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1 Chronicles 22

KJV · Chapter 22/29

1Then David said, This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.

2And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God.

3And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight;

4Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.

5And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.

6Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the Lord God of Israel.

7And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God:

8But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.

9Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.

10He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.

11Now, my son, the Lord be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the Lord thy God, as he hath said of thee.

12Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the Lord thy God.

13Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which the Lord charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.

14Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the Lord an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto.

15Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of cunning men for every manner of work.

16Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise therefore, and be doing, and the Lord be with thee.

17David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying,

18Is not the Lord your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the Lord, and before his people.

19Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the Lord.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

David, already knowing he will not build the temple, begins gathering large quantities of materials — gold, silver, iron, wood, and stone — so that his son Solomon can build the house of God. He encourages Solomon and the leaders of the people to prepare for this great work.

Explanation

Even though he is barred from building the temple himself, David does not remain passive: he spends his final years preparing everything he can so the task will be easier for his son and successor. This gesture shows remarkable spiritual maturity — working wholeheartedly toward a goal he himself will never see completed, without resentment. The advice he gives to the still young and inexperienced Solomon combines practical encouragement ('be strong and of good courage') with clear spiritual direction ('seek the LORD'). It is a model of leadership that thinks of future generations, not just personal achievements.

Fun facts

  • The amounts of gold and silver David mentions as prepared for the temple are so extraordinarily large that many scholars debate whether the numbers should be understood symbolically or as representing measures or units different from what we imagine today.
  • David explains that God told him he would not build the temple because he 'hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars' — showing that, despite being a man after God's own heart, his specific calling as a warrior made him unsuited to build a house dedicated to peace.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Chronicles 22:1Right after the fire comes down from heaven in the previous chapter, David officially declares: this very place, the threshing floor of Ornan, will be the house of the LORD and the altar of Israel — the temple already has a fixed address.
  2. 1 Chronicles 22:2David summons the foreigners living in Israel to work as stonemasons, cutting stone for the building — foreign labor involved from the very start of the temple preparations.
  3. 1 Chronicles 22:3David sets aside a great quantity of iron for nails and door fittings, plus bronze without even bothering to weigh it — the scale of the project is already gigantic before the first stone is even laid.
  4. 1 Chronicles 22:4Cedar wood arrives without limit, brought by the Sidonians and the men of Tyre — the same kind of trade arrangement King Hiram of Tyre had already begun back in chapter 14.
  5. 1 Chronicles 22:5David explains his own reasoning: Solomon is still young and inexperienced, but the house of the LORD needs to be magnificent enough to be famous in every land — that is why he prepares everything himself before he dies.
  6. 1 Chronicles 22:6David calls for Solomon and formally charges his son with building the house of the LORD — passing the project on, since the promise made clear that he himself would not be the builder.
  7. 1 Chronicles 22:7David confesses to his own son: ‘it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God’ — a sincere desire he will never get to carry out himself.
  8. 1 Chronicles 22:8God explains to David why he cannot build the temple: he has shed too much blood in war. The name of the son who will build it, Solomon, comes from the same root as ‘peace’ — the temple belongs to a king of peaceful times, not a king of war.
  9. 1 Chronicles 22:9David tells Solomon the reason for his name: he will be a man of peace and rest, because God will give him rest from all his enemies on every side — the name Solomon itself is tied to the Hebrew word for ‘peace.’
  10. 1 Chronicles 22:10The promise of an eternal dynasty, already heard in chapter 17, is now repeated directly to Solomon: he will build the house, he will be called God’s son, and the throne will stand firm forever.
  11. 1 Chronicles 22:11David gives his final blessing to his son: may the LORD be with him and may he prosper in the building — passing the torch in faith that the promise will be fulfilled through Solomon.
  12. 1 Chronicles 22:12David asks God to give Solomon wisdom and understanding — the same request Solomon will make on his own years later, in a nighttime vision told in later books.
  13. 1 Chronicles 22:13David promises Solomon prosperity if he keeps the statutes and judgments of Moses, and repeats almost word for word the same charge God gave Joshua at the start of the conquest: ‘be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.’
  14. 1 Chronicles 22:14The amounts of gold and silver David sets aside for the temple are staggering, and as with other lists in the book, scholars still debate today the best way to understand these numbers in ancient Hebrew. Either way, the point of the text is simple: David wanted everything ready so Solomon would only need to carry the work forward.
  15. 1 Chronicles 22:15David points out that Solomon will not start from zero: a whole workforce is already at his disposal — masons, carpenters, and every kind of skilled craftsman — ready for the work.
  16. 1 Chronicles 22:16David sums it all up in a few words: gold, silver, bronze, and iron beyond counting, so all that is left is to begin the work, with the LORD at Solomon’s side.
  17. 1 Chronicles 22:17David does not stop at speaking with his son: he also commands all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon — the temple project becomes the responsibility of the whole kingdom’s leadership, not just the next king.
  18. 1 Chronicles 22:18David reminds the leaders that the LORD has already given Israel rest on every side, handing the whole land into their possession — there is no longer a war excuse to delay the temple project.
  19. 1 Chronicles 22:19It ends with a direct appeal: set your heart and soul to seek the LORD and build the sanctuary, so that the ark of the covenant may finally have a permanent home worthy of it.

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