1 Chronicles 29:17

1Ch 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.

Ver. 17. I know … that thou triest the heart.] see Pro 17:3, {See Trapp on "Pro 17:3"} It was David’s comfort that he had to do with a heart searching God: for though the "sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulness surprise the hypocrites," neither are they able to "dwell with devouring fire," that is, to stand before the holy God, yet "he that walketh uprightly and speaketh righteously shall dwell on high," {Isa 33:14-16} shall look God in the face with everlasting comfort, and dare appeal unto him, as here, for the uprightness of his heart - as touching the main - in performance of his service.

And hast pleasure in uprightness.] See on Psa 51:6.

In the uprightness of my heart.] Sincero, recto et candido corde, I can boldly and safely say it.

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.

1Ch 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.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(17) Thou triest the heart.—Psa_11:4; Psa_7:9; Psa_26:2.

Hast pleasure in.—1Ch_28:4, 1Ch_29:3. (Comp. also 1Ch_28:9.)

Uprightness.—Or, sincerity (mêshârîm, Son_1:4).

In the uprightness (yôsher), integrity (Deu_9:5),, a synonym of mêshârîm. Both literally mean straightness: e.g., of a road (Pro_2:13; Pro_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 2Ch_5:11, and other places.)

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

O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, The ancestors of the Jewish nation, whose covenant God the Lord was, and who had ever been mindful of his promise to them, with respect to them their seed:

keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people; let the same disposition of mind always continue in them to serve the Lord their God:

and prepare their heart unto thee; incline and dispose their minds always to fear the Lord, and obey his will.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Simplicity. Hebrew, "uprightness." Septuagint, "justice;" (Haydock) a pure intention, which our Saviour styled a single eye, Matthew vi. 22. (Tirinus)

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).

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.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

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. (1Sa_16:7)

The assured acceptance of the sincere.

pleasure in uprightness." It is a characteristic of David that he makes constant appeal to his conscious integrity and expects to gain Divine acceptance for his sincerity and uprightness. But this, conflicts with the Christian notion that a man cannot be accepted for anything in himself, and so it needs consideration and explanation. We have often to notice how certain words get a stiff, rigid, and limited meaning fixed upon them, through their use in the expression of theological opinions and creeds. Illustration may be taken from the terms grace, law, faith, justify, eternal. Joubert says, "The trick of personifying words is a fatal source of mischief in theology." The words "integrity," "righteousness," have suffered at the hands of theologians, and their larger and more comprehensive meanings are almost lost sight of. David can stand before God, and appeal to his personal righteousness, and ask to be judged by his integrity. Our Lord implies that a man may have a righteousness, when he says, "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees," etc. The words will not stiffen into one rigid meaning. Sometimes they mean right-heartedness, sincerity, and show us a man at heart centred on God and virtue. At other times they refer to that renewed state into which we are brought by the regenerations of the Holy Ghost. Illustrate the first of these two meanings from David"s career. This great impression had been left on him from his own experiences, and to it he gives utterance as life closes: "I know that thou hast pleasure in uprightness. " Throughout his career save in halting moments David was right at heart. We have a way of speaking of men as being "good at bottom." If we say that as any excuse for men"s sins, we are miserably and shamefully wrong. If we say it with due recognition of human frailty, with fitting discernment of life as the conflict of the human will over the disabilities that surround the man, then it may be a true and worthy expression. Many men around us yes, even we ourselves are, like David, "good at bottom." The "desire of our soul is to the Divine Name." We are pilgrims, indeed, who have come in at the gate, and right by the cross, even if men or angels do find us wandering out of the way into By-path meadows, and sleeping in arbours, and losing our rolls. David"s example permits us to realize and rejoice in our conscious integrity; not proudly, in any way of self-confidence or self-conceit, but humbly, in a thankful recognition of "grace abounding" to usward. David"s sincerity and integrity come out when we compare him with King Saul. Saul failed altogether, and fell away from God, because his sins were sins of will; neither his heart nor his life were right with God. David stumbled, but he did not utterly fall; because, in his case, the will was only forced to consent to sin, and it sprang back to God as soon as the force of bodily passion that held it down was removed. David only failed in the body-sphere ; Saul failed in both the body and the soul spheres. It would have been better indeed if, like Samuel, heart and life had both shown, throughout his career, the harmony of goodness; but God and man recognize the acceptableness of sincerity of heart, even if qualified by some failings of life. But, from the Christian standpoint, it should be earnestly pressed that sincerity, which is acceptable to God, is properly one of the after-signs of Divine renewal; and that we all need to be made right converted, regenerated ere we can be set right and kept right, and dare ask God to search and see whether we are sincerely and wholly his. 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.

O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, The ancestors of the Jewish nation, whose covenant God the Lord was, and who had ever been mindful of his promise to them, with respect to them their seed:

keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people; let the same disposition of mind always continue in them to serve the Lord their God:

and prepare their heart unto thee; incline and dispose their minds always to fear the Lord, and obey his will.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

And I know, my God, that You test the heart You test who has two hearts, one for good and one for evil.

and You desire equity And You desire a good and straight heart, and so I know that with the straightness of my heart, for I have straightened my heart to one heart when I willingly gave all these, and from Your people, who gave willingly. The meaning is: With mine I am familiar and I know it well, but that of others I do not know, but I saw that they donated joyously, I say...

and now, Your people, who are present here, offer willingly to You That is to say, I saw that they rejoiced in their donation, but I do not know whether it was from the willingness of their heart, as it is written: (above verse 9): “... and the people rejoiced over their donation.”

who are present The ones found here are those mentioned above (28:1): “And David assembled all the leaders of Israel, etc.,” but all the wealthy of Israel who were in all the cities were not found here. Therefore, Lord of the universe, the donation was diminished, for had all the remaining Israelites been there, then the donation would have increased.

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.