Then he called for Solomon his son ,.... To be brought before him: and charged him to build an house for the Lord God of Israel ; which charge was given a little before his death, after he had made great preparations for this work, as appears from 1 Chronicles 22:5 . read more
And David said to Solomon ,.... When brought into his presence: my son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God ; he was disposed and inclined to it, and was once determined upon it, see 2 Samuel 7:2 . read more
But the word of the Lord came to me ,.... The word of prophecy, as the Targum, by the mouth of Nathan the prophet: saying ; as follows, which though not expressed in the book of Samuel before referred to, is here recorded by divine inspiration: thou hast shed blood abundantly ; Kimchi thinks this refers to the blood of Uriah, and those gallant men that were slain with him, and to the priests slain by the order of Saul, which David was the occasion of, or accidental cause of, 1... read more
Behold, a son shall be born to thee ,.... For this was said to David before the birth of Solomon, see 2 Samuel 7:12 . who shall be a man of rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about : and so should be at leisure for such a work, and his people enjoy great prosperity and riches, and so be capable of contributing largely and liberally to it: for his name shall be Solomon ; which signifies peace, and is one of the six persons that had their names given them... read more
He shall build an house for my name ,.... For the worship of God, and for his honour and glory: and he shall be my son, and I will be his father ; see 2 Samuel 7:13 and which is applied to Christ, Hebrews 1:5 . and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever ; that is, for a long time in his posterity; and which will have its fulfilment in Christ, his antitype, in the utmost sense of the expression, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his throne for... read more
Solomon - is young and tender - He is as yet without complete knowledge and due experience; and it is necessary that I should make as much preparation for the work as I possibly can; especially as the house is to be exceedingly magnificent. read more
Thou hast shed blood abundantly - Heathens, Jews, and Christians, have all agreed that soldiers of any kind should have nothing to do with Divine offices. Shedding of human blood but ill comports with the benevolence of God or the spirit of the Gospel. Aeneas, overpowered by his enemies, while fighting for his parents, his family, and his country, finding farther resistance hopeless, endeavors to carry off his aged father, his wife, young son, and his household gods; but as he was... read more
His name shall be Solomon - שלמה Shelomoh , from שלם shalam , he was peaceable; and therefore, says the Lord, alluding to the name, I will give Peace, שלום Shalom , in his days. read more
For my son , the Chethiv shows "his son," the Keri substituting "my." read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Chronicles 22:6-16
Though Solomon was young and tender, he was capable of receiving instructions, which his father accordingly gave him, concerning the work for which he was designed. When David came to the throne he had many things to do, for the foundations were all out of course; but Solomon had only one thing in charge, and that was to build a house for the Lord God of Israel, 1 Chron. 22:6. Now, I. David tells him why he did not do it himself. It was in his mind to do it (1 Chron. 22:7), but God forbade... read more