Outline of Chapter 17:

Introduction

         vv.     1–2           David Wants to Build a Permanent Structure for the Ark of the Covenant

         vv.     3–15         The Davidic Covenant

         vv.    16–27         David’s Prayer of Response to God

Addendum

Charts, Short Doctrines and Maps:

Introduction

         v.       1              Our Takeaway from 1Chronicles 17:1

         v.       1              Why Doesn’t God Require David to Bring the Ark and the Tabernacle Together?

         v.       4              Why Doesn’t God Allow David to Build a Temple for Him?

         v.       5              What Does it Mean for an Omnipresent God to Concentrate His Presence?

         v.       5              Domiciles Occupied by the Lord

         v.       6              God Walks with His People

         v.       8              God is with David (and He is with Us)

         v.      10              God Subdues Our Enemies

         v.      11              The Near and Far Fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant

         v.      11              The Davidic Covenant is Applied only to Jesus

         v.      14              Interpretations of "I will establish him [Him] in My House."

         v.      14              Progressive Revelation and the Messiah to Come

         v.      14              Order of Events

         v.      17              Commentators Interpret 1Chronicles 17:17

         v.      19              According to God's Thinking

         v.      21              Assaults on the Four Divine Institutions in the United States

         v.      21              The Uniqueness of Israel

         v.      21              A Quick View of Redemption

         v.      21              Links to the Doctrine of Redemption

         v.      23              The Word House in 1Chronicles 17

         v.      23              Covenant Theology

         v.      24              Scofield on the Title the Lord of Hosts (Jehovah Sabaoth)

         v.      24              Titles: the God of Israel and the God to Israel

         v.      26              Lists of the Promises of God

         v.      27              The Sufferings of Christ and the Sufferings of Man

         v.      27              David Never Forgets this Promise of God

         Addendum          The Inconsistencies of the Samuel Text and the Chronicles Text

         Addendum          What About the Accuracy of the Bible?

         Addendum          Textual Criticism

         Addendum          Why Does God Preserve 2Samuel 7 and 1Chronicles 17?

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of 1Chronicles 1

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of 1Chronicles 17 and 2Samuel 7

         Addendum          Additional Resources on the Davidic Covenant

An Introduction to 1Chronicles

I ntroduction: 1Chron. 17 is our third foray into the Davidic Covenant. We were first introduced to it in 2Sam. 7. Then we went to Psalm 89, which is far more than a repetition of the Davidic Covenant. Portions of the Abrahamic and Palestinian Covenants came into play. Furthermore, Psalm 89 was designed, in part, to be read by Jews in all periods of time, and then to believe in Jesus Christ as a result.

When something is important, God repeats it. When I was first saved, I knew next to nothing about the Bible (even though I had attended many churches of many persuasions over the years prior to my salvation). I remember that one of the things that struck me weird was that there were 4 gospels. Why are there 4 historic accounts of the life of Jesus Christ? Once I began to learn some doctrine, it became very clear that God make certain that the life and crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the most certain historical events in all human history. If one puts all religious and anti-religious bias aside, and just examines Jesus Christ from an historical approach, there is no person in history, say prior to thr 1600's, who is so well documented. When we examine an historical event or set of events, it is important for us to have an eyewitness source. If not an eyewitness (called a primary source), then a secondary source, someone who has spoken to an eyewitness. Two of the gospels (Matthew and John) are eyewitness reports. Matthew and John were both there for most of the events which they recorded, and their gospels are so different, that this emphasizes just how differently eyewitnesses can observe the same event (they are not contradictory; but they are different). Luke and Mark are secondary sources; they both talked to people who were observers of the events of their gospels. Luke used other documents and personal interviews and Mark got his information from Peter.

The second important thing when it comes to an historical event (or series of events) is, how far removed in time are copies of the recording of the events from the events themselves? Most of the gospels appear to have been written decades later, which is, admittedly, sometime later than we would like them to have been written, but, the writers of the gospels were not principally writers. Matthew was a tax collector, Peter and John were fishermen, and Luke was a physician who later became an historian. So none of these men were the kind of men who would generally write down anything, except for Luke.

The third consideration is how far removed in time are our copies of the recording of an event or events from the original manuscripts? Here, the Bible is head and shoulders above all other historical documents. Josh McDowell showed in his excellent book Evidence that Demands a Verdict (and its many incarnations since then) that we have manuscripts closer in time to when they were written than any other set of ancient historical documents and that we have more manuscripts than can be found for any other historical or literary document. The research which McDowell did is found on many internet sites (including my own), and one good example is: a paper which compares the Bible and the Quran: (http://www.debate.org.uk/topics/history/bib-qur/bibmanu.htm), by Jay Smith. The second link lists the many ancient manuscripts from that general era, how many we have and how close they are to the original manuscripts written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The 4^th reason for the importance of the gospels is, the number of witnesses and their agreement concerning the events themselves. What we have are 4 men who agree in all of the essentials about the Person of Jesus Christ.

This brings us to the Davidic Covenant, found 3 times in the Bible, and referenced many times besides that (2Sam. 23:5 1Chron. 22:6–13 28:2–10 2Chron. 6:4–11, 14–17 7:17–18 13:5, 8 21:7 23:3 Isa. 9:6 Jer. 33:19–22 Luke 1:32–33 Acts 2:29–36). God is making certain that all Jews (and some of us Gentiles) know and understand His promises to David and that these promises are going to stand till the end of time. This is also to stir up Jews. A Jew read the Davidic Covenant (particularly in Psalm 89) and it should give him or her pause. He (or she) reads these promises, and they are quite clear; and any normal person ought to ask, “Where are you, God? When will you fulfill these promises?”

