1 Chronicles 22

1 Chronicles 22:2-19

God promised David that his kingdom would last forever and that his son would build a temple for the Lord (1 Chronicles 17:11–12). After choosing the site (1 Chronicles 21:18–22:1), David prepared to build the temple of God. He gathered materials (1 Chronicles 22:2–5) and instructed Solomon (22:6–16) and the leaders of Israel (22:17–19) to build the temple after his death.

1 Chronicles 22:5

When Solomon was young and inexperienced (see also 1 Chronicles 29:1; compare 1 Kings 3:7; 2 Chronicles 13:7), David used his wisdom and skill to prepare for building the temple. David also designed the temple (1 Chronicles 28:11–12). Later, God gave Solomon the wisdom he needed to build the temple and govern well (see 2 Chronicles 1:7–12).

1 Chronicles 22:8

God did not allow David to build the temple because he had shed much blood (see 1 Kings 5:3–4). David's wars were not wrong, and God had blessed and supported them. However, the bloodshed and deaths in battle made David ceremonially unclean (see 1 Chronicles 28:3; compare Genesis 4:10–12; Leviticus 17:3–4; Deuteronomy 21:1–9; Matthew 27:24–25). Therefore, he could not build a holy sanctuary for the Lord.

1 Chronicles 22:9-10

• Solomon was a man of peace, avoiding war and bloodshed in battle. The temple was constructed during his peaceful rule (see 2 Chronicles 2–7).

• The Hebrew text uses two different words to describe conditions during Solomon’s reign:

  • peace (Hebrew shalom, related to Solomon’s name)

  • quiet (Hebrew menukhah, related to the idea of redemption)

Aquifer Open Study Notes © 2026 Mission Mutual, an adaptation of the Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.