Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Chronicles 28
Albert Barnes Commentary
1 Chronicles 28
Albert Barnes Commentary
1 Chronicles 28
"And 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." — 1 Chronicles 28:1 (ASV)
Officer - Literally, as in the margin. This is the only occasion where eunuchs are mentioned in connection with David’s reign, and it should be noted that they occupy a very subordinate position during the earlier period of the Jewish kingdom.
"Then 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." — 1 Chronicles 28:2 (ASV)
My brethren - David retains the modest phrase of a king not born in the purple, but raised from the ranks of the people (see 1 Samuel 30:23; 2 Samuel 19:12). No later Jewish monarch would have addressed his subjects in this way.
The footstool of our God - David views the ark as God’s “footstool” because He was enthroned above it visibly in the Shechinah, or luminous cloud, present from time to time above the mercy seat and between the cherubim (compare related passages).
"And 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." — 1 Chronicles 28:6 (ASV)
Besides the message sent to David through Nathan, he had a revelation, of which we have only the indirect account given here and in 1 Chronicles 22:8–10 (see the note). He was told that one of his sons would be raised up to fill his throne after him and would build the temple. In the second revelation, it was distinctly declared to him that the son intended was Solomon.
My house and my courts—that is, the temple and the courts of the temple (see 2 Chronicles 4:9).
"And I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and mine ordinances, as at this day." — 1 Chronicles 28:7 (ASV)
If he is constant - The conditional character of the promise made to David regarding the continuance of his posterity on the Jewish throne (see the marginal reference to 2 Samuel 7:14), is now clearly declared.
"And 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." — 1 Chronicles 28:9 (ASV)
Know thou the God of thy father — "Knowing God," in the sense of having a religious trust in Him, is an unusual phrase in the earlier Scriptures. It scarcely occurs elsewhere in the historical books. David, however, uses the phrase in his Psalms (Psalms 36:10), and its occurrence here may be accepted as evidence that the entire speech is recorded in the actual words of the monarch.
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