## Radak on I Chronicles Chapter 29

###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:1:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:1:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:1:1)

**נער ורך.** אמרו (סע"ר יד) כי בן שתים עשרה שנה היה שלמה כשמלך. כי באותו פרק שנולד הוא מספר ענין אמנון ותמר, ואומ' "ויהי לשנתים ימים ויהיו גוזזים לאבשלום" (ש"ב יג,כג); והרג אמנון וברח לגשור והיה שם שלש שנים (ש"ב יג,לח), הרי חמש שנים; ושב אבשלום לירושלם והיה שם שנתים (ש"ב יד,כח), הרי שבע, ומרד באביו ונהרג (ש"ב טו-יח); אחרי זה "ויהי רעב בימי דוד שלש שנים" (ש"ב כא,א), הרי עשר; ובשנה שלאחריו מנה דוד את ישראל, וכת' "וישוטו בארץ...תשעה חדשים" (הש' ש"ב כד,ח), הרי אחת עשרה; ובשנת מותו, היא שנת ארבעים למלך דוד (להלן פס' כז-כח), תקן המשמרות, הרי שתים עשרה:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**An untried lad.** [The Sages] say (Seder Olam 14) that Solomon was twelve years old when he became king. For in the immediate context of his birth the text recounts the story of Amnon and Tamar and then says, “Two years later, Absalom was having his flocks sheared” (2 Sam 13:23); Absalom then killed Amnon, fled to Geshur, and stayed there three years (2 Sam 13:38), for a total of five; he then returned to Jerusalem and remained there for two years (2 Sam 14:28), for a total of seven, at which point he rebelled against his father and was killed (2 Sam 15–18); after that “there was a famine during the reign of David for three years” (2 Sam 21:1), for a total of ten; the following year, when David counted the Israelites, it says “they traversed the country … nine months” (2 Sam 24:8), for a total of eleven; and in the year of David’s death, the fortieth year of his reign (v. 27–28), he instituted the shifts (1 Chr 26:31), for a total of twelve.


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:2:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:2:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:2:1)

**הזהב לזהב והכסף לכסף.** כלומ': הכינותי הזהב למה שצריך זהב, וכסף למה שצריך כסף:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**The gold for the gold and the silver for the silver.** This means: I laid aside the gold for whatever requires gold, and silver for whatever requires silver.


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:2:2
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:2:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:2:2)

**אבני פוך ורקמה.** פי': בגדי רקמה ואבני פוך:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**Stones of *pukh* and *riqmah*.** This means: garments of *riqmah* (=woven colors) and stones of *pukh*.


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:2:3
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:2:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:2:3)

**וכל אבן יקרה.** לקירות הבית, כמו שאמ' בבנין הבית "ויצף את הבית אבן יקרה" (דה"ב ג,ו); ו**אבני שיש** גם כן לקירות הבית ולרצפה. וה"פוך" הוא הכחול; ואפשר שהיו אבני כחול, או אבנים יקרות עינם כעין הכחול:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**Every kind of precious stone—**for the walls of the Temple, as the text says concerning the construction of the Temple, “[Solomon] studded the Temple with precious stones” (2 Chr 3:6), and **marble** too for the walls of the Temple and for the floor. *Pukh* is stibium: possibly these were stibium stones; or they were precious stones that looked like stibium.


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:3:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:3:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:3:1)

**מכל הכינותי.** מכל אשר הכינותי:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
***Mi-kol hakhinoti*.** [This means]: *Mi-kol* asher *hakhinoti* (=[in addition to] all *that* I laid aside).


