After David had settled into his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent.”
Parallel translations
- WEB When David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of Yahweh’s covenant is in a tent.”
- KJV Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD remaineth under curtains.
- NKJV Now it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under tent curtains.”
- NASB And it came about, when David lived in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under tent curtains.”
- NLT When David was settled in his palace, he summoned Nathan the prophet. “Look,” David said, “I am living in a beautiful cedar palace, but the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant is out there under a tent!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David, settled in his cedar house, tells Nathan he wants to build a house for the ark. His desire to honor God sets the stage for God's covenant promise.
Overview
Now at peace in a fine palace, David is troubled that the ark dwells only in a tent and longs to build God a permanent house. His concern reflects a heart devoted to God's honor above his own comfort. This desire prompts the great covenant that follows, in which God promises David an everlasting dynasty fulfilled in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 22
- 1 Chr 15:1David constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.
- 2 Chr 6:7–9Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
- 1 Chr 17:5For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt until this day, but I have moved from tent to tent and dwelling to dwelling.
- 2 Sam 6:17So they brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
- Dan 4:29–30Twelve months later, as he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon,
- Hag 1:4“Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?”
- Dan 4:4I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace.
- Hag 1:9You expected much, but behold, it amounted to little. And what you brought home, I blew away. Why? declares the LORD of Hosts. Because My house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.
- Exod 40:19–21Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, just as the LORD had commanded him.
- Jer 22:15Does it make you a king to excel in cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He administered justice and righteousness, and so it went well with him.
- Ps 132:5until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
- 2 Sam 7:1–29After the king had settled into his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,
- 1 Kgs 1:23So the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” And Nathan went in and bowed facedown before the king.
- 1 Chr 29:29Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are indeed written in the Chronicles of Samuel the Seer, the Chronicles of Nathan the Prophet, and the Chronicles of Gad the Seer,
- 1 Chr 14:1Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons, and carpenters, to build a palace for him.
- 2 Sam 12:1Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.
- 1 Kgs 1:44And with Solomon, the king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, and they have set him on the king’s mule.
- 1 Chr 16:1So they brought the ark of God and placed it inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.
- Acts 7:46who found favor in the sight of God and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.
- 2 Chr 1:4Now David had brought the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.
- 1 Kgs 1:8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s mighty men would not join Adonijah.
- 2 Sam 12:25and sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah because the LORD loved him.
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Christ at the center
The genealogies and the everlasting covenant with David trace the single thread of promise running through the generations straight to the Christ in whom the line reaches its goal.
How 1 Chronicles 17:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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