'Lo, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Hashem dwells under curtains.' Nathan says build; that night the word of God turns him around: 'You shall not build Me a house to dwell in' — and the promise runs the other way: 'Moreover I tell you that Hashem will build you a house.' A son will do the building, and more: 'He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever... I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be established for ever.' And David goes in and sits before Hashem: 'Who am I, O Hashem God, and what is my house, that You have brought me thus far?' — 'For You, O my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build him a house; therefore Your servant has taken heart to pray before You.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
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 Hashem dwells under curtains.’
verse value 5729
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 82 letters. The shortest word is "dwelt" (יָשַׁ֥ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·covenant·of·Hashem" (בְּרִית־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 263: the·cedars, and·ark·of. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "I" (אָנֹכִ֤י), "the·cedars" (הָאֲרָזִ֔ים), "and·ark·of" (וַאֲר֥וֹן). The root ישב appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "the·covenant·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "in·his·house" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 13 words.
Rashi
Now it came to pass when David sat In Samuel (II 7:1) it is written: “...and the Lord had given him rest from around him, etc.” [The next verse says] “but the Ark of God dwells within the curtains,” as is written above (ibid. 6:17): “...inside the tent that David had pitched for it.” David said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, has fulfilled through me, (Deut. 12:10): ‘and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about,’ and I too am obligated to do what is written in close proximity (ibid. verse 11): ‘...then the place that the Lord your God will choose to let his name rest there,’ i.e., I shall build him a tabernacle,”
Ralbag
'And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house,' etc., through 'and so let Your servant be blessed for ever' (end of the chapter) — We have already explained all of this in the Book of Samuel, and therefore here we will explain only the little that differs in wording.
Metzudat David
'In his house' — meaning, in a house fitting for him according to his rank. 'A house of cedar' — roofed over with a ceiling of cedar. 'Under curtains' — this is the tent mentioned above; and it is as though he said, is this truly the house fitting for the ark?
Malbim
'And it came to pass' — the entire narrative and prophetic vision found in this chapter is copied from II Samuel chapter 7; and since it contains a promise for the future concerning David's kingship, this account was precious in Ezra's eyes, so that he copied it again with certain changes, made either to clarify and explain matters or to abbreviate them. Since I have already explained these matters at length, in a reasoned way, in my commentary on Samuel, I will not repeat those explanations here; I will only note the changes that appear in this book. 'in his house' — there (7:1) it adds, 'and Hashem had given him rest from all his enemies round about.' 'a house of cedar' — there it is written 'a house of cedars' [without the definite article]; the meaning [of the added article here] is the well-known cedars that Hiram had sent — for it was a great structure, a royal palace. 'under curtains' — this explains what is stated there (v. 2), 'within the curtain.'
And Nathan said to David: ‘Do all that is in your heart; for God is with you.’
verse value 2045
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֛ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·David" (אֶל־דָּוִ֔יד, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "in·your·heart" (בִּֽלְבָבְךָ֖). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "God" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles); "all" (root כל, 81x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'do', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·he·said] (257) + נָתָן֙ [Nathan] (500) + אֶל־דָּוִ֔יד [to·David] (55) + כֹּ֛ל [all] (50) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + בִּֽלְבָבְךָ֖ [in·your·heart] (56) + עֲשֵׂ֑ה [do] (375) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (91) + עִמָּֽךְ [with·you] (130) = 2045.
Metzudat David
'All that is in your heart' — it is as though he said: if your wish is to build a house for Hashem, carry out your wish.
Malbim
'Do' — meaning, you may do [it]; and this explains what is stated there (v. 3), 'go, do,' which is not a command [but a granting of permission].
And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying:
verse value 1250
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. Verse gematria: 1250 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "and·it·came·to·pass" (וַיְהִ֖י, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·word·of·God" (דְּבַר־אֱלֹהִ֔ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: and·it·came·to·pass, and·it·came. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "in·the·night" (בַּלַּ֣יְלָה), "the·word·of·God" (דְּבַר־אֱלֹהִ֔ים). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·came·to·pass" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "saying" (root אמר, 73x in I Chronicles); "that" (root הוא, 50x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֖י [and·it·came·to·pass] (31) + בַּלַּ֣יְלָה [in·the·night] (77) + הַה֑וּא [that] (17) + וַֽיְהִי֙ [and·it·came] (31) + דְּבַר־אֱלֹהִ֔ים [the·word·of·God] (292) + אֶל־נָתָ֖ן [to·Nathan] (531) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 1250.
Rashi
And it came to pass on that same night, etc. It is explained in the Midrash (Midrash Sam. 26: 1): “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Nathan: This man to whom I am sending you is a vower. Go forth and tell him before he swears to build it: You shall not build Me the house for My dwelling.” Another explanation: The man to whom I am sending you is zealous. Go, tell him before he hires workers.
’Go and tell David My servant: Thus says Hashem: You shall not build Me a house to dwell in;
verse value 3213
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "My·servant" (עַבְדִּ֔י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֤ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·David" (אֶל־דָּוִ֣יד, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·you·will·say" (וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֙), "you·shall·build·to·Me" (תִּבְנֶה־לִּ֥י), "the·house" (הַבַּ֖יִת). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "the·house" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root כה ("thus") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: לֵ֤ךְ [go] (50) + וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֙ [and·you·will·say] (647) + אֶל־דָּוִ֣יד [to·David] (55) + עַבְדִּ֔י [My·servant] (86) + כֹּ֖ה [thus] (25) + אָמַ֣ר [he·says] (241) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + אַתָּ֛ה [you] (406) + תִּבְנֶה־לִּ֥י [you·shall·build·to·Me] (497) + הַבַּ֖יִת [the·house] (417) + לָשָֽׁבֶת [to·dwell] (732) = 3213.
Ralbag
'You shall not build Me a house,' etc. — In the Book of Samuel it is written, 'Shall you build Me a house?' etc., but the meaning is the same throughout.
