David assembles all the princes of Israel to Jerusalem, stands up upon his feet, and hands the work over in public: 'Hear me, my brethren, and my people; as for me, it was in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Hashem... But God said to me: You shall not build a house for My name, because you are a man of war, and have shed blood.' Solomon is chosen — 'of all my sons — for Hashem has given me many sons — He has chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of Hashem over Israel' — and charged: 'know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind... if you seek Him, He will be found of you.' Then David gives him the pattern: the porch, the houses, the treasuries and upper rooms, the place of the ark-cover, 'the pattern of all that he had by the spirit' — 'All this I give you in writing, as Hashem has made me wise by His hand upon me.' And the last word of the charge: 'Be strong and of good courage, and do it.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that served the king by course, and the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, and the rulers over all the substance and cattle of the king and of his sons, with the officers, and the mighty men, even all the mighty men of valor, to Jerusalem.
verse value 10045
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 134 letters. The shortest word is "princes·of" (שָׂרֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·substance·and·cattle" (כׇל־רְכוּשׁ־וּמִקְנֶה֩, 11 letters). Words sharing gematria 516: and·captains·of, and·captains·of, and·captains·of, and·rulers·of. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "the·tribes" (הַשְּׁבָטִ֣ים), "the·hundreds" (הַמֵּא֡וֹת), "all·substance·and·cattle" (כׇל־רְכוּשׁ־וּמִקְנֶה֩). The root שר appears 6 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·to·his·sons" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "Israel" (root ישראל, 94x in I Chronicles).
Rashi
And David assembled all the leaders of Israel These are the leaders, the leaders of the tribes, as it is written (above 27:16): “And over the tribes of Israel, the leader of the Reubenites was...” and the leaders of the divisions These are the twelve divisions of the king, as above (27:1): “And the Children of Israel to their number, etc.” and the leaders of the thousands as above. and the leaders of the hundreds their officers. and the officers over all the property and the livestock of the king those whom he mentions above (27:25-31): “And over the treasuries of the king... and over the vineyards... and over the olive trees... and the livestock”; and the officers who were in charge of the cattle, and of the camels, and of the flocks, for every species of domestic animal is called מִקְנֶה, as it is written (Ecc. 2:7): “I also had much livestock (מִקְנֶה) consisting of cattle and flocks.”
Ralbag
the captains of the companies that served the king — these are the ones mentioned earlier as being over each division of twenty-four thousand, each of whom served in his own month.
Metzudat David
‘that served’ — this refers back to the divisions [mentioned earlier]. ‘even all the mighty men of valor’ — the matter is repeated to indicate that not a single one of the mighty men was missing.
Metzudat Zion
And the officers (hasarisim) - An expression of high office and authority.
Malbim
'All the princes of Israel' — this is the general heading, followed afterward by the specifics: the princes of the tribes, [already] enumerated (27:16-22). 'The captains of the companies' — (there, 27:1-15). 'The rulers over all the substance' — (there, 27:25-28). 'And cattle' — (there, 27:29-31).
Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said: ‘Hear me, my brethren, and my people; as for me, it was in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Hashem, and for the footstool of our God; and I had made ready for the building.
verse value 5076
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 100 letters. Verse gematria: 5076 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "my·brethren" (אַחַ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·covenant·of·Hashem" (בְּרִית־יְהֹוָ֗ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 488: to·build, to·build. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·he·arose" (וַיָּ֨קׇם), "upon·his·feet" (עַל־רַגְלָ֔יו), "hear·me" (שְׁמָע֖וּנִי). The root רגל appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "the·covenant·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "our·God" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·my·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 12 words.
Ralbag
to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Hashem — he called it a house of rest because the ark’s place would be there permanently, and Hashem, blessed be He, would not choose another place afterward.
Metzudat David
‘upon his feet’ — as if to say: although his strength had waned on account of old age, he nevertheless exerted himself to stand on his feet, out of honor for the princes of Israel who had gathered to him. ‘it was in my heart to build’ — it was in my heart to build a house, etc., and I had also made ready everything needed for it.
Metzudat Zion
And for the footstool (ulahadom) - This is the stool placed under a person's feet when he sits, as in "and the earth is My footstool" (Isaiah 66:1); he speaks by way of a figure drawn from human custom.
Malbim
'it was in my heart' and 'I had made ready' — meaning, nothing was lacking for the building: not the desire, for building was still in my heart, and not the material preparations for the building, for 'I had made ready to build' — everything was ready, and nothing was lacking except the actual building itself; only that Hashem told me I would not build it. 'for the ark of the covenant of Hashem, and for the footstool of our God' — as is written (Psalms 132:7), 'Let us come to His dwelling-place, let us worship at His footstool' — for that is the outermost point of the [concentric spheres] surrounding Him, where His governance reaches down into the lower world, as I explained in my commentary on Isaiah, on the phrase 'and His train filled the Temple.'
But God said to me: You shall not build a house for My name, because you are a man of war, and have shed blood.
verse value 3829
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֔י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·God" (וְהָֽאֱלֹהִים֙, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·God" (וְהָֽאֱלֹהִים֙), "and·blood" (וְדָמִ֥ים). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·God" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles); "a·house" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "he·said" (root אמר, 73x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·My·name', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְהָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ [and·God] (97) + אָ֣מַר [he·said] (241) + לִ֔י [to·me] (40) + לֹא־תִבְנֶ֥ה [not·you·shall·build] (488) + בַ֖יִת [a·house] (412) + לִשְׁמִ֑י [to·My·name] (380) + כִּ֣י [because] (30) + אִ֧ישׁ [man·of] (311) + מִלְחָמ֛וֹת [war] (524) + אַ֖תָּה [you] (406) + וְדָמִ֥ים [and·blood] (100) + שָׁפָֽכְתָּ [you·poured] (800) = 3829.