Now, from the outset, I must admit, I do not see another reason for this additional quoting of the Davidic Covenant, apart from it emphasizing just how important this covenant is. Insofar as I can determine, there is not a dime’s worth of difference between 1Chron. 17 and 2Sam. 7. A handful of phrases will be left out, and a word here or there, in almost every verse, is different. I will note all of the differences in the Hebrew exegesis.

What is interesting is, when David received this promise from God, there was a great deal of possibility before him. Although no dynasty of any sort had been established at this point in time, the Davidic Covenant promised David an eternal dynasty. So, this was first written down as David looked off into the future. The writer of Chronicles is recording this information somewhere between 500–400 b.c. At this point in time, there is no Davidic dynasty (although his line is being watched). The Jews have just returned from being in exile (516 b.c.) and there is no indication that any sort of a kingship was every established after this time. Although the history of Israel during the intertestamental times is limited (perhaps the best history we have is Josephus’ rather than the Apocrypha), none of it includes the reestablishment of the Davidic dynasty. However, the writer of Chronicles (properly, he is an editor) spends more time dealing with this promise made to David even during a time period where no such dynasty even existed (even more so than did the writers of Samuel or Kings). The editor of Chronicles, therefore, was looking forward to the Messiah, the eternal King of Israel.

In a previous chapter of Chronicles, I transferred many of the notes from its corresponding Samuel chapter. However, I have not done that here. So, although there will be certainly some overlap, almost none of the notes from 2Sam. 7 will be reproduced here (nor will any of the text of this exegetical study be reproduced in 2Sam. 7). I think I did bring 3 charts from 2Sam. 7 into this study.

Because 2Sam. 7 = 1Chron. 17 (something which occurs in several chapters of Chronicles), I will provide a word-by-word comparison between the two chapters within the Hebrew exegesis. I will also lay out the nearly literal translations of both chapters side-by-side at the end and discuss the inconsistencies of the two texts, the accuracy of the Bible and a little about Old Testament textual criticism at the end of this study.

David Wants to Build a Permanent Structure for the Ark of the Covenant

2Samuel 7:1–3

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac and Greek texts (using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation, respectively). When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s, I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.).

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those ancient translators.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so he is in which remained David in his house; and so says David unto Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I am remaining in a house of cedar and an Ark of a Covenant of Y^ehowah underneath curtains.”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    Now it came to pass when David dwelt in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, Behold, I dwell in a house which is covered with the beams of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD is resting in the midst of the tent of hair of goats.

Septuagint (Greek)                And it came to pass as David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under curtains of skins.

Significant differences:           And now it came to pass is a reasonable translation of the Hebrew and so he is. Both when and as are reasonable translations of in which. When comparing these texts, I look for anything which would suggest that the Greek translators had a different text to work from than what we have today.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       Soon after David moved into his new palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Look around! I live in a palace made of cedar, but the sacred chest is kept in a tent."

Easy-to-Read Version            After David had moved into his house, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in a house made of cedar wood, but the Box of the Agreement sits under a tent. {I want to build a temple for God.}”

Good News Bible (TEV)         King David was now living in his palace. One day he sent for the prophet Nathan and said to him, "Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but the LORD's Covenant Box is kept in a tent!"

The Message                         After the king had made himself at home, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Look at this: Here I am comfortable in a luxurious palace of cedar and the Chest of the Covenant of GOD sits under a tent."

New American Bible              After David had taken up residence in his house, he said to Nathan the prophet, "See, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD dwells under tentcloth."

New International Readers V David settled down in his palace. Then he spoke to the prophet Nathan. He said, "Here I am, living in a palace that has beautiful cedar walls. But the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.".

New Jerusalem Bible             It happened, once David had settled into his palace, that David said to the prophet Nathan, 'Here am I living in a cedar-wood palace, while the ark of the covenant of Yahweh is under awnings.'

New Life Bible                        Now when David lived in his house, he said to Nathan the special preacher, "See, I am living in a house of cedar wood. But the special box with the Law of the Lord is under a tent."

New Living Translation           When David was settled in his palace, he summoned Nathan the prophet. "Look," David said, "I am living in a beautiful cedar palace,[a] but the Ark of the Lord's Covenant is out there under a tent!"

Revised English Bible            Once David was established in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, ‘Here am living in a home of cedar, while the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord is housed in a tent.’

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             Now when David was living in his house, he said to Nathan the prophet, See, I am living in a house of cedar-wood, but the ark of the Lord's agreement is under the curtains of a tent.

Complete Apostles’ Bible      And it came to pass as David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under curtains of skins.

God’s Word™                         When David was living in his house, he said to the prophet Nathan, "I'm living in a house made of cedar, while the ark of the LORD'S promise is inside a tent."

HCSB                                     When David had settled into his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Look! I am living in a cedar house while the ark of the LORD's covenant is under tent curtains."

JPS (Tanakh)                         When David settled in his palace, David said to the prophet Nathan, “Here I am dwelling in a house of cedar, while the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord is under tent-clothes”

NET Bible®                             God Makes a Promise to David

When David had settled into his palace [Hebrew, house], he [Hebrew, David; The pronoun "he" has been used in the translation here to avoid redundancy in keeping with contemporary English] said to Nathan the prophet, "Look, I am living in a palace [Hebrew, house] made from cedar, while the ark of the LORD's covenant is under a tent [Hebrew, tent curtains]." When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Conservative Version         And it came to pass, when David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of LORD [dwells] under curtains.

Updated Emphasized Bible    And it came to pass, when David had taken up his abode in his house, that David said unto Nathan the prophet, Look, I am dwelling in a house of cedars, but, the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, is under curtains.

