1 Chronicles — Chapter 22
Loading ESV text...
1Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.
2And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God.
3And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight;
4Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.
5And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.
6Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the LORD God of Israel.
7And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God:
8But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.
9Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.
10He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.
11Now, my son, the LORD be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the LORD thy God, as he hath said of thee.
12Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God.
13Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which the LORD charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.
14Now, 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 thereto.
15Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of cunning men for every manner of work.
16Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise therefore, and be doing, and the LORD be with thee.
17David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying,
18Is not the LORD your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the LORD, and before his people.
19Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD.
1Then David said, This is the house of Jehovah God, and this is the altar of burnt-offering for Israel.
2And David commanded to gather together the sojourners that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God.
3And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the couplings; and brass in abundance without weight;
4and cedar-trees without number: for the Sidonians and they of Tyre brought cedar-trees in abundance to David.
5And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for Jehovah must be exceeding magnificent, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.
6Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build a house for Jehovah, the God of Israel.
7And David said to Solomon his son, As for me, it was in my heart to build a house unto the name of Jehovah my God.
8But the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build a house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.
9Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days:
10he shall build a house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.
11Now, my son, Jehovah be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of Jehovah thy God, as he hath spoken concerning thee.
12Only Jehovah give thee discretion and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel; that so thou mayest keep the law of Jehovah thy God.
13Then shalt thou prosper, if thou observe to do the statutes and the ordinances which Jehovah charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; fear not, neither be dismayed.
14Now, behold, in my affliction I have prepared for the house of Jehovah a 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 thereto.
15Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all men that are skilful in every manner of work:
16of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise and be doing, and Jehovah be with thee.
17David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, [saying],
18Is not Jehovah your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand; and the land is subdued before Jehovah, and before his people.
19Now set your heart and your soul to seek after Jehovah your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of Jehovah God, to bring the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of Jehovah.
1David then said, “This is the place where the temple of the Lord God will be, along with the altar for burnt sacrifices for Israel.”
2David ordered the resident foreigners in the land of Israel to be called together. He appointed some of them to be stonecutters to chisel stones for the building of God’s temple.
3David supplied a large amount of iron for the nails of the doors of the gates and for braces, more bronze than could be weighed,
4and more cedar logs than could be counted. (The Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large amount of cedar logs to David.)
5David said, “My son Solomon is just an inexperienced young man, and the temple to be built for the Lord must be especially magnificent so it will become famous and be considered splendid by all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for its construction.” So David made extensive preparations before he died.
6He summoned his son Solomon and charged him to build a temple for the Lord God of Israel.
7David said to Solomon: “My son, I really wanted to build a temple to honor the Lord my God.
8But this was the Lord’s message to me: ‘You have spilled a great deal of blood and fought many battles. You must not build a temple to honor me, for you have spilled a great deal of blood on the ground before me.
9Look, you will have a son, who will be a peaceful man. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. Indeed, Solomon will be his name; I will give Israel peace and quiet during his reign.
10He will build a temple to honor me; he will become my son, and I will become his father. I will grant to his dynasty permanent rule over Israel.’
11“Now, my son, may the Lord be with you! May you succeed and build a temple for the Lord your God, just as he announced you would.
12Only may the Lord give you insight and understanding when he places you in charge of Israel, so you may obey the law of the Lord your God.
13Then you will succeed, if you carefully obey the rules and regulations which the Lord ordered Moses to give to Israel. Be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic!
14Now, look, I have made every effort to supply what is needed to build the Lord’s temple. I have stored up 100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and so much bronze and iron it cannot be weighed, as well as wood and stones. Feel free to add more!
15You also have available many workers, including stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and an innumerable array of workers who are skilled
16in using gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Get up and begin the work! May the Lord be with you!”
17David ordered all the officials of Israel to support his son Solomon.
18He told them, “The Lord your God is with you! He has made you secure on every side, for he handed over to me the inhabitants of the region and the region is subdued before the Lord and his people.
19Now seek the Lord your God wholeheartedly and with your entire being! Get up and build the sanctuary of the Lord God! Then you can bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant and the holy items dedicated to God’s service into the temple that is built to honor the Lord.”
1Then David said, “This is the house of Yahweh God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”
2David gave orders to gather together the foreigners who were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to cut dressed stones to build God’s house.
3David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the couplings; and brass in abundance without weight;
4and cedar trees without number, for the Sidonians and the people of Tyre brought cedar trees in abundance to David.
5David said, “Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be built for Yahweh must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and of glory throughout all countries. I will therefore make preparation for it.” So David prepared abundantly before his death.
6Then he called for Solomon his son, and commanded him to build a house for Yahweh, the God of Israel.
