1 Chronicles — Chapter 28
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1And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that ministered to the king by course, and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possession of the king, and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem.
2Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building:
3But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood.
4Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel:
5And of all my sons, (for the LORD hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.
6And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
7Moreover I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day.
8Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever.
9And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
10Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.
11Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat,
12And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things:
13Also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the LORD.
14He gave of gold by weight for things of gold, for all instruments of all manner of service; silver also for all instruments of silver by weight, for all instruments of every kind of service:
15Even the weight for the candlesticks of gold, and for their lamps of gold, by weight for every candlestick, and for the lamps thereof: and for the candlesticks of silver by weight, both for the candlestick, and also for the lamps thereof, according to the use of every candlestick.
16And by weight he gave gold for the tables of shewbread, for every table; and likewise silver for the tables of silver:
17Also pure gold for the fleshhooks, and the bowls, and the cups: and for the golden basons he gave gold by weight for every bason; and likewise silver by weight for every bason of silver:
18And for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubims, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD.
19All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.
20And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
21And, behold, the courses of the priests and the Levites, even they shall be with thee for all the service of the house of God: and there shall be with thee for all manner of workmanship every willing skilful man, for any manner of service: also the princes and all the people will be wholly at thy commandment.
1And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that served the king by course, and the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, and the rulers over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the officers, and the mighty men, even all the mighty men of valor, unto Jerusalem.
2Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: as for me, it was in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and for the footstool of our God; and I had made ready for the building.
3But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build a house for my name, because thou art a man of war, and hast shed blood.
4Howbeit Jehovah, the God of Israel, chose me out of all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be prince; and in the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel;
5And of all my sons (for Jehovah hath given me many sons), he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of Jehovah over Israel.
6And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts; for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
7And I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and mine ordinances, as at this day.
8Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of Jehovah, and in the audience of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of Jehovah your God; that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you for ever.
9And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for Jehovah searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
10Take heed now; for Jehovah hath chosen thee to build a house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.
11Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch [of the temple], and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper rooms thereof, and of the inner chambers thereof, and of the place of the mercy-seat;
12and the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit, for the courts of the house of Jehovah, and for all the chambers round about, for the treasuries of the house of God, and for the treasuries of the dedicated things;
13also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of Jehovah, and for all the vessels of service in the house of Jehovah;
14of gold by weight for the [vessels of] gold, for all vessels of every kind of service; [of silver] for all the vessels of silver by weight, for all vessels of every kind of service;
15by weight also for the candlesticks of gold, and for the lamps thereof, of gold, by weight for every candlestick and for the lamps thereof; and for the candlesticks of silver, [silver] by weight for [every] candlestick and for the lamps thereof, according to the use of every candlestick;
16and the gold by weight for the tables of showbread, for every table; and silver for the tables of silver;
17and the flesh-hooks, and the basins, and the cups, of pure gold; and for the golden bowls by weight for every bowl; and for the silver bowls by weight for every bowl;
18and for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot, [even] the cherubim, that spread out [their wings], and covered the ark of the covenant of Jehovah.
19All this, [said David], have I been made to understand in writing from the hand of Jehovah, even all the works of this pattern.
20And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed; for Jehovah God, even my God, is with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until all the work for the service of the house of Jehovah be finished.
21And, behold, there are the courses of the priests and the Levites, for all the service of the house of God: and there shall be with thee in all manner of work every willing man that hath skill, for any manner of service: also the captains and all the people will be wholly at thy commandment.
1David assembled in Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, including the commanders of the tribes, the commanders of the army divisions that served the king, the commanders of units of a thousand and a hundred, the officials who were in charge of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, the eunuchs, and the warriors, including the most skilled of them.
2King David rose to his feet and said: “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. I wanted to build a temple where the ark of the Lord’s covenant could be placed as a footstool for our God. I have made the preparations for building it.
3But God said to me, ‘You must not build a temple to honor me, for you are a warrior and have spilled blood.’
