But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
Parallel translations
- WEB But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.
- BSB But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and from Your own hand we have given to You.
- NKJV But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You.
- NASB “But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given to You.
- NLT But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!
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 humbly asks who he and his people are to give so freely, confessing that everything they offered came from God's own hand.
Overview
At the heart of David's prayer is genuine humility: even their generous giving is only returning what God first supplied. This verse expresses a foundational principle of biblical stewardship—we are recipients before we are givers. It guards generosity from pride and grounds it in grace, anticipating the gospel logic that we love and give because he first gave to us (1 John 4:19).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Jas 1:17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
- 2 Cor 3:5Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
- Rom 11:36For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
- 2 Cor 12:9–11And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
- Ps 115:1Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
- Ps 50:10–12For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
- 1 Cor 15:9–10For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
- 1 Chr 29:9Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
- Gen 32:10I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.
- Phil 2:13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
- 2 Sam 7:18Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?
- Gen 28:22And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
- Rev 4:10The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
- Dan 4:30The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
- 1 Cor 16:2Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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 29:14 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.