11 Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlors thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat,
All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.
And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house.
Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubim of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubim on the two ends thereof. And the cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.
So he measured the house, an hundred cubits long; and the separate place, and the building, with the walls thereof, an hundred cubits long; Also the breadth of the face of the house, and of the separate place toward the east, an hundred cubits. And he measured the length of the building over against the separate place which was behind it, and the galleries thereof on the one side and on the other side, an hundred cubits, with the inner temple, and the porches of the court; The door posts, and the narrow windows, and the galleries round about on their three stories, over against the door, cieled with wood round about, and from the ground up to the windows, and the windows were covered; To that above the door, even unto the inner house, and without, and by all the wall round about within and without, by measure.
And the side chambers were three, one over another, and thirty in order; and they entered into the wall which was of the house for the side chambers round about, that they might have hold, but they had not hold in the wall of the house. And there was an enlarging, and a winding about still upward to the side chambers: for the winding about of the house went still upward round about the house: therefore the breadth of the house was still upward, and so increased from the lowest chamber to the highest by the midst. I saw also the height of the house round about: the foundations of the side chambers were a full reed of six great cubits. The thickness of the wall, which was for the side chamber without, was five cubits: and that which was left was the place of the side chambers that were within. And between the chambers was the wideness of twenty cubits round about the house on every side. And the doors of the side chambers were toward the place that was left, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south: and the breadth of the place that was left was five cubits round about.
And he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side. The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits, and he brought me by the steps whereby they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.
And from the face of the gate of the entrance unto the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits.
And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was showed thee in the mount.
And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests.
And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house. For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God.
Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. And the porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was an hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure gold. And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains. And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim. He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubim on the walls. And he made the most holy house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits: and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents. And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold. And in the most holy house he made two cherubim of image work, and overlaid them with gold.
And of the Levites, Ahijah was over the treasures of the house of God, and over the treasures of the dedicated things. As concerning the sons of Laadan; the sons of the Gershonite Laadan, chief fathers, even of Laadan the Gershonite, were Jehieli. The sons of Jehieli; Zetham, and Joel his brother, which were over the treasures of the house of the LORD. Of the Amramites, and the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites: And Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was ruler of the treasures. And his brethren by Eliezer; Rehabiah his son, and Jeshaiah his son, and Joram his son, and Zichri his son, and Shelomith his son. Which Shelomith and his brethren were over all the treasures of the dedicated things, which David the king, and the chief fathers, the captains over thousands and hundreds, and the captains of the host, had dedicated. Out of the spoils won in battles did they dedicate to maintain the house of the LORD.
For these Levites, the four chief porters, were in their set office, and were over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God. And they lodged round about the house of God, because the charge was upon them, and the opening thereof every morning pertained to them. And certain of them had the charge of the ministering vessels, that they should bring them in and out by tale. Some of them also were appointed to oversee the vessels, and all the instruments of the sanctuary, and the fine flour, and the wine, and the oil, and the frankincense, and the spices.
And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place. And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long. And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen. And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.
And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.
And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about: The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad: for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house.
And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark: And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on 1 Chronicles 28
Commentary on 1 Chronicles 28 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
David's Last Directions, and His Death - 1 Chronicles 28-29
In order to give over the throne before his death to his son Solomon, and so secure to him the succession, and facilitate his accomplishment of the great work of his reign, the building of the temple, David summoned the estates of his kingdom, the court officials, and the heroes of the people in Jerusalem. In a solemn address he designated Solomon as his divinely chosen successor on the throne, and exhorted him to keep the commandments of God, to serve the Lord with devoted heart, and to build Him a house for a sanctuary (1 Chronicles 28:1-10). He then committed to Solomon the sketches and plans for the sacred buildings and sacred objects of various sorts, with the confident promise that he, by the help of God, and with the co-operation of the priests and of the people, would complete the work (1 Chronicles 28:11-21). Finally, he announced, in the presence of the whole assembly, that he gave over his treasures of gold and silver to this building, and called upon the chiefs of the people and kingdom for a voluntary contribution for the same purpose; and on their freely answering this call, concluded with a solemn prayer of thanks, to which the whole assembly responded, bowing low before God and the king (29:1-20). This reverence they confirmed by numerous burnt-offerings and thank-offerings, and by the repeated anointing of Solomon to be king (1 Chronicles 29:21 and 1 Chronicles 29:22).
