1 Chronicles 28:4

Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel:

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(4) Howbeit the Lord God of Israel chose me.—Comp. 1Chronicles 11:2 and Notes. The Divine election of David preludes that of Solomon (1Chronicles 28:5).

For he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler.—Better, For Judah it was that he chose for prince (nāgîd), and in the house of Judah, my father’s house. (Comp. 1Chronicles 5:2 and Notes.)

And among the sons of my father he liked me.—The expression is scarcely adequate. The verb in the Hebrew is rāçāh, which answers to the Hellenistic εύδοκεῖν, “to be satisfied, well pleased with.” Translate, therefore, “It was I in whom He took pleasure.”(Comp. Proverbs 3:12.) David uses of himself the very phrase which the Divine voice spoke from heaven at the baptism of the Son of David, the true King of Israel and of mankind (Matthew 3:17).

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

28:1-10 During David's last sickness, many chief priests and Levites were at Jerusalem. Finding himself able, David spoke of his purpose to build a temple for God, and of God's disallowing that purpose. He opened to them God's gracious purposes concerning Solomon. David charged them to cleave stedfastly to God and their duty. We cannot do our work as we should, unless we put on resolution, and fetch in strength from Divine grace. Religion or piety has two distinct parts. The first is knowledge of God, the second is worship of God. David says, Know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind. God is made known by his works and word. Revelation alone shows the whole character of God, in his providence, his holy law, his condemnation of sinners, his blessed gospel, and the ministration of the Spirit to all true believers. The natural man cannot receive this knowledge of God. But thus we learn the value of the Saviour's atonement, and of the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, and are influenced to walk in all his commandments. It brings a sinner to his proper place at the foot of the cross, as a poor, guilty, helpless worm, deserving wrath, yet expecting every thing needful from the free mercy and grace of God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Having been forgiven much, the pardoned sinner learns to love much.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

My brethren - David retains the modest phrase of a king not born in the purple, but raised from the ranks of the people (see 1 Samuel 30:23; 2 Samuel 19:12). No later Jewish monarch would have thus addressed his subjects.

The footstool of our God - David views the ark as God's "footstool," because he was enthroned above it visibly in the Shechinah, or luminous cloud, present from time to time above the mercy seat and between the cherubim (compare the marginal references).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

4, 5. he hath chosen Solomon—The spirit of David's statement is this:—It was not my ambition, my valor, or my merit that led to the enthronement of myself and family; it was the grace of God which chose the tribe, the family, the person—myself in the first instance, and now Solomon, to whom, as the Lord's anointed, you are all bound to submit. Like that of Christ, of whom he was a type, the appointment of Solomon to the kingdom above all his brethren was frequently pre-intimated (1Ch 17:12; 22:9; 2Sa 7:12-14; 12:24, 25; 1Ki 1:13).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

No text from Poole on this verse.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Howbeit, the Lord God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever,.... Passing by all his brethren who were elder than he, he pitched upon him, and ordered him to be anointed king of Israel, see 1 Samuel 16:10, and that for ever, for a long time, as long as he lived; or rather in his posterity for many years to come, and best of all in his antitype Christ, the son of David, see Luke 1:32.

for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; the tribe of Judah to be the seat of government, and one out of that tribe to be the chief ruler, see 1 Chronicles 5:2.

and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; out of that tribe he chose his father's family, to take from thence one to be king of Israel:

and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel; though the youngest of them, 1 Samuel 16:11, this was his will and pleasure.

Geneva Study Bible

Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of {b} Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel:

(b) According to the prophecy of Jacob, Ge 49:8.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

4. before all the house] R.V. out of all the house. See 1 Samuel 16:1-13.

king … for ever] i.e. the kingdom is to abide with David and his descendants.

ruler] R.V. prince; Hebrew nâgîd. Cp. 1 Chronicles 5:2 (A.V. “chief ruler,” R.V. “prince”).

he liked me] R.V. he took pleasure in me.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 4-7. - David mentions himself as the elect of God among all the members of his father's family, and from thence is led to trace the call from the first, by the following steps: - The tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:8; 1 Chronicles 5:2); the house of Jesse (1 Samuel 16:1); thirdly, of himself (1 Samuel 16:13); and lastly of Solomon (1 Chronicles 22:9, 10; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14; 2 Samuel 7:12-16). The exact time and method of David's receiving the identification of Solomon as the son to succeed him, is nowhere given. The throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. This expression, not found in its entirety elsewhere, is an emphatic statement here of the true theocracy, which should have ever prevailed among the people of Israel, and which is now paralleled by the kingship of the Lord in his own Church (1 Chronicles 17:14; 1 Chronicles 29:23). The solemn and most distinct proviso, If he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day, reminds us of Psalm 132:12. This proviso is emphatically presented again to the attention of Solomon, when the time comes for the direct appeal of God to him (1 Kings 3:14; 1 Kings 8:61; 1 Kings 9:4). 1 Chronicles 28:4

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The address, "My brethren and my people," is expressive of condescending goodwill; cf. on אחי, 1 Samuel 30:23; 2 Samuel 19:13. What David here says (1 Chronicles 28:3-7) of the temple building, he had in substance already (1 Chronicles 22:7-13) said to his son Solomon: I, it was with my heart, i.e., I purposed (cf. 1 Chronicles 22:7) to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Jahve, and the footstool of the feet of our God, i.e., for the ark and for the capporeth upon it, which is called "footstool of the feet of our God," because God was enthroned above the cherubim upon the capporeth. "And I have prepared to build," i.e., prepared labour and materials, 1 Chronicles 22:2-4 and 1 Chronicles 22:14.; on 1 Chronicles 28:3, cf. 1 Chronicles 22:8. - In 1 Chronicles 28:4 David states how his election to be king was of God, who had chosen Judah to be ruler (cf. 1 Chronicles 5:2); and just so (1 Chronicles 28:5, 1 Chronicles 28:6) had God chosen Solomon from among all his many sons to be heir to the throne, and committed to him the building of the temple; cf. 1 Chronicles 22:10. The expression, "throne of the kingdom of Jahve," and more briefly, "throne of Jahve" (1 Chronicles 29:23, or מלכוּתי, 1 Chronicles 17:14), denotes that Jahve is the true King of Israel, and had chosen Solomon as He had chosen David to be holder and administrator of His kingdom dominion. - On 1 Chronicles 22:6 and 1 Chronicles 22:7, cf. 1 Chronicles 22:10 and 1 Chronicles 17:11.; and with the condition וגו יחזק אם, cf. 1 Kings 3:14; 1 Kings 9:4, where God imposes an exactly similar condition on Solomon. הזּה כּיּום, as is done at this time; cf. 1 Kings 8:61, and the commentary on Deuteronomy 2:30. On this speech J. H. Mich. well remarks: "tota haec narratio aptata est ad prospositum Davidis: vult enim Salomoni auctoritatem apud principes et fratres conciliare, ostendendo, non humana, sed divina voluntate electum esse," To this David adds an exhortation to the whole assembly (1 Chronicles 28:8), and to his son Solomon (1 Chronicles 28:9), to hold fast their faithfulness to God.