Why did the people rejoice over their temple offerings?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

They promised willingly and offered to the Lord with all their heart. David rejoiced too, then thanked God, saying they had given what they had received from his hand.

Chapter breakdown

David encourages contributions for the temple, gives thanks and prays; the chapter records sacrifices and his death.

David told the assembly that Solomon, whom alone God had chosen, was still young and tender, while the work was great: the house was prepared for God, not man. With all his ability David had prepared gold, silver, brass, iron and wood for things of those materials, onyx, stones like alabaster, stones of different colours, every kind of precious stone and abundant marble of Paros. Beyond what he had already offered and prepared for the holy house, he gave his own gold and silver: 3,000 talents of Ophir gold and 7,000 talents of refined silver to overlay the temple walls. Gold and silver would also serve wherever needed in the craftsmen’s work. Anyone willing was invited to fill his hand that day and offer what he pleased to the Lord.

Family heads, Israel’s tribal princes, captains over thousands and hundreds, and overseers of the king’s possessions promised offerings. They gave 5,000 talents and 10,000 solids of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of brass and 100,000 talents of iron for the Lord’s house. Those who had stones gave them to its treasures through Jahiel the Gersonite. The people rejoiced because they promised willingly and offered to the Lord with all their heart; David also rejoiced greatly.

David blessed the Lord before the multitude, addressing the God of Israel, their father from eternity to eternity. He ascribed magnificence, power, glory, victory and praise to him: all in heaven and earth was his, the kingdom was his and he was above all princes. Riches and glory belonged to him; he ruled all, with power, might, greatness and the empire of all things in his hand. David gave thanks and praised God’s glorious name. He asked who he and his people were to promise such things, since all belonged to God and they gave what they had received from his hand. They were sojourners and strangers like their fathers; their earthly days were a shadow, with no stay. All the prepared store for a house to God’s holy name came from God’s hand and belonged to him.

David said God tested hearts and loved simplicity. He had joyfully offered in simplicity of heart and had seen the present people’s offerings with great joy. Addressing the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel their fathers, he asked him to keep this will of their hearts for ever and this mind always for his worship. He asked a perfect heart for Solomon, to keep God’s commandments, testimonies and ceremonies, do all things and build the house whose expenses David had provided.

David commanded the assembly to bless the Lord their God. They blessed their fathers’ God, bowed and worshipped God, then the king. They sacrificed victims to the Lord and offered holocausts the next day: 1,000 bullocks, 1,000 rams and 1,000 lambs, with libations and everything prescribed most abundantly for all Israel. They ate and drank before the Lord that day with great joy. They anointed Solomon son of David a second time, to the Lord as prince, and Sadoc as high priest.

Solomon sat on the Lord’s throne as king in place of David his father, pleased all and was obeyed by all Israel. Princes, men of power and all David’s sons gave their hand and submitted to him. The Lord magnified Solomon over Israel and gave him glory of reign unlike any earlier king of Israel. David son of Isai had reigned over all Israel for 40 years: seven in Hebron and 33 in Jerusalem. He died at a good age, full of days, riches and glory; Solomon reigned in his place. David’s acts, first and last, were written in the books of Samuel the seer, Nathan the prophet and Gad the seer, covering his reign, valour and the times under him in Israel and all the kingdoms of the countries.

The story inside

David places Solomon’s youth beside the greatness of a house prepared for God. He lists his preparations and adds a personal gift beyond them, then invites willing offerings. The named leaders give metals in stated amounts; stones are entrusted through Jahiel. The account gives wholehearted willingness as the reason for the people’s joy. David’s public thanksgiving says both the resources and the power to offer come from God, while human days pass like a shadow. He asks for their willing hearts to endure and for Solomon to keep the commands and build. The assembly blesses God, sacrifices, feasts and anoints Solomon a second time, with Sadoc as high priest. Solomon receives the stated submission and glory. The book closes with David’s reign, death and the named records of his acts.

Lessons worth keeping

1
David’s personal gift is additional to his earlier preparations. The leaders’ offering has different quantities and units, including 10,000 solids alongside 5,000 talents of gold. Keeping the gifts distinct preserves the account without inventing a modern value or calling the stated amount more than 5,000 talents.
2
The thanksgiving connects giving with receiving. David says all things belong to God and the offered store came from his hand. He also describes short human days and asks God to preserve willing hearts. These are the prayer’s statements and requests; they do not prove that generosity always produces virtue or that the requested future obedience already happened.
3
The closing events have their own order and limits. Sacrifices include 1,000 of each named animal, libations and the prescribed things; Solomon’s anointing is explicitly the second. The account states Israel’s obedience and God’s grant of unusual glory, then gives David’s 40-year reign as 7 in Hebron and 33 in Jerusalem and names three prophetic records. It does not supply additional death circumstances or succession motives.

