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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.comKeil and Delitzsch Commentary - 1 Chronicles 28:1 - 28:1
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David summoned the estates of the kingdom, and presented Solomon to them as his divinely chosen successor on the throne.
1Ch 28:1
“All the princes of Israel” is the general designation, which is then specialized. In it are included the princes of the tribes who are enumerated in 1Ch 27:16-22, and the princes of the divisions which served the king, who are enumerated in 1Ch 27:1-15; the princes of thousands and hundreds are the chiefs and captains of the twelve army corps (1Ch 27:1), who are subordinate to the princes of the host: the princes of all the substance and possessions of the king are the managers of the domains enumerated in 1Ch 27:25-31. וּלְבָנָיו is added to לַמֶּלֶךְ, “of the king and of his sons,” because the possession of the king as a property belonging to the house (domanium) belonged also to his sons. The Vulg. incorrectly translates לְבָנָיו filiosque suos, for in this connection לְ cannot be nota accus. הַסָּרִיסִים עִם, with (together with) the court officials. סָרִיסִים are not eunuchs, but royal chamberlains, as in 1Sa 8:15; see on Gen 37:36. הַגִּבֹּורִים has been well translated by the lxx τοὺς δυνάστας, for here the word does not denote properly or merely war heroes, but powerful influential men in general, who did not occupy any special public or court office. In חַיִל וּלְכָל־גִּבֹּור all the others who were present in the assembly are comprehended.
1Ch 28:2
The king rose to his feet, in order to speak to the assembly standing; till then he had, on account of his age and feebleness, sat, not lain in bed, as Kimchi and others infer from 1 Kings 1.
1Ch 28:3-7
The address, “My brethren and my people,” is expressive of condescending goodwill; cf. on אַחַי, 1Sa 30:23; 2Sa 19:13. What David here says (1Ch 28:3-7) of the temple building, he had in substance already (1Ch 22:7-13) said to his son Solomon: I, it was with my heart, i.e., I purposed (cf. 1Ch 22:7) to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Jahve, and the footstool of the feet of our God, i.e., for the ark and for the capporeth upon it, which is called “footstool of the feet of our God,” because God was enthroned above the cherubim upon the capporeth. “And I have prepared to build,” i.e., prepared labour and materials, 1Ch 22:2-4 and 1Ch 22:14.; on 1Ch 28:3, cf. 1Ch 22:8. - In 1Ch 28:4 David states how his election to be king was of God, who had chosen Judah to be ruler (cf. 1Ch 5:2); and just so (1Ch 28:5, 1Ch 28:6) had God chosen Solomon from among all his many sons to be heir to the throne, and committed to him the building of the temple; cf. 1Ch 22:10. The expression, “throne of the kingdom of Jahve,” and more briefly, “throne of Jahve” (1Ch 29:23, or מַלְכוּתִי, 1Ch 17:14), denotes that Jahve is the true King of Israel, and had chosen Solomon as He had chosen David to be holder and administrator of His kingdom dominion. - On 1Ch 22:6 and 1Ch 22:7, cf. 1Ch 22:10 and 1Ch 17:11.; and with the condition וגו יֶחְזַק אִם, cf. 1Ki 3:14; 1Ki 9:4, where God imposes an exactly similar condition on Solomon. הַזֶּה כַּיֹּום, as is done at this time; cf. 1Ki 8:61, and the commentary on Deu 2:30. On this speech J. H. Mich. well remarks: “tota haec narratio aptata est ad prospositum Davidis: vult enim Salomoni auctoritatem apud principes et fratres conciliare, ostendendo, non humana, sed divina voluntate electum esse,” To this David adds an exhortation to the whole assembly (1Ch 28:8), and to his son Solomon (1Ch 28:9), to hold fast their faithfulness to God.
1Ch 28:8-10
“And now before the eyes of all Israel, of the congregation of Jahve (collected in their representatives), and into the ears of our God (so that God should hear as witness), (scil. I exhort you), observe and seek ... that ye may possess (that is, keep as possession) the good land (cf. Deu 4:21.), and leave it to your sons after you for an inheritance” (cf. Lev 25:46). - In 1Ch 28:9 he turns to his son Solomon in particular with the fatherly exhortation, “My son, know thou the God of thy father (i.e., of David, who has ever helped him, Psa 18:3), and serve Him with whole (undivided) heart (1Ch 29:9, 1Ch 29:19; 1Ki 8:61) and willing soul.” To strengthen this exhortation, David reminds him of the omniscience of God. Jahve seeks, i.e., searches, all hearts and knows all the imagination of the thoughts; cf. Psa 7:10; 1Sa 16:7; Jer 11:20; Psa 139:1. מַחֲשָׁבֹות יֵצֶר as in Gen 6:5. With the last clauses cf. Deu 4:29; Isa 55:6, etc. יַזְנִיחַ, only here and 2Ch 11:14; 2Ch 29:19. - With 1Ch 28:10 the discourse turns to the building of the temple. The exhortation וַעֲשֵׂה חֲזַק is interrupted by the giving over of the sketches and plans of the temple, and is taken up again only in 1Ch 28:20.