1 Chronicles — Chapter 14
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1Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons, and carpenters, to build a palace for him.
2And David realized that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had highly exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.
3And David took more wives in Jerusalem and became the father of more sons and daughters.
4These are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,
5Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet,
6Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,
7Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.
8When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they all went in search of him; but David learned of this and went out to face them.
9Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim.
10So David inquired of God, “Should I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” “Go,” replied the LORD, “for I will deliver them into your hand.”
11So David and his men went up to Baal-perazim, where he defeated the Philistines and said, “Like a bursting flood, God has burst out against my enemies by my hand.” So they called that place Baal-perazim.
12There the Philistines abandoned their gods, and David ordered that they be burned in the fire.
13Once again the Philistines raided the valley.
14So David again inquired of God, who answered him, “Do not march up after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.
15As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because this will mean that God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”
16So David did as God had commanded him, and they struck down the army of the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
17And David’s fame went out into every land, and the LORD caused all nations to fear him.
1Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and timber of cedars, with masons and carpenters, to build him an house.
2And David perceived that the LORD had confirmed him king over Israel, for his kingdom was lifted up on high, because of his people Israel.
3And David took more wives at Jerusalem: and David begat more sons and daughters.
4Now these are the names of his children which he had in Jerusalem; Shammua, and Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon,
5And Ibhar, and Elishua, and Elpalet,
6And Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia,
7And Elishama, and Beeliada, and Eliphalet.
8And when the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David. And David heard of it, and went out against them.
9And the Philistines came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
10And David enquired of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? and wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto him, Go up; for I will deliver them into thine hand.
11So they came up to Baal-perazim; and David smote them there. Then David said, God hath broken in upon mine enemies by mine hand like the breaking forth of waters: therefore they called the name of that place Baal-perazim.
12And when they had left their gods there, David gave a commandment, and they were burned with fire.
13And the Philistines yet again spread themselves abroad in the valley.
14Therefore David enquired again of God; and God said unto him, Go not up after them; turn away from them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.
15And it shall be, when thou shalt hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt go out to battle: for God is gone forth before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.
16David therefore did as God commanded him: and they smote the host of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gazer.
17And the fame of David went out into all lands; and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations.
1And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar-trees, and masons, and carpenters, to build him a house.
2And David perceived that Jehovah had established him king over Israel; for his kingdom was exalted on high, for his people Israel`s sake.
3And David took more wives at Jerusalem; and David begat more sons and daughters.
4And these are the names of the children whom he had in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon,
5and Ibhar, and Elishua, and Elpelet,
6and Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia,
7and Elishama, and Beeliada, and Eliphelet.
8And when the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David: and David heard of it, and went out against them.
9Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the valley of Rephaim.
10And David inquired of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? and wilt thou deliver them into my hand? And Jehovah said unto him, Go up; for I will deliver them into thy hand.
11So they came up to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there; and David said, God hath broken mine enemies by my hand, like the breach of waters. Therefore they called the name of that place Baal-perazim.
12And they left their gods there; and David gave commandment, and they were burned with fire.
13And the Philistines yet again made a raid in the valley.
14And David inquired again of God; and God said unto him, Thou shalt not go up after them: turn away from them, and come upon them over against the mulberry-trees.
15And it shall be, when thou hearest the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry-trees, that then thou shalt go out to battle; for God is gone out before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.
16And David did as God commanded him: and they smote the host of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gezer.
17And the fame of David went out into all lands; and Jehovah brought the fear of him upon all nations.
1King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons, and carpenters to build a palace for him.
2David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that he had elevated his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
3In Jerusalem David married more wives and fathered more sons and daughters.
4These are the names of children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,
5Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet,
6Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,
7Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.
8When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of all Israel, all the Philistines marched up to confront him. When David heard about it, he marched out against them.
9Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim.
10David asked God, “Should I march up against the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The Lord said to him, “March up! I will hand them over to you!”
11So they marched against Baal Perazim and David defeated them there. David said, “Using me as his instrument, God has burst out against my enemies like water bursts out.” So that place is called Baal Perazim.