English Standard Version      Now when David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, "Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent."

LTHB                                     And it happened, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Behold, I am living in a house of cedars, and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah is under curtains.

New King James Version       Now it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under tent curtains."

A Voice in the Wilderness      Now it came to pass, when David had been dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Behold now, I am dwelling in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Jehovah is under curtains..

Young’s Updated LT             And it comes to pass as David sat in his house, that David says unto Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am dwelling in a house of cedars, and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah is under curtains “

What is the gist of this verse? David recognizes all that God has done for him, and says to Nathan, “I live in a house of cedar, but the Ark of God is inside a tent.”

Translation: And it was in the place where David stayed, in his house,... During David’s time as king, he had period of time when there was not much going on. David was sitting in his house, and he began to look around and think things over. This could have occurred very soon after Hiram, the king of Tyre, built David a palace (which appears to have occurred first in time). In fact, this is by far the most reasonable approach to take. We are told in 1Chron. 14:1 that Hiram built a palace of cedar for David and David will say that he is living in a house (palace) of cedar. Therefore, that is no reason to assume a different historical order.

Translation: None. We are told in 2Sam. 7:1 that God had given David rest on every side from his enemies. During our lives here on earth, there are going to be periods of time when life is easy and non-eventful.

Application: When you have some downtime, some time to relax, then it is important to make use of it. The most important thing for the individual believer to do is to take in doctrine when his life is running smoothly. This gets you prepared for the difficulties which will inevitably come upon you.

You may wonder why the writer of Chronicles leaves this out—the NIV Study Bible suggests that David’s wars would be covered in 1Chron. 18–20, so that it would seem odd to speak of a cessation of hostilities and then follow this with a chapter all about hostilities. The NIV Study Bible suggests that (1) the chronicler left this out because there would be chapters to follow which deal with war and (2) David did not have any peace and rest until near the end of his life (suggesting that this chapter occurs after all of David's wars). Although I will grant that, possibly, the editor of Chronicles did not want to include this statement about David having rest from his enemies because wars will be covered in the chapters to come, this does not mean that 1Chron. 17 (or, 2Sam. 7, for that matter) are chronologically out of order. David did not fight nonstop wars for the first few decades and then it all stopped. Like the nation Israel today, there is a war every now and again. David may have faced more wars than most, but that does not mean that he never enjoyed a moment's peace. Very likely, there were months and sometimes even years here and there when David was not engaged in a campaign somewhere. However, what this does suggest is, the records for Samuel were written down very near the time that these incidents occurred. There is a great deal of detail in 2Sam. 7, which suggests that this history was recorded soon after it occurred. That David, a few months later, went to war against the Philistines, does not negate this period of peace which he enjoys. It only suggests that the history of Samuel was written down as it occurred as opposed to being recorded at the end of David's life.

Translation: ...when [lit., and] David said to Nathan the prophet,... There are some unusual particles here. It is possible that ...in which...and... means ...during which...when... In any case, David has some downtime and notice how he is spending this downtime—he is chatting with Nathan the prophet. We do not know all that is going on here, whether David had called for Nathan to come into the palace or whether this was a Bible class of sorts. There is nothing here or in 2Sam. 7 where David seems to specifically call for Nathan, suggesting that Nathan may have been there for awhile.

This is Nathan’s first appearance in Scripture (also, of course, in 2Sam. 7:2). Very little is said about him, where he came from, how David knew he was a prophet, where he was living, how often he went and talked to David. His position relative to David is assumed, not stated. We will see that David, the most powerful man in Israel, will recognize the authority of Nathan. At some future time, we will examine Nathan in more detail.

Translation:...“Listen, I stay in [this] house of cedar... David is taking stock of his life and his situation. He is greatly blessed. He had admired Jerusalem and Mount Zion since he was a young man. To him, it is one of the most beautiful places that He has ever seen. Now, as King of Israel, one of the most powerful men of his world, David looks around and is appreciative of where he is in life. He lives in a wonderful palace of cedar.

Hiram, the King of Tyre, built this great palace for David (1Chron. 14:1).

Application: Our wealth and possessions are relative. Many of us live in houses superior to those lived in by kings of ancient days. I have a wonderful system of indoor plumbing, refrigerated food, and air conditioning. Although ancient man had a lot more technology than we realize, if David saw your house and all that was in it, he would probably prefer it to his kingly palace (as would be true of almost any ancient king). Although the size of a king’s palace may have been great (I am unlearned in this area, being only familiar with the residences of rulers over the past few hundred years), the great conveniences which we enjoy would have made David jealous. So, when evaluating your place in this world, bear in mind, you can always find someone who lives in a bigger and nicer home and you can always finds someone who lives in a lesser home. What God does is provide us the inner ability to be content with what He has given us. I know people who have houses which are larger and more exquisite than my own; however, I am very happy with what God has given me. I do not feel pressure or anxiety or any necessity to find a nicer home than the one in which I live. The next time you become so concerned about your possessions, realize that, if you are an American, then you live better than 90–95% of the rest of the world. If you are unhappy with where you live, then your problem is a spiritual one rather than an environmental one.

Application: Have you ever wondered about these hyper-environmentalists? That we live in a country with clean water and clean air is a great blessing. In the past half-century, the United States has come a long ways when it comes to balancing normal growth with our environment. However, there are some environmentalists out there who are extremely concerned about their environment and they think that America is sliding into some great environmental mess. Most of their problem is, they are not content with what God has given them. This is why people can live in the greatest environment in the world in the greatest economy in the world, and yet, be dissatisfied and thinking that our country is on the wrong track (whatever that means).