Malbim
'You shall not build' — there (v. 5) it is phrased as a question, 'Will you build Me a house?'; the meaning is that it is not you who will build the house, but rather your son.
for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel, to this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.
verse value 4094
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "I·have·dwelt" (יָשַׁ֙בְתִּי֙), "from·the·day" (מִן־הַיּ֗וֹם), "I·brought·up" (הֶעֱלֵ֙יתִי֙). The root יום appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·house" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "and·I·was" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "Israel" (root ישראל, 94x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Rashi
but I have [gone] from tent to tent and from tabernacle i.e., and I have walked from tent to tent and from tabernacle to tabernacle: from Gilgal to Shiloh, and from Shiloh to Nob, and from Nob to Gibeon, and although I was wandering from tent to tent and from tabernacle to tabernacle...
Metzudat David
'For I have not dwelt' — that is, I have not dwelt, etc.; meaning, behold, until now I have not dwelt in a house, and so too you shall not build one for Me. 'But have gone from tent' — I went about from the tent of Shiloh to the tent of Nob, and so on. 'And from one tabernacle' — it is as though it said, 'and from one tabernacle to another tabernacle'; this is an abbreviated verse, and the missing word is understood of itself.
Malbim
'since the day' — this explains what is stated there (v. 6), 'from the day that I brought up.' 'from tent to tent' — this explains what is stated there, 'but I have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle'; for the Tabernacle at Shiloh was a tent above and a built structure below, and [Hashem] went from the tent that was in the wilderness to the Tabernacle at Shiloh, where He dwelt in a tent and a tabernacle together.
In all places where I have walked among all Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people, saying: Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?
verse value 8030
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 86 letters. The shortest word is "to·Me" (לִ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·I·have·walked" (אֲשֶֽׁר־הִתְהַלַּ֘כְתִּי֮, 10 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "that·I·have·walked" (אֲשֶֽׁר־הִתְהַלַּ֘כְתִּי֮), "did·I·speak" (דִּבַּ֗רְתִּי), "with·one" (אֶת־אַחַד֙). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "house·of" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "Israel" (root ישראל, 94x in I Chronicles); "in·all" (root כל, 81x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root מה ("why") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 5 words.
Rashi
Wherever I walked among all Israel, I spoke a word, etc. I did not do this, and neither did they spontaneously think of building a house for Me, as it has entered your mind.
Metzudat David
'In all places,' etc. — in all the places where I went about, etc., did I ever speak to any one of the judges whom I commanded to shepherd My people, etc.; it is as though He said, from this you shall know that the building of the House is reserved for a particular person to build, and not everyone is fit for it; and that is why I did not command concerning it until now.
Malbim
'any of the judges of Israel' — this explains what is stated there (v. 7), 'one of the tribes of Israel,' using the word 'tribe' (shevet) in the sense of 'the scepter (shevet) of rulers' (Isaiah 14:5).
Now therefore thus you shall say to My servant David: Thus says Hashem of hosts: I took you from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over My people Israel;
verse value 4627
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 78 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "thus·you·shall·say" (כֹּֽה־תֹאמַ֞ר, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "thus·you·shall·say" (כֹּֽה־תֹאמַ֞ר), "to·My·servant" (לְעַבְדִּ֣י), "I·took·you" (לְקַחְתִּ֙יךָ֙). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "to·be" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root עתה ("and·now") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root אני ("I") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·sheep', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 5 words.
Rashi
So said the Lord of Hosts For that which entered your mind I shall repay you. from the sheepcote the dwelling of the shepherds and the sheepfolds.
Metzudat David
'Now therefore' — meaning, since this matter of the House is a great one, tell David My servant: have I not already done much good for you, in that I took you from the pasture, etc.?
Metzudat Zion
'From the sheepcote' — the dwelling place of shepherds, as in 'a dwelling place for shepherds and folds' (nevot) (Zephaniah 2:6).
and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a name, like to the name of the great ones that are in the earth.
verse value 4940
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. Verse gematria: 4940 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·your·enemies" (אֶת־כׇּל־אוֹיְבֶ֖יךָ, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "you·went" (הָלַ֔כְתָּ), "and·I·have·cut·off" (וָאַכְרִ֥ית), "from·before·you" (מִפָּנֶ֑יךָ). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·have·been" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "in·all" (root כל, 81x in I Chronicles); "that" (root אשר, 77x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·before·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
and I have made you a name like the name of the great ones like the name of the great kings, for above it is written (14:17): “... and David’s fame went forth throughout all the lands.”
Metzudat David
'Like to the name of the great ones' — that you should become renowned in the world like all the great men of renown; and our Sages said that this is what is meant by the words 'shield of David.'
Malbim
'and have cut off' — there (v. 9) it is written 'va-akhritah' [with a final heh]. But since, up through 've-asiti' ('and I will make'), the verb form is a future converted to a past [by the vav ha-hippukh, for which the vav takes a kamatz], while from 've-asiti' onward it speaks in the plain future and the vav there is simply a connective vav — as I explained there — it is more correct here to have 'va-akhrit' without the heh, since a heh added onto a verb indicates an expression of will, not a definite past, as I have noted in many places.
Cross-references: Deuteronomy 12:10; II Samuel 7:9
And I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disquieted no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the first,
verse value 5661
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·they·shall·add" (וְלֹֽא־יוֹסִ֤יפוּ, 9 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·I·will·appoint" (וְשַׂמְתִּ֣י), "for·My·people" (לְעַמִּ֨י), "and·I·will·plant·them" (וּנְטַעְתִּ֙יהוּ֙). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 94x in I Chronicles); "as·that" (root אשר, 77x in I Chronicles); "for·My·people" (root עם, 63x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'again', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
And I shall appoint a place for My people Israel, and they will dwell in their own place, etc. not as it was in the days of Saul, when Saul was slain and Israel fled, and the Philistines settled in their place. and the wicked people will no longer afflict them - Heb. לְבַלְּתוֹ like לְעַנּוֹתוֹ (II Sam. 7:10).
Ralbag
'To wear him down' — In the Book of Samuel it is written, 'to afflict him.' Now, the resolution of this difficulty is that a permanent promise of this kind is [inherently] conditional, as we explained in the portion of Vayishlach. Accordingly, this promise carries a condition: that if the people of Israel keep the way of Hashem, and the king who reigns over them likewise, then the good things mentioned will continue for them, and the wicked will no longer afflict them as they afflicted them in the days of the Judges, as is related in the Book of Judges; but if they sin, this covenant will not be fulfilled for them in full, and nothing will remain to them of it except what comes to them for the sake of the forefathers — namely, that their enemies will not be able to destroy them utterly. This was the qualification that the authors of this book, [writing] by the holy spirit, built into this promise. In any event, this promise, as worded in this place, cannot be reconciled except by understanding it as referring to the time when the Redeemer comes — for Hashem, may He be blessed, will restore this place to Israel through the king who will come forth from the stock of Jesse and spring from his roots.