David summoned the estates of the kingdom, and presented Solomon to them as his divinely chosen successor on the throne.
1 Chronicles 28:1
“All the princes of Israel” is the general designation, which is then specialized. In it are included the princes of the tribes who are enumerated in 1 Chronicles 27:16-22, and the princes of the divisions which served the king, who are enumerated in 1 Chronicles 27:1-15; the princes of thousands and hundreds are the chiefs and captains of the twelve army corps (1 Chronicles 27:1), who are subordinate to the princes of the host: the princes of all the substance and possessions of the king are the managers of the domains enumerated in 1 Chronicles 27:25-31. וּלבניו is added to למּלך , “of the king and of his sons,” because the possession of the king as a property belonging to the house ( domanium ) belonged also to his sons. The Vulg. incorrectly translates לבניו filiosque suos , for in this connection ל cannot be nota accus . הסּריסים עם , with (together with) the court officials. סריסים are not eunuchs, but royal chamberlains, as in 1 Samuel 8:15; see on Genesis 37:36. הגּבּורים has been well translated by the lxx τοὺς δυνάστας , for here the word does not denote properly or merely war heroes, but powerful influential men in general, who did not occupy any special public or court office. In חיל וּלכל־גּבּור all the others who were present in the assembly are comprehended.
1 Chronicles 28:2
The king rose to his feet, in order to speak to the assembly standing; till then he had, on account of his age and feebleness, sat, not lain in bed, as Kimchi and others infer from 1 Kings 1.
1 Chronicles 28:3-7
The address, “My brethren and my people,” is expressive of condescending goodwill; cf. on אחי , 1 Samuel 30:23; 2 Samuel 19:13. What David here says (1 Chronicles 28:3-7) of the temple building, he had in substance already (1 Chronicles 22:7-13) said to his son Solomon: I, it was with my heart, i.e., I purposed (cf. 1 Chronicles 22:7) to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Jahve, and the footstool of the feet of our God, i.e., for the ark and for the capporeth upon it, which is called “footstool of the feet of our God,” because God was enthroned above the cherubim upon the capporeth. “And I have prepared to build,” i.e., prepared labour and materials, 1 Chronicles 22:2-4 and 1 Chronicles 22:14.; on 1 Chronicles 28:3, cf. 1 Chronicles 22:8. - In 1 Chronicles 28:4 David states how his election to be king was of God, who had chosen Judah to be ruler (cf. 1 Chronicles 5:2); and just so (1 Chronicles 28:5, 1 Chronicles 28:6) had God chosen Solomon from among all his many sons to be heir to the throne, and committed to him the building of the temple; cf. 1 Chronicles 22:10. The expression, “throne of the kingdom of Jahve,” and more briefly, “throne of Jahve” (1 Chronicles 29:23, or מלכוּתי , 1 Chronicles 17:14), denotes that Jahve is the true King of Israel, and had chosen Solomon as He had chosen David to be holder and administrator of His kingdom dominion. - On 1 Chronicles 22:6 and 1 Chronicles 22:7, cf. 1 Chronicles 22:10 and 1 Chronicles 17:11.; and with the condition וגו יחזק אם , cf. 1 Kings 3:14; 1 Kings 9:4, where God imposes an exactly similar condition on Solomon. הזּה כּיּום , as is done at this time; cf. 1 Kings 8:61, and the commentary on Deuteronomy 2:30. On this speech J. H. Mich. well remarks: “ tota haec narratio aptata est ad prospositum Davidis: vult enim Salomoni auctoritatem apud principes et fratres conciliare, ostendendo, non humana, sed divina voluntate electum esse, ” To this David adds an exhortation to the whole assembly (1 Chronicles 28:8), and to his son Solomon (1 Chronicles 28:9), to hold fast their faithfulness to God.