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:4:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:4:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:4:1)

**לטוח קירות הבתים.** ולא בזהב היו טוחים הקירות, שנ' "ואת כל הבית צפה זהב" (מ"א ו,כב), ואיך אמר כי הכסף הכין לטוח הקירות? נאמ' כי "לטוח" טעמו לשלשת אלפים ככרי זהב שזכר. ובדברי רבותי' ז"ל (שה"ש רבה ג,ט-י): "לטוח את קירות הבתים" – וכי כסף היה? והלא זהב היה! אלא למה קורין אותו כסף? שהיה מכסף כל בעלי זהבים:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**For covering the walls of the houses.** But it was with *gold* that they covered the walls, as the text, “He overlaid the entire house with gold” (1 Kgs 6:22)! How then could the text say that he laid aside the *silver* to cover the walls? We may suggest that “for covering” refers to the thousands of gold talents that it mentioned. But in a rabbinic source (Song of Songs Rabbah 3:9–10) [we find]: “‘For covering the walls of the houses’—was it really *kesef* (=silver)? It was gold! Why then was it called *kesef*? Because it would put to shame (*mekhassef*) all the gold dealers.”


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:7:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:7:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:7:1)

**ואדרכנים רבו.** מטבע ידוע אצלם:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**Ten thousand *adarkhon*s.** [This was] a coin known to them.


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:10:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:10:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:10:1)

**אלהי ישראל אבינו. "**אבינו" שב אל ישראל; וזכר יעקב אבינו על בנין הבית לפי שיעקב אמר תחלה ליי' לבנות בית אלהים, כמו שכת' "והאבן הזאת אשר שמתי מצבה יהיה בית אלהים" (בר' כח,כב). ובבראשית רבה (ע,א-ב) מפרש כי על שם הנדבה שהתנדבו (לעיל פסוק ט) זכר "ישראל אבינו", שהוא היה תחילה לנודרים, שנ' "וידר יעקב נדר לאמר" (בר' כח,כ). מהו "לאמר"? לאמר לדורות שיהיו נודרים בעת צרתם. יעקב פתח בנדר תחלה, לפיכך כל מי שהוא נודר לא יהא תולה את הנדר אלא בו: אמ"ר אבהו: כת' "אשר נשבע ליי' נדר לאביר יעקב" (תה' קלב,ב); "לאביר אברהם לאביר יצחק" לא נאמר, אלא "לאביר יעקב" – תלה את הנדר במי שפתח בו תחלה. ר' הונא בשם ר' אידי אמ': כת' "וישמחו העם על התנדבם" וגו' "ויברך דוד את יי'" וגו' "ברוך אתה יי' אלהי ישראל אבינו" (פס' ט-י); "אלהי אברהם אלהי יצחק" לא נאמר, אלא "אלהי ישראל" – תלה הנדר במי שפתח בו תחלה:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**God of Israel our father.** “Our father” refers to Israel. The text mentions our father Jacob in connection with the construction of the Temple because Jacob was the first to say to the Lord that the House of God ought to be built, as it says, “And this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, shall be the House of God” (Gen 28:22). But in Genesis Rabbah (70:1–2) it is explained that the text mentions “Israel our father” because of the donations that they pledged (v. 9), because he was the first to make vows, as it says, “Jacob then made a vow, saying (*lemor*)” (Gen 28:20): “What is *lemor*? *Lemor* (=To impart) to subsequent generations that they should make vows in their times of crisis. Because Jacob was the first to utter a vow, anyone who makes a vow should make it reliant on him only. [Accordingly], Rabbi Abahu said: It says, ‘how he swore to the Lord, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob’ (Ps 132:2). It does not say ‘to the Mighty One of Abraham, to the Mighty One of Isaac,’ only ‘to the Mighty One of Jacob,’ making the vow reliant on the one who first uttered one. Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rabbi Idi: It says, ‘The nation rejoiced over the donations they made … and David blessed the Lord … [and David said:] “Blessed are You, Lord, God of Israel our father”’ (v. 9–10). It does not say ‘God of Abraham, God of Isaac,’ only ‘God of Israel,’ making the vow reliant on the one who first uttered one.”


