1 Chronicles 29 · WEB
Freewill Offerings for the Temple; David's Great Prayer; Solomon Crowned; David's Death
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David the king said to all the assembly, "Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great; for the palace is not for man, but for Yahweh God.
2Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the bronze for things of bronze, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, stones for embroidery, and of various colors, and all kinds of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.
3Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and I give it to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,
4even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, with which to overlay the walls of the houses;
5of gold for things of gold, and of silver for things of silver, and for all kinds of work to be made by the hands of craftsmen. Who then offers willingly to consecrate himself today to Yahweh?"
6Then the princes of fathers' houses, and the princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers over the king's work, offered willingly;
7and they gave for the service of God's house of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand darics, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of bronze eighteen thousand talents, and of iron a hundred thousand talents.
8Whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of Yahweh, in the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite.
9Then the people rejoiced, because they had offered willingly, because with a perfect heart they offered willingly to Yahweh; and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
10Therefore David blessed Yahweh before all the assembly; and David said, "You are blessed, Yahweh, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever.
11Yours, Yahweh, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty! For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, Yahweh, and you are exalted as head above all.
12Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all; and in your hand is power and might; and it is in your hand to make great, and to give strength to all.
13Now therefore, our God, we thank you, and praise your glorious name.
14But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.
15For we are strangers before you, and foreigners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope.
16Yahweh our God, all this store that we have prepared to build you a house for your holy name comes of your hand, and is all your own.
17I know also, my God, that you try the heart, and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things. Now I have seen with joy your people, who are present here, offer willingly to you.
18Yahweh, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel our fathers, keep this desire forever in the thoughts of the hearts of your people, and prepare their heart to you;
19and give to Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace for which I have made provision."
20David said to all the assembly, "Now bless Yahweh your God." All the assembly blessed Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads and prostrated themselves before Yahweh and before the king.
21They sacrificed sacrifices to Yahweh, and offered burnt offerings to Yahweh, on the next day, even one thousand bulls, one thousand rams, one thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel,
22and ate and drank before Yahweh on that day with great gladness. They made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him to Yahweh to be prince, and Zadok to be priest.
23Then Solomon sat on the throne of Yahweh as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.
24All the princes, and the mighty men, and also all the sons of king David, submitted themselves to Solomon the king.
25Yahweh magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.
26Now David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.
27The time that he reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
28He died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his place.
29Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the history of Samuel the seer, and in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the history of Gad the seer,
30with all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries.
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Summary
The book of 1 Chronicles ends with a magnificent climax. David calls the nation to give generously toward the temple, then leads by personal example, giving from his private treasure. The people respond with joyful, wholehearted giving. David offers one of the most beautiful prayers in Scripture — a prayer of doxology acknowledging that everything belongs to God and that their giving is simply returning what is already his. Solomon is publicly crowned king, the assembly worships, and David dies "full of days, riches, and honor." The Chronicler closes by pointing to other historical sources for David's complete story.
Themes
- Wholehearted, joyful generosity as worship
- Everything belongs to God; giving is returning what is already his
- A life well-finished in faithful service
Key verses
- 1 Chr 29:11 — “Yours, Yahweh, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty! For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours.”
- 1 Chr 29:14 — “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.”
- 1 Chr 29:28 — “He died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his place.”
Context & background
David's prayer in verses 10-19 is one of the supreme prayers of the Old Testament and has shaped Jewish and Christian doxology for millennia. The doxology "Yours, Yahweh, is the greatness, the power, the glory..." (v. 11) echoes through the Lord's Prayer ("for yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory" — Matthew 6:13). The offering totals in verses 6-8 were staggering: thousands of talents of gold, silver, bronze, and iron, plus precious stones — a national outpouring of generosity. David died at Hebron and Jerusalem after a forty-year reign (c. 1010–970 BC). His epitaph — "full of days, riches, and honor" — is the ideal closing for a faithful king in Chronicles.
Cross-references
- 1 Chronicles 17 — The Davidic Covenant; this chapter shows its fulfillment beginning in Solomon
- 1 Kings 1-2 — The parallel account of Solomon's coronation and David's final instructions
- 2 Corinthians 9:7 — "God loves a cheerful giver" — the spirit of Israel's giving here
- Matthew 6:13 — The Lord's Prayer doxology echoes David's prayer in v. 11
- Psalm 103:15-16 — "Our days are like grass" — David's same theme in his prayer (v. 15)