📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 16:35
What does 1 Chronicles 16:35 mean?
"Say, “Save us, God of our salvation! Gather us together and deliver us from the nations, to give thanks to your holy name, to triumph in your praise.”"
— 1 Chronicles 16:35 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Let the sea roar, and its fullness! Let the field exult, and all that is in it!
Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before Yahweh, for he comes to judge the earth.
Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.
Say, “Save us, God of our salvation! Gather us together and deliver us from the nations, to give thanks to your holy name, to triumph in your praise.”
Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting. All the people said, “Amen,” and praised Yahweh.
So he left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, to minister before the ark continually, as every day’s work required;
and Obed-Edom with their brothers, sixty-eight; Obed-Edom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be doorkeepers;
Explanation
1 Chronicles 16:35 records a prayer embedded within a song of thanksgiving that David composed for the occasion of bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. In plain language, the verse is a heartfelt cry to God asking him to rescue his people, to bring them back together from among foreign nations, and to do so for the purpose of giving him thanks and praise. It is not a self-centered request for rescue alone, but a request tied to worship — "save us... so that we may thank you and glory in your praise."
The context is significant. David had just succeeded in bringing the Ark, the symbol of God's presence, to Jerusalem after years of it being away from the central worship life of Israel. To celebrate, David appointed Asaph and other Levites to minister before the Ark with a song of thanksgiving, which is recorded in 1 Chronicles 16:8-36. This song is essentially a compilation drawn from portions of what we now know as Psalms 105, 96, and 106. Verse 35 corresponds closely to Psalm 106:47, and it appears there in the context of Israel's history of sin, exile, and scattering among the nations. Even though David is writing at a moment of national triumph, the song includes this plea for future gathering and salvation, suggesting an awareness that Israel's story was not yet complete — that dispersion and
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.