Application: This does not mean that all environmental concerns are wrong, nor does it mean that the believer ought not to be concerned with his environment. Many believers love to hunt and fish or sail or garden or hike; and the great creation which God has made is a wonder to behold and enjoy. Therefore, preserving aspects of what God has given us is a wonderful thing, and provides great enjoyment for many of us. God told Adam to subdue the earth. God has given us a great many resources, like oil, and there is not reason why we ought not use what God has given us. As we build and expand, we ought to take thought to preservation of certain areas as well. It is all a balance. Even when someone wants to get away from it all and build a house way out in the country; they soon find out that there are a great many things in nature which they do not like—swarms of insects, poison oak and snakes. So the person who puts up a house out in the wild also will tame much of the wild in his immediate vicinity. He may not desire a lawn, but most people will clear away the brush from around the house and cut down the high grasses and even remove a tree or two. It is all a balance. The problem is, when you become obsessed with your environment, with the actions of others, and when you believe that your happiness is directly impacted by your environment. When you somehow believe that your happiness is related to drilling for oil in ANWR (Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve) or not drilling for oil in ANWR, then you have a spiritual problem. We live in the devil’s world and we will never be able to fix the devil’s world. This does not mean that we completely ignore the environment nor does it mean that we devote most of our lives to saving the environment. Usually, there is a reasonable balance which needs to be established. I believe that we ought to use our own resources or be ready to use them (shale oil in Colorado or oil and natural gas from ANWR and offshore drilling), but if this does not occur during my lifetime, I am not going to stress over it.

Translation: ...but the Ark of the Covenant of Y^ehowah [stays] underneath curtains.” What appears to be the order of things is, (1) David attacks and takes control of Jerusalem; (2) Hiram builds a palace of cedar for David; (3) David brings the Ark of God into Jerusalem, into the city walls, and deposits it in a tent (but not the Tent of God); and now (4) David is considering this situation. He is in a palace of cedar and God’s Ark is essentially outdoors in a tent. To David, this just does not make sense. The Ark of God is far more important to Israel than David is.

That the Ark has been kept in a tent is found in Ex. 40:19–21 2Sam. 6:17 1Chron. 15:1 16:1 17:5 2Chron. 1:4.

If David lives in a house of cedar and the Ark of the Covenant is underneath tent curtains, that seems like quite an inequity. The implication is, Israel is now in a permanent place, David is in a permanent palace, so it seems logical that the Ark is placed into a permanent structure rather than a tent. It did not seem right to David for him to live in this grand palace—probably the nicest home in all of Israel—and the Ark of God was in this tent.

We do not know whether this is all that David says or if Nathan understands the gist of what is being said without David going any further. This sort of thing is quite common in the Bible—to understate rather than to overstate a thing. Not a word is said about David’s exact plans. All that is presented here and in Samuel is just a short interchange between these two men. I am sure that David had more to say than, “Here I am in a house made of cedar, and the Ark of God is sitting within a tent.” I am sure that he had a vision of what he wanted to be done, which he probably explained to Nathan. However, God the Holy Spirit did not believe that to be very important, and so we do not know exactly what David’s plans were (although we can reasonably conclude that they involved building a more permanent structure for the Ark of God).

Although some exegetes place these events near the end of Davids life, I don’t think that David lived all of this time and suddenly he realizes that he is living in a house of cedar, but the Ark of God is in a tent. As a young boy, David had been enthralled with the city of Jerusalem and its great beauty; and now David, one a boy who followed after his family’s sheep, was ruling Israel from the city of Jerusalem, living in a palace built for him by the King of Tyre. I doubt that it took David 30 or 40 years to recognize what would seem like an obvious inequity. I think that David recognized this early on in his life in Jerusalem. David was grace orientated all of his life. He did not finally become spiritually mature at the end of his life. David was a principled man who knew the Bible early on. Therefore, one of the first things to occur to him as he first sits upon his new throne in his new cedar palace is, Jehovah Elohim, the God of Israel.

Finally, even though David has this in mind and God will say no, David found grace in God’s sight for thinking of this without God having to prompt him. So it was until the days of David, who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him (Acts 7:45b–47).

Application: It would be fantastic for me to be able to put on the internet a complete doctrinally correct, exegetical study of the Old Testament, and even better if I could do so with the New as well. However, I realize that, because of my sin nature and the amount of time which I have remaining in my own human life, that is unlikely. Every day which God gives me to study His Word and to explain it as best that I can, is a blessing. However, this project will continue after I have passed away—not because I have someone lined up to take my place, but God does. Just as David began to restore Israel’s spiritual life by bringing the Ark into Jerusalem, Solomon will complete this project by building a Temple in Jerusalem. Many of us have the opportunity to understand what our spiritual gift is and what we are able to do with it, and many of us will begin a project which we know we will not finish. A missionary may speak to a few hundred people; a pastor might have a congregation which is limited in size—he may be accurately teaching 20 or 30 believers, while hearing about mega-churches which add that many believers each Sunday. Life is simple. You keep growing in grace and in the knowledge of God’s Word; you stay in fellowship is often as possible, and you do what God puts before you. This may include a grand project which you know that you will not complete in your lifetime. This is nothing to despair about.

Application: This ought ot be applied to your own temporal life as well. You may have a dream house or this dream existence or this ideal salary or retirement or position which you believe in your next step (or your eventual step). You may or may not reach whatever goals you have set. As long as it does not interfere with your spiritual life, it is good to have goals and it is good to look ahead in life. However, bear in mind, God is going to throw you a curve ball now and again. A lot of things have happened to me over the past 50+ years. The city that I live in, the house that I live in, my present-day vocation, the amount of time that God has given me to write—these are things which I would have never foreseen or predicted. A year before each of these things occurred, I had not the slightest clue that they would. What God has placed before me, from time to time, was difficult and disconcerting; and, at other times, unbelievably wonderful. All of it, as He promises, has worked together for good.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says Nathan unto David, “All which [is] in your heart, do, for Elohim [is] with you.”