Metzudat David
‘and have shed blood’ — and therefore He kept him from building, just as He forbade lifting iron over the altar, because instruments of killing are made from it.
However, Hashem, the God of Israel, chose me out of all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever; for He has chosen Judah to be prince, and in the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father He took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel;
verse value 5214
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 110 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·me" (בִּ֜י, 2 letters) and the longest is "over·all·Israel" (עַל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, Judah. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "from·all" (מִכֹּ֣ל), "house·of·my·father" (בֵּית־אָבִ֗י), "in·Judah" (בִֽיהוּדָה֙). The root ישראל appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·among·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "the·God·of" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root רצה ("He·took·pleasure") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·father', dividing the verse into phrases of 19 and 6 words.
Ralbag
for He has chosen Judah to be prince — This is clear from Jacob’s blessing of his sons. And within the tribe of Judah He chose my father’s house, and within my father’s house He was pleased with me, to make me king over all Israel.
Metzudat David
‘Hashem...chose me,’ etc. — as if to say: However, that bloodshed is not counted against me as a sin, and I was not rejected from the kingship on its account; rather, I was chosen forever, all the days of my life. ‘chosen...to be prince’ — that a king from his offspring would reign. ‘the house of my father’ — He chose my father's house.
Malbim
'for He has chosen Judah to be prince, and in the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father He took pleasure in me' — meaning, David was the object of three [distinct] acts of selection: through his tribe, through his household, and personally. And in Solomon's case a third selection was added as well: He chose him from among all of David's sons, even though he was not the firstborn.
and of all my sons—for Hashem has given me many sons—He has chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of Hashem over Israel.
verse value 3849
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·from·all·my·sons" (וּמִ֨כׇּל־בָּנַ֔י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·from·all·my·sons" (וּמִ֨כׇּל־בָּנַ֔י), "in·Solomon" (בִּשְׁלֹמֹ֣ה). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·from·all·my·sons" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "over·Israel" (root ישראל, 94x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Ralbag
and of all my sons ... He has chosen Solomon my son — and if he is strong to perform His commandments and His ordinances, He will establish his kingdom forever.
Metzudat David
‘He has chosen Solomon my son’ — this comes to hint that he did not take Bath-sheba in sin; for had it been a sin, her son would not have been chosen for the kingship, seeing that David had many sons, and there would then have been others besides him fit to reign.
And He said to me: Solomon your son, he shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be to Me for a son, and I will be to him for a father.
verse value 2902
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֔י, 2 letters) and the longest is "he·shall·build" (הוּא־יִבְנֶ֥ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 40: to·me, to·Me. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "your·son" (בִנְךָ֔), "and·My·courts" (וַחֲצֵרוֹתָ֑י), "for·I·have·chosen" (כִּֽי־בָחַ֨רְתִּי). The root לי appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "your·son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "My·house" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "I·will·be·to·him" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·My·courts', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·He·said] (257) + לִ֔י [to·me] (40) + שְׁלֹמֹ֣ה [Solomon] (375) + בִנְךָ֔ [your·son] (72) + הוּא־יִבְנֶ֥ה [he·shall·build] (79) + בֵיתִ֖י [My·house] (422) + וַחֲצֵרוֹתָ֑י [and·My·courts] (720) + כִּֽי־בָחַ֨רְתִּי [for·I·have·chosen] (650) + ב֥וֹ [in·him] (8) + לִי֙ [to·Me] (40) + לְבֵ֔ן [for·a·son] (82) + וַאֲנִ֖י [and·I] (67) + אֶהְיֶה־לּ֥וֹ [I·will·be·to·him] (57) + לְאָֽב [for·a·father] (33) = 2902.
Metzudat David
‘to Me for a son’ — to be beloved to Me, like a son. ‘for a father’ — to have compassion on him, as a father does upon his son.
And I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do My commandments and My ordinances, as at this day.
verse value 3716
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "this" (הַזֶּֽה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·establish" (וַהֲכִינוֹתִ֥י, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "if·he·is·strong" (אִם־יֶחֱזַ֗ק), "My·commandments" (מִצְוֺתַ֥י), "and·My·ordinances" (וּמִשְׁפָּטַ֖י). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·do" (root עשה, 39x in I Chronicles); "as·the·day" (root יום, 39x in I Chronicles); "and·I·will·establish" (root כון, 25x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root מצוה ("My·commandments") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'unto·forever', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַהֲכִינוֹתִ֥י [and·I·will·establish] (507) + אֶת־מַלְכוּת֖וֹ [his·kingdom] (903) + עַד־לְעוֹלָ֑ם [unto·forever] (250) + אִם־יֶחֱזַ֗ק [if·he·is·strong] (166) + לַעֲשׂ֛וֹת [to·do] (806) + מִצְוֺתַ֥י [My·commandments] (546) + וּמִשְׁפָּטַ֖י [and·My·ordinances] (445) + כַּיּ֥וֹם [as·the·day] (76) + הַזֶּֽה [this] (17) = 3716.
Metzudat David
‘as at this day’ — as he is now exerting himself to perform the commandments of Hashem.
Malbim
'if he be constant' — for the kingship of David's own son [Solomon] was unconditional, but the kingship of his son's later offspring was conditional, as I explained in my commentary on Psalm 132, and elsewhere.
Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the congregation of Hashem, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of Hashem your God; that you may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you for ever.
verse value 6381
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 105 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·now" (וְ֠עַתָּ֠ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "all·Israel" (כׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֤ל, 7 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "the·assembly·of·Hashem" (קְהַל־יְהֹוָה֙), "and·in·ears·of" (וּבְאׇזְנֵ֣י), "keep" (שִׁמְר֣וּ). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·your·children" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "the·assembly·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "our·God" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Rashi
all Israel the stranger like the native. and in the ears of our God Before our God, similar to (Deut. 29:9): “You are standing today, all of you, before the Lord your God.” Also, (II Kings 23:3): “And the king stood on his place, etc. before the Lord.” observe and seek all the commandments of the Lord your God He said this to all Israel together, but to Solomon he said it before all Israel [as in the following verse].