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:11:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:11:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:11:1)

**לך יי' הגדלה והגבורה וכו'.** כלומ': כל הגדולה הזאת והגבורה שהיתה לי, והנצוח על כל הגוים, ושהתפארתי והיה לי הוד וכבוד עליהם – הכל הוא לך, כי ממך היה לי הכח; וכל הזהב והכסף שלקחתי מהם והתנדבתי לך – הכל הוא לך, כמו שאמ' "כי ממך הכל ומידך נתנו לך" (להלן פס' יד):

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**Yours, Lord, are greatness and might etc.** This means: All this greatness and might that I have had, and my triumph over all the nations and my attainment of splendor, majesty and glory over them, are entirely Yours, because I received the strength from You. And all the gold and silver that I took from them and dedicated to You is entirely Yours, as the text says, “for all is from You, and it is Your gift that we have given to You” (v. 14).


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:11:2
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:11:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:11:2)

**כי כל בשמים ובארץ לך יי' הממלכה.** כלומ': אשר בשמים ובארץ לך היא הממלכה, שאתה מולך ומושל בכל אשר בשמים ובארץ:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**Because everything in heaven and on earth—to You, Lord, belongs kingship.** This means: Pertaining to whatever is in heaven and on earth, to You, Lord, belongs kingship. That is, in Your capacity as king, You rule over everything that is in heaven and on earth.


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:11:3
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:11:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:11:3)

**והמתנשא לכל לראש.** כלומ': לכל הראשים והמלכים – אתה הוא המתנשא על כלם. ולמ"ד "לראש" ר"ל: לכל אשר ממונ' לראש. ורבותי' ז"ל פרשו: כל המתנשא וכל שהוא ראש על כל דבר לך הוא – אינו אלא ממך; אמרו (ב' בר' נח,א): אפלו ריש גרגותא מן שמיא ממנו ליה:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**And *ha-mitnassei le-kol le-rosh*.** This means *le-kol ha-rashim* (=above all the leaders) and kings: You are *ha-mitnassei* (=the One who is preeminent) above them all. (The *lamed* of *le-rosh* gives the meaning: above all who are appointed *le-rosh* [=to be leaders].) But our Sages, of blessed memory, explain: Anyone *ha-mitnassei* (=who is preeminent) and *kol she-hu rosh* (=anyone who is a leader) over anything is “to You”: what he has is all from You. In their words (b. Berakhot 58a): “Even the appointment of a foreman over cistern-diggers is from heaven.”


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:15:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:15:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:15:1)

**ותושבים ככל אבתינו.** כלומ': אם אנחנו תושבים בעולם, אין אנחנו תושבים אלא ככל אבותינו שהלכו להם ומתו; אם כן גרים אנחנו, וכמו ה**צל** שהוא פונה במהרה כן **ימינו על הארץ**:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**And inhabitants like all our fathers.** This means: If we are inhabitants of the world, we are inhabitants only as were our fathers, who died and are no longer. So we are really sojourners: like **a shadow**, which goes away quickly, so are **our days on earth**.


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:15:2
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:15:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:15:2)

**ואין מקוה.** ואין שום תקוה לאדם שיאריך בעולם, כי חרוצים הם ימיו:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**And there is no source of hope.** There is no hope for a person to remain in the world for a long time, because his days are fixed.


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:16:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:16:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:16:1)

**כל ההמון הזה.** כמו: הממון; ר"ל: רבוי הכסף והזהב ושאר דברים. וכן "מהמון רשעים רבים" (תה' לז,טז):

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**All this *hamon*.** This is akin to *mamon* (=assets), meaning the masses of silver, gold, and other things. The same is true for: “than much *hamon* for the wicked” (Ps 37:16).


