Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Chronicles 22:2

"And 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." — 1 Chronicles 22:2 (ASV)

And David commanded to gather together the strangers. —The word rendered “to gather together” (kânas) is different from the terms used in 1 Chronicles 15:3–4; 1 Chronicles 19:7, and is late in this sense.

The strangers (gêrîm) — Sojourners, or resident foreigners, such as Israel had been in Egypt (Genesis 15:13). The Canaanite population is meant, who lived on sufferance under the Israelite dominion and were liable to forced service if the government required it. (See 2 Chronicles 8:7–8, and 1 Kings 9:20–21.) Solomon found them by census to be 153,600 souls. The census was a preliminary to apportioning their several tasks. (See 2 Chronicles 2:17–18.) David, probably on the present occasion, had held a similar census of the Canaanite serfs (2 Chronicles 2:17).

And he set. — Appointed (1 Chronicles 15:16–17); literally, caused to stand.

Masons. — Hewers; selected, apparently, from among “the strangers.”

Wrought stones. —“Saxum quadratum,” square stones (1 Kings 5:31; Isaiah 9:9).

To build the house —that is, for building it later. It is not said that the work was begun at once, but only that the organization of the serf labor originated with David.