Metzudat David
'And I will appoint a place' — in your days I set a place of rest, a settled place, for My people Israel, and I planted them upon their land, and each of them dwelt in his own place, no longer trembling at the need to move from it. 'As at the first' — meaning, before the judges were established.
Metzudat Zion
'And be disquieted' — an expression of trembling agitation. 'Waste them' — an expression of wearing away and destruction, as in 'my flesh has He worn away' (bilah) (Lamentations 3).
Malbim
'waste them' — there (v. 10) it is 'to afflict him'; and our Sages explain (Berachot 5b): at first the intent was 'to afflict him,' and in the end 'to wear him away' — for after Israel sinned the promise changed: they would be afflicted by the children of iniquity, except that the promise remained that these would not wear them away so as to destroy and annihilate them.
even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover I tell you that Hashem will build you a house.
verse value 4079
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 67 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָ֔ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·your·enemies" (אֶת־כׇּל־אוֹיְבֶ֑יךָ, 10 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·from·days" (וּלְמִיָּמִ֗ים), "judges" (שֹֽׁפְטִים֙), "over·My·people" (עַל־עַמִּ֣י). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "and·house" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "Israel" (root ישראל, 94x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root כנע ("and·I·will·subdue") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·your·enemies', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּלְמִיָּמִ֗ים [and·from·days] (176) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that] (501) + צִוִּ֤יתִי [I·commanded] (516) + שֹֽׁפְטִים֙ [judges] (439) + עַל־עַמִּ֣י [over·My·people] (220) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + וְהִכְנַ֖עְתִּי [and·I·will·subdue] (561) + אֶת־כׇּל־אוֹיְבֶ֑יךָ [all·your·enemies] (500) + וָאַגִּ֣ד [and·I·told] (14) + לָ֔ךְ [to·you] (50) + וּבַ֖יִת [and·house] (418) + יִֽבְנֶה־לְּךָ֥ [he·will·build·to·you] (117) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 4079.
Rashi
And even from the days that I commanded judges over My people Israel they did not have rest like you, for I vanquished all your enemies before you. Moreover I tell you what your reward will be, because you wished to build Me a house. that the Lord will build you a house You thought to build Me a house in My name; your reward will be with the same measure; the Holy One, blessed be He, brings you the tidings that the Lord will give you a son who will reign after you and who will sit on the throne of Israel in your stead, and everything that endures for a person after him is called a house, as it says (v. 11): “... and I shall raise up your seed after you.”
Ralbag
'And I will subdue all your enemies' — In the Book of Samuel it is written, 'and I will give you rest from all your enemies,' but the meaning is the same throughout.
Metzudat David
'Even from the day' — this refers back to the previous verse, meaning, they will no longer wear it away, as they did at the first, and as in the time of the judges. 'Moreover I tell you' — and besides this, I tell you that Hashem will further do good for you, and will build for you a royal house for your offspring after you; and so these good things should be enough for you, even if you do not build the House of Hashem.
Malbim
'even from the day' — this explains what is stated there (v. 11), 'and from the day.' 'and I will subdue' — there it is 'and I will give rest'; but after the sin [Israel] did not find complete rest, only that their enemies were subdued under them, as I wrote — citing the words of our Sages — regarding verse 10. 'Moreover I tell you' — there (ibid.) it says, 'and Hashem will tell you that Hashem will make you a house'; and I explained there that this means He told him this in a separate prophecy — the reason he would not build the house, namely, that he had shed much blood, as this same prophecy is mentioned below (28:3). Ezra explains that at that earlier point this prophecy had not yet been told to him, since at that time he had not yet shed blood in abundance — the great wars came only after this pronouncement — and only afterward did Hashem say to him, 'you have shed much blood.' That is why it says here, 'I tell you,' meaning: in the future I will tell you the reason for the matter. 'that Hashem will build you a house' — this is a promise that Hashem will build him a faithful house, as He goes on to explain.
And it shall come to pass, when your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who shall be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom.
verse value 4813
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 72 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·come·to·pass" (וְהָיָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·set·up" (וַהֲקִימוֹתִ֤י, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·it·shall·come·to·pass" (וְהָיָ֗ה), "when·are·fulfilled" (כִּֽי־מָלְא֤וּ), "your·days" (יָמֶ֙יךָ֙). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·your·sons" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "and·it·shall·come·to·pass" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "with·your·fathers" (root אב, 95x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·your·sons', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָ֗ה [and·it·shall·come·to·pass] (26) + כִּֽי־מָלְא֤וּ [when·are·fulfilled] (107) + יָמֶ֙יךָ֙ [your·days] (80) + לָלֶ֣כֶת [to·go] (480) + עִם־אֲבֹתֶ֔יךָ [with·your·fathers] (543) + וַהֲקִימוֹתִ֤י [and·I·will·set·up] (577) + אֶֽת־זַרְעֲךָ֙ [your·seed] (698) + אַחֲרֶ֔יךָ [after·you] (239) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + יִהְיֶ֖ה [he·shall·be] (30) + מִבָּנֶ֑יךָ [from·your·sons] (122) + וַהֲכִינוֹתִ֖י [and·I·will·establish] (507) + אֶת־מַלְכוּתֽוֹ [his·kingdom] (903) = 4813.
Rashi
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.”
Metzudat David
'And it shall come to pass' — but when your days are fulfilled, etc.
Malbim
'that you must go to be with your fathers' — there (v. 12) it is 'and you shall lie with your fathers'; and Ezra makes known that the righteous have no rest, neither in this world nor in the world to come, as it is said (Psalms 84:8), 'they go from strength to strength,' as our Sages state at the end of [tractate] Berachot, in line with (Zechariah 3:7), 'I will give you free access among these that stand by.' 'who shall be of your sons' — there it is 'who shall come forth from your body'; and Ezra explains that the seed will not be from his daughters, but only from his male sons. 'and I will establish his kingdom' — there it is 'his realm'; and likewise, where it says 'and I will establish his throne,' there (v. 13) it says 'the throne of his realm.' I have already explained that there the term 'realm' denotes the people as a whole over whom he reigns, and this [promise] was not fulfilled, since the realm was divided in two; only the monarchy remained, together with the throne, which remained within the kingship over the tribe of Judah.
