📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 22:6
What does 1 Chronicles 22:6 mean?
"Then he called for Solomon his son, and commanded him to build a house for Yahweh, the God of Israel."
— 1 Chronicles 22:6 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the couplings; and brass in abundance without weight;
and cedar trees without number, for the Sidonians and the people of Tyre brought cedar trees in abundance to David.
David said, “Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be built for Yahweh must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and of glory throughout all countries. I will therefore make preparation for it.” So David prepared abundantly before his death.
Then he called for Solomon his son, and commanded him to build a house for Yahweh, the God of Israel.
David said to Solomon his son, “As for me, it was in my heart to build a house to the name of Yahweh my God.
But Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, ‘You have shed blood abundantly, and have made great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight.
Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of peace. I will give him rest from all his enemies all around; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days.
Explanation
1 Chronicles 22:6 is a simple narrative statement that introduces one of the most important father-to-son transitions in the Old Testament: King David summoning his son Solomon and formally charging him with the task of building the temple in Jerusalem. On the surface, the verse merely reports an action—David called Solomon and gave him a command—but it marks the beginning of a lengthy speech (continuing through the rest of the chapter) in which David explains why he himself cannot build the temple and why this responsibility now falls to Solomon.
The context is essential to understanding the verse's weight. David had long desired to build a permanent house for the Ark of the Covenant, replacing the portable tabernacle that had served Israel since the wilderness wanderings (see 2 Samuel 7 and 1 Chronicles 17). God, however, told David through the prophet Nathan that he would not be the one to build the temple because he was a man of war who had shed much blood (1 Chronicles 22:8). Instead, God promised that David's son would build it, and that this son would enjoy a reign of peace—fitting, since "Solomon" is related to the Hebrew word for peace, "shalom." First Chronicles was written after the Babylonian exile, likely by a priestly or Levitical author, addressing a community rebuilding their identity and worship life. By recounting David's careful preparations and transfer of the temple project to Solomon, the Chronicler reassures the post-exilic community that their temple worship stands in continuity with God's original design and David's own devotion.
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