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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.comJamieson Fausset Brown Commentary - 1 Chronicles 29:16 - 29:16
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all this store that we have prepared - It may be useful to exhibit a tabular view of the treasure laid up and contributions stated by the historian as already made towards the erection of the proposed temple. Omitting the brass and iron, and precious stones, which, though specified partly (1Ch 29:7), are represented in other portions as “without weight” (1Ch 22:3, 1Ch 22:14), we shall give in this table only the amount of gold and silver; and taking the talent of gold as worth approximately $25,000. The talent of silver is given as $1,700. The total amount of the contributions will be:
Sum accumulated, and in public treasury (1Ch 22:14):
Gold, $2,500,000,00
Silver, $1,700,000,00
Contributed by David from his private resources [1Ch 29:4]:
Gold, $82,000,000
Silver, $12,000,000
Contributed by the assembled rulers [1Ch 29:7]:
Gold, $125,000,000
Silver, $17,000,000
A grand total of approximately, $4,436,000,000.
Though it has been the common practice of Eastern monarchs to hoard vast sums for the accomplishment of any contemplated project, this amount so far exceeds not only every Oriental collection on record, but even the bounds of probability, that it is very generally allowed that either there is a corruption of the text in 1Ch 22:14, or that the reckoning of the historian was by the Babylonian, which was only a half, or the Syrian, which was only a fifth part, of the Hebrew talent. This would bring the Scripture account more into accordance with the statements of Josephus, as well as within the range of credibility.