12The Philistines left their idols there, so David ordered that they be burned.
13The Philistines again raided the valley.
14So David again asked God what he should do. This time God told him, “Don’t march up after them; circle around them and come against them in front of the trees.
15When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, then attack. For at that moment God is going before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.”
16David did just as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army from Gibeon to Gezer.
17So David became famous in all the lands; the Lord caused all the nations to fear him.
1Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees, masons, and carpenters, to build him a house.
2David perceived that Yahweh had established him king over Israel; for his kingdom was exalted on high, for his people Israel’s sake.
3David took more wives at Jerusalem, and David became the father of more sons and daughters.
4These are the names of the children whom he had in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,
5Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet,
6Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,
7Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.
8When the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went out against them.
9Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the valley of Rephaim.
10David inquired of God, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hand?” Yahweh said to him, “Go up; for I will deliver them into your hand.”
11So they came up to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. David said, God has broken my enemies by my hand, like waters breaking out. Therefore they called the name of that place Baal Perazim.
12They left their gods there; and David gave a command, and they were burned with fire.
13The Philistines made a another raid in the valley.
14David inquired again of God; and God said to him, “You shall not go up after them. Turn away from them, and come on them opposite the mulberry trees.
15When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then go out to battle; for God has gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.”
16David did as God commanded him; and they attacked the army of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gezer.
17The fame of David went out into all lands; and Yahweh brought the fear of him on all nations.
Summary
Hiram king of Tyre sends cedar, masons, and carpenters to build David a house, and David recognizes that the Lord has established his kingdom for the sake of Israel (vv. 1-2). David takes more wives and fathers additional sons in Jerusalem, whose names are listed, including Solomon (vv. 3-7). When the Philistines hear David is king and come seeking him, he inquires of God before each engagement: first defeating them at Baal-perazim and burning their abandoned idols (vv. 8-12), then striking them from Gibeon to Gezer after God instructs him to circle around and attack at the sound of marching in the treetops (vv. 13-16). David's fame spreads to every nation as the Lord brings fear of him upon them (v. 17).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Largely parallels 1-2 Samuel geographically. Jerusalem (Zion/City of David) is the theological and political center.
- Key sites: Hebron (David's first capital, 7 years), the threshing floor of Ornan/Araunah (future Temple site, ch.21).
- Chapters 1-9 (genealogies) contain tribal allotments but minimal narrative geography.
Places on this map
- JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
- HebronHebron, West BankThe highest town in the Judean hills at about 3,000 feet, 19 miles south of Jerusalem. Abraham bought a burial cave here, and David reigned from it for seven years before moving north, so it carries both the patriarchal and the royal claim to the land. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes that David's inquiry of God before both battles shows a mature faith that does not presume upon past victories. He notes that God gave different strategies for each battle, teaching that believers cannot rely on yesterday's methods for today's challenges.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 1 Chronicles -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Blessing Recognized as Being for the People (v.2) — David perceives his kingdom was established not just for his own sake but for the sake of Israel. How does it change your view of your talents, position, or resources to see them as given for the benefit of others rather than just yourself?
- Asking God Before the First Battle (v.10) — Before engaging the Philistines, David inquires of God rather than relying on his own military instincts, and God gives him a direct strategy. Do you consistently seek God's direction before acting, or only when you're out of other options?
- Crediting God, Not His Own Skill, for Victory (v.11) — David names the battle site after what God did, attributing the breakthrough to the Lord rather than to his own generalship. When you win at something, is your first instinct to credit God or to credit yourself?
- A Different Strategy for the Second Battle (vv.14-15) — Rather than repeating the tactic that worked before, God gives David a completely different plan, telling him to circle around and wait for a sign in the treetops. Are you willing to let go of a strategy that worked in the past if God is leading you somewhere different this time?
- Fame That Spreads to Every Nation (v.17) — David's reputation goes out into all lands as the Lord brings fear of him upon the nations, all traced back to God's hand on his life. Do you see your own reputation and influence as something God is building for His purposes, rather than something you built alone?