1 Chronicles 29:25

And the LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(25) And bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.—Literally, and put upon him a glory of kingship that had not become on any king over Israel before him. The phrase “put glory upon . . .” (nāthan hôd ‘al . . .) occurs in Psalm 8:2. Only two or, counting Ish-bosheth, three kings had preceded Solomon. (Comp. 1Kings 3:12; 2Chronicles 1:12.)

Benson Commentary

1 Chronicles 29:25. The Lord magnified Solomon exceedingly — Gave him great honour and reputation, together with riches and power, and all such things as render a king great and glorious. Bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king of Israel — Either on David or Saul, or any of the former governors of Israel. None of his predecessors possessed such dignity and authority, or lived in such splendour and magnificence as he did.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

29:20-25 This great assembly joined with David in adoring God. Whoever is the mouth of the congregation, those only have the benefit who join him, not by bowing down the head, so much as by lifting up the soul. Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord. Solomon's kingdom typified the kingdom of the Messiah, whose throne is the throne of the Lord.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The throne of David is called here "the throne of the Lord," as in 1 Chronicles 28:5 it is called "the throne of the kingdom of the Lord," because God had set it up and had promised to establish it.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

24. submitted themselves—Hebrew, "put their hands under Solomon," according to the custom still practised in the East of putting a hand under the king's extended hand and kissing the back of it (2Ki 10:15).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Such royal majesty, i.e. such honour and reputation, together with power and riches, and all things which snake a king great and glorious.

Any king; either David or Saul, or any of the former governors of Israel, the word king being oft used in a large sense for any governor.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the Lord magnified Solomon exceedingly before all Israel,.... By giving him such a large share of wisdom and understanding in government:

and bestowed upon him such royal majesty; not only such wealth and riches, but such honour and reverence:

as had not been on any king before him in Israel; not on Saul, nor even on David.

Geneva Study Bible

And the LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

25. such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel] The rather awkward Heb. phrase must be translated by rather awkward English; render, Royal majesty which was not on any king more than on him in lsrael; i.e. the majesty of Solomon was not exceeded by that of any other king of Israel. The Heb. word here translated before is sometimes used to express comparison without reference to time; cp. Job 34:19, “nor regardeth [he] the rich more than the poor.” According to A.V. the comparison is between Solomon on the one side, and his three predecessors only (David, Ish-bosheth, and Saul) on the other.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 25. - Any king before him in Israel. There were, of course, only two kings "before" Solomon in Israel. The promise of God to Solomon, however, when he was "pleased" with the speech of the prayer which he offered a very short time subsequently, was much larger, and suggests itself to us as what may really have been present to the mind of the historian when he used the less comprehensive words above (2 Chronicles 1:12; 1 Kings 4:12, 13). 1 Chronicles 29:25

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Jahve made Solomon very great, by giving him the glory of the kingdom, as no king before him had had it. כּל is to be taken along with לא, nullus, and does not presuppose a number of kings before Solomon; it involves only more than one. Before him, Saul, Ishbosheth, and David had been kings, and the kingship of the latter had been covered with glory.