place. David did not have any of the materials shaped up and ready to install in the building. He wanted to be sure of some to be waiting for Solomon’s use, hence prepared Or made sure that it would be there.

1 Chronicles 29:3. This is the passage cited when I was commenting on 1 Kings 10:13. There was a distinction between the possessions a king might have as a private citizen, and the ones he owned and controlled as king. It could be illustrated by the allotment of money the President is given for his expenses as Chief Executive, and the money he might have in a bank as his private checking account. Mine own proper good means his private goods, and that I have prepared means the valuables out of the royal treasury that he had "earmarked" for use in building the temple.

1 Chronicles 29:4-5. Gold of Ophir is designated because the metal that came from that place was considered of special fineness. Who then is willing, etc. David informed his people that materials were ready for the temple, and then called for volunteers to work with them. Npt that they were to begin the work at once, for David would not have been permitted to have that done. But he wanted to have workmen as well as the materials ready when the time came.

Verses 6-9

1Ch 29:6-9

1 Chronicles 29:6-9

THE PRINCES OF ISRAEL RESPOND TO DAVID’S CHALLENGE

"Then 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; and 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. And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of Jehovah, under the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for they offered willingly, because with a perfect heart they offered willingly to Jehovah: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy."

"The people rejoiced" (1 Chronicles 29:5 c). The greatest happiness that human beings may have comes from a clear conscience and generous giving to further the cause of truth and righteousness upon earth by contributions to the work of God through his church.

"Ten thousand darics" (1 Chronicles 29:7). "These were Persian gold coins worth about $5.00 each."

E.M. Zerr:

1 Chronicles 29:6-8. The people responded further than David requested. He had asked them to offer their service (from the same word as "hand" in 1 Chronicles 28:19), but they offered also their valuables, and gave them willingly.

1 Chronicles 29:9. The literal value of the things offered was not the most important phase of the situation. That which caused David and the others to rejoice was the fact that they gave willingly. That is the same principle which pleases the Lord today. (2 Corinthians 9:7.)

Verses 10-19

1Ch 29:10-19

1 Chronicles 29:10-19

DAVID’S BLESSING OF JEHOVAH BEFORE THE PEOPLE

"Wherefore David blessed Jehovah before all the assembly; and David said, Blessed be thou, O Jehovah, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Thine, O Jehovah, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Jehovah, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou rulest over all; and in thy hand is power and might; and in thy hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers were: our days on earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding. O Jehovah our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee a house for thy holy name cometh of thy hand, and is all thine own. I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now I have seen with joy thy people, that are present here, offer willingly unto thee. O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee; and 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 which I have made provision."

"The palace" (1 Chronicles 29:1; 1 Chronicles 29:19). Only in these two verses is this term applied to the temple. "It is the Hebrew form of a Persian word used generally to designate the residence of the Persian monarch, as in Esther 1:2; Esther 1:5; Esther 2:3; Esther 2:8; Nehemiah 1:1; and in Daniel 8:2."

"David blessed Jehovah" (1 Chronicles 29:10). We normally think of God’s blessing men, not the other way around; but we learn from 1 Chronicles 29:20, below, that when David commanded the people to "Bless Jehovah," they did so by worshipping God and offering sacrifices, all of this being exactly what David did here. Thus we conclude that those who truly worship God indeed do "bless God."

Dentan said of this paragraph, "It is an excellent illustration of the Chronicler’s high conception of God, and of man’s proper relation to him." This is a fair example of the views of critical scholars who deny the authenticity of Chronicles, treating it as an invention of the Chronicler, and not as a record of events that really happened. We believe that David spoke the words which the writer of Chronicles attributed to him, there being no good reason whatever for denying them to David.

As we have frequently noted, the real reason behind the rejection, by some writers, of Chronicles is the effective denial it provides for the radical critics’ late-dating of the Pentateuch.

Chronicles is not a fabrication. "A fabrication would have fitted more neatly (with few variations). The differences found in Chronicles are due to the independence of traditions (authorities); and recent archaeological finds further authenticate this."

E.M. Zerr:

1 Chronicles 29:10-13. These verses are selfexplanatory, but I wish the reader to ponder them well, however, and note the strong expressions of gratitude and praise to the divine Giver of all good things. God is acknowledged to be the source of all good.

1 Chronicles 29:14. This verse brings to a specific view the thoughts expressed in the preceding paragraph. It is the same thought that Paul gives us in 1 Timothy 6:7 and 1 Corinthians 4:7. It is true that the latter is speaking of spiritual gifts, but the idea is the same, that all we have came from God. Therefore, when we make a "gift" to God, we are merely handing back to him that which he has loaned to us.

1 Chronicles 29:15. Stranger means a temporary dweller, and the word could be used with reference to the places in the world and their relation to each other. But in this place David applies the word to those on the earth as a whole. That proves that David did not believe this earth to be the final abode of man.

1 Chronicles 29:16. This is the same as 1Ch29:14.

1 Chronicles 29:17. Triest the heart is said in direct connection with the fact that God had given his goods into the hands of man. It was to test his honesty and devotion.

1 Chronicles 29:18. Keep this refers to the state of mind the people then had. They were respectful toward God and willing to contribute of their means and labor for the advancement of God’s interests. David prayed that such an attitude may be kept in the imagination (mind) of them ever after.