He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever.
verse value 1775
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "he" (ה֥וּא, 3 letters) and the longest is "shall·build·for·Me" (יִבְנֶה־לִּ֖י, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "shall·build·for·Me" (יִבְנֶה־לִּ֖י), "and·I·will·establish" (וְכֹנַנְתִּ֥י), "his·throne" (אֶת־כִּסְא֖וֹ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "house" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "he" (root הוא, 50x in I Chronicles); "shall·build·for·Me" (root בנה, 26x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root כסא ("his·throne") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'house', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: ה֥וּא [he] (12) + יִבְנֶה־לִּ֖י [shall·build·for·Me] (107) + בָּ֑יִת [house] (412) + וְכֹנַנְתִּ֥י [and·I·will·establish] (536) + אֶת־כִּסְא֖וֹ [his·throne] (488) + עַד־עוֹלָֽם [for·ever] (220) = 1775.
Metzudat David
'He shall build' — for it is he for whom is reserved the glorification of the [Divine] name through the building of My house. 'For ever' — for his offspring after him.
I will be to him for a father, and he shall be to Me for a son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you;
verse value 2830
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "and·he" (וְה֖וּא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "I" (אֲנִי֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "I·took·away" (הֲסִיר֔וֹתִי, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·My·mercy" (וְחַסְדִּי֙), "not·I·will·take·away" (לֹא־אָסִ֣יר), "from·with·him" (מֵעִמּ֔וֹ). The root היה appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·a·son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "I·will·be·to·him" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "for·a·father" (root אב, 95x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·a·son', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: אֲנִי֙ [I] (61) + אֶֽהְיֶה־לּ֣וֹ [I·will·be·to·him] (57) + לְאָ֔ב [for·a·father] (33) + וְה֖וּא [and·he] (18) + יִֽהְיֶה־לִּ֣י [he·shall·be·to·Me] (70) + לְבֵ֑ן [for·a·son] (82) + וְחַסְדִּי֙ [and·My·mercy] (88) + לֹא־אָסִ֣יר [not·I·will·take·away] (302) + מֵעִמּ֔וֹ [from·with·him] (156) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר [as·that] (521) + הֲסִיר֔וֹתִי [I·took·away] (691) + מֵאֲשֶׁ֥ר [from·whom] (541) + הָיָ֖ה [he·was] (20) + לְפָנֶֽיךָ [before·you] (190) = 2830.
Rashi
I shall be to him as a father, and he will be to Me as a son And in Samuel (II 7:14), it is written: “... so that when he goes astray, I will chasten him with the rod of men.” The meaning is that if he sins against Me, I will chasten him immediately, as a man who chastens his son with a rod of men, insofar that He raised up against him as adversaries Rezon and Hadad, and on that verse, it is appropriate to say, “... and I shall not remove My loving kindness from him as I removed it from [Saul] who was before you,” and when he sinned before Me, I removed the kingdom from him and from his seed. In Samuel (ibid. 15) it is written: “from Saul.” The reason it is not written here: “so that when he goes astray, etc.” is because of David’s honor, for he does not wish to speak of this in this Book, because it is denigrating to the house of David.
Metzudat David
'For a father' — like a father who chastises his son with the rod, but does not have the will to put him to death. 'My mercy' — I will not take My mercy away from him so as to reject him, as I took My mercy away from Saul, who was king before you.
Malbim
'for a son' — there (v. 14) it adds, 'when he commits iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of men'; but Ezra omitted this, since afterward [Israel's] sins caused the monarchy to cease and Zedekiah's eyes to be blinded, as the Psalmist laments over this (Psalm 89). 'as I took it' — there (v. 15) it says, 'as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you,' which implies that [Hashem] removed His mercy from Saul because He found David more worthy of this mercy. But Ezra, whose intent was to say that Saul was no longer worthy of the kingship (as stated above, 10:13), amended the matter to say that the mercy was removed from Saul on account of his sins.
but I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be established for ever.’
verse value 2178
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 48 letters. Verse gematria: 2178 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "he·shall·be" (יִהְיֶ֥ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·settle·him" (וְהַעֲמַדְתִּ֛יהוּ, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·I·will·settle·him" (וְהַעֲמַדְתִּ֛יהוּ), "in·My·house" (בְּבֵיתִ֥י), "in·My·kingdom" (וּבְמַלְכוּתִ֖י). The root עולם appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·My·house" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "he·shall·be" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "for·ever" (root עולם, 25x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·ever', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהַעֲמַדְתִּ֛יהוּ [and·I·will·settle·him] (546) + בְּבֵיתִ֥י [in·My·house] (424) + וּבְמַלְכוּתִ֖י [in·My·kingdom] (514) + עַד־הָעוֹלָ֑ם [for·ever] (225) + וְכִסְא֕וֹ [and·his·throne] (93) + יִהְיֶ֥ה [he·shall·be] (30) + נָכ֖וֹן [established] (126) + עַד־עוֹלָֽם [for·ever] (220) = 2178.
Ralbag
'But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom for ever' — In the Book of Samuel it is written, 'and your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever,' but the meaning is the same throughout; for the intent is that this refers to the offspring of Solomon, since it already said, 'and My mercy shall not depart from him.'
Metzudat David
'In My house' — in My royal house; and for further clarification He said 'in My kingdom,' and repeated it once more, saying, 'and his throne,' etc.; for it is the way of Scripture to repeat things two and three times for emphasis. 'For ever' — for his offspring after him.
Metzudat Zion
'Established' — [meaning] set firmly in its place.
Malbim
'but I will settle him' — there (v. 16) it says, 'and your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before you; your throne shall be established for ever.' Ezra adds that this was also a promise made specifically to Solomon — that the kingship would be preserved for his own seed always, and not for the rest of the seed of the House of David.
