Commentary - 1 Chronicles 14:1-7

Bird's-eye view

This brief passage in 1 Chronicles marks a significant moment of consolidation for David's kingdom. Having taken Jerusalem, David's reign is now receiving international recognition, and his domestic house is expanding. The text is structured to show a cause-and-effect relationship between God's blessing and David's understanding. First, a pagan king, Hiram of Tyre, initiates a building project for David, a clear sign of God's favor. Second, this external validation leads to an internal realization for David: he knew Yahweh had established him as king for the sake of Israel. This is the pinnacle of right-thinking for a godly ruler. However, immediately following this high point of theological clarity, the text records David taking more wives and fathering more children. This juxtaposition is instructive. While fruitfulness is a sign of God's blessing, the method David employs, polygamy, is a sub-creational and problematic practice that, while tolerated in the Old Covenant, stored up significant trouble for his household and for his son Solomon. The passage, therefore, presents us with a picture of a godly king, blessed by God and insightful in his covenantal role, who is nevertheless still a man of his time, and a sinner in need of grace.

The Chronicler's purpose here is to highlight the legitimacy and divine establishment of the Davidic dynasty. The recognition from Tyre, the theological insight of the king, and the multiplication of his offspring all point to God's hand upon him. Yet, woven into this account of blessing is a subtle warning about the king's heart. The glory of the kingdom is for God's people, not for the king's personal aggrandizement, and the multiplication of wives was a direct violation of the law for kings given in Deuteronomy. It is a mixed report, as reports on the lives of redeemed sinners always are.

Outline

Context In 1 Chronicles

The book of 1 Chronicles, written after the exile, has a distinct purpose: to encourage the returning remnant by reminding them of God's covenant faithfulness, particularly through the line of David and the institution of the temple. After nine chapters of genealogies that establish the people's historical roots, the Chronicler focuses on the reign of King David as the high point of Israel's history. Chapter 11 recounts the capture of Jerusalem, and chapter 13 details the first, tragic attempt to bring the Ark of the Covenant to the new capital. Our passage in chapter 14 comes right after that failure. It serves to show that despite the setback with the Ark, God's blessing was still powerfully on David. The Philistines will attack immediately after this section, and David will defeat them, but first, the Chronicler wants to establish the stability and divine sanction of David's rule, both internationally and domestically, before moving on to the successful return of the Ark and the giving of the Davidic Covenant.

Key Issues

God Builds David's House

There is a profound theological statement being made in these first two verses. A Gentile king, Hiram, sends men and materials to build a "house" for David. Immediately after, David perceives that Yahweh has established him as king. The physical house from Hiram becomes the catalyst for David's understanding of his spiritual "house," his dynasty. God is working through the ordinary means of international trade and diplomacy to confirm His covenant with His chosen king. This is how God ordinarily works. He doesn't need to send an angel to tell David that his kingdom is secure; He sends a trade delegation from Tyre. This is a real-world, dirt-under-the-fingernails confirmation of a spiritual reality. God's providence is not spooky; it is substantial. It is cedar logs and skilled craftsmen. David's greatness is seen in his ability to read this providence correctly, to see the hand of God in the hand of Hiram, and to understand that the purpose of it all was not his own comfort, but the good of his people.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees and craftsmen of walls and craftsmen of wood, to build a house for him.

Hiram's initiative here is remarkable. Tyre was a pagan nation, a maritime power, and yet its king recognizes what God is doing in Israel and wants to align himself with it. This is a foretaste of what the prophets would later declare: that the Gentiles will stream to Zion, bringing their wealth to honor the God of Israel (Isa 60:5). God is the Lord of all nations, and He can move the heart of a pagan king to bless His people and advance His purposes. Hiram is not just being neighborly; he is acting as an instrument in the hand of God. He provides the very best materials, cedar from Lebanon, and the skilled labor necessary for a royal palace. This is an external, international affirmation of David's legitimacy. The world is taking notice of what God is doing in Jerusalem.

2 Thus David knew that Yahweh had established him as king over Israel, and that his kingdom was lifted up, for the sake of His people Israel.

This verse is the theological center of the passage. The external blessing leads to an internal conviction. David "knew." This was not arrogance, but a settled, faith-filled understanding. He knew two things. First, he knew that his position was not the result of his own cleverness or military might, but that Yahweh had established him. His throne was a divine appointment. Second, and this is crucial, he understood the purpose of his exaltation. His kingdom was "lifted up," not for his own glory, not so he could live in a fine house and accumulate power, but for the sake of His people Israel. This is the biblical doctrine of government in a nutshell. Rulers are established by God as servants for the good of the people. When a leader understands this, he is thinking rightly. When he forgets it and begins to think the people exist for his sake, he is on the path to tyranny. David, in this moment of clarity, sees his kingship with God's eyes.

3 Then David took more wives at Jerusalem, and David became the father of more sons and daughters.

Immediately after this high point of spiritual insight, we get this jarring note. The word "then" connects David's actions directly to his establishment in Jerusalem. He is secure, his palace is being built, and so he expands his harem. We must be careful how we read this. In the ancient world, many wives and many children were a sign of a king's power, wealth, and virility. From a certain point of view, this is simply David acting like a successful king. And in one sense, the fruitfulness that follows is a blessing from God. However, this action stands in direct violation of God's command for Israel's kings in Deuteronomy 17:17, that the king "shall not multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away." Polygamy was never God's design, which was one man and one woman from the beginning. It was a concession to the hardness of men's hearts, a practice that God regulated (Ex. 21:10) but did not endorse. David's actions here, while common for his time, were a step away from the perfect will of God. It shows that even a man after God's own heart can have a divided heart. He rightly understood the purpose of his kingdom in verse 2, but then immediately acted to build up his own house in a way that indulged the flesh and stored up future heartache for his family.

4-7 These are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Beeliada and Eliphelet.

The Chronicler provides the list of names. Genealogies are the backbone of this book, demonstrating God's faithfulness to His covenant promises through the generations. This list is a testament to God's kindness. Despite David's sin in multiplying wives, God still blessed him with children. God's covenant grace is always greater than our sin. Within this list are names of great significance. Solomon, of course, would be David's heir, the builder of the temple. Nathan would be an ancestor of Jesus through Mary's line (Luke 3:31). So even here, in this mixed situation of faith and failure, God is weaving the tapestry of redemption. He is working out His sovereign plan to bring forth the ultimate Son of David, the Messiah. The list of names is not just a dry record; it is a record of God's irrepressible grace, bringing life and promise out of the messy reality of a sinner's life.

Application

This passage sets before us the constant tension in the life of every believer. We see, in David, the capacity for profound spiritual insight right alongside a capacity for fleshly compromise. This should be both a warning and an encouragement to us. The warning is that moments of great blessing and clarity can be moments of great danger. When God establishes us, when our "kingdom" is lifted up, perhaps in our career, our family, or our ministry, the temptation is to begin to build for our own glory, to multiply comforts and indulge desires that God's Word restricts. David knew his kingdom was for God's people, but he acted as though his household was for his own pleasure. We must fight this temptation to compartmentalize our lives.

The encouragement is that God's grace persists in the midst of our mixed performance. David's sin of polygamy would have disastrous consequences down the line, yet God did not abandon him. He continued to bless him, continued to work through him, and brought the line of the Messiah through this very family. Our failures are not the final word. God's covenant purpose in Christ is the final word. We should confess our compromises, just as David eventually would, and trust that God's purpose is not derailed by our sin. He establishes us not because of our righteousness, but for the sake of His people, and ultimately, for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ, the true King whose kingdom is for the eternal good of His people.