Ralbag
Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel — That is to say, in the sight of all of you, and before Hashem, blessed be He, I charge you to keep and seek out all the commandments of Hashem your God, so that you may possess this good land, you and your children after you, forever.
Metzudat David
‘in the sight of all Israel’ — meaning, before all of you I charge you, saying: observe and seek out, etc. ‘and in the hearing of our God’ — as if to say: and Hashem will be a witness. ‘that you may possess’ — so that your possession of the land will endure, and you will pass it on as an inheritance to your children, and your children to their children, and so on forever.
Malbim
'Now therefore' — meaning, the more Hashem increases His goodness toward a person, the more that person is obligated to Him for additional service and greater submission. The High Priest bows at the end of each and every blessing [and then straightens up], but the king, once he has bowed, does not straighten up again. Therefore one of the king's obligations is that a copy of the Torah be with him, and that he read from it all the days of his life; and the other obligations of the king are in addition to the general commandments [binding on all Israel]. On this basis he tells them: all of Israel, who received from Hashem the good [gift] of inheriting the land, are obligated to keep His commandments, so that through this they and their children will endure in the land forever. But you, Solomon my son, with whom Hashem has dealt so wondrously in great kindnesses, it is not enough for you to stop at this alone. Rather, know: as regards beliefs and ideas, it is not enough for you to rely on tradition alone — rather, 'know the God of your father' through actual knowledge, so that you come to understand His ways and His truths through the knowledge of the intellect. And as regards deeds, 'serve Him' like a servant who serves constantly without interruption, and let the service be 'with a whole heart and a willing soul' — not for the sake of any external motive but with a whole heart, and not out of compulsion or fear of punishment, but out of love, until your soul desires His service. 'for Hashem searches all hearts' — the heart signifies the ruling faculty within the soul. 'and understands every inclination of the thoughts' — these [inclinations] precede the heart's choice: a person thinks thoughts, and the soul brings up from its depths many images, most of them inclined toward evil — such as images of desire, pride, anger, and the like — and then one must struggle against the [evil] inclination; and the heart, which is the ruling faculty, is meant to rule over the inclinations of the thoughts. Hashem searches the heart to see which way it will choose, and also [searches] the images of thought that take shape and rise up into the heart. The phrase 'for Hashem searches all hearts' answers to 'serve Him with a whole heart'; and the phrase 'and understands every inclination of the thoughts' answers to 'with a willing soul' — for one who has reached the level where his soul desires and longs for the service of Hashem will not form in his heart any image opposed to the service of Hashem, and will not desire evil at all, so that no struggle will arise within his soul, and he will not need to subdue his inclination, because his heart is full of the fear of Hashem and rejoices in His service. And do not say that this is difficult and against human nature, for 'if you seek Him, He will be found by you' — both regarding the knowledge [aspect], as it says 'know the God of your father,' which grants insight into true and divine matters, and regarding the service [aspect], for one who comes to purify himself is assisted [from Above]. 'but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever' — I have already explained that the verb 'zanach' [cast off] indicates that an impression is made upon something that has become distant from oneself (see what I wrote on Isaiah 19); and Rashi likewise writes here that 'zanach' is a stronger term than 'azav' [forsake].
And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind; for Hashem searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts; if you seek Him, He will be found of you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off for ever.
verse value 6774
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 109 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "know" (דַּע֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·if·you·forsake·Him" (וְאִם־תַּעַזְבֶ֖נּוּ, 9 letters). 15 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Solomon·my·son" (שְׁלֹמֹֽה־בְנִ֡י), "know" (דַּע֩), "the·God·of" (אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֨י). The root דרש appears 2 times in this verse. 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "the·God·of" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles); "your·father" (root אב, 95x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'understands', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 6 words.
Rashi
and worship Him with a whole heart Heb. בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם. It is not stated בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם, which would mean two hearts, but בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם, that you shall have but one heart for our Father Who is in heaven. And so did the liturgical poet set down (in the Kedushah of Musaph of the first day of Rosh Hashanah): “You have two hearts like one for the One.” Similar to this, [we find in] (I Kings 8:61): “Let your heart [therefore] be whole (שָׁלֵם) with the Lord our God.” It is not written שְׁלֵמִים but שָׁלֵם: your two hearts will be one whole heart. And so it is explained (Gen. 18:5): “... and refresh your heart (לִבְּכֶם), afterwards you may pass on.” This teaches us that the angels have only one heart, and also in the future it will be so, as it is written: (Ps. 48:14): “Give heed (לִבְּכֶם lit., your heart) to its walls.” for the Lord seeks all hearts Here it is appropriate to say לְבָבוֹת ; the Lord seeks all hearts, whether good or bad. and He understands the thoughts of every creation In Genesis Rabbah (9:3), we learned: “Before a creature is created, the Holy One, blessed be He, understands what the person is destined to think.” if you seek Him, He will be found to you Therefore, I say, (v. 8): “and seek all the commandments of the Lord.” He will abandon you forever Heb. יַזְנִיחֲךָ. It is not written here: He will forsake you (יַעַזָבְךָ), but He will abandon you (יַזְנִיחֲך), which is [a] harsher [term] like (Isa. 19: 6): “And they will abandon (הֶאֶזְנִיחוּ) the rivers”; (Lam 2:7): “The Lord abandoned (זָנַַח) His altar.”
Ralbag
know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart, etc. — That is, you should do this with a whole heart and a willing soul, for it will not benefit you to do this without your heart being whole with Hashem, since Hashem searches all hearts, and knows what is hidden in your heart, and understands the intent of your thoughts.
