Page:The Books of Chronicles (1916).djvu/223

Rh that served the king by course, and the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, and the rulers over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the officers, and the mighty men, even all the mighty men of valour, unto Jerusalem. Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: as for me, it was in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the, and for the footstool of our God; and I had made ready for the building. But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou art a man of war, and hast shed blood. Howbeit the, the God of Israel, chose me out of all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be prince; and in the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel: and of all my sons, (for the hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon

the captains of the companies] See xxvii. 1—15.

the rulers] See xxvii. 25—31.

officers] mg. eunuchs; the earlier authorities however for David's reign (in the books of Samuel) do not mention such persons; and they were perhaps introduced into the Israelite court at a later time. Yet cp. 1 Sam. viii. 15.

2. stood up upon his feet] Kings sometimes made orations sitting; cp. Acts xii. 21. Here the king stands to mark the greatness of the occasion.

my brethren] The king is the brother of his subjects; Deut. xvii. 15, 20; cp. Ps. xlv. 7.

it was in mine heart] See xvii. 1; 2 Sam. vii. 2.

an house of rest] Cp. xvii. 5; 2 Sam. vii. 6.

the footstool] Cp. Is. lx. 13.

3. thou art a man of war] See note on xxii. 8.

4. out of all the house] See 1 Sam. xvi. 1—13.

king for ever] i.e. the kingdom is to abide with David and his descendants. That the promise, however, was not to be interpreted as independent of moral conditions, see below ver. 9 ad fin.

5. many sons] Cp. iii. 1—9.

he hath chosen Solomon] The earlier histories (Samuel-Kings) do not thus speak of God choosing Solomon as David's successor; but cp. 2 Sam. xii. 24, 25; 1 Kin. i. 11—14.