According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David.
verse value 1372
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "thus" (כֵּ֛ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·words" (הַדְּבָרִ֣ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 76: and·according·to·all, the·vision. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "the·words" (הַדְּבָרִ֣ים), "and·according·to·all" (וּכְכֹ֖ל), "the·vision" (הֶחָז֣וֹן). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "these" (root אלה, 89x in I Chronicles); "according·to·all" (root כל, 81x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: כְּכֹל֙ [according·to·all] (70) + הַדְּבָרִ֣ים [the·words] (261) + הָאֵ֔לֶּה [these] (41) + וּכְכֹ֖ל [and·according·to·all] (76) + הֶחָז֣וֹן [the·vision] (76) + הַזֶּ֑ה [this] (17) + כֵּ֛ן [thus] (70) + דִּבֶּ֥ר [he·spoke] (206) + נָתָ֖ן [Nathan] (500) + אֶל־דָּוִֽיד [to·David] (55) = 1372.
Metzudat David
'So did Nathan speak' — meaning, even though at first Nathan had agreed with him and told him, 'do all that is in your heart,' he was not ashamed to turn back and protest to him with the word of Hashem.
Then David the king went in, and sat before Hashem; and he said: ‘Who am I, O Hashem God, and what is my house, that You have brought me thus far?
verse value 2267
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "You·have·brought·me" (הֲבִיאֹתַ֖נִי, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "who·am·I" (מִֽי־אֲנִ֞י), "You·have·brought·me" (הֲבִיאֹתַ֖נִי), "until·here" (עַד־הֲלֹֽם). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "God" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Rashi
that You have brought me thus far From the sheepcote you brought me to the kingdom.
Metzudat David
'Before Hashem' — before the ark. 'And what is my house' — for do I not descend from Ruth the Moabitess? 'Thus far' — to the rank in which I now stand.
Metzudat Zion
'Thus far' — [meaning] to here, as in 'do not come near hither' (halom) (Exodus 3:5).
And this was a small thing in Your eyes, O God; but You have spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have regarded me after the manner of a man of high degree, O Hashem God.
verse value 4440
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "this" (זֹ֤את, 3 letters) and the longest is "concerning·house·of·Your·servant" (עַל־בֵּֽית־עַבְדְּךָ֖, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 86: God, God. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·it·was·small" (וַתִּקְטַ֨ן), "concerning·house·of·Your·servant" (עַל־בֵּֽית־עַבְדְּךָ֖), "for·a·long·time" (לְמֵרָח֑וֹק). The root אלהים appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "God" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles); "concerning·house·of·Your·servant" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·a·long·time', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַתִּקְטַ֨ן [and·it·was·small] (565) + זֹ֤את [this] (408) + בְּעֵינֶ֙יךָ֙ [in·Your·eyes] (162) + אֱלֹהִ֔ים [God] (86) + וַתְּדַבֵּ֥ר [and·You·have·spoken] (612) + עַל־בֵּֽית־עַבְדְּךָ֖ [concerning·house·of·Your·servant] (608) + לְמֵרָח֑וֹק [for·a·long·time] (384) + וּרְאִיתַ֗נִי [and·You·have·regarded·me] (677) + כְּת֧וֹר [like·manner·of] (626) + הָאָדָ֛ם [the·man] (50) + הַֽמַּעֲלָ֖ה [the·ascent] (150) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהִֽים [God] (86) = 4440.
Rashi
As though this was yet too small a thing in Your eyes that You gave me the kingdom. from afar that You have established my kingdom until future times, for You said, “And I shall station him in My house and in My kingdom forever.” and You have regarded me in the manner of a man of high degree that You have equated me and placed me in the rows of the great; i.e., I was small, but You placed me in the row of the princes of Your people, for You said to me, “... and I have made for you a [great] name like the name of the great ones.” in the manner - Heb. כְּתוֹר. The meaning is a row, and an example is in Kilaim (2:7): “the point of a row (ראשּׁ תּוֹר) of vegetables.”
Ralbag
'And have regarded me after the manner of a man of high degree' — meaning, according to the manner of a man who is a man of high station, in such a way that this wondrous providence will continue to his offspring, so that the kingdom will never depart from him. Now, in the Book of Samuel it is written, 'and this is the manner of man, O Hashem God' — meaning, that this promise which You promised me, of the good that continues to the perfect man — who directs his whole aim toward that aspect in which he is [truly] a man, namely, the human virtues — for it is to a man such as this that so wondrous a providence as this can properly continue.
Metzudat David
'And this was a small thing' — This kindness was still a small thing in Your eyes, so that You went on to speak of Your servant's house for a long time to come — that is, for future generations, giving the kingship to my descendants forever. 'and have regarded me' — You looked at me and deemed me worthy of the standing and dignity of a person of high rank, even though I am lowly and despised.
Metzudat Zion
'After the manner' — an expression of order and form; similarly, 'your cheeks are comely with circlets' (torim) (Song of Songs 1), which refers to pearls arranged in fine order and form.
Malbim
'and have regarded me after the manner of a man of high degree' — there (v. 19) it is 'and this is the law (torat) of man'; it is clear that [Ezra] is expounding the word 'torat,' whose root is 'tur,' which, according to Radak, means 'order' or 'arrangement' — related to it is 'your cheeks are comely with rows [torim]' (Song of Songs 1:10), meaning pearls arranged in order and pattern. And 'the man' means the elevated, eminent man. However, according to what I explained there — that David thereby proved that the kindness shown to him was not on account of his being a particular individual, but rather on account of his being man in the universal sense, proceeding along the path from individual perfection toward the general, toward all mankind together; and the universal, generic Man stands above the individual, particular man, for no individual exists within the intellect, and no species exists outside the intellect; and the 'elevated man' as conceived within the supernal Intellect, may He be blessed, is the universal Man — therefore it says here, 'You have regarded me after the order (tur) of the supernal man who stands above,' that is, the universal Man; and this is what is meant there by 'and this is the law of man' — namely, the universal, generic Man.