Metzudat David
‘know the God of your father’ — as if to say: search with your own intellect to know Him; and even if your intellect falls short, nevertheless do not abandon Him, for He is the God of your father — rely on the tradition, for a father surely sets his son upon the truth. ‘and with a willing mind’ — meaning, out of love and desire, and not out of fear of punishment. ‘Hashem searches [all hearts]’ — they are examined before Him, so that He knows all that is within them. ‘and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts’ — He understands every working of the thoughts. ‘if you seek Him’ — to grasp the greatness of His exaltedness. ‘He will be found of you’ — meaning, He will open your heart to know and understand. ‘He will cast you off for ever’ — He will abandon you forever, if you do not return to Him.
Metzudat Zion
The imaginations (yetzer) - This is an expression of forming, as in "who has formed a god" (Isaiah 44). He will cast you off (yazniche'cha) - An expression of abandonment, as in "have You cast me off" (Psalms 43).
Take heed now; for Hashem has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it.’
verse value 2839
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "in·you" (בְּךָ֛, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·build·house" (לִבְנֽוֹת־בַּ֥יִת, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "for·Hashem" (כִּֽי־יְהֹוָ֛ה), "in·you" (בְּךָ֛), "to·build·house" (לִבְנֽוֹת־בַּ֥יִת). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "to·build·house" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "and·do" (root עשה, 39x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: רְאֵ֣ה [see] (206) + עַתָּ֗ה [now] (475) + כִּֽי־יְהֹוָ֛ה [for·Hashem] (56) + בָּ֧חַר [chose] (210) + בְּךָ֛ [in·you] (22) + לִבְנֽוֹת־בַּ֥יִת [to·build·house] (900) + לַמִּקְדָּ֖שׁ [for·the·sanctuary] (474) + חֲזַ֥ק [be·strong] (115) + וַעֲשֵֽׂה [and·do] (381) = 2839.
Rashi
for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the Sanctuary not to build it for Him to dwell therein, for the heavens and the heavens of the heavens cannot contain Him, but for the Sanctuary, for the requirement of the Ark, which is called מִקְדָּשׁ, as it is written (Num. 10:21): “And the Kehathites, the bearers of the מִקְדָּשׁ traveled,” and that is the Ark. He did not choose you because you are more praiseworthy than other men, but for His sake and for the sake of His mercies; therefore be strong and do it.
Metzudat David
‘Take heed now’ — [consider] the greatness that has been given to you by Hashem. ‘for the sanctuary’ — to be a sanctuary for Him.
Malbim
'Take heed now' — for Hashem has made His kindnesses toward you even more extraordinary, and has chosen you to build a house for the Sanctuary; therefore, 'be strong, and do it.' This also hints that one of the conditions for building the Sanctuary is that a person first build a sanctuary for Hashem within his own heart, so that Hashem's presence rests upon him in his spirit and soul, as I wrote in Artzot HaShalom, Discourse 3; and therefore, 'be strong, and do it.'
Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch of the temple, and of its houses, and of its treasuries, and of its upper rooms, and of its inner chambers, and of the place of the ark-cover;
verse value 5349
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "his·son" (בְנ֡וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·pattern·of" (אֶת־תַּבְנִ֣ית, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "the·pattern·of" (אֶת־תַּבְנִ֣ית), "the·porch" (הָאוּלָם֩), "and·its·houses" (וְֽאֶת־בָּ֨תָּ֜יו). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "and·its·houses" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root תבנית ("the·pattern·of") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: וַיִּתֵּ֣ן [and·he·gave] (466) + דָּוִ֣יד [David] (24) + לִשְׁלֹמֹ֣ה [to·Solomon] (405) + בְנ֡וֹ [his·son] (58) + אֶת־תַּבְנִ֣ית [the·pattern·of] (1263) + הָאוּלָם֩ [the·porch] (82) + וְֽאֶת־בָּ֨תָּ֜יו [and·its·houses] (825) + וְגַנְזַכָּ֧יו [and·its·treasuries] (102) + וַעֲלִיֹּתָ֛יו [and·its·upper·rooms] (532) + וַחֲדָרָ֥יו [and·its·chambers] (234) + הַפְּנִימִ֖ים [the·inner] (235) + וּבֵ֥ית [and·house·of] (418) + הַכַּפֹּֽרֶת [the·ark-cover] (705) = 5349.
Rashi
the pattern of the porch Its length, its width, and its height as is written in I Kings (6:3): “And the porch before the Temple of the House, etc.” and its treasuries the place where the treasuries of the hallowed objects were deposited.
Ralbag
Then David gave to Solomon his son, etc. — You should know that everything David told Solomon of these matters concerning the Temple was entirely fixed by Hashem, blessed be He, through His prophets, as David says to Solomon below (v. 19), “All this in writing from the hand of Hashem, He gave me to understand, all the works of the pattern” — meaning that the prophet, in writing from the hand of Hashem, gave him understanding of all the works of the pattern. the pattern of the porch, etc. — This is the pattern of the porch and the pillars that were in it, and the pattern of its houses that were within the porch; and its treasuries are the storehouses that were in the porch. and of its upper rooms — There were many upper rooms in the porch, for its height was one hundred twenty cubits. As for its inner chambers, I think its inner chambers were above the Sanctuary, since its height on the inside was only twenty cubits. and of the place of the ark-cover — This is the house in which the ark-cover was, namely the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies.
Metzudat David
‘Then David gave,’ etc. — meaning, he taught it to him and placed it in his charge. ‘the porch’ — which stood in front of the sanctuary building. ‘and of its houses’ — the side chambers on each side. ‘and of the place of the ark-cover’ — that is the Holy of Holies.
Metzudat Zion
The pattern (tavnit) - An expression of shape and form. And its treasuries (veginzachav) - The place of the storehouses; the word relates to "genizah" (storing away) and concealment.