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:17:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:17:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:17:1)

**כי אתה בחן לבב.** כלומ': אתה הוא בוחן הלבבות ורוצה ביושר לבב, וידעת **יושר לבבי** – כי בישר לבב **התנדבתי**. וכן **עמך** אשר **נמצאו פה** אתה ידעת לבבם; אבל אני ראיתי כי **בשמחה** התנדבו **לך**, וכמדומה לי כי בלב ישר התנדבו הם גם כן. וכמו שהיום לבבם ישר, כן **שמרה זאת לעולם** שיהיה **יצר מחשבות**ם ו**לבב**ם נכון **אליך**. וה"א "הנמצאו" במקום "אשר"; וכן "ההלכוא אתו" (יה' י,כד) וזולתם, כמו שכתבנו בספר מכלל (מג,ב-מד,א):

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**That You search the heart.** This means: You search hearts and desire uprightness of the heart. You thus know **the uprightness of my heart**—for what **I donated** was with an upright heart. And it is also You who knows what is in the heart of **Your people** who (*asher*) **are present (*nimṣe’u*) here**. I did however see the **joy** with which they donated **to You**, and it seems to me that they too donated with an upright heart. So just as their heart is upright today, **keep it like this forever**—that **the thoughts in** their**mind** and their **heart**s be steadfast**toward You**. The *hei* of *ha-nimṣe’u* (=who are present) is in place of *asher*: the same is true for “*he-halekhu* (=who had gone) with him” (Jos 10:24) and others besides these, as we have written in the *Mikhlol* (43b-44a).


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:22:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:22:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:22:1)

**וימליכו שנית לשלמה.** כי פעם אחרת המליכהו דוד כשבאה בת שבע אליו ונתן הנביא, ואותו היום צוה למשחו ולהמליכו כמו שכת' בספר שמואל (הש' מ"א א,טו-לה); ואז לא היו שם מישראל אלא אנשי ירושלם. ואחר כן הקהיל דוד כל שרי ישראל מכל השבטים, והמליכו לעיניהם פעם שנית:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**They again proclaimed Solomon king.** For on a different occasion David had proclaimed him king, when—as it says in the book of Samuel (cf. 1 Kgs 1:15–35)—Bathsheba came to him along with the prophet Nathan, who commanded him on that day to anoint him and proclaim him king. But at that time, the only Israelites who were present were the people of Jerusalem. So David subsequently gathered all the officers of Israel from all the tribes, and in front of them he proclaimed him king again.


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:22:2
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:22:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:22:2)

**וימשחו ליי' לנגיד ולצדוק לכהן.** פי': וימשחו אותו ליי' לנגיד, ולצדוק משחו להיות כהן גדול. ומזה הפסוק סמכו רבותי' ז"ל (ב' סנה' כ,ב-כא,א) כי הבזה שהיו בוזזים ישראל מאויביהם – מחצה למלך ומחצה לעם; מקיש "צדוק" ל"נגיד": מה צדוק מחצה לו ומחצה לאחיו הכהנים, שנאמ' "והיתה לאהרן ולבניו" (וי' כד,ט), אף נגיד מחצה לו ומחצה לעם:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**And they anointed before the Lord *le-nagid u-le-Ṣadoq* the priest.** This means: They anointed *him* before the Lord *le-nagid* (=as a ruler), *u-le-Ṣadoq* (=and Zadok) they anointed as high priest. Our Sages, of blessed memory (b. Sanhedrin 20b-21a), cite this verse as a source that, of the spoils that the Israelites took from their enemies, half went to the king and half to the people: “The text juxtaposes ‘Zadok’ to ‘ruler’: just as in the case of Zadok half went to him and half to his fellow priests, as it says ‘They shall belong to Aaron and his sons’ (Lev 24:9), so too in the case of the ruler, half went to him and half to the people.”


###### Radak on I Chronicles 29:25:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 29:25:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/29:25:1)

**ויתן עליו הוד מלכות.** שהיו יראים כל העולם ממנו ומנשאים אותו. ובהפך זה כתו' בספר דניאל: "ולא נתנו עליו הוד מלכות" (יא,כא):

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**And He endowed [Solomon] with regal majesty—**for the whole world feared him and exalted him. The text in the book of Daniel says in the negative [concerning a different king]: “whom they had not endowed with regal majesty” (Dan 11:21).