What can David say yet more to You concerning the honor which is done to Your servant? for You know Your servant.
verse value 2328
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "more" (ע֥וֹד, 3 letters) and the longest is "what·he·will·add" (מַה־יּוֹסִ֨יף, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 497: Your·servant, Your·servant. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "what·he·will·add" (מַה־יּוֹסִ֨יף), "for·honor" (לְכָב֣וֹד), "You·know" (יָדָֽעְתָּ). The root עבד appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "Your·servant" (root עבד, 41x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Your·servant', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: מַה־יּוֹסִ֨יף [what·he·will·add] (211) + ע֥וֹד [more] (80) + דָּוִ֛יד [David] (24) + אֵלֶ֖יךָ [to·You] (61) + לְכָב֣וֹד [for·honor] (62) + אֶת־עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ [Your·servant] (497) + וְאַתָּ֖ה [and·You] (412) + אֶֽת־עַבְדְּךָ֥ [Your·servant] (497) + יָדָֽעְתָּ [You·know] (484) = 2328.
Rashi
What more need David [seek] You The meaning is: What need is there more for David to seek you? to have glory as Your servant in order to do me honor, that I am Your servant, and You know by Yourself. In Samuel (II 7:20) it is written: “And what more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord.”
Ralbag
'What can David say yet more to You concerning the honor which is done to Your servant' — In the Book of Samuel it is written, 'and what more can David say to speak to You,' but the intent is the same; for the meaning is, what more can he say to You in asking You to add to his honor.
Metzudat David
'What can David say yet more' — From now on, what more is there for him to ask, regarding the honor shown to Your servant? That is, he has nothing further to request, and he speaks of himself as though speaking of someone else. 'for You know Your servant' — since You knew and had compassion on Your servant, to do this for him without his asking or requesting it.
Metzudat Zion
'You know' — this is an expression of love and compassion, as in 'you only have I known' (yadati) (Amos 3:2).
Malbim
'What can David say yet more to You concerning the honor which is done to Your servant? for You know Your servant' — there (v. 20) [in Samuel] it reads, 'and what more can David say to You, for You know Your servant.' Ezra explains that the meaning is: concerning this honor done to Your servant, to regard him as a man of eminence — that is, as the general, generic man — what more can David add to this insofar as he is a particular individual, speaking to You in his individual capacity? For that individuality is nullified by his eminence, since he travels the path of perfection toward [becoming] the universal man, uniting the two, so that You know him in this respect just as [You know] all the categories bound up in the knowledge of the all-encompassing, infinite intellect.
O Hashem, for Your servant’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have wrought all this greatness, to make known all these great things.
verse value 3195
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֕ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֕ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "all·the·great·things" (אֶת־כׇּל־הַגְּדֻלּֽוֹת, 10 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·like·Your·heart" (וּֽכְלִבְּךָ֔), "all·the·greatness" (כׇּל־הַגְּדוּלָּ֖ה), "to·make·known" (לְהֹדִ֖יעַ). The root גדול appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "Your·servant" (root עבד, 41x in I Chronicles); "You·have·done" (root עשה, 39x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words.
Rashi
O Lord, for the sake of Your servant This is connected to the preceding verse, as follows: And You did so much to let me know of all this greatness that You let me know, and all was from the desire of Your heart. Therefore...
Metzudat David
'for Your servant's sake' — Even if You did this because I am Your servant, it was nonetheless according to Your own heart that You performed this great deed; for my merit alone would not have been sufficient for it without Your own will. 'to make known' — And You even informed me of this, as though it came as a reward for my deeds.
Malbim
'O Hashem, for Your servant’s sake' — there (v. 21) [in Samuel] it reads, 'for the sake of Your word, and according to Your heart, You have wrought all this greatness, to make known to Your servant; therefore You are great, O Hashem God, for there is none like You,' and so forth. There [in my commentary on Samuel] I explained that this making-known was like all the revelations Hashem makes known through His prophets — matters of a general character, directed toward the purpose of humankind as a whole; that Hashem reveals what is in His heart and His hidden will for the perfecting of all generations; and from this it is clear that You are great, in that You bind causes and effects together from beginning to end — see my commentary there. Ezra adds and explains that You wrought all this greatness in order to make known all these great things, for Your servant's sake and according to Your heart — meaning, that these revelations are meant to disclose what is in Your heart, for the perfecting of the whole [of humanity] in the end of days; and also for Your servant's sake, so that he would thereby know that there is none like You, Hashem. And the sense of the verse there in Samuel is: 'Hashem, for the sake of Your word' (and 'and according to Your heart You have wrought' is a parenthetical remark) '[You wrought] all this greatness, to make known to Your servant; therefore You are great, O Hashem God' — meaning, through Your word, in that You spoke all this greatness and made this proclamation known through a prophet, You thereby made known to Your servant that therefore You are great, and so forth. And what it says, 'and according to Your heart You have wrought,' is a parenthetical remark, [meaning] that You did this according to Your heart and Your hidden will, as I explained there.
O Hashem, there is none like You, neither is there any God beside You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
verse value 1934
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "nothing" (אֵ֣ין, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·we·heard" (אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַ֖עְנוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 86: like·You, God. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "like·You" (כָּמ֔וֹךָ), "beside·You" (זוּלָתֶ֑ךָ), "that·we·heard" (אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַ֖עְנוּ). The root אין appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "God" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles); "in·all" (root כל, 81x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'beside·You', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + אֵ֣ין [nothing] (61) + כָּמ֔וֹךָ [like·You] (86) + וְאֵ֥ין [and·nothing] (67) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + זוּלָתֶ֑ךָ [beside·You] (463) + בְּכֹ֥ל [in·all] (52) + אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַ֖עְנוּ [that·we·heard] (967) + בְּאׇזְנֵֽינוּ [with·our·ears] (126) = 1934.
Rashi
O Lord, there is none like You Perhaps you will say that there is none as great as He, but there is one slightly smaller than He. Therefore. it says: “... and there is no god besides You.” there is none like You, and there is no god besides You even among the nations. according to all that we have heard with our ears all our days.
Metzudat David
'there is none like You' — with whom to compare You, so as to gauge the depth of Your thoughts. 'according to all that we have heard' — like all the wondrous things we have heard of.
And who is like Your people Israel, a nation one in the earth, whom God went to redeem to Himself for a people, to make You a name by great and tremendous things, in driving out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed out of Egypt.
verse value 6574
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 90 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֖ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "to·Himself" (ל֣וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·You·redeemed" (אֲשֶׁר־פָּדִ֥יתָ, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "like·Your·people" (כְּעַמְּךָ֣), "nation" (גּ֥וֹי), "to·redeem" (לִפְדּ֧וֹת). The root עם appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles); "Israel" (root ישראל, 94x in I Chronicles); "that" (root אשר, 77x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·earth', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 17 words.