Malbim
'the pattern of the porch' — the outer courtyard in front of the Temple hall. 'and its houses' — the surrounding side-chambers. 'and its treasuries' — the chambers made for storing the treasures of the sacred donations there. 'and its inner chambers' — this is the Temple hall [Heichal] and the chambers surrounding it. 'and the place of the ark-cover' — this is the Holy of Holies.
and the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, for the courts of the house of Hashem, and for all the chambers round about, for the treasuries of the house of God, and for the treasuries of the hallowed things;
verse value 6286
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּל֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·for·all·the·chambers" (וּלְכׇל־הַלְּשָׁכ֖וֹת, 10 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·pattern·of" (וְתַבְנִ֗ית), "in·the·spirit" (בָר֙וּחַ֙), "for·courts·of" (לְחַצְר֧וֹת). The root אוצר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "God" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles); "house·of" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'round·about', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
that he had by the spirit As Samuel the Seer showed him, as it is written (above 9:22): “... whom David and Samuel established permanently.” Our Rabbis said (Zeb. 54b) (I Sam. 19:22): “... and he asked and said, ‘Where are Samuel and David?’ And one said, ‘Behold at Naioth in Ramah.’” They were engaged in the building of the world. That refers to the Temple. And he taught him at that time what a faithful student cannot learn in many years. (Mid. Sam. 22:4) round about, of the treasuries of the House of God and of the treasuries of the hallowed things but he does not explain which of the hallowed things that David and the chiefs of the fathers’ houses hallowed [he is referring to]; and at that time they were appointed over it until they would build the Temple, but these treasuries were always in existence as long as the Temple existed.
Ralbag
and the pattern of all that he had by the spirit — That is, by the holy spirit that was with him; or he may mean by this the pattern of all that he had in mind, by his own intent, to make regarding this building. for the courts of the house of Hashem — This is the court of the priests, and the enclosure in front of that court. and for all the chambers round about — These are the rooms built around the Sanctuary to hold the treasuries of the house of Hashem and the treasuries of the hallowed things.
Metzudat David
‘all that he had by the spirit’ — meaning, the pattern that was revealed to him through the holy spirit, for the courts, etc. ‘for the treasuries of the house of God’ — in which they would deposit the donations for the upkeep and repair of the house. ‘and for the treasuries of the hallowed things’ — in which they would deposit the funds designated for the communal sacrifices.
Malbim
'and the pattern' — beyond the plain sense, this also hints that the entire Sanctuary and its chambers allude to great and wondrous matters, both in the macrocosm [the great world] and in the microcosm [the small world], that is, the soul — for both of these are arranged and structured according to the order of the Sanctuary, for those with the understanding to perceive it; so much so that the pattern of the Sanctuary, with all its courts and chambers, existed in David's own spirit. As I wrote in the discourse mentioned above, on the phrase 'for Hashem will make you a house' — David himself was like the [heavenly] image of the House above, in holiness; and so it says, 'that he had by the spirit.'
also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of Hashem, and for all the vessels of service in the house of Hashem:
verse value 3410
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "service·of" (עֲבוֹדַ֣ת, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·for·all·work·of" (וּֽלְכׇל־מְלֶ֖אכֶת, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 482: service·of, service·of. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·for·courses·of" (וּֽלְמַחְלְקוֹת֙), "and·for·all·work·of" (וּֽלְכׇל־מְלֶ֖אכֶת), "and·for·all·vessels·of" (וּֽלְכׇל־כְּלֵ֖י). The root עבדה appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "and·the·Levites" (root לוי, 46x in I Chronicles); "service·of" (root עבדה, 28x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·house·of·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּֽלְמַחְלְקוֹת֙ [and·for·courses·of] (620) + הַכֹּהֲנִ֣ים [the·priests] (130) + וְהַלְוִיִּ֔ם [and·the·Levites] (97) + וּֽלְכׇל־מְלֶ֖אכֶת [and·for·all·work·of] (577) + עֲבוֹדַ֣ת [service·of] (482) + בֵּית־יְהֹוָ֑ה [the·house·of·Hashem] (438) + וּֽלְכׇל־כְּלֵ֖י [and·for·all·vessels·of] (146) + עֲבוֹדַ֥ת [service·of] (482) + בֵּית־יְהֹוָֽה [the·house·of·Hashem] (438) = 3410.
Rashi
And of the divisions of the priests and the Levites for he divided them into twentyfour watches, as above; all this he gave over to him. and of all the vessels of the service of the House of the Lord the weight of what and how much each vessel is, as is explained.
Ralbag
also for the courses of the priests and the Levites — That is, David gave his son [instruction as to] how these divisions were to be, for he himself had organized them, as mentioned previously; and from this it becomes clear that David did this by the word of Hashem. and for all the work of the service of the house of Hashem — The vav in the word “and for all” is superfluous, and the meaning is: for the courses of the priests and the Levites, for all the work of the service of the house of Hashem. This is what it says afterward (v. 21): “and the courses of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God.” [David] also informed him of the form of the vessels for the service of the house of Hashem, and explained to him, for every single vessel, how much its weight should be — whether it was a vessel of gold or a vessel of silver — and he explained to him the weight of the gold candlesticks.
Metzudat David
‘also for the courses’ — he likewise handed over to him the order of the divisions of the priests and Levites, and of those appointed over all the work of the service of the house, as well as the pattern of every vessel of service.
Metzudat Zion
Also for the courses (ulamachlekot) - [Meaning] "and the courses"; the letter lamed stands in place of the [direct-object marker] "et," as in "all its vessels" (Exodus 27:3), and there are many similar instances.
