Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Chronicles 17:1

"And it came to pass, when David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Jehovah [dwelleth] under curtains." — 1 Chronicles 17:1 (ASV)

Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house. —In both texts the story of this chapter naturally follows that of the removal of the Ark, although the events themselves appear to belong to a later period of David’s reign, when the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies (2 Samuel 7:1; compare to 1 Chronicles 17:8). 1 Chronicles 17:11–14 indicate some time before the birth of Solomon, but the date cannot be more exactly determined.

David. —Three times in 1 Chronicles 17:1–2, for which Samuel has the king. The chronicler loves the name of his ideal sovereign.

Sat. —Dwelt.

Lo. —Samuel, See, now.

An house. —The house—namely, that which Hiram’s craftsmen had built (1 Chronicles 14:1 and following).

Of cedars. —A vivid allusion to the splendour of the palace, with its doors, walls, and ceilings of cedar wood. “Cedar of Labnana” (Lebanon) was in great demand with the Assyrian monarchs of a later age for palace-building.

Under curtains —that is, in a tent (Habakkuk 3:7). Samuel has, dwelleth amid the curtain (collective). The verb is omitted here for brevity.