📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 28:21
What does 1 Chronicles 28:21 mean?
"Behold, there are the divisions of the priests and the Levites, for all the service of God’s house. Every willing man who has skill, for any kind of service, shall be with you in all kinds of work. Also the captains and all the people will be entirely at your command.”"
— 1 Chronicles 28:21 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
and for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the plans for the chariot, and the cherubim that spread out and cover the ark of Yahweh’s covenant.
“All this”, said David, “I have been made to understand in writing from Yahweh’s hand, even all the works of this pattern.”
David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do it. Don’t be afraid, nor be dismayed; for Yahweh God, even my God, is with you. He will not fail you, nor forsake you, until all the work for the service of Yahweh’s house is finished.
Behold, there are the divisions of the priests and the Levites, for all the service of God’s house. Every willing man who has skill, for any kind of service, shall be with you in all kinds of work. Also the captains and all the people will be entirely at your command.”
Explanation
This verse comes at the close of King David's charge to his son Solomon regarding the building of the temple. David is nearing the end of his life and has just handed Solomon detailed architectural plans for the temple, given to him by divine inspiration (1 Chronicles 28:11-19). In this closing statement, David reassures Solomon that he will not be undertaking this massive project alone or unprepared. He reminds Solomon that the priests and Levites have already been organized into their divisions of service, skilled workers of every kind are available and willing to help, and the political and military leaders of the nation, along with the people as a whole, will support him fully.
The immediate context is 1 Chronicles 22-29, which records David's final preparations for the temple that God had told him he would not personally build, because he was a man of war (1 Chronicles 22:8). Instead, that privilege was reserved for his son Solomon, a man of peace. In chapters 23-27, David meticulously organizes the Levites, priests, musicians, gatekeepers, and civil officials, essentially setting up the entire administrative and religious infrastructure needed for the temple's construction and future operation. Chapter 28 records David's public address to the assembled leaders of Israel, exhorting Solomon before the
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