4The Lord God of Israel chose me out of my father’s entire family to become king over Israel and have a permanent dynasty. Indeed, he chose Judah as leader, and my father’s family within Judah, and then he picked me out from among my father’s sons and made me king over all Israel.
5From all the many sons the Lord has given me, he chose Solomon my son to rule on his behalf over Israel.
6He said to me, ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build my temple and my courts, for I have chosen him to become my son and I will become his father.
7I will establish his kingdom permanently, if he remains committed to obeying my commands and regulations, as you are doing this day.’
8So now, in the sight of all Israel, the Lord’s assembly, and in the hearing of our God, I say this: Carefully observe all the commands of the Lord your God, so that you may possess this good land and may leave it as a permanent inheritance for your children after you.
9“And you, Solomon my son, obey the God of your father and serve him with a submissive attitude and a willing spirit, for the Lord examines all minds and understands every motive of one’s thoughts. If you seek him, he will let you find him, but if you abandon him, he will reject you permanently.
10Realize now that the Lord has chosen you to build a temple as his sanctuary. Be strong and do it!”
11David gave to his son Solomon the blueprints for the temple porch, its buildings, its treasuries, its upper areas, its inner rooms, and the room for atonement.
12He gave him the blueprints of all he envisioned for the courts of the Lord’s temple, all the surrounding rooms, the storehouses of God’s temple, and the storehouses for the holy items.
13He gave him the regulations for the divisions of priests and Levites, for all the assigned responsibilities within the Lord’s temple, and for all the items used in the service of the Lord’s temple.
14He gave him the prescribed weight for all the gold items to be used in various types of service in the Lord’s temple, for all the silver items to be used in various types of service;
15for the gold lampstands and their gold lamps, including the weight of each lampstand and its lamps; for the silver lampstands, including the weight of each lampstand and its lamps, according to the prescribed use of each lampstand;
16for the gold used in the display tables, including the amount to be used in each table, for the silver to be used in the silver tables;
17for the pure gold used for the meat forks, bowls, and jars; for the small gold bowls, including the weight for each bowl; for the small silver bowls, including the weight for each bowl;
18and for the refined gold of the incense altar.He gave him the blueprint for the seat of the gold cherubim that spread their wings and provide shelter for the ark of the Lord’s covenant.
19David said, “All this I put in writing as the Lord directed me and gave me insight regarding the details of the blueprints.”
20David said to his son Solomon: “Be strong and brave! Do it! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! For the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not leave you or abandon you before all the work for the service of the Lord’s temple is finished.
21Here are the divisions of the priests and Levites who will perform all the service of God’s temple. All the willing and skilled men are ready to assist you in all the work and perform their service. The officials and all the people are ready to follow your instructions.”
1David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, the captains of the companies who served the king by division, the captains of thousands, the captains of hundreds, and the rulers over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the officers and the mighty men, even all the mighty men of valor, to Jerusalem.
2Then David the king stood up on his feet, and said, “Hear me, my brothers, and my people! As for me, it was in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, and for the footstool of our God; and I had prepared for the building.
3But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for my name, because you are a man of war, and have shed blood.’
4However Yahweh, the God of Israel, chose me out of all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever. For he has chosen Judah to be prince; and in the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel.
5Of all my sons (for Yahweh has given me many sons), he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of Yahweh’s kingdom over Israel.
6He said to me, ‘Solomon, your son, shall build my house and my courts; for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
7I will establish his kingdom forever if he continues to do my commandments and my ordinances, as it is today.’
8Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, Yahweh’s assembly, and in the audience of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of Yahweh your God; that you may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you forever.
9You, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for Yahweh searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.
10Take heed now; for Yahweh has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong, and do it.”
