29 For the tent of Yahweh, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, "On the first day of the first month you shall raise up the tent of the Tent of Meeting. You shall put the ark of the testimony in it, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. You shall bring in the table, and set in order the things that are on it. You shall bring in the lampstand, and light the lamps of it. You shall set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the screen of the door to the tent. You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tent of the tent of meeting. You shall set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shall put water therein. You shall set up the court around it, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court. You shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tent, and all that is in it, and shall make it holy, and all its furniture: and it will be holy. You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering, with all its vessels, and sanctify the altar: and the altar will be most holy. You shall anoint the basin and its base, and sanctify it. You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tent of meeting, and shall wash them with water. You shall put on Aaron the holy garments; and you shall anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest's office. You shall bring his sons, and put coats on them. You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to me in the priest's office. Their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. Thus did Moses: according to all that Yahweh commanded him, so he did. It happened in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tent was raised up. Moses raised up the tent, and laid its sockets, and set up the boards of it, and put in the bars of it, and raised up its pillars. He spread the covering over the tent, and put the roof of the tent above on it, as Yahweh commanded Moses. He took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the poles on the ark, and put the mercy seat above on the ark. He brought the ark into the tent, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as Yahweh commanded Moses. He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the side of the tent northward, outside of the veil. He set the bread in order on it before Yahweh, as Yahweh commanded Moses. He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table, on the side of the tent southward. He lit the lamps before Yahweh, as Yahweh commanded Moses. He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil; and he burnt incense of sweet spices on it, as Yahweh commanded Moses. He put up the screen of the door to the tent. He set the altar of burnt offering at the door of the tent of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the meal-offering, as Yahweh commanded Moses. He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water therein, with which to wash. Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet there. When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they came near to the altar, they washed, as Yahweh commanded Moses. He raised up the court around the tent and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of Yahweh filled the tent. Moses wasn't able to enter into the tent of meeting, because the cloud stayed on it, and Yahweh's glory filled the tent. When the cloud was taken up from over the tent, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys; but if the cloud wasn't taken up, then they didn't travel until the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of Yahweh was on the tent by day, and there was fire in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer on that altar. In Gibeon Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, Ask what I shall give you. Solomon said, You have shown to your servant David my father great loving kindness, according as he walked before you in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you; and you have kept for him this great loving kindness, that you have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, Yahweh my God, you have made your servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child; I don't know how to go out or come in. Your servant is in the midst of your people which you have chosen, a great people, that can't be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this your great people? The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. God said to him, Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life, neither have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice; behold, I have done according to your word: behold, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart; so that there has been none like you before you, neither after you shall any arise like you. I have also given you that which you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like you, all your days. If you will walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David did walk, then I will lengthen your days. Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream: and he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace-offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
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Commentary on 1 Chronicles 21 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES 21
Excepting the three last verses, is contained in 2 Samuel 24:1 with some few variations, which are there observed; see the notes there.
See Chapter Introduction
At that time when David saw that the Lord had answered him in the threshing floor Of Ornan the Jebusite,.... The same with Araunah, 2 Samuel 24:16, with some small variation of the letters, and are of the same signification; both signifying the "ornus", as HillerusF13Onomastic. Sacr. p. 529, 530. observes, the pine tree or ash; see Isaiah 44:14, in whose threshingfloor David now was, and where he had been praying and sacrificing; and God had accepted his prayer, as the Targum, and had answered him, by causing fire to come down on the sacrifice and consume it, and by ordering the angel to put up his sword in its sheath:
then he sacrificed there; again by the priests, and continued to do so, for he had sacrificed there before, 1 Chronicles 21:26 and finding his sacrifices in that place were acceptable, he repeated them, and did not go to Gibeon, as follows.
For the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses made,.... Or ordered to be made by the command of God, and according to his direction:
and the altar of burnt offerings, were at that season in the high place at Gibeon; which was four or five miles from Jerusalem, and too far for David to go in that time of extremity; though he must have gone thither to sacrifice, had not the Lord bid him build an altar on the threshingfloor; for there was the altar of burnt offering, on which only, according to the law of Moses, sacrifices were to be offered: this high place is, in the Targum, called the sanctuary, it including, as Kimchi observes, the whole house, the tabernacle, and the altar in it; which had been here, and at Nob, fifty seven years, as the Jewish writers sayF14Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Zebachim, c. 14. sect. 7. .
But David could not go before it to inquire of God,.... Which yet was the proper place to seek the Lord in: the reason follows:
for he was afraid, because of the sword of the angel of the Lord; which had so terrified him, that he was so weak that he could not go; and he feared that, should he attempt to go, while he was going thither, at such a distance, the angel would make a terrible slaughter in Jerusalem, and therefore he durst not go and leave it; and besides, as the Lord had commanded him to build an altar there, he might fear it would displease him, should he depart from it; and the rather, as hereby he pointed out to him the place where the temple should be built, and sacrifices offered, as appears from what he says in the beginning of the next chapter.