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The Histories · Old Testament

1 Chronicles 29

1 Chronicles 29: the freewill offerings, David's prayer and Solomon's accession

General context

David tells the congregation that Solomon, "whom alone God hath chosen", is young and the work great, "for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God". Having prepared metals, wood and stones, he adds from his own property three thousand talents of gold of Ophir and seven thousand of refined silver. He asks who is willing to consecrate his service that day. The chiefs, princes and captains offer willingly in gold, silver, brass, iron and precious stones. The people rejoice because they offered with a perfect heart, and David rejoices. He blesses the Lord before the congregation: "Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory"; riches and honour come from God; "who am I, and what is my people", since "of thine own have we given thee"; "we are strangers before thee, and sojourners", their days a shadow. He asks God to keep this in the people's hearts and to give Solomon "a perfect heart" to keep the commandments and build. The congregation blesses the Lord and bows to the Lord and the king. Next day a thousand bullocks, rams and lambs are offered, they eat and drink with gladness, and they make Solomon king "the second time", anointing him chief governor and Zadok priest. Solomon sits on the throne of the Lord, all Israel obeys, David's sons submit, and the Lord magnifies him beyond any king before. David's reign is summed up as forty years; he dies old, "full of days, riches, and honour", and his acts are said to be written in the books of Samuel, Nathan and Gad.

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 29:1, 1 Chronicles 29:2, 1 Chronicles 29:3, 1 Chronicles 29:4, 1 Chronicles 29:5, 1 Chronicles 29:6, 1 Chronicles 29:8, 1 Chronicles 29:9, 1 Chronicles 29:11, 1 Chronicles 29:12, 1 Chronicles 29:14, 1 Chronicles 29:15, 1 Chronicles 29:18, 1 Chronicles 29:19, 1 Chronicles 29:20, 1 Chronicles 29:21, 1 Chronicles 29:22, 1 Chronicles 29:23, 1 Chronicles 29:24, 1 Chronicles 29:25, 1 Chronicles 29:27, 1 Chronicles 29:28, 1 Chronicles 29:29

1 Chronicles 29 (KJV)

1Furthermore 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.

2Now 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.

3Moreover, 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,

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:

5The 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?

6Then 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,

7And 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.

8And 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.

9Then 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.

10Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord 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 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.

13Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.

14But 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.

15For 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.

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.

18O 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:

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.

20And 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.

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:

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 the chief governor, and Zadok to be priest.

23Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.

24And all the princes, and the mighty men, and all the sons likewise of king David, submitted themselves unto Solomon the king.

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.

26Thus 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.

29Now 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,

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.

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Historical context

The chapter calls the temple "the palace" and Solomon's throne "the throne of the Lord", phrases that belong to the text itself. Solomon is made king "the second time", which refers back to chapter 23, where David made him king when old; Zadok is made priest at the same ceremony. The statement that David's sons "submitted themselves" is the nearest the book comes to mentioning any question about the succession. The reign is given as forty years, with "seven years" at Hebron, while chapter 3 said seven years and six months; the text gives both figures. David's prayer describes the people as "strangers" and "sojourners", his own words about Israel in its land. Three written sources are named for David's acts, the books of Samuel, Nathan and Gad; the book does not quote them. The amounts offered are stated as totals and include "ten thousand drams" of gold beside the talents, a unit not otherwise explained. Nothing is said of the manner of David's death beyond old age and honour.

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 29:1, 1 Chronicles 29:23, 1 Chronicles 29:22, 1 Chronicles 23:1, 1 Chronicles 29:24, 1 Chronicles 29:27, 1 Chronicles 3:4, 1 Chronicles 29:15, 1 Chronicles 29:29, 1 Chronicles 29:7, 1 Chronicles 29:28

Literary context

The book ends with giving. Where chapter 18 gathered spoil taken from enemies, this chapter gathers gifts offered by the people, and the word "willingly" sounds through it. David's prayer moves from praise of God's ownership of everything to the admission that the givers have only returned what was God's, then to a plea about hearts, the people's and Solomon's. The line about strangers and sojourners places the whole assembly in the position of the ancestors recalled in chapter 16. A feast and a second coronation follow, and the narrator's summary of David's reign echoes the figures from chapter 3, closing a frame around the narrative. The last verses point to other books, so a work that began with Adam ends by naming its sources. The chapter's final phrase widens to "all the kingdoms of the countries", leaving the reader with David's times set among the nations.

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 29:6, 1 Chronicles 29:9, 1 Chronicles 29:17, 1 Chronicles 29:14, 1 Chronicles 29:15, 1 Chronicles 29:22, 1 Chronicles 29:26, 1 Chronicles 29:30

Key moments

  1. The palace is not for man (1 Chronicles 29:1). David says the work is great because the house is for the Lord, not for man.
  2. David's own gold of Ophir (1 Chronicles 29:4). David gives from his own property to overlay the walls.
  3. Who is willing (1 Chronicles 29:5). David asks who will consecrate his service that day.
  4. Willing offerings and joy (1 Chronicles 29:9). The leaders give with a perfect heart and the people and king rejoice.
  5. Of thine own have we given (1 Chronicles 29:14). David prays that all the gifts came from God in the first place.
  6. Solomon king the second time (1 Chronicles 29:22). Solomon is anointed chief governor and Zadok priest amid feasting.
  7. David's death and his sources (1 Chronicles 29:28). David dies full of days, and his acts are said to be written by Samuel, Nathan and Gad.

For reflection

After pouring out gold and silver, David prays that everything given was God's already and that the givers are sojourners whose days are a shadow. What kind of generosity is possible for someone who believes nothing they hold is their own?

People in this chapter

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