Malbim
'also for the courses' — that he handed over to him the order of the divisions of the priestly and Levitical watches mentioned above. 'and for all the work' — how the order of the service, the song, and the stationing of the ministers of the service was to be. 'and for all the vessels' — and likewise the details of the vessels of the Sanctuary and their particulars.
of gold by weight for the vessels of gold, for all vessels of every kind of service; of silver for all the vessels of silver by weight, for all vessels of every kind of service;
verse value 1977
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "for·all" (לְכֹ֨ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·all·vessels·of" (לְכׇל־כְּלֵ֖י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 472: in·the·weight, in·weight. The root עבדה appears 4 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·all" (root כל, 81x in I Chronicles); "service" (root עבדה, 28x in I Chronicles); "to·the·gold" (root זהב, 24x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·service', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: לַזָּהָ֤ב [to·the·gold] (44) + בַּמִּשְׁקָל֙ [in·the·weight] (472) + לַזָּהָ֔ב [to·the·gold] (44) + לְכׇל־כְּלֵ֖י [for·all·vessels·of] (140) + עֲבוֹדָ֣ה [service] (87) + וַעֲבוֹדָ֑ה [and·service] (93) + לְכֹ֨ל [for·all] (80) + כְּלֵ֤י [vessels·of] (60) + הַכֶּ֙סֶף֙ [the·silver] (165) + בְּמִשְׁקָ֔ל [in·weight] (472) + לְכׇל־כְּלֵ֖י [for·all·vessels·of] (140) + עֲבוֹדָ֥ה [service] (87) + וַעֲבוֹדָֽה [and·service] (93) = 1977.
Rashi
Of gold, in weight for gold, for all the vessels of every service and so for all silver vessels by weight.
Metzudat David
‘of gold’ — regarding the gold vessels, he handed over to him the weight appropriate for gold, for each and every vessel. ‘for all the vessels of silver by weight’ — meaning, the weight appropriate for silver, since the weight of silver is not the same as the weight of gold.
Malbim
'of gold' — for the vessels of gold, the weight was set according to what was proper for gold, and the silver vessels according to the weight proper for silver, since these followed a different weight standard; and this applied to every vessel according to its nature. He also means to allude to the distinction between gold and silver that I will mention in the next verse.
by weight also for the candlesticks of gold, and for their lamps, of gold, by weight for every candlestick and for its lamps; and for the candlesticks of silver, silver by weight for every candlestick and for its lamps, according to the use of every candlestick;
verse value 7178
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 92 letters. The shortest word is "gold" (זָהָ֔ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·weight·of·candlestick" (בְּמִשְׁקַל־מְנוֹרָ֥ה, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 671: and·its·lamps, and·its·lamps. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·weight" (וּמִשְׁקָ֞ל), "for·candlesticks·of" (לִמְנֹר֣וֹת), "and·their·lamps" (וְנֵרֹֽתֵיהֶם֙). The root מנורה appears 6 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "like·service·of" (root עבדה, 28x in I Chronicles); "the·gold" (root זהב, 24x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root מנורה ("for·candlesticks·of") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·lamps', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
and their lamps of gold the weight of each lamp. of the weight of each candelabrum for he made ten candelabra. in the service of every candelabrum and the weight of the service vessels of the candelabrum, its tongs and its charcoal pans, and also the weight.
Ralbag
and their lamps, of gold; and the weight for the candlesticks of silver.
Metzudat David
‘by weight also’ — he also gave him the weight for the ten candlesticks of gold that Solomon made, together with their lamps, which were fashioned like little bowls to hold the oil and the wicks. ‘by weight for every candlestick’ — how much the weight of each one's lamps should be. ‘and for the candlesticks of silver’ — which were made to be set up in the priests' chamber, to give them light when they ate the sacred foods at night. ‘according to the use’ — according to the weight appropriate to the workmanship of its design.
Malbim
'by weight also for the candlesticks' — for he made ten candlesticks. Regarding the phrase 'and their lamps, of gold,' see what I wrote in my commentary on Kings (I Kings 7:49). 'and for the candlesticks of silver' — Solomon did not actually make any silver candlesticks, since silver was accounted as nothing in Solomon's days; David, however, did not know that Solomon would grow so wealthy. 'according to the use of every candlestick' — because the golden candlesticks were all of equal weight, a talent each, as is specified in the Torah; but a silver candlestick did not have to weigh a talent, as is stated in [tractate] Menachot, 27. That is why it says 'according to the use of every candlestick' [individually] — because their weights were not all the same.
and the gold by weight for the tables of showbread, for every table; and silver for the tables of silver;
verse value 4422
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "weight" (מִשְׁקָ֛ל, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·gold" (וְאֶת־הַזָּהָ֥ב, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 824: for·tables·of, for·tables·of. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·the·gold" (וְאֶת־הַזָּהָ֥ב), "for·table" (לְשֻׁלְחַ֣ן), "and·table" (וְשֻׁלְחָ֑ן). The root שלחן appears 4 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·the·gold" (root זהב, 24x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root שלחן ("for·tables·of") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·table', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאֶת־הַזָּהָ֥ב [and·the·gold] (426) + מִשְׁקָ֛ל [weight] (470) + לְשֻׁלְחֲנ֥וֹת [for·tables·of] (824) + הַֽמַּעֲרֶ֖כֶת [the·showbread] (735) + לְשֻׁלְחַ֣ן [for·table] (418) + וְשֻׁלְחָ֑ן [and·table] (394) + וְכֶ֖סֶף [and·silver] (166) + לְשֻׁלְחֲנ֥וֹת [for·tables·of] (824) + הַכָּֽסֶף [the·silver] (165) = 4422.
Rashi
for the tables of the showbread upon which to arrange the showbread. [He instructed him] about the weight of each table, for he made ten golden tables in the Heichal and the weight of the silver for the tables in the forecourt, upon which they would flay the sacrifices, and the weight of the forks and the basins.
Ralbag
and the gold by weight for the tables of showbread, for every table — That is, the gold tables on which the showbread was placed, each and every one of them, for there were ten tables and ten candlesticks there.