Rashi
And who is like Your people Israel, one nation And how are they singled out from all the nations? In this manner... whom God went by Himself. to redeem for Himself a people as a people, as it is written (Exod. 11:4): “I shall step forth in the midst of Egypt.” In this, we were singled out, that He did not do this to any nation in the world. to drive nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed from Egypt And since You are One in Your world, and Your people are singled out from all nations; therefore, it is fitting for You to give them a proper and great king.
Metzudat David
'And who is like Your people' — Since there is none besides You, then who among the idol-worshiping nations is as fortunate and praised as Your people Israel, who are a unique nation on earth? 'to redeem to Himself for a people' — to redeem them from Egypt so that they would become His people. 'to make You a name,' etc. — to spread Your renown throughout the world. 'nations' — this refers back to 'in driving out': that is, You brought them out of Egypt in order to drive out before them the nations that were in the land of Canaan.
Malbim
'whom God went to redeem to Himself for a people' — there (v. 23) [in Samuel] it reads, 'whom God went (in the plural, הלכו) to redeem to Himself for a people.' Rashi explains that 'they went' means that His messengers went, namely Moses and Aaron. Ezra, however, explains that this name [Elohim] is sacred [i.e., refers to God Himself] — the plural form used there in Samuel being merely an expression of honor, as is known — and that they were already 'a people' to Him even before He redeemed them, just as He called them 'My people' even before the exodus from Egypt. 'to make You a name by great and tremendous things, in driving out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed out of Egypt' — there [in Samuel] it reads, 'and to make for Him a name, and to do for you the great and tremendous things, for Your land, from before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt — nations and their gods.' That verse there is very difficult, and Ezra explains that it consists of parallel clauses, arranged as follows: 'to make for Him a name' [parallels] 'the great and tremendous things'; 'and to do for you' [parallels] 'for Your land'; '(to do)' [i.e., to wreak vengeance] 'from before Your people whom You redeemed from Egypt' [parallels] 'upon nations and their gods.' That is: what is stated as 'the great and tremendous things' corresponds to 'to make for Him a name,' and the word 'for Your land' corresponds to 'and to do for you'; the word 'to do' extends to govern both pairs (and means 'to wreak vengeance'), and likewise the lamed-prefix of 'for Your land' extends to govern 'nations' [i.e., 'against the nations']. That is why [Ezra] changed the wording here to '[in] driving out [nations] from before Your people.'
For Your people Israel You made Your own people for ever; and You, Hashem, became their God.
verse value 3392
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·You" (לְךָ֛, 2 letters) and the longest is "unto·eternity" (עַד־עוֹלָ֑ם, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·You·made" (וַ֠תִּתֵּ֠ן), "Your·people" (אֶת־עַמְּךָ֨), "to·people" (לְעָ֖ם). The root עם appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "to·God" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles); "You·became" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'unto·eternity', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַ֠תִּתֵּ֠ן [and·You·made] (856) + אֶת־עַמְּךָ֨ [Your·people] (531) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֧ל [Israel] (541) + לְךָ֛ [to·You] (50) + לְעָ֖ם [to·people] (140) + עַד־עוֹלָ֑ם [unto·eternity] (220) + וְאַתָּ֣ה [and·You] (412) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + הָיִ֥יתָ [You·became] (425) + לָהֶ֖ם [to·them] (75) + לֵאלֹהִֽים [to·God] (116) = 3392.
Metzudat David
'for ever' — and You will not exchange them for another nation.
And now, O Hashem, let the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant, and concerning his house, be established for ever, and do as You have spoken.
verse value 4374
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4374 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·concerning·his·house" (וְעַל־בֵּית֔וֹ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 606: You·have·spoken, You·have·spoken. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·concerning·his·house" (וְעַל־בֵּית֔וֹ), "be·established" (יֵאָמֵ֖ן). The root דבר appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "and·concerning·his·house" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "that" (root אשר, 77x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'unto·eternity', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֣ה [and·now] (481) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + הַדָּבָ֗ר [the·word] (211) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that] (501) + דִּבַּ֤רְתָּ [You·have·spoken] (606) + עַֽל־עַבְדְּךָ֙ [concerning·Your·servant] (196) + וְעַל־בֵּית֔וֹ [and·concerning·his·house] (524) + יֵאָמֵ֖ן [be·established] (101) + עַד־עוֹלָ֑ם [unto·eternity] (220) + וַעֲשֵׂ֖ה [and·do] (381) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר [as·that] (521) + דִּבַּֽרְתָּ [You·have·spoken] (606) = 4374.
Metzudat David
'be established' — that the kingship remain with my descendants forever.
Metzudat Zion
'Be established' — an expression of confirmation and fulfillment.
Malbim
'And now, O Hashem, let the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant, and concerning his house, be established for ever, and do as You have spoken' — there (v. 25) [in Samuel] it says 'fulfill' [הקם], but Ezra explains that there is no need to pray that Hashem fulfill His word — only that it be verified, meaning that the world not be misled into thinking the promise will not be fulfilled, as happens in the time of exile: although in truth Hashem will fulfill His word in the end of days, there are those who do not believe this. So too, [Ezra] added [in the next verse], 'let it be verified, and let Your name be magnified' (a wording not found there [in Samuel]) — meaning, that through its being verified, Your name will thereby be magnified; for in the time of exile there is desecration of the [Divine] Name, and only through this will Your name be magnified, in that the house of David is established before You forever. That is why the verse there [in Samuel] omits the word 'will be' [יהיה].
Indeed, let it be established, and let Your name be magnified for ever, that it may be said: Hashem of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel; and the house of David Your servant shall be established before You.
verse value 3634
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 73 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Your·name" (שִׁמְךָ֤, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·house·of·David" (וּבֵית־דָּוִ֥יד, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·be·established" (וְ֠יֵאָמֵ֠ן), "Your·name" (שִׁמְךָ֤), "and·house·of·David" (וּבֵית־דָּוִ֥יד). The root אלהים appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "the·God·of" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles); "and·house·of·David" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Rashi
And may Your name be confirmed and magnified forever, saying that they should say, “The Lord of Hosts, etc.,” and also His word endures. and the house of David Your servant shall be established before You that You spoke, (v. 14): “... and his throne shall be established forever.”