7David said to Solomon his son, “As for me, it was in my heart to build a house to the name of Yahweh my God.
8But Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, ‘You have shed blood abundantly, and have made great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight.
9Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of peace. I will give him rest from all his enemies all around; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days.
10He shall build a house for my name; and he will be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.’
11Now, my son, may Yahweh be with you and prosper you, and build the house of Yahweh your God, as he has spoken concerning you.
12May Yahweh give you discretion and understanding, and put you in charge of Israel; that so you may keep the law of Yahweh your God.
13Then you will prosper, if you observe to do the statutes and the ordinances which Yahweh gave Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid, and don’t be dismayed.
14Now, behold, in my affliction I have prepared for Yahweh’s house one hundred thousand talents of gold, one million talents of silver, and brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance. I have also prepared timber and stone; and you may add to them.
15There are also workmen with you in abundance, cutters and workers of stone and timber, and all kinds of men who are skillful in every kind of work;
16of the gold, the silver, the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise and be doing, and may Yahweh be with you.”
17David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying,
18“Isn’t Yahweh your God with you? Hasn’t he given you rest on every side? For he has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand; and the land is subdued before Yahweh, and before his people.
19Now set your heart and your soul to follow Yahweh your God. Arise therefore, and build the sanctuary of Yahweh God, to bring the ark of Yahweh’s covenant and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built for Yahweh’s name.”
Summary
David charges Solomon to build the Temple and prepares vast quantities of materials—gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and timber. He explains that God forbade him from building it because he was a man of war, but promises Solomon will have peace to complete the task.
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.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes David's remarkable humility in accepting God's "no" without bitterness and channeling his passion into preparation rather than protest. He notes that David's charge to Solomon combines the conditional (prosperity requires obedience) with the unconditional (God's covenant promises stand regardless). Guzik also highlights that "in my trouble I have prepared" shows how suffering can fuel generosity rather than self-pity.
- Charles Spurgeon: "David could not build the Temple, but he could prepare for it. And what preparation he made! Gold by the hundred thousand talents, silver beyond counting, cedar without number. Here is the lesson: when God denies you one form of service, do not sit idle — pour yourself into whatever form He permits. David could not lay the cornerstone, but he could quarry every block, smelt every ounce of gold, and fell every cedar. Some of us will never preach, but we can prepare the way for those who do. Some will never see the harvest, but we can break the ground and sow the seed. Do what is in your hand with all your might, and let another reap the glory. The reward is in the faithfulness, not in the visibility."
Reflection
- 1. Accept God's "no" and redirect your energy (vv.7-8). David's deepest desire was to build God's house. God said no — not because David was disqualified by sin (the bloodshed was largely in obedient warfare) but because a man of war could not build a house of peace. David did not pout, rebel, or become passive. He redirected his entire energy into preparation. When God closes a door you desperately wanted opened, do not waste years in bitterness. Ask instead: "What can I do? What preparation is mine to make?" Your calling may be to prepare what someone else will complete — and that is no lesser calling.
- 2. Invest in the next generation's success (vv.5, 14-16). David spent decades accumulating materials so that Solomon would have everything needed. He did not hoard for himself or demand that his own generation see the finished product. Godly living is inherently generational — we plant trees whose shade we will never sit under. Are you investing in the spiritual, intellectual, and material resources that the next generation will need? Mentor the young, fund the future, prepare the way — even if you will not see the completion.
- 3. Obedience is the condition of prosperity (v.13). David does not tell Solomon "you will prosper because you are my son" or "because I have prepared so much." Prosperity depends on faithful obedience to God's law — "if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments." Inherited wealth, natural talent, and favorable circumstances cannot substitute for personal faithfulness. Every generation must earn its own spiritual prosperity through its own obedience.
- 4. The greatest work requires both heart and hands (v.19). "Set your heart and soul to seek the LORD" — internal devotion. "Arise and build the sanctuary" — external action. Biblical faith refuses the false choice between contemplation and activism. The monk who only prays and the builder who only works are both incomplete. Seek God with your whole heart, then arise and build with your whole strength. Inner devotion without outward obedience is sentimentalism; outward activity without inner seeking is mere religion.
- 5. Suffering can fuel generosity rather than self-pity (v.14). David says "in my trouble I have prepared." His hardships — years of fleeing Saul, wars on every side, family tragedies, the plague — did not produce bitterness but bounty. Suffering can either close your fist or open your hand. David chose to let his afflictions drive him toward greater generosity, not greater selfishness. In your seasons of hardship, resist the temptation to hoard and protect. Instead, ask: "What can I prepare for God's purposes through this pain?"