1 Chronicles 28:8-10
“And now before the eyes of all Israel, of the congregation of Jahve (collected in their representatives), and into the ears of our God (so that God should hear as witness), ( scil. I exhort you), observe and seek ... that ye may possess (that is, keep as possession) the good land (cf. Deuteronomy 4:21.), and leave it to your sons after you for an inheritance” (cf. Leviticus 25:46). - In 1 Chronicles 28:9 he turns to his son Solomon in particular with the fatherly exhortation, “My son, know thou the God of thy father (i.e., of David, who has ever helped him, Psalms 18:3), and serve Him with whole (undivided) heart (1 Chronicles 29:9, 1 Chronicles 29:19; 1 Kings 8:61) and willing soul.” To strengthen this exhortation, David reminds him of the omniscience of God. Jahve seeks, i.e., searches, all hearts and knows all the imagination of the thoughts; cf. Psalms 7:10; 1 Samuel 16:7; Jeremiah 11:20; Psalms 139:1. מחשׁבות יצר as in Genesis 6:5. With the last clauses cf. Deuteronomy 4:29; Isaiah 55:6, etc. יזניח , only here and 2 Chronicles 11:14; 2 Chronicles 29:19. - With 1 Chronicles 28:10 the discourse turns to the building of the temple. The exhortation ועשׂה חזק is interrupted by the giving over of the sketches and plans of the temple, and is taken up again only in 1 Chronicles 28:20.
The sketches and plans of the sacred buildings and vessels . - The enumeration begins in 1 Chronicles 28:11 with the temple house, progressing from outside to inside, and in 1 Chronicles 28:12 goes on to the courts and the buildings in them, and in 1 Chronicles 28:13. to the vessels, etc. תּבנית , model, pattern; cf. Exodus 25:9; here the sketches and drawings of the individual things. ואת־בּתּיו is a contraction for בּתּיו ועת־תּבנית , and the suffix refers, as the succeeding words show, not to העוּלם , but to הבּית , which may be easily supplied from the context (1 Chronicles 28:10). In the porch there were no houses. The בּתּים are the buildings of the temple house, viz., the holy place and the most holy, with the three-storeyed side-building, which are specified in the following words. גּנזכּיו occurs only here, but is related to גּנזים , Esther 3:9; Esther 4:7; Ezekiel 27:24, and to the Chald. גּנזין , Ezra 7:20, and signifies store and treasure chambers, for which the chambers of the three-storeyed side-building served. עליּות are the upper chambers over the most holy place, 2 Chronicles 3:9; הפּנימים חדריו are the inner rooms of the porch and of the holy place, since הכּפּרת בּית , the house of the ark with the mercy-seat, i.e., the most holy place, is mentioned immediately after.
1 Chronicles 28:12
And the pattern, i.e., the description of all that was in the spirit with him, i.e., what his spirit had designed, לחצרות , as to the courts. סביב לכל־הלּשׁכות , in reference to all the chambers round about, i.e., to all the rooms on the four sides of the courts. לאצרות , for the treasures of the house of God; see on 1 Chronicles 26:20.
1 Chronicles 28:13-16
הך וּלמחלקות (continuation of לאצרות ), “and for the divisions of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of the service, and for all vessels,” - for for all these purposes, viz., for the sojourn of the priests and Levites in the service, as well as for the performance of the necessary works, e.g., preparation of the shew-bread, cooking of the sacrificial flesh, holding of the sacrificial meals, and for the storing of the vessels necessary for these purposes, the cells and building of the courts were set apart. - With 1 Chronicles 28:14 begins the enumeration of the vessels. לזּהב is co-ordinate with לכל־הלּשׁכות ... לחצרות , 1 Chronicles 28:12 : he gave him the description of that which he had in mind “with regard to the golden (i.e., to the golden vessels, cf. 1 Chronicles 29:2), according to the weight of the golden, for all vessels of every service,” in regard to all silver vessels according to the weight. - With 1 Chronicles 28:15 the construction hitherto employed is dropped. According to the usual supposition, the verb ויּתּן is to be supplied from 1 Chronicles 28:11 after וּמשׁקל : “and gave him the weight for the golden candlesticks and their golden lamps,” זהב being in a state of free subordination to the word ונרתיהם (J. H. Mich., Berth., and others). But apart from the fact that no analogous case can be found for such a subordination (for in 2 Chronicles 9:15, which Berth. cites as such, there is no subordination, for there the first שׁחוּט זהב is the accusative of the material dependent upon ויּעשׂ ), the supplying of ויּתּן gives no suitable sense; for David here does not give Solomon the metal for