1 Chronicles 17:10 Meaning and Explanation
“And since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee that the LORD will build thee an house.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God promises to subdue all David's enemies, then turns the king's plan around: it is the LORD who will build David a house.
What Does 1 Chronicles 17:10 Mean?
After recalling the troubled days of the judges, the LORD makes two great pledges. He will subdue all David's enemies, and then comes the astonishing reversal that crowns the chapter: the LORD will build David a house. David had hoped to build God a house of cedar; instead God promises to build David a house, a dynasty, a lineage that will endure.
This is the heart of the gospel in miniature. We come offering to do something for God, and He answers by doing infinitely more for us. The word house now means not a building but a family line, an everlasting succession. David's small generosity is met by God's boundless grace. What we give to the LORD is always returned a thousandfold, and His giving always has the last and greater word.
1 Chronicles 17:10 in the Original Language
bayit (בַּיִת), 'house' -- a house of stone, but also a household, family, and dynasty; God promises David the second kind.
Frequently Asked Questions About 1 Chronicles 17:10
What does 1 Chronicles 17:10 mean?
God promises to subdue all David's enemies, then turns the king's plan around: it is the LORD who will build David a house.