1 Chronicles 28:3 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.
1 Chronicles 28:3 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.'
1 Chronicles 28:3 niv
But God said to me, 'You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.'
1 Chronicles 28:3 esv
But God said to me, 'You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.'
1 Chronicles 28:3 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.'
1 Chronicles 28 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 7:5 | Go and tell My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: "Would you build a house for Me...?"' | God initiates the dialogue regarding David not building the Temple. |
| 1 Chron 17:4 | 'Go and tell My servant David, "Thus says the LORD: You shall not build Me a house..."' | Parallel account in Chronicles affirming the same divine decree. |
| 1 Kgs 5:3 | "You know that My father David could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side..." | Solomon confirms the reason David could not build, citing ongoing wars. |
| 1 Chron 22:7-8 | Then David said to Solomon: "My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house... 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...'" | David explains God's explicit words to Solomon in a prior account. |
| Exo 30:19-21 | "Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet with it... lest they die." | Ritual purity, especially for priests, essential for approaching God's presence. |
| Lev 21:16-23 | "For any man who has a defect shall not approach the altar..." | Physical/ceremonial perfection/purity required for sacred service and space. |
| Ps 24:3-4 | Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart... | Connects clean hands (lack of bloodshed) with fitness to approach God's holy presence. |
| Isa 1:15-16 | "When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear... Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean..." | Calls for internal and external cleansing for acceptable worship, linking to shed blood (v.15 "your hands are full of blood"). |
| Mal 1:11 | "For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles... in every place incense shall be offered to My name..." | Anticipates a future worship that transcends the physical temple and old covenants, requiring holiness from all. |
| Heb 12:14 | Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. | Emphasizes peace and holiness as essential for relationship with God, resonating with the reasons for David's disqualification. |
| Jas 4:8 | Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. | Exhortation to spiritual purity, echoing the need for "clean hands." |
| 1 Pet 1:15-16 | but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." | Universal command for holiness, underpinning God's expectations for His sacred spaces and those serving Him. |
| Deut 12:11 | "then there will be the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide..." | God's sovereignty in choosing the site for His dwelling and thus, implicitly, who might build it. |
| John 4:24 | "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." | Points to a spiritual reality of worship beyond physical structures and strict ceremonial laws, yet the principle of truth and spirit reflects internal holiness. |
| Acts 7:48-50 | "However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: 'Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me?..." | Stephen's speech clarifying that God is not limited to physical temples, putting David's unsuitability in a broader divine perspective. |
| Heb 9:11-14 | But Christ came as High Priest... not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place... how much more shall the blood of Christ... cleanse your conscience from dead works... | Shows ultimate purification is through Christ's blood, which paradoxically cleanses, rather than defiles in the context of approach to God. |
| 1 Kgs 5:4 | "But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence." | Solomon explicitly states the peaceful conditions that allowed him to build the Temple, contrasting with David's wartime reign. |
| Isa 2:4 | "They shall beat their swords into plowshares... neither shall they learn war anymore." | Envisioning a future time of peace centered around God's "house," making David's wartime nature unsuitable for its construction. |
| Zech 6:12-13 | "Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH!... He shall build the temple of the LORD... He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both." | Prophecy of the Messiah ("Branch") building the true temple (spiritual church) in a context of peace, highlighting a "Prince of Peace" (Isa 9:6) as the ultimate builder. |
| Gen 4:10 | And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground." | Illustrates the serious spiritual consequences and pollution associated with the shedding of blood. |
| Num 35:33-34 | "So you shall not pollute the land where you are... for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it." | Emphasizes how shed blood pollutes, conceptually relating to purity for sacred space. |
1 Chronicles 28 verses
1 Chronicles 28 3 Meaning
This verse records God's direct message to King David, explaining why David was not permitted to build a physical Temple for the Lord. The reason given is explicitly due to David's role as "a man of war" and the extensive "blood" he had shed, indicating that the sacred house of God required a builder whose hands were not marked by warfare, even righteous warfare necessary for establishing the kingdom. This highlights God's demand for ritual purity and peace associated with His dwelling place.
1 Chronicles 28 3 Context
This verse is part of King David's address to the assembled leaders of Israel – his son Solomon, princes, commanders, and mighty men – as recorded in 1 Chronicles 28. Having grown old, David formally charges Solomon to build the Temple, provides the architectural plans revealed by God, and presents the vast material provisions he has amassed. The immediate context of verse 3 is David recounting to these leaders the divine command he received, clarifying why God chose Solomon instead of himself for this monumental task. Historically, David's reign was characterized by extensive military campaigns necessary to secure Israel's borders, consolidate the kingdom, and bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. While these wars were often divinely directed and vital for Israel's survival, the extensive bloodshed rendered David unsuitable, in God's eyes, for constructing the peaceful sanctuary of His presence. This stands in contrast to Solomon's future reign, which would be known for peace and prosperity, setting the stage for the Temple's construction.
1 Chronicles 28 3 Word analysis
- But God said to me: This highlights the divine origin and authority of the decree. David is simply conveying a direct communication from the Lord. It signifies God's absolute sovereignty in choosing who will perform a specific task in His service.
- 'You shall not build': A direct, negative divine command. The Hebrew is לֹא־תִבְנֶה (lo-tivneh), an emphatic prohibition. It emphasizes that this was not David's decision or a suggestion, but a definitive declaration by God, underlining a boundary that David, despite his zeal, could not cross.
- 'a house for My name': Refers to the Temple, God's dwelling place where His presence and character (His "Name," שֵׁם - shem) would be manifested. Building "for My name" implies constructing it for His honor, glory, and as a place of true worship that aligns with His nature.
- 'because you have been a man of war': The Hebrew phrase is אִישׁ מִלְחָמוֹת (ish milchamot), literally "a man of wars" or "a warrior." This describes David's very essence and life's primary work, which, while commanded by God to establish Israel, was intrinsically violent. God required a builder for His house of peace whose primary identity was not associated with conquest and battle.
- 'and have shed blood': The Hebrew דָּמִים שָׁפַכְתָּ (damim shafakta) means "you have shed much blood" or "you have shed copious blood." This is the consequence of being a "man of war." The shedding of blood, even in just warfare, created a ritualistic defilement, an unsuitability for constructing God's pure and holy sanctuary. It's not a moral condemnation of David's righteous wars but a symbolic distinction related to the sanctity of the Temple. The presence of God required ritual cleanliness and peace, qualities not primarily associated with bloodshed.
- "man of war and have shed blood": These two phrases together encapsulate the precise reason for David's disqualification. They highlight that the sheer volume of his martial activity and the resulting bloodshed made him ceremonially unfit to construct a structure dedicated to divine peace and purity. The Temple was to be a beacon of tranquility, rest, and reconciliation with God, thus necessitating a builder who embodied these ideals. This emphasizes that while David faithfully served God's purpose by conquering, another's peaceful tenure was required to erect the spiritual dwelling.
1 Chronicles 28 3 Bonus section
This verse showcases David's humility and absolute obedience. Despite his deep longing and readiness to build for God, he humbly accepts the divine decree and actively prepares his son Solomon for the task, even providing the divine plans and materials (1 Chron 22:11-16; 1 Chron 28:11-19). This reveals that true service to God means aligning with His will, not simply fulfilling one's own desires, no matter how noble. The transition from David, the warrior-king, to Solomon, the king of peace and wisdom, beautifully foreshadows the two aspects of the Messiah's work: the Lord as a mighty warrior who conquers sin and death, and then as the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6) who builds God's spiritual house – the Church – through His reconciling power. The "clean hands" required for Temple building (Ps 24:4) ultimately point to Christ's sinless perfection and the cleansing His sacrifice provides, enabling all believers to become living stones in the spiritual house (1 Pet 2:5) not built by human hands, but by God through His Spirit.
1 Chronicles 28 3 Commentary
In 1 Chronicles 28:3, God's refusal of David's earnest desire to build the Temple is not a rejection of David personally or a punishment for his wars. Instead, it underscores the profound importance of purity, peace, and symbolic suitability in the construction of God's dwelling. David's life, though devoted to God and critical for securing the nation of Israel, was defined by relentless warfare and the shedding of much blood. The Temple, however, was to be a symbol of divine peace (שָׁלוֹם, shalom), a place of rest, reconciliation, and undisturbed worship. A man of peace, Solomon, whose reign was marked by relative tranquility (1 Kgs 5:4), was therefore deemed the appropriate builder. This divine instruction serves as a powerful reminder of God's nature – holy, pure, and ultimately peaceful – and that His chosen instruments must align with the specific nature of the task at hand. It teaches that even divinely commanded actions (like David's wars) might disqualify one from certain other sacred tasks if the nature of those actions clashes with the ritual purity or symbolic character required.