the vessels, but, according to 1 Chronicles 28:11, 1 Chronicles 28:12, 1 Chronicles 28:19, only a תּבנית , pattern or model for them. If ויּתּן be supplied, נתן must be “he appointed,” and so have a different sense here from that which it has in 1 Chronicles 28:11. This appears very questionable, and it is simpler to take משׁקל without the article, as an accusative of nearer definition, and to connect the verse thus: “and (what he had in mind) as weight for the golden candlesticks and their lamps, in gold, according to the weight of each candlestick and its lamps, and for the silver candlesticks, in weight - כּעבודת , according to the service of each candlestick” (as it corresponded to the service of each). - In 1 Chronicles 28:16 the enumeration is continued in very loose connection: “And as to the gold ( את , quoad ; cf. Ew. §277, d ) by weight ( משׁקל , acc. of free subordination) for the tables of the spreading out, i.e., of the shew-bread ( מערכת = לחם מערכת , 2 Chronicles 13:11); see on Leviticus 24:6), for each table, and silver for the silver tables.” Silver tables, i.e., tables overlaid with silver-lamin, and silver candlesticks (1 Chronicles 28:15), are not elsewhere expressly mentioned among the temple vessels, since the whole of the vessels are nowhere individually registered even in the description of the building of the temple. Yet, when the temple was repaired under Joash, 2 Kings 12:14; 2 Chronicles 24:14, and when it was destroyed by the Chaldeans, 2 Kings 25:15, vessels of gold and silver are spoken of. The silver candlesticks were probably, as Kimchi has conjectured, intended for the priests engaged in the service, and the tables for reception of the sacrificial flesh after it had been prepared for burning upon the altar.
1 Chronicles 28:17
Before וגו והמּזלגות we should probably supply from 1 Chronicles 28:11 : “he gave him the pattern of the forks... ולכפורי , and for the golden tankards, according to the weight of each tankard.” For מזלנות and מזרקות , see on 2 Chronicles 4:22. קשׂוה , σπονδεῖα , cups for the libations, occur only in Exodus 25:29; Exodus 37:16, and Numbers 4:7. טהור זהב , in free subordination: of pure gold. כּפורים from כּפר , to cover, are vessels provided with covers, tankards; only mentioned here and in Ezra 1:10; Ezra 8:27.
1 Chronicles 28:18
And (the pattern) for the altar of incense of pure gold by weight. In the second member of the verse, at the close of the enumeration, תּבנית , from 1 Chronicles 28:11, 1 Chronicles 28:12, is again taken up, but with ל , which Berth. rightly takes to be nota accus .: and (gave him) “the model of the chariot of the cherubim of gold, as spreading out (wings), and sheltering over the ark of the covenant of Jahve.” הכּרוּבים is not subordinated in the genitive to המּרכּבה , but is in explanatory apposition to it. The cherubim, not the ark, are the chariot upon which God enters or is throned; cf. Psalms 18:11; Psalms 99:1; Exodus 25:22. The conception of the cherubim set upon the golden cover of the ark as מרכּבה is derived from the idea על־כּרוּב ירכּב , Psalms 18:11. Ezekiel, it is true, saw wheels on the throne of God under the cherubim (Ezekiel 1:15., 26), and in accordance with this the lxx and Vulg. have made a cherubim-chariot out of the words ( ἅρμα τῶν Χερουβίμ , quadriga cherubim ); but as against this Berth. rightly remarks, that the idea of a chariot of the cherubim does not at all appear in the two sculptured cherubim upon the ark, nor yet in our passage. לפרשׂים (without the article, and with ל ) Berth. thinks quite unintelligible, and would alter the text, reading והסּככים הפּרשׂים , because the two participles should be in apposition to הכּרוּבים . But this is an error; for neither by the meaning of the words, nor by the passages, 2 Chronicles 5:8; Exodus 25:20; 1 Kings 8:7, are we compelled to make this alteration. The two first-mentioned passages prove the opposite, viz., that these participles state for what purpose the cherubim are to serve. וסככים לפרשׂים have the signification of כּנפים פּרשׂי הכּרוּבים והיוּ , “that the cherubim might be spreading wings and protecting” (Exodus 25:20), as J. H. Mich. has rightly seen. This use of ל , where in ל even without a verb the idea of “becoming something” lies, but which Berth. does not understand, has been already discussed, Ew. §217, d , and illustrated by passages, among which 1 Chronicles 28:18 is one. The reference to Exodus 25:20 explains also the use of פּרשׂ without כּנפים , the author of the Chronicle not thinking it necessary to give the object of פּרשׂ , as he might assume that that passage would be known to readers of his book.