Septuagint (Greek)                And Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart; for God is with you.”

Significant differences:           None.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       Nathan replied, "The LORD is with you--do what you want."

Easy-to-Read Version            Nathan answered David, “You may do what you want to do. God is with you.”

The Message                         Nathan told David, "Whatever is on your heart, go and do it; God is with you."

New Century Version             Nathan said to David, "Do what you want to do, because God is with you."

Revised English Bible            Nathan answered, ‘Do whatever you have in mind, for God is with you.’

Today’s NIV                          Nathan replied to David, "Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you."

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             And Nathan said to David, Do whatever is in your heart, for God is with you.

God’s Word™                         Nathan told David, "Do everything you have in mind, because God is with you."

NET Bible®                             Nathan said to David, "You should do whatever you have in mind,5 for God is with you."

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    ...and Nathan said unto David, `All that [is] in your heart do, for Elohim [is] with you....

WEB                                      Nathan said to David, Do all that is in your heart; for God is with you.

Young’s Updated LT             And Nathan says unto David, “All that is in your heart, do, for God is with you.”

What is the gist of this verse? Nathan sees no problem with David’s idea (which is apparently to build a permanent place of worship which would contain the Ark); and he tells David to go ahead with it.

Translation: Then Nathan said to David, “Do all that [is] in your heart,... Nathan listened to what David was saying, and considered it, and it made sense to him. So he gives David the go-ahead.

Translation: ...for Elohim [is] with you.” I suspect that the difference in the quotation, is, one of those who copied these words, either in Samuel or Chronicles, switched Y^ehowah and Elohim, and the slight difference between these two passages is the result.

Nathan certainly considered what David had to say, and, since there was no evidence ot the contrary, decided that what David was suggesting made perfect sense to him. Nathan must have simply assumed that God would go along with this idea of David’s.

Application: Just because someone uses holy language; and just because they are spiritually mature and use holy language, does not mean that they are always right. On a whole other topic, when I was new to buying houses, I sometimes listened to my tenants when they gave me their expert opinion about this or that. After a few years, I realized that they often did not have a clue, but what they said simply sounded very convincing.

This is certainly what Nathan had to say. However, he was wrong. Believers are fallible; believers can be wrong, even great ones. When it comes to prophetic utterances, Nathan was 100% right. However, sometimes, when it comes to what David ought to do, Nathan here is wrong. He is giving it his best shot, and he cannot think why God would oppose such an idea, so he not only gives David the go-ahead, but assures him that God is with him on this project.

Application: You are uniquely designed to run your own life. People who go in for counseling and guidance are often trying to shortcut spiritual growth. They are in a jam or they have painted themselves into a corner, and they want to know how to get out of it. With doctrine, you are going to have an idea as to what you ought to do. In my own life, I have had surprisingly little trouble when it came to figuring out what I ought to do. This does not mean that I have always done the right thing—far from it—but rarely have I, in real life, been stumped with a decision.

Application: I am not faulting David here for seeking guidance. He is going to do something which is not found in the Law. He has carefully read through the Scriptures (in order to figure out how to properly move the Ark), and building a permanent structure for the Ark of God is not found among God’s directives. So David does the most sensible thing that he can—he calls upon Nathan the prophet for his input. We may pray before a difficult decision; we may consult with family members; we may consult with people who seem spiritually mature; however, we will need to make this decision ourselves. David here has what seems to be an advantage—Nathan the prophet can actually communicate with God, so he can determine without a doubt what is the right thing to do. However, God has given us the complete Word of God, something which David and Nathan did not have. God gave us God the Holy Spirit, which David and Nathan could lose. God gave us all of the spiritual assets which Jesus Christ Himself possessed in His humanity. It was His humanity which was tested and it was His humanity which endured the cross. What I am saying is, do not be jealous of David because he could go to Nathan the prophet in order to figure out what to do. God has given every believer in the Church Age all of the spiritual assets necessary to make every decision in life and to face very difficulty in life. And He has promised us that He will not test us beyond what we are able to bear.

The Davidic Covenant

2Samuel 7:4–17

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so he is in the night the that and so is a Word of Elohim unto Nathan, to say,...

Septuagint (Greek)                And it came to pass in that night, that a Word of the Lord came to Nathan, [saying],...

Significant differences:           None.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       That night, the LORD told Nathan...

Good News Bible (TEV)         But that night God said to Nathan,...

New American Bible              But that same night the word of God came to Nathan:...

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             But that same night, the word of God came to Nathan, saying,...

HCSB                                     But that night the word of God came to Nathan:...

NET Bible®                             That night God told Nathan the prophet,...

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    And it comes to pass on that night that a word of Elohim is unto Nathan, saying,...

A Conservative Version         And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,...

MKJV                                     And it happened the same night the Word of God came to Nathan, saying,...

Young’s Updated LT             And it comes to pass on that night that a Word of God is unto Nathan, saying,...

What is the gist of this verse? Nathan goes home, and God speaks to him that night.

Translation: And it is in that night that the Word of Elohim comes [lit., is] to Nathan, saying,... Although Nathan figured that he had given David good advice, God did not see things that way. So, God contacts Nathan.

As in the Samuel text, we do not know whether God came to Nathan in a dream or in that state of mind that we are in right before waking up or before going to sleep. We know that we are not asleep yet, but our conscious mind seems not to be fully conscious.