Metzudat David
‘and the gold,’ etc. — the weight of the gold for the tables made for the arrangement of the showbread. ‘and silver’ — the weight of the silver for the silver tables that stood in the courtyard, on which they would flay the sacrifices; and although these are not mentioned in the account of Solomon's building, they are mentioned in the account of Ezekiel's Temple, and so they were present in Solomon's house as well.
Malbim
'and silver for the tables of silver' — he did not actually make any silver tables, for the reason mentioned above; or, alternatively, one may say that there was a table outside [the sanctuary] on which the showbread was placed [before being arranged on the golden table], and that table was made of silver, as our Sages said.
and the flesh-hooks, and the basins, and the jars, of pure gold; and for the golden bowls by weight for every bowl; and for the silver bowls by weight for every bowl;
verse value 5440
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 81 letters. The shortest word is "gold" (זָהָ֣ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·flesh-hooks" (וְהַמִּזְלָג֧וֹת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 472: in·weight, in·weight. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·the·flesh-hooks" (וְהַמִּזְלָג֧וֹת), "and·the·basins" (וְהַמִּזְרָק֛וֹת), "and·the·jars" (וְהַקְּשָׂוֺ֖ת). The root כפור appears 6 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "gold" (root זהב, 24x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root כפור ("and·for·bowls·of") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'pure', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 10 words.
Rashi
and for the basins of gold in weight Heb. כְּפוֹרֵי כְּפוֹרֵי. [They] are service vessels with which to wipe the blood from the vessels, and an example is in the first (sic) chapter of Baba Mezia (24a): “The man who wiped (דְּכָפַר) his hands with his neighbor’s cloak,” and every [expression of] כַּפָּרָה is an expression of wiping and purification.
Metzudat David
‘and the flesh-hooks,’ etc. — he also handed over to him the pattern of all these vessels. ‘of pure gold’ — that it was made of pure gold. ‘by weight for every bowl’ — how much the weight of each should be.
Metzudat Zion
And the flesh-hooks (vehamizlagot) - The name of a two-pronged utensil, with which the meat is speared to lift it out of the pot. And the basins (vehamizrakot) - The bowls that receive the blood for sprinkling. And the jars (vehaksavot) - Support rods, like pegs, that stood beside the table on either side for the sake of the showbread, as is written in the Torah. And for the bowls (ulechapurei) - These, too, are similar to basins, as in "golden bowls ... of a second kind" (Ezra 1:10); and they are called "kefurei" because the priest performing the sprinkling wipes his hand on the rim of the vessel; and so in the words of our sages, "she must wipe (lechaporei) her hands" (Gittin 56).
Malbim
'and the flesh-hooks' — the basins were of two kinds: one of burnished brass (below, II Chronicles 4:16), and one of gold (ibid., v. 22). And although flesh-hooks are not mentioned there, note that Kings does not mention flesh-hooks at all either, while Ezra wrote 'flesh-hooks' in place of 'basins' [in that list] — see there. 'and for the bowls' — a type of basin, mentioned in [the Book of] Ezra (ch. 1).
and for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot, even the cherubim, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of Hashem.
verse value 4818
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "gold" (זָהָ֥ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·covenant·of·Hashem" (בְּרִית־יְהֹוָֽה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 14: gold, gold. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·for·altar·of" (וּלְמִזְבַּ֧ח), "and·for·pattern·of" (וּלְתַבְנִ֣ית), "the·chariot" (הַמֶּרְכָּבָ֗ה). The root זהב appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·covenant·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "over·ark·of" (root ארון, 34x in I Chronicles); "gold" (root זהב, 24x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·weight', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 8 words. Full calculation: וּלְמִזְבַּ֧ח [and·for·altar·of] (93) + הַקְּטֹ֛רֶת [the·incense] (714) + זָהָ֥ב [gold] (14) + מְזֻקָּ֖ק [refined] (247) + בַּמִּשְׁקָ֑ל [in·the·weight] (472) + וּלְתַבְנִ֣ית [and·for·pattern·of] (898) + הַמֶּרְכָּבָ֗ה [the·chariot] (272) + הַכְּרוּבִ֤ים [the·cherubim] (283) + זָהָב֙ [gold] (14) + לְפֹ֣רְשִׂ֔ים [spreading] (660) + וְסֹכְכִ֖ים [and·covering] (156) + עַל־אֲר֥וֹן [over·ark·of] (357) + בְּרִית־יְהֹוָֽה [the·covenant·of·Hashem] (638) = 4818.
Rashi
refined gold - Heb. זָהָב מְזֻקָּק, like refined silver (כֶּסֶף מְזֻקָּק). and for the pattern of the chariot They are the cherubim upon which the Shechinah “rides.” which spread out [their wings] and covered Heb. לְפרְשִׂים. i.e., which were spreading and covering over the Ark, as is stated (Ex. 25: 20): “The cherubim shall spread their wings, etc.”
Ralbag
and gold for the pattern of the chariot, even the cherubim, that spread out their wings — He alludes here to the two cherubim that Solomon made, whose height was ten cubits, each cherub’s wing being five cubits, so that it measured twenty cubits from the tips of the one’s wings to the tips of the other’s wings. He called this “the pattern of the chariot” because it is, as it were, pointing to the matter of Hashem’s, blessed be He, riding upon these cherubim, and their riding upon what was beneath them, as will become clear from our discussion in our commentary on the words of the Torah and in the Book of Kings.
Metzudat David
‘and for the altar’ — the altar that was made of refined gold, he told him how much its weight should be. ‘and gold for the pattern of the chariot’ — and Scripture goes on to explain that this refers to the cherubim, which stood on the ground, spreading their wings to cover over the ark; they resembled the creatures of the chariot that have the face of a man, for the cherubim, too, had the face of an infant.
Metzudat Zion
Refined (mezukak) - An expression of purifying, as in "refined seven times" (Psalms 12).
