1 Chronicles 29:17

I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(17) Thou triest the heart.—Psalm 11:4; Psalm 7:9; Psalm 26:2.

Hast pleasure in.—1Chronicles 28:4, 1Chronicles 29:3. (Comp. also 1Chronicles 28:9.)

Uprightness.—Or, sincerity (mêshārîm, Song of Solomon 1:4).

In the uprightness (yōsher), integrity (Deuteronomy 9:5),, a synonym of mêshārîm. Both literally mean straightness: e.g., of a road (Proverbs 2:13; Proverbs 23:31). The connexion of ideas is this: Thou that lookest upon the heart knowest that my offering has been made without grudging and without hypocrisy; my motive was not my own interest, but Thy glory. Hence my joyful thanksgiving, because of the free generosity of Thy people.

Which are present here.—Literally, Who have found themselves here (reflexive verb). (So 2Chronicles 5:11, and other places.)

Benson Commentary

1 Chronicles 29:17. I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, &c. — That thou observest with what intention and disposition of mind any offering is made and work performed; and hast pleasure in uprightness — Without which the most costly gift, and most laborious services, would be as nothing before thee. And hence it is that I hope thou wilt be pleased to accept what I now present to thee, being conscious that I offer it with a heart devoted to thy love and service, and with an intention to glorify thee. It is a great satisfaction to a good man to know that God tries the heart, and has pleasure in uprightness; and that whoever may misinterpret or contemn it, he is acquainted with, and approves, the way of the righteous. It was a comfort to David that God knew with what pleasure he both offered his own, and saw the people’s offering. I have seen with joy thy people offer willingly unto thee — By the largeness of their offering I discern the sincerity, willingness, and generosity of their hearts toward thee: for David judged, as in reason and charity he ought, of the tree by its fruit, and of their hearts by their actions.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

29:10-19 We cannot form a right idea of the magnificence of the temple, and the buildings around it, about which such quantities of gold and silver were employed. But the unsearchable riches of Christ exceed the splendour of the temple, infinitely more than that surpassed the meanest cottage on earth. Instead of boasting of these large oblations, David gave solemn thanks to the Lord. All they gave for the Lord's temple was his own; if they attempted to keep it, death would soon have removed them from it. They only use they could make of it to their real advantage, was, to consecrate it to the service of Him who gave it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The people rejoiced for that they offered willingly - i. e., the munificence of the princes and officers 1 Chronicles 29:6 caused general joy among the people.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

16. all this store that we have prepared—It may be useful to exhibit a tabular view of the treasure laid up and contributions stated by the historian as already made towards the erection of the proposed temple. Omitting the brass and iron, and precious stones, which, though specified partly (1Ch 29:7), are represented in other portions as "without weight" (1Ch 22:3, 14), we shall give in this table only the amount of gold and silver; and taking the talent of gold as worth £5475 (the talent being 125 pounds in weight), the value of the gold will be about 73s. per ounce. The talent of silver is given at £342 3s. 9d., or 4s. 4½d. per ounce. The total amount of the contributions will be:

Sum accumulated, and in public treasury (1Ch 22:14): Gold £547,500,000 Silver 342,187,500 Contributed by David from his private resources [1Ch 29:4]: Gold 16,425,000 Silver 2,395,312 Contributed by the assembled rulers [1Ch 29:7]: Gold 28,000,000 Silver 3,421,875 A grand total of approximately £939,929,687

Though it has been the common practice of Eastern monarchs to hoard vast sums for the accomplishment of any contemplated project, this amount so far exceeds not only every Oriental collection on record, but even the bounds of probability, that it is very generally allowed that either there is a corruption of the text in 1Ch 22:14, or that the reckoning of the historian was by the Babylonian, which was only a half, or the Syrian, which was only a fifth part, of the Hebrew talent. This would bring the Scripture account more into accordance with the statements of Josephus, as well as within the range of credibility.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

By the largeness of their offering I discern the sincerity, willingness, and generosity of their hearts towards thee; for David judged, as in reason and clarity he ought, of the tree by its fruit, and of their hearts by their actions.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart,.... Searchest it, and knowest it perfectly, whether what is done is from it:

and hast pleasure in uprightness; in what is done in sincerity and uprightness of heart:

as for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; for the truth of which he could appeal to the heart searching God:

and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee; he judged by what they did, and their manner of doing it, that it was done in the uprightness of their hearts also, as his were, which gave him sensible joy and pleasure.

Geneva Study Bible

I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 17. - It may very possibly be that the stress with which David here says, I know, had its special cause. The thought of God as one who "tried" the heart is one often brought out in David's psalms, but a strong conviction of it may have been wrought in David's mind by Samuel's rehearsal of the language God used to him at the very time of the election of David from amid all the other of Jesse's sons (1 Samuel 16:7). 1 Chronicles 29:17

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Before God, who searches the heart and loves uprightness, David can declare that he has willingly given in uprightness of heart, and that the people also have, to his joy, shown equal willingness. כּל־אלּה, all the treasures enumerated (1 Chronicles 29:3-8). The plural הנּמצאוּ refers to עמּך, and the demonstrative ה stands for אשׁר as in 1 Chronicles 26:28.