11Then David gave to Solomon his son the plans for the porch of the temple, for its houses, for its treasuries, for its upper rooms, for its inner rooms, for the place of the mercy seat;
12and the plans of all that he had by the Spirit, for the courts of Yahweh’s house, for all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of God’s house, and for the treasuries of the dedicated things;
13also for the divisions of the priests and the Levites, for all the work of the service of Yahweh’s house, and for all the vessels of service in Yahweh’s house;
14of gold by weight for the gold, for all vessels of every kind of service; for all the vessels of silver by weight, for all vessels of every kind of service;
15by weight also for the lamp stands of gold, and for its lamps, of gold, by weight for every lamp stand and for its lamps; and for the lamp stands of silver, by weight for every lamp stand and for its lamps, according to the use of every lamp stand;
16and the gold by weight for the tables of show bread, for every table; and silver for the tables of silver;
17and the forks, the basins, and the cups, of pure gold; and for the golden bowls by weight for every bowl; and for the silver bowls by weight for every bowl;
18and for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the plans for the chariot, and the cherubim that spread out and cover the ark of Yahweh’s covenant.
19“All this”, said David, “I have been made to understand in writing from Yahweh’s hand, even all the works of this pattern.”
20David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do it. Don’t be afraid, nor be dismayed; for Yahweh God, even my God, is with you. He will not fail you, nor forsake you, until all the work for the service of Yahweh’s house is finished.
21Behold, there are the divisions of the priests and the Levites, for all the service of God’s house. Every willing man who has skill, for any kind of service, shall be with you in all kinds of work. Also the captains and all the people will be entirely at your command.”
Summary
David publicly charges Solomon before all Israel to build the Temple, giving him the divinely inspired plans for every detail of its construction. He emphasizes that Solomon must know God personally and serve Him wholeheartedly to see the work completed.
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 the remarkable parallel between David receiving the Temple plans "by the spirit" and Moses receiving the tabernacle pattern on Sinai — both worship structures were divinely designed rather than humanly imagined. He highlights verse 9 as one of the most important single verses in Chronicles, combining the themes of heart-knowledge of God, willing service, divine omniscience, and the conditional nature of sustained blessing.
- Charles Spurgeon: "David could not build the Temple, but he could prepare everything for the man who would. What a lesson for those whose hands are tied by providence! You cannot do the great work yourself? Then do all you can to equip the one who will. David gave Solomon the pattern, the materials, the personnel, and the encouragement. He could not lay the first stone, but he laid everything else in readiness. Be not idle because your specific dream is denied you. God has a Solomon coming after you, and your preparation is his provision. And mark those words: 'The LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me.' The Temple came from heaven before it rose from earth. Every true work of God begins in divine revelation, not human imagination."
Reflection
- 1. God's "no" to you may be His "yes" to the next generation (v.3). David desired to build the Temple but was told "thou shalt not." Rather than sulking or forcing his way, David poured everything into preparing what another would build. When God closes a door in your life, consider that He may be positioning you to prepare the way for someone else's calling. Not every vision you receive is yours to execute — some are yours to prepare and pass on.
- 2. Know God, not just know about Him (v.9). David's charge is "know the God of thy father" — personal, experiential, intimate knowledge. Head knowledge of doctrine, theology, and Bible facts is insufficient. God searches hearts, not merely orthodoxy. Do you know God Himself — His character, His voice, His presence — or merely truths about Him? Religion stays at information; relationship pursues the Person behind the information.
- 3. God searches the heart behind the action (v.9). "The LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts." External obedience with internal reluctance does not satisfy God. He examines motivation, not merely behavior. This should produce both humility (we cannot deceive God) and freedom (we need not perform for Him — He already knows us completely). Serve with a willing mind because the unwilling servant's work is known to be hollow.
- 4. Divine blueprints exist for God's work (vv.12, 19). The Temple was not David's design but God's revelation. This principle applies to every genuine work of God — there is a divine pattern, and our task is to receive it, not invent it. In your ministry, family, or calling, seek God's design rather than imposing your own. Ask: "Lord, what is Your pattern for this?" rather than assuming your ideas are automatically His.
- 5. Courage for great tasks comes from God's presence, not personal ability (v.20). "Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed." The grounds for courage are not Solomon's wisdom or resources but "the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee." When God assigns a task, He does not leave you to accomplish it alone. His presence is both the command and the resource. Whatever God has called you to — be strong and do it. He who called you is faithful, and He will not fail you.