but 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.’
Parallel translations
- WEB But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for my name, because you are a man of war, and have shed blood.’
- KJV But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood.
- NKJV But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.’
- NASB But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for My name, because you are a man of war and have shed blood.’
- NLT but God said to me, ‘You must not build a Temple to honor my name, for you are a warrior and have shed much blood.’
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 was a warrior who had shed much blood. It explains why the task passed to another.
Overview
The Lord forbade David, a man of war, from building his house, reserving that work for a man of peace. This was not condemnation but a fitting distinction between the kingdom's establishment by the sword and the temple's construction in peace. It anticipates Christ, the true Prince of Peace, who builds God's lasting house.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 1 Chr 22:8but 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.
- 1 Chr 17:4“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.
- 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.
- 2 Chr 6:8–9But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Since it was in your heart to build a house for My Name, you have done well to have this in your heart.
- 2 Sam 7:5–13“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?
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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.
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Original language
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