In fact, given this particular unknown, it is important to note that God the Holy Spirit is particularly vague when it comes to God’s exact methods of contact with men in the Old Testament. There are times when these are clear (when God appears as the Angel of the Lord to this or that believer); but most of the time, exactly what Nathan experiences and how this all transpires, is not told to us. One of the most explicit descriptions is Num. 12:6: And He said, “Hear now My words. If there is a prophet among you, I Jehovah will make Myself known to him in a vision, and will speak to him in a dream.” Even this is quite vague in terms of mechanics. Similarly, when it comes to determining God’s will with His ephod or through casting lots, this information is also not revealed directly to us. Why is this? Do you see how goofy people have gotten with the gift of tongues (no longer extant)? God does not want us to get more weird with more details like direct contact with Him. Our contact with God is through His Word made real to us by God the Holy Spirit.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        “Go and say unto David My servant, ‘Thus said Y^ehowah, Not you [even] you build for Me the house to dwell;...

Septuagint (Greek)                “Go and say to David My servant, Thus said the Lord, You will not build Me a house for Me to dwell in it.

Significant differences:           There is an additional reference for Me in the Greek text.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       ...to go to David and tell him: David, you are my servant, so listen carefully: You are not the one to build a temple for me.

Easy-to-Read Version            God said, “Go and tell these things to my servant David: The Lord says, ‘David, you are not the person to build a house for me to live in.

Good News Bible (TEV)         “Go and tell my servant David that I say to him, 'You are not the one to build a temple for me to live in.

The Message                         “Go and tell my servant David, This is GOD's word on the matter: You will not build me a 'house' to live in.

New Jerusalem Bible             ‘Go and tell my servant David, "Yahweh says this: You must not build a temple for me to live in.

New Life Bible                        "Go and tell My servant David, 'This is what the Lord says. "You will not build a house for Me to live in.

New Living Translation           "Go and tell my servant David, `This is what the Lord has declared: You are not the one to build a house for me to live in.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             Go and say to David my servant, The Lord says, You are not to make me a house for my living-place:...

Complete Apostles’ Bible      Go and say to David My servant, Thus says the Lord: You shall not build Me a house to dwell in..

God’s Word™                         “Say to David, my servant, 'This is what the LORD says: You must not build this house for me to live in.

HCSB                                     “Go to David My servant and say, 'This is what the LORD says: You are not the one to build Me a house to dwell in..

NET Bible®                             “Go, tell my servant David: 'This is what the LORD says: "You must not build me a house in which to live..

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

English Standard Version      “Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in.

Young’s Updated LT             “Go, and You have said unto David My servant, Thus said Jehovah, You will not build for Me the house to dwell in;...

What is the gist of this verse? God tells Nathan, “Go back and tell David, you are not going to build a house for Me to dwell in.” .

Translation: “Go and say to David, My servant,... One of the fascinating things here is, God does not go to David and tell him, “You’ve got it all wrong, David; you are not going to build this house for Me.” God goes to Nathan instead. God has set up a hierarchy of authority, and we are expected to adhere to that chain of command.

Let me give you a modern-day example: if the President of the United States, arguably the most powerful person on this planet, places himself into a church or under a particular pastor, then the president is submitting himself to the authority of that pastor. This is perhaps why even our good presidents have had difficulties in enacting consistently divine establishment laws and policies—because they are unaware of the proper line of authority. Or, they are arrogant, and refuse to acknowledge that authority. Or, more obviously (but off topic), they are listening to a pastor who knows little or nothing.

Application: There are men in various doctrinal congregations who make a great deal of money; some might be able to buy and sell every other person in the congregation. However, they are to be under the authority of the authority of the pastor of that church.

Application: There are men of great wealth who attempt to buy the pastor or expect to have a greater say in the way things are run because they give the church considerably more money than anyone else. When a pastor realizes this is what is being done, the pastor needs to give back the money and tell the individual to get the hell out of his office. A pastor ought not to compromise his principles here in any way.

Application: I hope that it is obvious that the pastor of a church does not lay down the law to specific individuals, either by calling on them personally or by the way they teach a passage (“And if God has blessed you with great material blessings, more than anyone else, then you need to give to the church”). The pastor, mindful of his authority, should still teach the Word of God, as if there is no particular distinction between his congregants. A pastor may have the ear of the president, but the pastor does not make public policy. The pastor teaches the Word of God and the imprinted Word of God of the soul of the leader makes national (or local) decisions.

Application: God has given everyone a soul and He has implanted a set of thinking and reasoning processes in that soul as well as volition. There is little good accomplished if a pastor or if a congregation manages to bully anyone (a leader or just any congregant) into this or that direction. It is not up to the pastor to hook up some electrodes to you and to fire them off when he knows you are sinning. Undue coercion is not a part of the Christian life. There are the normal social and legal pressures; and there is the teaching of the Word of God. However, given that, the believer is on his own to make his own decisions.

In other words, God has a specific chain of command, but in that chain of command is our own volition. It is the choices which we make from our own free will which impacts the Angelic Conflict. God lays it on the line to Nathan and Nathan lays it on the line to David. However, David will do what he chooses to do. From his own volition, David will decide whether to obey God’s Word or not (in this case, of course, he will obey God’s Word).

Translation: ...‘Thus says Y^ehowah,... God makes it clear to Nathan, who will then make it clear to David, that this Word comes from God. God is making this specific pronouncement. It will also be clear in this chapter that David accepts what Nathan says as coming from God.