1 Chronicles 28:19
In giving over to Solomon the model of all the parts and vessels of the temple enumerated in 1 Chronicles 28:11-18, David said: “All this, viz., all the works of the pattern, has He taught by writing from the hand of Jahve which came upon me.” הכּל is more closely defined by the apposition הת מלאכות כּל . That the verse contains words of David is clear from עלי . The subject of השׂכּיל is Jahve, which is easily supplied from יהוה מיּד . It is, however, a question with what we should connect עלי . Its position before the verb, and the circumstance that השׂכּיל construed with על pers . does not elsewhere, occur, are against its being taken with השׂכּיל ; and there remains, therefore, only the choice between connecting it with יהוה מיּד and with בּכתב . In favour of the last, Psalms 40:8, עלי כּתוּב , prescribed to me, may be compared; and according to that, עלי כּתב can only mean, “what is prescribed to me;” cf. for the use of כּתב for written prescription, the command in 2 Chronicles 35:4. Bertheau accordingly translates עלי יהוה מיּד בּכתב , “by a writing given to me for a rule from Jahve's hand,” and understands the law of Moses to be meant, because the description of the holy things in Exodus 25:1. is manifestly the basis of that in our verses. But had David wished to say nothing further than that he had taken the law in the Scriptures for the basis of his pattern for the holy things, the expression which he employs would be exceedingly forced and wilfully obscure. And, moreover, the position of the words would scarcely allow us to connect בּכתב with עלי , for in that case we should rather have expected יהוה מיּד עלי בּכתב . We must there take עלי along with יהוה מיּד : “writing from the hand of Jahve came upon me,” i.e., according to the analogy of the phrase עלי יהוה יד היתה (2 Kings 3:15; Ezekiel 1:3; Ezekiel 3:14, etc.), a writing coming by divine revelation, or a writing composed in consequence of divine revelation, and founded upon divine inspiration. David therefore says that he had been instructed by a writing resting upon divine inspiration as to all the works of the pattern of the temple. This need not, however, be understood to mean that David had received exemplar vel ideam templi et vasorum sacrorum immediately from Jahve, either by a prophet or by vision, as the model of the tabernacle was shown to Moses on the mount (Exodus 25:40; Exodus 27:8); for it signifies only that he had not himself invented the pattern which he had committed to writings, i.e., the sketches and descriptions of the temple and its furniture and vessels, but had drawn them up under the influence of divine inspiration.
In conclusion, David encourages his son to go forward to the work with good courage, for his God would not forsake him; and the priests and Levites, cunning workmen, and the princes, together with the whole people, would willingly support him. With the encouragement, 1 Chronicles 28:20 , cf. 1 Chronicles 22:13; and with the promise, 1 Chronicles 28:20 , cf. Deuteronomy 31:6, Deuteronomy 31:8; Joshua 1:5. אלהי , my God, says David, ut in mentem ei revocet, quomodo multis in periculis servatus sit (Lav.). עבודה כּל־מלאכת , all the work-business, i.e., all the labour necessary for the building of the house of God.
1 Chronicles 28:21
והנּה is fittingly translated by Clericus, “ en habes .” The reference which lies in the הנּה to the classes of the priests and Levites, i.e., the priests and Levites divided into classes, does not presuppose their presence in the assembly. With the והנּה corresponds ועמּך , with thee, i.e., for assistance to thee, in the second half of the verse. The ל before לכל -naadiyb, “are all freely willing with wisdom,” in the middle of the sentence introducing the subject is strange; Bertheau would therefore strike it out, thinking that, as לכל goes immediately before, and follows immediately afterwards twice, לכל here may easily be an error for כל . This is certainly possible; but since this ל is very frequently used in the Chronicle, it is a question whether it should not be regarded as authentic, “serving to bring into emphatic prominence the idea of the ndyb kl: with thee is for each business, what regards each willing person, for also all willing persons;” cf. Ew. §310, a . נדיב = לב נדיב , 2 Chronicles 29:31; Exodus 35:5, Exodus 35:22, usually denotes him who brings voluntary gifts, but here, him who voluntarily brings wisdom to every service, who willingly employs his wisdom and knowledge in a service. Cunning, intelligent workmen and artists are meant, 1 Chronicles 22:15; 2 Chronicles 2:6. לכל־דּבריך , “towards all thy words,” i.e., as thou sayest or commandest them, the princes and the people, or callest upon them for assistance in the work.