1 Chronicles 17:11

1Ch 17:11 And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go [to be] with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

Ver. 11-14. An excellent text and testimony both for the person of Christ and for his kingdom. Note this both against the Papists, who deny the perfection of the holy Scriptures; and the Anabaptists, who deny that the Old Testament ought to be read: for who can rightly understand why and how Christ is called the son of David, unless he read this chapter?

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

I will raise up thy seed--(See on Sa2 7:12).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(11) Omit the mark indicating the beginning of a paragraph (¶).

And it shall come to pass.—In accordance with the promise, “The Lord will build thee an house” (1Ch_17:10). The phrase is wanting in Samuel, and should probably be supplied, with LXX.

Be expired.—Are fulfilled (perfect; Samuel has imperfect tense).

That thou must go to be with thy fathers.—Literally, to go with thy fathers—an unusual expression, for which Samuel has the ordinary, “and thou lie down with thy fathers.” (Comp. 1Ki_2:2 : “Go the way of all the earth.”)

Which shall be (shall arise or come, Gen_17:16) of thy sons.—Samuel has the more original, “which shall go forth from thy bowels.” The chronicler has paraphrased this, to suit the taste of a later age.

His kingdom.—Heb., malkûthô—a later word than the synonym in Samuel (mamlakhtô).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11. be expired] R.V. be fulfilled, as Sam.

that thou must go to be with] Sam. and thou shalt sleep with.

which shall be of thy sons] Sam. which shall proceed out of thy bowels.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Seed, even till Christ shall be born of the Blessed Virgin, of the family of David.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The promise is now, not to "David and his seed," but to David personally. The verse contains, no doubt, the original of the Apostle Peter"s quotation (Act_2:29, Act_2:30; see also Act_13:34; Luk_1:32, Luk_1:33) The last clause of this verse has Solomon, for the object of its pronoun "his.

Vers. 11-15.

The purposes of God concerting Solomon.

In the Divine communication made to David through the Prophet Nathan, there is a tone of very tender consideration, and an evident desire to solace and comfort the aged servant of God, whose request it was found necessary to refuse. In one way the desire of his heart could be met. He should have an immortality in his descendants and in his dynasty. He should live on in his son, and accomplish even his purpose concerning the temple. And he may have, before he dies, the comforting assurance that God"s purposes were set upon his son, and the Divine favour would overshadow his reign. Those gracious Divine purposes are indicated in these verses. Man"s brief life on the earth, which so seldom permits him to accomplish any great thing, would be very painful to him were it not for the hope he cherishes that he will live on in his children, and by them his great life-work may win completion. We cannot bear to think that death cuts off our influence and spoils our work. Man can scarcely say a thing that hurts him more in the saying than this, "My purposes are broken off." What is called fame may be won by but the few among even good men; but every true-hearted and earnest servant of God may be sure that his personal impress is an abiding one; it will get its continuance in those who have known him and live after him; his spirit, his principles, his witness, even in measure his experience will be still working. Philips Brooks well says, "No man or woman of the humblest sort can really be strong, gentle, pure, and good, without the world being the better for it, without somebody being helped and comforted by the very existence of that goodness." Illustrate how a man lives on in a book he has written, or a building he has raised. So a man lives on, oftentimes, in the son who takes up his work. David really lived on in Solomon, and did, in fact, build the temple, seeing that Solomon used the materials he had gathered, and carried out the plans which he had arranged. It is interesting to notice what in the temple which was actually reared was due to the genius and consecration of David, and what in it bore the personal stamp of Solomon. "The design fixed upon indicates fully the spirit of the times and of the king. A general relation to the older tabernacle must be carefully preserved the outline of the form, the proportions, and the principal division of thebuilding into holy place and most holy must be continued; but where Moses permitted ornamentation and decoration it was developed, and almost carried to an extravagant extent." In view of God"s unfolding to David his purposes concerning Solomon, we may learn that it is full of comfort to the man who is passing away from earth to be assured that his son will virtually have

I HIS WORK TO DO; at least, in its more prominent and important aspects. Certainly his work in the large sense of living for God, and doing his will.

II That he will have, if he seeks it, the same GRACE FOR THE DOING. God"s years are throughout all generations, and will give our children the joy and help of the same fatherly relations that he has given us (ver. 13).

