📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 29:21
What does 1 Chronicles 29:21 mean?
"They sacrificed sacrifices to Yahweh, and offered burnt offerings to Yahweh, on the next day after that day, even one thousand bulls, one thousand rams, and one thousand lambs, with their drink offerings and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel,"
— 1 Chronicles 29:21 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Yahweh, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this desire forever in the thoughts of the heart of your people, and prepare their heart for you;
and give to Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for which I have made provision.”
Then David said to all the assembly, “Now bless Yahweh your God!” All the assembly blessed Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads and prostrated themselves before Yahweh and the king.
They sacrificed sacrifices to Yahweh, and offered burnt offerings to Yahweh, on the next day after that day, even one thousand bulls, one thousand rams, and one thousand lambs, with their drink offerings and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel,
and ate and drank before Yahweh on that day with great gladness. They made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him before Yahweh to be prince, and Zadok to be priest.
Then Solomon sat on the throne of Yahweh as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.
All the princes, the mighty men, and also all of the sons of king David submitted themselves to Solomon the king.
Explanation
1 Chronicles 29:21 describes a massive act of worship offered by the people of Israel on the day after David publicly installed Solomon as king. In plain terms, the nation gathered to give sacrifices to Yahweh on an enormous scale — a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, along with the drink offerings that traditionally accompanied such sacrifices. This was not a small or private ritual but a national event involving "all Israel," meant to mark a significant transition in the kingdom's history.
The context is the final chapter of 1 Chronicles, which records the last days of King David's reign. David had spent years preparing materials and resources for the temple that his son Solomon would build, since David himself was not permitted to build it (1 Chronicles 22:8). In chapter 29, David gathers the leaders of Israel, makes a public offering of his own wealth for the temple project, and invites the people to contribute as well. The people respond with extraordinary generosity (29:6-9), and David leads them in praising God (29:10-19). Then, on the following day, the nation offers this enormous number of sacrifices as they formally anoint Solomon as king and Zadok as priest (29:22). The Chronicler, writing after the Babylonian exile to a community rebuilding its identity and worship, emphasizes these events to remind readers of the ideal pattern of covenant faithfulness: a united nation joyfully giving to God and honoring his chosen leadership.
Theologically, this verse highlights several important themes. First, it shows worship as
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