David's thanksgiving Before CHRIST 1015. + Heb. to fill his hand. CHRIST willing to consecrate his service this | LORD before all the congregation: Before 6 Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king's work, offered willingly, 7 And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. 8 And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the LORD, by the hand of Jehiel the Gersho nite. ever. 1 Tim. 1. 17. 11 Thine, O LORD, is the great-e Matt. 6. 13. ness, and the power, and the glory, Rev. 5. 13. and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. 13 Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. 9 Then the people rejoiced, for 14 But who am I, and what is my that they offered willingly, because people, that we should be able to with perfect heart they offered wil-offer so willingly after this sort? for lingly to the LORD: and David the all things come of thee, and † of thine king also rejoiced with great joy. own have we given thee. 10 Wherefore David blessed the gems of any kind were used externally to such a building, but variegated marble may readily be admitted. Script. illust. Expos. Ind. 5.-to consecrate his service] "To fill his hand," as it is literally in the Hebrew; a phrase which signifies in that language "to make an offering." Bp. Patrick. 9. and David the king also rejoiced &c.] It was a singular comfort to him in his old age to see the people so well disposed, and his exhortation so effectual on their heart; which inspired him with the pleasing hope that this great work could not fail of being speedily accomplished. Bp. Patrick. 15 For we are strangers before thee, and by actions truly virtuous, glorify Thee their God, who art the searcher of hearts, and canst not be deceived by any false appearance. Pyle. The piety of David shines forth with the greatest lustre in the prayer he made upon this occasion. Herein he acknowledges and adores the majesty of God; with great humility presents his offering before Him, and the offerings of the chief of the people; offers up ardent prayers for all the people, and for Solomon his son; and exhorts the whole congregation of Israel to join with him in blessing and praising God. The humble and ardent devotion, and the extraordinary spirit, which are diffused through every part of this excellent prayer, should wonderfully animate us to the same duties. Let us then discharge these duties with 10.- Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel &c.] Here follows a noble declaration of the sense king David had of the Divine excellences and perfections, with a thankful acknowledgment of the power, immensity, good-pleasure and a holy zeal: let us adore and praise the ness, eternity, and majesty, which are the properties and attributes of God. Bp. Patrick. This hymn of praise and thanksgiving, ver. 10-19, may thus be paraphrased: For ever blessed be the great God of Israel, the one Lord of heaven and earth, Supreme Governour of all things, Author of every blessing, and of every good and virtuous disposition! Praised be thy goodness in bestowing earthly riches upon us, and then giving us an heart to pay back our tribute to Thee, to whom we owe all that we are or can enjoy! In thus doing, we are far from being or esteeming ourselves benefactors, for all things are thine; we possess them here for a short duration, through thy Divine favour and bounty, and our largest gifts and offerings are no more than returning to Thee what is thy own. Graciously accept my sincere intentions toward thy honour and service, and the unfeigned joy of my heart to find my subjects so well disposed to contribute their utmost toward so great a purpose. But grant that neither I nor they, nor the king my successor, nor any of their posterity after them, may vainly boast and deceive themselves, in the mere external work of building their temple, or in the outward pomp of its services, but may all with real and inward reverence of mind, infinite power and majesty of God: let us with profound humility acknowledge, that we are in his sight but frail mortal creatures; that all we have comes from Him, and that, whatever we offer or do for his glory, we do but offer Him his own, and what He has first given unto us. Let us beseech Him to produce in us good dispositions, ever to maintain them in us, and to turn our hearts and thoughts towards Him; let us excite our neighbours to join their praises with ours; and let us continually animate one another to bless and glorify his holy name by our prayers and praises, by our obedient conduct, and by our steady application to his service. Ostervald. 14. But who am I, and what is my people,] We here perceive, when David is making his most solemn acknowledgments to God for his great mercies towards him, how he abases himself before Him. In the same manner, in another place, Psalm ciii. 10, after he had summoned all the powers and faculties of his soul to join in the praises of God, he interposes this seasonable meditation," He hath not dealt with us after our sins." The greater and more lively sense we have of the goodness of God towards us, the more we shall abhor ourselves in dust and ashes; nothing being more apt to David's sacrifice. Before CHRIST 1015. d Ps. 39. 12. & 90.9. Heb. 11. 13. and sojourners, as were all our fathers: | unto the LORD, and offered burnt d our days on the earth are as a sha- offerings unto the LORD, on the mordow, and there is none + abiding. row after that day, even a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel: 16 O LORD our God, all this 1 Pet. 2. 