Test your recall

Solomon is young and the work is great → David explains preparations, adds his own gift and invites willing offerings. Leaders and people offer wholeheartedly → people and David rejoice. All the store came from God’s hand → David gives thanks and asks for lasting willing hearts and Solomon’s obedience. David commands blessing → assembly blesses, sacrifices and feasts. Second anointing → Solomon rules in David’s place and receives submission. David dies after 40 years of reign → Solomon succeeds him and the account names the records of David’s acts.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 44261–44266
1 Paralipomenon Chapter 29 David by word and example encourageth the princes to contribute liberally to the building of the temple. His thanksgiving, prayer, and sacrifices: his death.
Lines 44267–44288
29:1. And king David said to all the assembly: Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is as yet young and tender: and the work is great, for a house is prepared not for man, but for God. 29:2. And I with all my ability have prepared the expenses for the house of my God. Gold for vessels of gold, and silver for vessels of silver, brass for things of brass, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood: and onyx stones, and stones like alabaster, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble of Paros in great abundance. 29:3. Now over and above the things which I have offered into the house of my God I give of my own proper goods, gold and silver for the temple of my God, beside what things I have prepared for the holy house. 29:4. Three thousand talents of gold of the gold of Ophir: and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the temple. 29:5. And gold for wheresoever there is need of gold: and silver for wheresoever there is need of silver, for the works to be made by the hands of the artificers: now if any man is willing to offer, let him fill his hand to day, and offer what he pleaseth to the Lord.
Lines 44290–44304
29:6. Then the heads of the families, and the princes of the tribes of Israel and the captains of thousands, and of hundreds, and the overseers of the king’s possessions promised, 29:7. And they gave for the works of the house of the Lord, of gold, five thousand talents, and ten thousand solids: of silver ten thousand talents: and of brass eighteen thousand talents: and of iron a hundred thousand talents. 29:8. And all they that had stones, gave them to the treasures of the house of the Lord, by the hand of Jahiel the Gersonite. 29:9. And the people rejoiced, when they promised their offerings willingly: because they offered them to the Lord with all their heart: and David the king rejoiced also with a great joy.
Lines 44306–44331
29:10. And he blessed the Lord before all the multitude, and he said: Blessed art thou, O Lord the God of Israel, our father from eternity to eternity. 29:11. Thine, O Lord, is magnificence, and power, and glory, and victory: and to thee is praise: for all that is in heaven, and in earth, is thine: thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art above all princes. 29:12. Thine are riches, and thine is glory, thou hast dominion over all, in thy hand is power and might: in thy hand greatness, and the empire of all things. 29:13. Now therefore our God we give thanks to thee, and we praise thy glorious name. 29:14. Who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to promise thee all these things? all things are thine: and we have given thee what we received of thy hand. 29:15. For we are sojourners before thee, and strangers, as were all our fathers. Our days upon earth are as a shadow, and there is no stay. 29:16. O Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee a house for thy holy name, is from thy hand, and all things are thine.
Lines 44333–44344
29:17. I know my God that thou provest hearts, and lovest simplicity, wherefore I also in the simplicity of my heart, have joyfully offered all these things: and I have seen with great joy thy people, which are here present, offer thee their offerings. 29:18. O Lord God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Israel our fathers, keep for ever this will of their heart, and let this mind remain always for the worship of thee. 29:19. And give to Solomon my son a perfect heart, that he may keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy ceremonies, and do all things: and build the house, for which I have provided the charges.
Lines 44346–44357
29:20. And David commanded all the assembly: Bless ye the Lord our God. And all the assembly blessed the Lord the God of their fathers: and they bowed themselves and worshipped God, and then the king. 29:21. And they sacrificed victims to the Lord: and they offered holocausts the next day, a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, with their libations, and with every thing prescribed most abundantly for all Israel. 29:22. And they ate, and drank before the Lord that day with great joy. And they anointed the second time Solomon the son of David. And they anointed him to the Lord to be prince, and Sadoc to be high priest.
Lines 44359–44386
29:23. And Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and he pleased all: and all Israel obeyed him. 29:24. And all the princes, and men of power, and all the sons of king David gave their hand, and were subject to Solomon the king. 29:25. And the Lord magnified Solomon over all Israel: and gave him the glory of a reign, such as no king of Israel had before him. 29:26. So David the son of Isai reigned over all Israel. 29:27. And the days that he reigned over Israel, were forty years: in Hebron he reigned seven years, and in Jerusalem three and thirty years. 29:28. And he died in a good age, full of days, and riches, and glory. And Solomon his son reigned in his stead. 29:29. Now the acts of king David first and last are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer: 29:30. And of all his reign, and his valour, and of the times that passed under him, either in Israel, or in all the kingdoms of the countries.