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CHAPTER XXVIII

David assembles the princes of Israel, and informs them that the temple was to be built by Solomon; to whom God had given the most gracious promises, 1-7. He exhorts them and him to be obedient to God, that they might continue to prosper, 8- 10. He gives Solomon a pattern of the work, 11, 12; directs him concerning the courses of the priests and Levites, 13; gives also gold, by weight, for the different utensils of the temple, as God had directed him, 14-19; encourages Solomon to undertake the work, 20, 21.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXVIII

Verse 1. "David assembled" - This refers to the persons whose names and offices we have seen in the preceding chapter.

Verse 2. "David-stood up upon his feet" - He was now very old, and chiefly confined to his bed, (see 1 Kings i. 47;) and while he was addressing his son Solomon, he continued on the bed; but when all the principal nobles of his kingdom came before him he received strength to arise and address them, standing on his feet.

Verse 3. "Thou shalt not build a house" - See 2 Sam. vii. 6, 13, and the observations at the end of that chapter.

Verse 4. "Over Israel for ever" - The government should have no end, provided they continued to walk according to the commandments of God; see ver. 7. The government, as referring to Christ, is, and will be, without end.

Verse 8. "In the audience of our God" - "Before the Word of the Lord." -T.

Verse 10. "The Lord hath chosen thee" - "The Word of the Lord hath chosen thee." -T.

Verse 11. "David gave to Solomon-the pattern" - He gave him an ichnograph of the building, with elevations, sections, and specifications of every part; and all this he received by inspiration from God himself, (see ver. 12, 19,) just as Moses had received the plan of the tabernacle.

"The treasuries thereof" - wykzng ganzaccaiv. The word ūzng ganzach is not Hebrew, but is supposed to be Persian, the same word being found in Ezra iii. 19. In this tongue we have the word ganj, a granary, a hidden treasure, and gunjoor, and gunjineh, a treasure, treasury, or barn.

Parkhurst supposes that it is compounded of zng ganaz, to treasure up, and ūz zach, pure; a treasury for the most precious things.

Verse 12. "All that he had by the Spirit" - "By the Spirit of prophecy that was with him." -T.

Verse 14. "Of gold by weight" - The quantity of gold which was to be put in each article.

Verse 15. "For the candlesticks" - There was but one chandelier in the tabernacle; there were ten in the temple. See 1 Kings vii. 49.

Verse 18. "The chariot of the cherubims" - "And the figure of the chariot, like to the figure of the propitiatory, where are the figures of the golden cherubim, extending their wings and covering the ark of the covenant of the Lord." -T.

Verse 19. "Understand in writing" - In some vision of ecstasy he had seen a regularly sketched out plan, which had made so deep an impression on his mind that he could readily describe it to his son.

"That the architecture of the temple," says Dr. Delaney, "was of Divine origin, I, for my part, am fully satisfied from this passage, and am confirmed in this opinion by finding from Vilalpandas that the Roman, at least the Greek, architecture is derived from this, as from its fountain; and in my humble opinion even an infidel may easily believe these to be of Divine original, inasmuch as they are, at least the latter is, found perfect in the earliest models; nor hath the utmost reach of human wisdom, invention, and industry, been ever able to improve it, or alter it but to disadvantage, through the course of so many ages."

Verse 20. "The Lord God-my God, will be with thee" - "The Word of the Lord my God will be thy assistant." -T.

Verse 21. "Behold, the courses of the priests" - The priests and the Levites, the cunning artificers, and the princes of the people, will be at thy command. Thus David, having assigned him his work, and described the manner in which it was to be done, shows him who were to be his assistants in it, and encourages him in the great undertaking.