11. store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine + Heb. expectation. 9. own. 17 I know also, my God, that thou e Chap. 28. triest the heart, and hast pleasure in 1 Sam. 16. 7. uprightness. As for me, in the up. rightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, || Or, found. which are || present here, to offer willingly unto thee. 18 O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy || Or, stablish. people, and I prepare their heart unto thee: 19 And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision. 20 And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the LORD your God. And all the congregation blessed the LORD God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the LORD, and the king. 21 And they sacrificed sacrifices melt us into tears of repentance, than the consideration of great and undeserved mercies vouchsafed to us. Abp. Tillotson. 22. they made Solomon-king the second time,] It has been supposed by some, that the anointing of Solomon here mentioned took place after the death of David; but this cannot be understood without a very forced construction of the words of the sacred history; for it is here stated, that the persons who had been rejoicing and feasting were those who now made him king the second time. The most clear method of understanding the several accounts of the consecration of Solomon to be king seems to be this. He was first anointed (1 Kings i. 21. 27) on the aspiring of Adonijah to be king, in the presence of a few, when David wished to point out who was to succeed him; and this was concurrent or the same with the making him king, mentioned 1 Chron. xxiii. 1; but his second and more formal consecration was that here mentioned, when he was anointed publickly before all the nation in the midst of the princes and great commanders. Perhaps David now resigned the entire government into his hands, finding that he had not long to live. Bp. Patrick. -and Zadok to be priest.] Zadok, it is meant, was appointed to be the next high priest when a vacancy should occur; for Abiathar continued in the office till the beginning of Solomon's reign. Pyle. Before CHRIST 1015. 22 And did eat and drink before the LORD on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him unto the 1 Kings LORD to be the chief governor, and 1. 33. Zadok to be priest. 23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him. 24 And all the princes, and the mighty men, and all the sons likewise of king David, +submitted themselves + Heb. unto Solomon the king. gave the hand under 25 And the LORD magnified Solo- Solomon. mon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such g1 Kings 3. royal majesty as had not been on any 2 Chron. 1. king before him in Israel. 26 Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 And the time that he reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem. 28 And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour: 23. 13. 12. Eccles. 2. 9. on the throne of the Lord] Thus the throne of this kingdom is called, because the land was God's peculiarly, and Israel his people, and Solomon reigned over them, not by inheritance, but by his special appointment. Bp. Patrick. 24. submitted themselves unto Solomon the king.] In the original, as in the margin, "gave the hand." The putting of the protester's hand into the hand of him who received the protestation, appears from Ockley's History of the Saracens to have been in the East a customary token of acknowledgment and allegiance, and to have conveyed the notion of an oath between the parties. "Several Mahometan chiefs came to Ali, and desired him to accept the government. He resolved not to accept of their allegiance in private; for they proffered to give him their hands (the customary ceremony then in use among them on such occasions) at his own house, but would have it performed at the mosque. Telka and Zobein came, and offered him their hands, as a mark or token of their approbation. Ali bid them, if they did it, to be in good earnest, otherwise he would give his own hand to either of them that would accept of the government; which they refused, and gave him theirs." Again: "Telka, just before he died, saw one of Ali's men, and asked him, if he belonged to the emperour of the faithful? Being informed that he did, Give me then, said he, your hand, THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLE S. INTRODUCTION. THE second book of Chronicles contains a brief sketch of the sacred history from the accession of Solomon to the throne, in the year of the world 2989 (before Christ 1015), to the return from captivity, in the year 3468 (before Christ 536). It contains many things omitted in the historical books which precede. It begins with a description of the reign of Solomon, and dilates with particular exactness on the munificent piety of that monarch in the construction of the temple, minutely specifying its ornaments as typical of spiritual decorations which were to embellish the Christian church; a subject highly interesting and useful to the Jews, who, at the time when this book was written, were preparing to rebuild the temple. Hence the account of the solemn consecration of the first building; of the noble and comprehensive prayer of Solomon; and of the covenanted