1 Chronicles 29:19. A special prayer was offered for his son that he might always have the right kind of heart toward God. Commandments referred to the requirements of God in general. Testimonies means these requirements had been attested and established. Statutes refers to the formal enactments of God. All of these terms may be used somewhat interchangeably, and the same law might possess all of the qualities at once.

Verses 20-21

1Ch 29:20-21

1 Chronicles 29:20-21

ALL THE PEOPLE BLESS GOD BY WORSHIPPING HIM

"And David said to all the assembly, Now bless Jehovah your God. And all the assembly blessed Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads and worshipped Jehovah, and the king. And they sacrificed sacrifices unto Jehovah, and offered burnt-offerings unto Jehovah, 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, and did eat and drink before Jehovah on that day with great gladness."

"And they bowed down their heads and worshipped Jehovah, and the king" (1 Chronicles 29:20). The worship of any man is sinful, even the worship of a great king like David; and this verse should be translated as in the RSV, "All the assembly bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord, and did obeisance to the king."

The reason that older translations are like our version (the ASV) here is that, "The word normally translated `worship’ in the O.T. means `to prostrate oneself’." In those days, it was customary thus to honor kings; but in the N.T., Christians are forbidden to honor any man in such a manner. (See elaboration of this principle in my commentary on Revelation.)

E.M. Zerr:

1 Chronicles 29:20. Bless God means to adore him and to show it by the posture of the body; worship as used here means about the same. When one bows the head at the mention of a certain being, he is said to worship him. That is the sense in which the people worshiped the Lord and the king.

1 Chronicles 29:21. These sacrifices were voluntary offerings, prompted by the gratitude of the people for the favorable state of affairs, and the prospect of good things to come. A drink offering was an offering of wine, so called because it was the giving up of something that could have been used for a drink.

Verses 22-25

1Ch 29:22-25

1 Chronicles 29:22-25

SOLOMON MADE KING THE SECOND TIME

"And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him unto Jehovah to be prince, and Zadok to be priest. Then Solomon sat on the throne of Jehovah as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him. And all the princes, and the mighty men, and all the sons likewise of king David, submitted themselves unto Solomon. And Jehovah magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him much royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel."

"Solomon sat on the throne of Jehovah" (1 Chronicles 29:23). The Chronicler here spoke of Solomon in the terms of the popular acclaim that greeted this second coronation. Solomon was already king and had been co-regent with his father David a number of years preceding this second crowning. It cannot be accepted as a literal fact that the wicked Solomon actually "sat on the throne of Jehovah."

E.M. Zerr:

1 Chronicles 29:22. Eat and drink before the Lord signifies that it was one of the religious feasts that the Jews were permitted to have. (Deuteronomy 12:21; 1 Samuel 9:12.) Made David king the second time. They had a second public formality or recognition of him as king. The principle involved would apply in general for persons of authority. The popular song "Coronation" has been criticized by some because it speaks of crowning Christ as king, whereas he has been already crowned. The objection ignores the figurative use of the term. Actually and literally, a man is made king but once, but every time a subject acknowledges the king, he may be said to have crowned him. That is the sense in which the people made David king in this instance.

1 Chronicles 29:23-25. We must remember that the books of Chronicles are brief and do not claim to give all the details. Because of the character of said documents we will not find them always chronological. This paragraph is out of line as to date, for David was yet king. It is in line as to the thought. One of the outstanding items of David’s prayer and request was that the people would respect his son who was to reign after him. (1 Chronicles 28:1-8.) The inspired writer goes into the future far enough to tell us of the answer to the prayer for Solomon, then drops back to the proper date to finish the account of David. The direct history of Solomon will come in next book.

Verses 26-30

1Ch 29:26-30

1 Chronicles 29:26-30

THE DEATH OF KING DAVID

"Now David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. And 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. And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his stead. Now the acts of David the king, first, and last, behold, they are written in the history of Samuel the seer, and in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the history of Gad the seer, with all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries."

See my Introduction to 1,2Chronicles for a discussion of the extensive documentation behind what is written herein. This is an appropriate place indeed to separate 1Chronicles from 2Chronicles, since 2Chronicles deals with the reign of Solomon, the rebellion of the ten northern tribes, the affairs of the divided kingdom, the rapid corruption of Israel that led to their captivity, and with their history until Cyrus’ decree for the rebuilding of the temple.

E.M. Zerr:

1 Chronicles 29:26-27. This is a summing up of the reign of David. All Israel is said with reference to the partial reign ascribed to him at first. Judah was the only tribe that accepted him for 7 years, then finally all the tribes. (2 Samuel 2:8-11; 2 Samuel 5:1-3.)

1 Chronicles 29:28. This is another general statement. Good old age does not refer to the actual length of his life, for many men lived longer than he. But he was not cut off by any misfortune of violence or disease; he died of natural causes.

1 Chronicles 29:29-30. Samuel, Nathan and Gad were national prophets. They not only spoke the Word of God when occasion called for it, but each of them put many things into writing. Book is defined as "history," and the details of the happenings of their days were put into their histories, for the fuller information of the people then living. For the purposes of future generations the Lord had certain portions of their works put into the book that was to become a part of our Bible. See also my comments on the word "Chronicles" at 1 Kings 14:19.