Metzudat David
'let it be established' — through the fulfillment of this word, Your name will be magnified forever, for everyone will say that Hashem is the God of Israel forever, and that the house of David, too, stands firmly before Him for kingship forever, with no possibility, Heaven forbid, that He would go back on His word.
For You, O my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build him a house; therefore Your servant has taken heart to pray before You.
verse value 3578
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·pray" (לְהִתְפַּלֵּ֖ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 96: Your·servant, Your·servant. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "ear·of" (אֶת־אֹ֣זֶן), "found" (מָצָ֣א), "to·pray" (לְהִתְפַּלֵּ֖ל). The root עבד appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·God" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles); "house" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "for" (root כי, 69x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'house', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + אַתָּ֣ה [You] (406) + אֱלֹהַ֗י [my·God] (46) + גָּלִ֙יתָ֙ [You·have·revealed] (443) + אֶת־אֹ֣זֶן [ear·of] (459) + עַבְדְּךָ֔ [Your·servant] (96) + לִבְנ֥וֹת [to·build] (488) + ל֖וֹ [to·him] (36) + בָּ֑יִת [house] (412) + עַל־כֵּן֙ [therefore] (170) + מָצָ֣א [found] (131) + עַבְדְּךָ֔ [Your·servant] (96) + לְהִתְפַּלֵּ֖ל [to·pray] (575) + לְפָנֶֽיךָ [before·You] (190) = 3578.
Rashi
For You, my God, have revealed It is surely fitting for You to cause Your words to be realized, for You Yourself revealed to [my] ear to build me a house, as it is written: (v. 10): “and I told you and the Lord will build you a house.” therefore, Your servant has found [occasion] to pray before You i.e., If You Yourself had not promised me to bring upon my seed these favors, it would not enter my mind to make supplication, for who am I that You have brought even this far, but since You said for Your sake to bring me all these favors, I therefore pray that You cause Your words to be realized.
Metzudat David
'For You,' etc. — since You have informed me that You will build me a house of kingship, I have therefore found the courage and the boldness to come forward and pray about it, even though it is a great thing to ask.
And now, O Hashem, You alone are God, and have promised this good thing to Your servant;
verse value 2264
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·now" (וְעַתָּ֣ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "You·are·He" (אַתָּה־ה֖וּא, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "You·are·He" (אַתָּה־ה֖וּא). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "God" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles); "and·You·have·promised" (root דבר, 41x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֣ה [and·now] (481) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + אַתָּה־ה֖וּא [You·are·He] (418) + הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים [God] (91) + וַתְּדַבֵּר֙ [and·You·have·promised] (612) + עַֽל־עַבְדְּךָ֔ [to·Your·servant] (196) + הַטּוֹבָ֖ה [the·good] (27) + הַזֹּֽאת [this] (413) = 2264.
Metzudat David
'You alone are God' — and therefore it is in Your power to fulfill Your word. 'and have promised' — You Yourself spoke this word, for Nathan was a trustworthy prophet, and the word of Hashem was in his mouth.
and now it has pleased You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue for ever before You; for You, O Hashem, have blessed, and so let Your servant be blessed for ever.’
verse value 4429
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·now" (וְעַתָּ֗ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "You·have·been·pleased" (הוֹאַ֙לְתָּ֙, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 176: forever, forever. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "You·have·been·pleased" (הוֹאַ֙לְתָּ֙), "for·You" (כִּֽי־אַתָּ֤ה), "You·have·blessed" (בֵּרַ֔כְתָּ). The root ברך appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "the·house·of" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "to·be" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'before·You', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֗ה [and·now] (481) + הוֹאַ֙לְתָּ֙ [You·have·been·pleased] (442) + לְבָרֵךְ֙ [to·bless] (252) + אֶת־בֵּ֣ית [the·house·of] (813) + עַבְדְּךָ֔ [Your·servant] (96) + לִֽהְי֥וֹת [to·be] (451) + לְעוֹלָ֖ם [forever] (176) + לְפָנֶ֑יךָ [before·You] (190) + כִּֽי־אַתָּ֤ה [for·You] (436) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + בֵּרַ֔כְתָּ [You·have·blessed] (622) + וּמְבֹרָ֖ךְ [and·blessed] (268) + לְעוֹלָֽם [forever] (176) = 4429.
Rashi
for You, O Lord, have blessed You have blessed me. and [he shall be] blessed forever That is to say, Your servant shall be blessed forever.
Ralbag
'And now it has pleased You to bless the house of Your servant' — In the Book of Samuel it is written, 'and now, be pleased and bless the house of Your servant,' but the intent is the same, for 'ho'el' ('it has pleased') is an infinitive, not an imperative, and likewise 'u-varekh' ('and bless'). From this it is clear that this will indeed come to pass, for You, Hashem, have spoken, and Your word will certainly be fulfilled.
Metzudat David
'and now it has pleased You' — since this is so, there is no longer any need to pray further about the matter itself; rather, my request now is: please be pleased to bless, etc., that it may continue forever before You — meaning, a blessing in the form of a pure heart, given as a gift, to walk in Your Torah, so that they will be worthy to receive this great kindness. 'for You,' etc. — for indeed You have already blessed, and it remains blessed forever, since there is no obstacle on the part of the One who blesses; therefore I ask further that there also be no obstacle on the part of the one receiving the blessing.
Metzudat Zion
'It has pleased You' — an expression of desire and will, as in 'and Moses was content' (vayo'el) (Exodus 2).
Malbim
'and now it has pleased You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue for ever before You' — there (v. 29) [in Samuel] it reads, 'and now be pleased and bless.' Ezra explains that the word 'be pleased' [הואל] functions there almost as an infinitive together with the blessing You now begin — [meaning] that it should continue in this way forever. 'for You, O Hashem, have blessed, and so let Your servant be blessed for ever' — there [in Samuel] it says, 'for You, O Hashem, have spoken, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.' Ezra explains that the meaning is: have You not spoken? — and Your speech itself is the blessing, so that he is automatically blessed forever.
Rashi
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Malbim