but this word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for My Name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before Me.
Parallel translations
- WEB But Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, ‘You have shed blood abundantly, and have made great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight.
- KJV But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.
- NKJV but the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight.
- NASB But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars; you shall not build a house to My name, because you have shed so much blood on the earth before Me.
- NLT “But the Lord said to me, ‘You have killed many men in the battles you have fought. And since you have shed so much blood in my sight, you will not be the one to build a Temple to honor my name.
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
God told David he could not build the temple because he had shed much blood in great wars. His role as a man of war disqualified him from this particular task.
Overview
The LORD restrained David from building the temple, not as condemnation but as a matter of fittingness: the house of God's peace was to be built by a man of rest, not by a warrior who had shed much blood. This shows that God assigns different roles in His purposes. The temple of peace foreshadows Christ, the Prince of Peace, who reconciles us to God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 1 Chr 28:3but God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for My Name, because you are a man of war who has spilled blood.’
- 1 Kgs 5:3“As you are well aware, due to the wars waged on all sides against my father David, he could not build a house for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD had put his enemies under his feet.
- 1 Chr 17:4–10“Go and tell My servant David that this is what the LORD says: You are not the one to build Me a house in which to dwell.
- 2 Sam 7:5–11“Go and tell My servant David that this is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build for Me a house to dwell in?
- Num 31:24On the seventh day you are to wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the camp.”
- Num 31:20And purify every garment and leather good, everything made of goat’s hair, and every article of wood.”
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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.
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Original language
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