Malbim
'and gold for the pattern of the chariot' — the cherubim were a depiction of the chariot of Hashem and the Shechinah of His might, such as Ezekiel saw. 'that spread out their wings' — as it is written (Exodus 25:20), 'And the cherubim shall spread out their wings, covering [the ark] with their wings.'
‘All this I give you in writing, as Hashem has made me wise by His hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.’
verse value 2448
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 36 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2448 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "works·of" (מַלְאֲכ֥וֹת, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "in·writing" (בִּכְתָ֛ב), "he·made·wise" (הִשְׂכִּ֑יל), "works·of" (מַלְאֲכ֥וֹת). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "the·all" (root כל, 81x in I Chronicles); "upon·me" (root על, 59x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·made·wise', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַכֹּ֥ל [the·all] (55) + בִּכְתָ֛ב [in·writing] (424) + מִיַּ֥ד [from·hand·of] (54) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + עָלַ֣י [upon·me] (110) + הִשְׂכִּ֑יל [he·made·wise] (365) + כֹּ֖ל [all] (50) + מַלְאֲכ֥וֹת [works·of] (497) + הַתַּבְנִֽית [the·pattern] (867) = 2448.
Rashi
All was in writing The meaning is: He arranged everything in writing for him: the sum of every weight of every vessel, from Samuel the Seer. all the works of the pattern He endowed me with the wisdom and the understanding of the pattern of the House, e.g., the pattern of the length, the width, and the height, and Samuel derived everything from the Torah with the holy spirit, as we learned (Middoth 2:1): “The Temple Mount was five hundred cubits by five hundred cubits.” He expounded (Ex. 27:18): “The length of the forecourt was one hundred cubits; the free width: fifty by fifty.” Fifty times fifty are twentyfive hundred cubits. It appears to me that he cut them into five strips to be five hundred by five hundred cubits. This was set down in the final liturgical poem for the Sabbath of Hanukkah, which commences: “Manasseh, etc.” Samuel derived all this with the holy spirit and taught it to David.
Metzudat David
‘All this I give you in writing’ — meaning, thus David said to Solomon: here, everything is set out for you in writing, which came upon me by the hand of Hashem giving me understanding — that is, which came to me from His hand, giving me understanding of all the workings of the pattern of the house and all its vessels.
Malbim
'All this I give you in writing' — this continues what is stated at verse 11, 'And David gave to Solomon...'; here he gives it all in writing, and tells him: Know that it was by the hand of Hashem that I was given understanding of all this — for I attained all of this through prophecy (the phrase 'the hand of Hashem was upon me' refers to the attainment of prophecy, for Samuel transmitted all of this through prophecy). 'as Hashem has made me wise by His hand upon me' — (for the phrase 'good understanding' refers to ruach hakodesh) — meaning that he attained this through ruach hakodesh, and so gained understanding of the entire work of the pattern and all its secrets and hidden depths.
And David said to Solomon his son: ‘Be strong and of good courage, and do it; fear not, nor be dismayed; for Hashem God, even my God, is with you; He will not fail you, nor forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of Hashem be finished.
verse value 5690
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 98 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֨ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "until·to·finish" (עַד־לִכְל֕וֹת, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "he·will·fail·you" (יַרְפְּךָ֙), "he·will·forsake·you" (יַעַזְבֶ֔ךָּ), "until·to·finish" (עַד־לִכְל֕וֹת). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·do·not·be·dismayed', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 13 words.
Rashi
Be strong and of good courage in order that your kingdom endure as the Holy One, blessed be He, has promised you, (verse 7): “... and I shall prepare his kingdom to eternity if he strengthens himself to perform My commandments, etc.”
Metzudat David
‘fear not’ — do not imagine that you will be unable to complete it all. ‘until...be finished’ — until you complete it all.
Metzudat Zion
Nor be dismayed (techat) - An expression of fear and being broken [in spirit]. To finish (lechalot) - [Meaning] to complete.
Malbim
'Be strong and of good courage,' etc. — see his comments on Joshua 1. 'until all the work for the service of the house of Hashem be finished' — meaning: do the work until it is completed, and do not stop in the middle of the work.
And, behold, there are the courses of the priests and the Levites, for all the service of the house of God; and there shall be with you in all manner of work every willing man who has skill, for any manner of service; also the captains and all the people will be wholly at your commandment.’
verse value 3662
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 91 letters. The shortest word is "the·house·of" (בֵּ֣ית, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·all·service·of" (לְכׇל־עֲבוֹדַ֖ת, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·all·willing" (לְכׇל־נָדִ֤יב), "in·the·wisdom" (בַּֽחׇכְמָה֙), "to·all·service" (לְכׇל־עֲבוֹדָ֔ה). The root עבדה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles); "the·house·of" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "and·all·the·people" (root כל, 81x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
And behold the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of, etc. That is to say: I arranged and set everything up, and I prepared for you the divisions and the laborers, and you have not to delay it but to build the House immediately. and the leaders who are appointed over the laborers and their officers. and all the people for all your words to perform your command.
Metzudat David
‘for all the service’ — those appointed over all the service of the house of God. ‘and there shall be with you’ — they will be with you to help in every task. ‘every willing man who has skill, for any manner of service’ — every one among them whose heart moved him, with wisdom, to have the understanding to perform whatever the building requires. ‘at your commandment’ — they are ready to carry out your every word.
Malbim
'And, behold, there are the courses of the priests and the Levites' — do not fear that after you build [the house], the service will not attain its proper end; for behold, there are the courses of the priests, etc. [already arranged]. Nor [need you fear] that you will not find the craftsmen and artisans you need, for 'there shall be with you in all manner of work every willing man who has skill.' Nor [need you fear] that you will lack the materials required for the building, for 'the captains and all the people will be wholly at your commandment.'
Rashi
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim