1 Chronicles 16:17 kjv
And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,
1 Chronicles 16:17 nkjv
And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel for an everlasting covenant,
1 Chronicles 16:17 niv
He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
1 Chronicles 16:17 esv
which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
1 Chronicles 16:17 nlt
He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant:
1 Chronicles 16 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 12:2-3 | "I will make of you a great nation... and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." | Abrahamic Covenant promise to form a nation. |
| Gen 15:18 | "On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram..." | God establishes the covenant with Abram. |
| Gen 17:7 | "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant..." | Covenant declared everlasting. |
| Gen 26:3 | "Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands..." | Covenant reaffirmed to Isaac. |
| Gen 28:13-15 | "The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring... I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." | Covenant reaffirmed to Jacob at Bethel. |
| Gen 35:10-12 | "God said to him, 'Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name'... 'I am God Almighty... The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you...'" | Jacob's name change and covenant renewal. |
| Ex 2:24 | "God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob." | God's remembrance of the covenant. |
| Lev 26:42 | "Then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac, and my covenant with Abraham..." | God's perpetual memory of the covenant. |
| Ps 89:34 | "My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips." | God's unbreaking covenant. |
| Ps 105:8-10 | "He remembers His covenant forever, the word that He commanded for a thousand generations, the covenant that He made with Abraham, His sworn promise to Isaac, which He confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant." | Direct parallel to 1 Chron 16:17, emphasizing God's eternal memory and confirmation of the covenant. |
| Isa 54:10 | "For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but My steadfast love shall not depart from you, and My covenant of peace shall not be removed..." | God's steadfast love and enduring covenant. |
| Jer 31:35-36 | "Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day... If this fixed order departs from before Me... then also the offspring of Israel shall cease from being a nation before Me forever." | Covenant's permanence tied to natural order. |
| Ezek 16:60 | "Yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant." | God's promise to renew His covenant. |
| Heb 6:13-18 | "When God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself... so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement..." | God's oath guarantees His promises. |
| Heb 13:20-21 | "Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant..." | The New Covenant as eternal. |
| Lk 1:72-73 | "...to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham..." | Zechariah's prophecy acknowledging the covenant. |
| Rom 9:4 | "They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises." | Covenants belong specifically to Israel. |
| Rom 11:29 | "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." | God's chosen gifts and callings are unchangeable. |
| Gal 3:17-18 | "The law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise." | Covenant predates law, emphasizing grace. |
| 2 Sam 23:5 | "For has He not made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure?" | Davidic covenant also described as everlasting. |
1 Chronicles 16 verses
1 Chronicles 16 17 Meaning
The verse 1 Chronicles 16:17 asserts God's unwavering faithfulness by declaring that He firmly established His covenant promise to Jacob as an unchangeable statute and to Israel as a perpetual, unbreakable agreement. It reiterates the divine commitment made generations earlier, highlighting its enduring nature for the chosen people.
1 Chronicles 16 17 Context
1 Chronicles 16:17 is part of a grand song of thanksgiving and praise delivered by King David on the day the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem. This momentous occasion marked the unification of worship and the establishment of God's dwelling place among His people in a central location. David's song (1 Chron 16:8-36) celebrates God's mighty acts, His past faithfulness, and His ongoing presence with Israel. Verses 15-22, in particular, recall God's foundational covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. By explicitly referring to this ancient covenant, David reminds the assembled nation that their present blessings and future hope are rooted in God's eternal and unchanging promises, initially given to their patriarchs long before the monarchy or the Mosaic Law. It underscores that God's plan for Israel is firmly established through His sworn oath.
Word Analysis
- and confirmed it: (וַיַּעֲמִיד - wa-yaʿămid). From the root עָמַד (ʿamad), in the Hiphil stem, meaning "to cause to stand," "to establish," "to set up," "to confirm." This signifies an active and decisive act on God's part. It's not a passive acknowledgment but a divine decree that makes something firm and unshakeable. It emphasizes God's omnipotence and faithfulness in bringing His promises into enduring reality. The "it" refers back to the "covenant" or "oath" mentioned in the preceding verses (v. 15-16), indicating the promise of land and descendants.
- to Jacob: (לְיַעֲקֹב - leyaʿăqōḇ). Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, the third patriarch. He represents the lineage through whom God's covenant promises are further narrowed and affirmed. His personal transformation and wrestling with God mark a pivotal point in the covenant's progression.
- for a statute: (לְחֹק - leḥōq). Ḥōq refers to a fixed ordinance, an unalterable decree, or an appointed rule. It's something legally binding and enduring. When applied to God's covenant, it implies that the promise made to Jacob is not merely a suggestion or a temporary agreement but a divine law, perpetually valid and binding, fixed and unchangeable. It conveys the idea of a prescribed, permanent, and obligatory arrangement.
- to Israel: (לְיִשְׂרָאֵל - leyiśrāʾēl). The new name given to Jacob after his wrestling with God (Gen 32:28), signifying a prince or one who strives with God. "Israel" here often refers to the corporate nation descended from Jacob. The parallelism with "Jacob" emphasizes that the individual patriarch and his entire progeny (the nation) are equally beneficiaries of this immutable covenant. It shows the expansion of the covenant promise from an individual to a collective people.
- for an everlasting covenant: (לִבְרִית עוֹלָם - līvrît ʿôlām).
- covenant: (בְּרִית - bərît). A solemn agreement or pledge, often involving mutual obligations, but in the case of God's covenant with the patriarchs, it is primarily unilateral, initiated by God based on His grace, though it does imply future human responsibility to walk in obedience. It denotes a profound bond established by God.
- everlasting: (עוֹלָם - ʿôlām). Denotes perpetuity, eternity, forever, or for an indefinite duration, reaching into the distant future. When applied to God's covenant, it means it is perpetual, enduring through all generations, never to be revoked or broken by God. This emphasizes the eternal commitment and immutability of God's promise.
Words-Group Analysis:
- "confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel for an everlasting covenant": This parallelism, characteristic of Hebrew poetry, reinforces the same truth using two slightly different expressions. "Jacob" parallels "Israel," referring to the same entity—the patriarch and his descendants. "Statute" parallels "everlasting covenant," both underscoring the permanence and immutability of God's divine commitment. The "statute" suggests its fixed, legal, and unbreakable nature, while "everlasting covenant" emphasizes its timeless and unending duration. This doubling strengthens the declaration of God's absolute faithfulness to His foundational promises for His chosen people.
1 Chronicles 16 17 Bonus section
The inclusion of 1 Chronicles 16:17 in David's song is a theological anchor for the united monarchy, aligning its aspirations with God's ancient covenant plan. It bridges the foundational promises to the patriarchs with the current period of settled nationhood, implying that the establishment of David's kingdom is part of God's long-term covenant fulfillment. The re-narration of the covenant's confirmation, especially the transition from "Jacob" (individual) to "Israel" (nation), emphasizes God's sovereign hand in shaping a people for Himself. This also foreshadows the New Covenant, which in Christ is also an "everlasting covenant" (Heb 13:20), built upon unshakeable promises, ultimately fulfilling the deepest yearnings rooted in the Old Covenant. God's faithfulness to "Jacob and Israel" underscores His election and sustained guardianship over His chosen lineage, laying the groundwork for the lineage of the Messiah.
1 Chronicles 16 17 Commentary
1 Chronicles 16:17 succinctly encapsulates a cornerstone of Israel's theology: the unwavering reliability of God's covenant promises. Spoken during a joyous national celebration, it serves as a powerful reminder that their identity, land, and future were irrevocably rooted in divine oaths, not human merit. God "confirmed" this covenant, highlighting His active role in making it steadfast and secure, an enduring "statute"—a fixed, unalterable divine law—for Jacob and his descendants. The term "everlasting covenant" further reinforces its perpetual nature, assuring generations that God's commitment would span eternity. This declaration of divine faithfulness was vital for a nation that would experience both great victories and devastating exiles, serving as an anchor of hope and a guarantee of God's redemptive plan throughout their history. It points to a God who remembers and keeps His word, providing the ultimate basis for trust and security.