Translation: ...You [even] you will not build a house for Me to dwell [in];... God uses the 2^nd person masculine singular pronoun here to emphatically tell David that he would not build a house for God. God is not saying, “No house for Me will ever be built.” This emphatic use of the pronoun means the negation is being specifically applied to David.

There is an interesting limitation which David seems to place himself under—David never conflates the Ark of God with God; he never deifies the Ark in any way. However, God speaks of Himself as dwelling within a tent. God is not the Ark nor is God in the Ark; but God chooses to, in some way, confine Himself to being within the Tent where the Ark is. The 2^nd member of the Godhead, Jehovah Elohim, appears to be able to limit Himself to be manifest in one place at a time. In our context, this is in the Tent of God, although we have many specific manifestations throughout the Old Testament (the burning bush, the cloud over Israel, etc.). In the Dispensation of the Hypostatic Union, Jesus Christ is God, manifested in one place at one time.

As we go through these words of God, it will be plain that God is not simply dismissing out of hand David’s idea of a permanent dwelling place for the Ark. However, God has a time and place for everything. This must conform to God’s plan. Solomon building a Temple will conform to His plan; David building a Temple does not. As God has said, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways My ways, says Jehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa. 55:8–9).

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          For I have not remained in a house from the time that I brought up Israel, to this day: but I have been always changing places in a tabernacle, and in a tent,

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        ...for not I have lived in a house from the day which I brought up Israel as far as the day the this. And so, I am from tent unto tent and from a dwelling place.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel out of Egypt to this day; but I moved from tent to tent.

Septuagint (Greek)                For I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought up Israel until this day, but I have been in a tabernacle and a tent,...

Significant differences:           At the end of this verse, the Greek text is closer to the Hebrew text of 2Samuel than it is to the Hebrew text of 1Chronicles. The Syriac text matches the Hebrew almost exactly, with the exception of the final few words, which are not found in the Peshitta (at least, not in my English translation of the Peshitta); nor are they found in the Latin. Like most differences, even though these are pronounced, they do not change the meaning of the verse itself.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       I didn't live in a temple when I brought my people out of Egypt, and I don't live in one now. A tent has always been my home wherever I have gone with them.

The Message                         Why, I haven't lived in a 'house' from the time I brought up the children of Israel from Egypt till now; I've gone from one tent and makeshift shelter to another.

New American Bible              For I have never dwelt in a house, from the time when I led Israel onward, even to this day, but I have been lodging in tent or pavilion...

New Century Version             From the time I brought Israel out of Egypt until now I have not lived in a house. I have moved from one tent site to another and from one place to another.

NIRV                                      I have not lived in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt until now. I have moved my tent from one place to another. I have moved my home from one place to another.

New Jerusalem Bible             I have never lived in a house from the day when I brought Israel out until today, but have kept travelling from tent to tent and from shelter to shelter.

New Living Translation           I have never lived in a house, from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until this very day. My home has always been a tent, moving from one place to another in a Tabernacle..

Revised English Bible            Down to this day I have never dwelt in a house since I brought Israel up from Egypt, I lived in a tent and a tabernacle.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             For from the day when I took Israel up, till this day, I have had no house, but have gone from tent to tent, and from living-place to living-place.

Complete Apostles’ Bible      For I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought up Israel until this day, but I have been in a tabernacle and a tent,...

God’s Word™                         I haven't lived in a house from the day I brought Israel out of Egypt to this day, but I've gone from tent site to tent site, moving the tent of meeting from one location to another.

HCSB                                     From the time I brought Israel out of Egypt until today I have not lived in a house; instead, I have moved from tent to tent and from tabernacle to tabernacle.

JPS (Tanakh)                         From the day that I brought out Israel to this day, I have not dwelt in a house, but have [gone] from tent to ten and from one Tabernacle [to another].

NET Bible®                             For I have not lived in a house from the time I brought Israel up from Egypt to the present day. I have lived in a tent that has been in various places.

NIV – UK                                I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling-place to another.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

English Standard Version      For I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up Israel to this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from dwelling to dwelling.

LTHB                                     ‘’‘for I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought Israel up until this day, but I have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.

Young’s Updated LT             ...for I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought up Israel till this day, and I am from tent unto tent: and from the tabernacle.

What is the gist of this verse? God has not lived in any sort of a house from the day that He brought Israel up out the Egypt until the day that this is said.

Translation: ...for I have not lived in a house from the day that I brought Israel up to this day. There are some textual differences from the book of Samuel, which are noted in the Hebrew exegesis. God is omnipresent, meaning that He is everywhere. However, He has chosen to concentrate His presence as the Ark of God.

The end of v. 4 and the beginning of v. 5 synch up to read: “You [even] you will not build a house for Me to dwell [in]; for I have not lived in a house from the day that I brought Israel up to this day.” Gill suggests that, prior to this, God did dwell, in some form, in some structure in Egypt. We have no record any such house of worship; however, Joseph—the son of Jacob who was prime minister of Egypt—was a devout believer in Jesus Christ. From the earliest times to the time of the Patriarchs, animal sacrifices were offered to God to represent Jesus Christ dying for our sins on the cross. There is no reason to think that this was not somehow codified during the time Israel lived within Egypt. We have many times when Abraham, Isaac and Jacob built altars to Jehovah Elohim and sacrificed various animals to Him. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume such worship occurred in Egypt. Furthermore, as prime minister of Egypt, Joseph had a great deal of authority as well as money. It is reasonable to suppose that, early on, there was an altar and a formal place in Egypt where the Jews (and other believers) went to worship God. As Gill points out, Israel...enjoyed for many years great plenty, prosperity, and liberty, before their servitude, the vast numbers they increased to and the long continuance of them in Egypt, for more than two hundred years. Would it not seem strange that they should build houses for religious worship, and even one grand and splendid for public service? 