promises which God graciously imparted at the dedication, must have furnished such consolation to the Jews, scarce yet reviving from the despondence of captives. Then is repeated from the book of Kings, the representation of the magnificence and prosperity which Solomon enjoyed agreeably to God's promise, chap. i. 11, 12. After this we are furnished with a recapitulation of the history of the kings of Judah, occasionally intermixed with relations respecting Israel, when connected with Judah. Great part of this history is selected either immediately from the book of Kings, or both Kings and Chronicles were copied from some larger annals, known under the title of the Books of Kings; since frequent references are herein made to some books of Kings, and sometimes for circumstances not extant in the canonical books, chap. xvi. 11; xxi; xxiv. 27; xxv. 26; xxviii. 26; xxxii. 32; xxxiii. 18; xxxv. 27. These accounts, however, in the books of Chronicles, are enriched with many additional particulars. They present us with a lively picture of the state of the kingdom of Judah; and of the various vicissitudes and revolutions which it sustained under different princes. They serve, as the author seems to have designed, greatly to illustrate the necessity of depending on God for defence, without whose protection kingdoms must fall. The advantage derived from obedience to God, and the miseries that resulted from wickedness and sin, are strikingly shewn. The book abounds with useful examples, and the characters are forcibly displayed by a contrasted succession of pious and depraved princes. The change and defection even of individual persons, and their decline from righteousness to evil, are shewn with much effect. The rebellion of Israel, and the contest between the two kingdoms; the preservation of Joash from the destruction which overwhelmed the rest of the house of Judah; the struggles between idolatry and true religion; the seasonable discovery of the copy of the law; with many other interesting particulars which exhibit the interposition of the Almighty defeating evil, and effecting his concerted purposes, deserve to be considered with great attention. Several predictions are scattered through the book: as the promises made to Solomon, chap. i. 12; vii. 17—22; to Jehoshaphat, xix. 2; xx. 15. 17. 37; and to others, xxxiii. 8. Some sentiments appear to be transcribed from it into the New Testament. Compare 2 Chron. ii. 5, 6, with Acts vii. 48, 49, and xvii. 24; also 2 Chron. xix. 7, with 1 Pet. i. 17. Dr. Gray. c 2 Sam. 6. 2, 4 But the ark of God had David brought up from Kirjath-jearim, to the place which David had prepared for it: for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem. d Exod. 38. 1. | Or, was there. e 1 Chron. 28.5. 5 Moreover the brasen altar, that Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of the LORD: and Solomon and the congregation sought unto it. 6 And Solomon went up thither to the brasen altar before the LORD, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it. 7¶ In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. 8 And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. 9 Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be f1 Kings 3. established: for thou hast made me 9. His strength and wealth. Before CHRIST 1015. 14 And Solomon gathered chariots. and horsemen : and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve k 1 Kings 10. thousand horsemen, which he placed 26, &c. & 4. in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. 26. 27. 28. 15 And the king made silver 11 Kings 10. and gold at Jerusalem as plenteous as chap. 9. 27, stones, and cedar trees made he as Heb. gave. the sycomore trees that are in the vale for abundance. 28. 16m And Solomon had horses m1 Kings 10. brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: chap. 9. 28. the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price. 17 And they fetched up, and brought forth out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty and so brought they out horses for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, + by their means. CHAP. II. : 1, 17 Solomon's labourers for the building of as the mucof king over a people + like the dust of AND Solomon determined to build house for the name of the LORD, and an house for his kingdom. 2 And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them. the going forth of the horses which was Solomon's. + Heb. by their hand. 4 Behold, I build an house to the 12 Wisdom and knowledge is grant-name of the LORD my God, to dedied unto thee; and I will give thee cate it to him, and to burn before him riches, and wealth, and honour, such + sweet incense, and for the continual Heb. shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel. 5 And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods. 13 ¶ Then Solomon came from his journey to the high place that was at Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the tabernacle of the congregation, and reigned over Israel. 14.—which he placed in the chariot cities,] Meaning those cities where there was abundance of good pasturage for horses. Bp. Patrick. 16.- and linen yarn:] See note at 1 Kings x. 28. Chap. II. ver. 5.—the house which I build is great:] A temple, Solomon says, for the worship of the one infinite and all-perfect Being, ought to be as sumptuous and magnificent as possible; not that it is to be thought |