Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Chronicles 29:2

"Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for the [things of] gold, and the silver for the [things of] silver, and the brass for the [things of] brass, the iron for the [things of] iron, and wood for the [things of] wood; onyx stones, and [stones] to be set, stones for inlaid work, and of divers colors, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance." — 1 Chronicles 29:2 (ASV)

Now I have prepared. — And with all might have I prepared (1 Chronicles 22:14; Deuteronomy 28:9).

The gold for things to be made of gold. — Literally, the gold for the gold, and the silver for the silver, etc. (Compare 1 Chronicles 28:14).

Onyx (shôham). — So the Vulgate; the Septuagint keeps the Hebrew word Σοάμ (Exodus 25:7; Exodus 28:9; Exodus 28:20; Job 28:16). The uncertainty of meaning is illustrated by the fact that the Septuagint in various passages translates shôham as onyx, beryl, sardius, emerald, and sapphire.

Stones to be set (’abnê millû’îm). — Stones of settings; strictly, fillings; Septuagint, πληρώσεως (Exodus 25:7; Exodus 35:9).

Glistering stones, and of divers colours. — Literally, stones of pûk and riqmâh. Pûk is the pigment used by Eastern women for darkening the eyebrows and lashes (kohl; 2 Kings 9:30). It here seems to denote the colour of the stones in question. Perhaps some kind of decorative marble is intended .

Riqmâh stones are veined or variegated marbles, or perhaps, tessellated work (Judges 5:30). The Septuagint renders the phrase “costly and variegated stones.”

All manner of precious stones. — 2 Chronicles 3:6.

Marble stones. — Stones of shàyish, a word only found here. It means white marble. The Septuagint and Vulgate have Parian marble, but the Targum simply marmora, “marbles” (Song of Solomon 5:15, where shêsh is equivalent to the present form).