It may be shown that, still, saints pass away from earth, made willing to leave their life-work incomplete, and their most cherished desires unfulfilled, and restfully saying in their hearts, "God"s grace remains, though I pass away. That grace is working on, and working out, the great purpose, and will surely raise up other agencies." David may die, but he may know this the temple will be built; the kingdom he had founded shall be secured, and even for him the veil shall be uplifted, and he shall see the glory of this Divine purpose. In a high and spiritual sense David"s kingdom shall, in his greater Son, be established for ever and ever. R.T.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

David Accepts God’s Promises With Thankfulness

v. 10. Furthermore I tell thee that the Lord will build thee an house. (Cf with the entire passage 2Sa 7:12-29, and note that the peculiarity of prophecy to combine thoughts near at hand with those afar off is very marked in this paragraph. )

v. 11. And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, to await the great resurrection of the dead, that I will raise up thy Seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish His kingdom. The nearest reference is probably that concerning Solomon, but the Messianic idea comes out more strongly as the announcement progresses.

v. 12. He shall build Me an house, and I will establish His throne forever. The thought clearly looks forward to the house of the Church, the kingdom of the Messiah, and not only to the building of the Temple.

v. 13. I will be His Father, and He shall be My Son. And I will not take My mercy away from Him as I took it away from him that was before thee, Saul having been rejected on account of his disobedience;

v. 14. but I will settle Him in Mine house and in My kingdom forever; and His throne shall be established forevermore, not only through the nearest line of David’s posterity, but, in the person of his greatest Son, to all eternity.

v. 15. According to all these words and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

v. 16. And David the king came and sat before the Lord, in the Tabernacle erected by him, over against the ark, and said, realizing that the Lord’s promise went far beyond a mere promise of establishing a dynasty, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is mine house, that Thou hast brought me hitherto? Cf 2Sa 7:18-29.

v. 17. And yet this, all the temporal blessings which had been given to him from his early youth, was a small thing in Thine eyes, O God; for Thou hast also spoken of Thy servant’s house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Lord God. The exact text may here be rendered: "Thou hast let me see what Thou hast determined concerning a man who out of the height is Jehovah God. " It was the greatness of this honor which caused such unusual expressions of humility on the part of David, the fact that his house was to be the bearer of the Messianic blessing.

v. 18. What can David speak more to Thee for the honor of Thy servant? For Thou knowest Thy servant. God knew that David in himself was utterly unworthy of the honor bestowed upon him, but He vouchsafed it out of pure grace.

v. 19. O Lord, for Thy servant’s sake and according to Thine own heart hast Thou done all this greatness, in making known all these great things. The entire matter, therefore, redounded to the glory of God alone.

v. 20. O Lord, there is none like Thee, neither is there any God beside Thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. To this conclusion and confession David was driven by the consideration of God’s unparalleled mercy.

v. 21. And what one nation in the earth is like Thy people Israel, including the spiritual Israel of God’s people of all times, whom God went to redeem to be His own people, to make Thee a name of greatness and terribleness, one which would be feared by the enemies, by driving out nations from before Thy people, whom Thou hast redeemed out of Egypt? The deliverance from the bondage of Egypt has always been a picture of the greater deliverance and salvation of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

v. 22. For Thy people Israel didst Thou make Thine own people forever; and Thou, Lord, becamest their God, the spiritual Israel, the Church of God, holding this same truth to this day.

v. 23. Therefore, now, Lord, let the thing that Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant and concerning his house, the wonderful Messianic promise, be established forever, and do as Thou hast said.

v. 24. Let it even be established that Thy name may be magnified forever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel; and let the house of David; Thy servant, be established before Thee.

v. 25. For Thou, O my God, hast told Thy servant, literally, "opened the ears of Thy servant," that Thou wilt build him an house, the fact that chiefly a spiritual temple is meant again standing out here; therefore Thy servant hath found in his heart to pray before Thee.

v. 26. And now, Lord, Thou art God, and hast promised this goodness unto Thy servant;

v. 27. now, therefore, let it please Thee to bless the house of Thy servant that it may be before Thee forever; for Thou blessest, O Lord, and it shall be blessed forever. Cf Psa 33:9. The temple to which reference is chiefly, if not exclusively, made, is that of the Christian Church, of the communion of saints. The Church is a habitation of God through the Spirit, it is the kingdom of Jesus Christ. The Lord Himself lives and rules in this kingdom throughout eternity, and all His saints, who have here tasted His mercy, will there partake of His glory, world without end.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Connecting Statement:

Yahweh continues describing his promises to King David through the prophet Nathan.

It will come about

"It will happen"

when your days are fulfilled for you to go to your fathers

The two phrases "when your days are fulfilled" and "go to your fathers" have similar meanings and are combined for emphasis. They both are polite ways to refer to death and dying. (See: Parallelism and Euphemism)

I will raise up your descendant after you

God appointing David's descendant is spoken of as if Yahweh would raise or lift him up. (See: Metaphor)

I will establish his throne forever

The right to rule as king is described by the place where a king sits. AT: "I will make his rule over Israel to last forever" (See: Metonymy)

translationWords

fulfill

descend

kingdom

house of God

throne

eternity

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

And it will come to pass when your days are finished to go with your forefathers That is to say, do not fear that I will hasten the matter, but when your days are finished, then it will come about, and I shall raise up your seed after you. and I shall establish his kingdom And so he says of Solomon, (I Kings 2:12): “... and his kingdom was firmly established.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.