1 Tawarikh 29:3-18

29:3 Now, to show my commitment to the temple of my God, I donate my personal treasure of gold and silver to the temple of my God, in addition to all that I have already supplied for this holy temple. 29:4 This includes 3,000 talents ¹  of gold from Ophir and 7,000 talents of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the buildings, 29:5 for gold and silver items, and for all the work of the craftsmen. Who else wants to contribute to the Lord today?”

29:6 The leaders of the families, the leaders of the Israelite tribes, the commanders of units of a thousand and a hundred, and the supervisors of the king’s work contributed willingly. 29:7 They donated for the service of God’s temple 5,000 talents ²  and ten thousand darics ³  of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze, and 100,000 talents of iron. 29:8 All who possessed precious ⁴  stones donated them to the treasury of the Lord’s temple, which was under the supervision of Jehiel the Gershonite. 29:9 The people were delighted with their donations, for they contributed to the Lord with a willing attitude; ⁵  King David was also very happy. ⁶ 

David Praises the Lord

29:10 David praised the Lord before the entire assembly: ⁷ 

“O Lord God of our father Israel, you deserve praise forevermore! 29:11 O Lord, you are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign ⁸  over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt yourself as the ruler ⁹  of all. 29:12 You are the source of wealth and honor; ¹⁰  you rule over all. You possess strength and might to magnify and give strength to all. ¹¹  29:13 Now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your majestic name!

29:14 “But who am I and who are my people, that we should be in a position to contribute this much? ¹²  Indeed, everything comes from you, and we have simply given back to you what is yours. ¹³  29:15 For we are resident foreigners and nomads in your presence, like all our ancestors; ¹⁴  our days are like a shadow on the earth, without security. ¹⁵  29:16 O Lord our God, all this wealth, which we have collected to build a temple for you to honor your holy name, comes from you; it all belongs to you. 29:17 I know, my God, that you examine thoughts ¹⁶  and are pleased with integrity. With pure motives ¹⁷  I contribute all this; and now I look with joy as your people who have gathered here contribute to you. 29:18 O Lord God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, maintain the motives of your people and keep them devoted to you. ¹⁸ 

[29:4]  ¹ tn See the note on the word “talents” in 19:6. Using the “light” standard talent of 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg) as the standard for calculation, David had supplied 101 tons (91,800 kg) of gold and 235.5 tons (214,200 kg) of silver.

[29:7]  ² tn See the note on the word “talents” in 19:6. Using the “light” standard talent of 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg) as the standard for calculation, the people donated 168.3 tons (153,000 kg) of gold, 336.5 tons (306,000 kg) of silver, 605.7 tons (550,800 kg) of bronze, and 3,365 tons (3,060,000 kg) of iron.

[29:7]  ³ tn On the “daric” as a unit of measure, see BDB 204 s.v. דַּרְכְּמוֹן. Some have regarded the daric as a minted coin, perhaps even referring to the Greek drachma, but this is less likely.

[29:7]  sn The daric was a unit of weight perhaps equal to between 8 and 9 grams (just under one-third of an ounce), so 10,000 darics of gold would weigh between 80 and 90 kilograms (between 176 and 198 pounds).

[29:8]  ⁴ tn The word “precious” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[29:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “with a complete heart.”

[29:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “was rejoiced with great joy.”

[29:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “assembly, and David said.” The words “and David said” are redundant according to contemporary English style and have not been included in the translation.

[29:11]  ⁸ tn The words “and sovereign” are added in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[29:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “head.”

[29:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “wealth and honor [are] from before you.”

[29:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and in your hand [is] strength and might and in your hand to magnify and to give strength to all.”

[29:14]  ¹² tn Heb “that we should retain strength to contribute like this.”

[29:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “and from you we have given to you.”

[29:15]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 18, 20).

[29:15]  ¹⁵ tn Or perhaps “hope.”

[29:17]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “a heart.”

[29:17]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “with integrity of heart.”

[29:18]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “keep this permanently with respect to the motive of the thoughts of the heart of your people, and make firm their heart to you.”