Translation: I am from tent to tent and from a dwelling place [to another dwelling place]. Here we have an example of ellipsis, where the additional text seems to make perfect sense, and the verse appears to be lacking without it. However, we do not find these final few words in the Masoretic text. The Greek, Latin and Syriac texts all appear to be even more abbreviated. However, the general understanding that God went from tent to tent is maintained in all of the ancients texts.

It is possible that the idea is, God the Son has been within the Holy of Holies is several places throughout the Middle East (from when the Tabernacle was constructed and when it was moved from city to city; e.g., Shiloh or Gilgal or Nob). However, the Bible seems to be much more concerned with the location of the Ark, whereas, during the same time period, the Tabernacle is mentioned only incidentally. This suggests to me that God’s Presence was more consistently with the Ark rather than with the Tabernacle.

The main verb, which occurs at the beginning of this verse, means to remain, to dwell, to live. God is referring to the Ark, and the Ark has been in various places, but never in a permanent building before. God has also apparently chosen to confine Himself, as the 2^nd Person of the Trinity, to this place as well.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        In all where I have walked in all Israel, what word did I speak with one judges of Israel, who I commanded to shepherd My people, to say, “To why have you not built to Me a house of cedar?”?

Peshitta (Syriac)                    Behold, wherever I have walked with all Israel, did I speak a word to any of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to judge my people Israel, saying, Why have you not built me a house which is covered with cedars?

Septuagint (Greek)                In all places through which I have walked with all Israel: did I ever speak to any one tribe of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, Why is it that you have not built me a house of cedar?

Significant differences:           The Greek text has singular noun tribe where the Hebrew text has judges and the Hebrew text of Samuel has the plural noun tribes. There are two possibilities: the Greek translators either had the word tribes in front of them in the Chronicles text, and they went with that or, they did some very early textual criticism, recognized how close the words tribes and judges were and opted for the Samuel text. The latter seems to be the most likely to me, as the Syriac (and the Latin) went with judges. In any case, these two words are almost identical in the Hebrew, and either word can mean leaders.

Interestingly enough, we find the verb to shepherd, to feed in the Hebrew text of Chronicles and Samuel, but the Syriac rendered this to judge. My guess is this was their stab at textual criticism; however, the verbs are quite different in the Hebrew (unlike the words for tribes and judges). I do not know if the final few words of the Syriac are a loose English rendering or found in the Syriac text. There is no affect upon the overall meaning.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       I chose special leaders and told them to be like shepherds for my people Israel. But did I ever say anything to even one of them about building a cedar temple for me?

Good News Bible (TEV)         In all my traveling with the people of Israel I never asked any of the leaders that I appointed why they had not built me a temple made of cedar.’

New American Bible              ...as long as I have wandered about with all of Israel. Did I ever say a word to any of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to guide my people, such as, 'Why have you not built me a house of cedar?'.

New Century Version             As I have moved with the Israelites to different places, I have never said to the leaders, whom I commanded to take care of my people, "Why haven't you built me a house of cedar?" '

NIRV                                      I have moved from place to place with all of the people of Israel. I commanded their leaders to be shepherds over them. I never asked any of those leaders, 'Why haven't you built me a house that has beautiful cedar walls?' " '

New Jerusalem Bible             In all my travels with all Israel, did I say to any of the judges of Israel, whom I had commanded to shepherd my people: Why do you not build me a cedar-wood temple?

New Living Translation           Yet no matter where I have gone with the Israelites, I have never once complained to Israel's leaders, the shepherds of my people. I have never asked them, "Why haven't you built me a beautiful cedar house?"'

Revised English Bible            Whenever I journeyed with Israel, did I ever ask any of the judges whom I appointed shepherds of my people why they had not built me a cedar house?

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             In all the places where I have gone with all Israel, did I ever say to any of the judges of Israel, whom I made the keepers of my people, Why have you not made for me a house of cedar?

JPS (Tanakh)                         As I moved about wherever Israel went, did I ever reproach any of the judges of Israel whom I appointed to care for My people Israel: Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?

NET Bible®                             Wherever I moved throughout Israel, I did not say [In the Hebrew text the statement is phrased as a rhetorical question ("Did I say?") meaning "I did not say."] to any of the leaders whom I appointed to care for my people Israel, 'Why have you not built me a house made from cedar?' " '

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Updated Emphasized Bible    Wherever I have wandered with all Israel, did I ever speak a word, with one of the judges of Israel—whom I charged to shepherd my people—saying, Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedars?

English Standard Version      In all places where I have moved with all Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”

LTHB                                     Wherever I have walked up and down among all Israel, have I spoken a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people, saying, Why have you not built a house of cedars for Me?

Young’s Updated LT             Wherever I have walked up and down among all Israel, did I speak a word with one of the judges of Israel—whom I commanded to feed My people—saying, Why have You not built for Me a house of cedars?

What is the gist of this verse? God asks David, who knows the history of Israel, if he knows of any time that God asked any national or tribal leader to build a house of cedars for the Ark of God.

Translation: Wherever I have walked throughout all Israel,... God has been a part of Israel throughout its history, having been formed by Him. In the Samuel text, this refers to God walking among the men of Israel; in the Chronicles text, it sounds more as if God is walking throughout the land of Israel. In any case, the emphasis is upon God’s relationship to Israel.

This verb conveys a very personal relationship with God, which, quite obviously, continues into the New Testament when our Lord walked on this earth. The Bible never portrays God as some sort of ethereal, impersonal force, but always as a personal God, who walks beside His people and throughout their land with them.