📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 22:13
What does 1 Chronicles 22:13 mean?
"Then you will prosper, if you observe to do the statutes and the ordinances which Yahweh gave Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid, and don’t be dismayed."
— 1 Chronicles 22:13 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
He shall build a house for my name; and he will be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.’
Now, my son, may Yahweh be with you and prosper you, and build the house of Yahweh your God, as he has spoken concerning you.
May Yahweh give you discretion and understanding, and put you in charge of Israel; that so you may keep the law of Yahweh your God.
Then you will prosper, if you observe to do the statutes and the ordinances which Yahweh gave Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid, and don’t be dismayed.
Now, behold, in my affliction I have prepared for Yahweh’s house one hundred thousand talents of gold, one million talents of silver, and brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance. I have also prepared timber and stone; and you may add to them.
There are also workmen with you in abundance, cutters and workers of stone and timber, and all kinds of men who are skillful in every kind of work;
of the gold, the silver, the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise and be doing, and may Yahweh be with you.”
Explanation
This verse comes from a speech David gives to his son Solomon, and in plain language it says that Solomon's success will depend on his faithfulness to obey God's law, and that he should face the future with courage rather than fear. David is telling his son that prosperity is not automatic or guaranteed by circumstance or royal privilege—it is tied directly to obedience to the statutes and ordinances Yahweh gave through Moses. Alongside this call to obedience, David gives Solomon an exhortation to emotional and spiritual steadiness: be strong, be courageous, do not be afraid, do not be dismayed.
The context is important. David is nearing the end of his life and has been preparing extensively for the building of the Jerusalem temple, a project he himself was forbidden to carry out because he was a man of war (1 Chronicles 22:8). In this chapter, David gathers materials, workers, and resources, and then commissions Solomon, still young and inexperienced, to complete the task. This charge in verse 13 is part of a father's final instructions to his son, preparing him not just for a building project but for the weighty responsibility of kingship over Israel. It echoes closely the words God spoke to Joshua when he took over leadership from Moses (Joshua 1:6-9), which suggests David is intentionally placing Solomon in the line of covenant leaders who must lead God's people according to God's law.
Theologically, the verse ties together two realities that run throughout Scripture: obedience and courage. True prosperity, in the biblical sense, is not simply wealth or comfort
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