1 Chronicles 29:15 kjv
For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.
1 Chronicles 29:15 nkjv
For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers; Our days on earth are as a shadow, And without hope.
1 Chronicles 29:15 niv
We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.
1 Chronicles 29:15 esv
For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.
1 Chronicles 29:15 nlt
We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.
1 Chronicles 29 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 23:4 | I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. | Abraham's self-identification as a pilgrim. |
| Lev 25:23 | The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me. | God's ownership of the land and human temporariness. |
| Psa 39:12 | Hear my prayer, O Lord… For I am a sojourner with You, a foreigner like all my fathers. | Expresses shared human condition before God. |
| Psa 90:3-6 | You turn man to destruction… He is like grass… in the morning it flourishes and grows… in the evening it is cut down. | Emphasizes life's brevity and fading nature. |
| Psa 102:11 | My days are like a lengthening shadow. | Human life rapidly declining, without substance. |
| Psa 103:14-16 | He remembers that we are dust… Man's days are like grass… the wind passes over it, and it is gone. | God's knowledge of human frailty. |
| Psa 144:4 | Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. | Extreme brevity and fleeting quality of life. |
| Job 8:9 | For we are but of yesterday… and our days on earth are a shadow. | Ancient wisdom affirming human transient existence. |
| Job 14:1-2 | Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble… he flees like a shadow and does not continue. | Human life is short, troubled, and impermanent. |
| Ecc 6:12 | Who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his empty life which he passes like a shadow? | Emptiness and quick passage of life. |
| Heb 11:13 | These all died in faith, not having received the promises… but having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. | Faith perspective on being temporary residents. |
| Heb 11:14-16 | For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland… a better, that is, a heavenly one. | The ultimate destination of the pilgrim. |
| Heb 13:14 | For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. | Seeking a permanent dwelling beyond earth. |
| 1 Pet 1:17 | If you call on the Father, who without partiality judges… conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your sojourning. | Live reverently, recognizing temporary status. |
| 1 Pet 2:11 | Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. | Call to live godly amidst temporal existence. |
| Jas 4:14 | Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time. | Uncertainty and extreme brevity of human life. |
| 1 Jn 2:17 | And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but he who does the will of God abides forever. | World is temporary; obedience to God brings eternity. |
| Php 3:20 | For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior. | Believers' true homeland is spiritual and heavenly. |
| 2 Cor 5:1 | For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands. | Assurance of a permanent, eternal dwelling. |
| Psa 23:6 | And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. | Hope for eternal dwelling with God. |
| Jn 15:4 | Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine. | Contrasts human transience with abiding in Christ for spiritual life. |
| Rom 8:17 | And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. | The ultimate inheritance that contrasts earthly impermanence. |
| Col 3:1-2 | If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above… Set your mind on things above. | Focus on eternal realities, not transient earthly ones. |
1 Chronicles 29 verses
1 Chronicles 29 15 Meaning
David, in this prayer of thanksgiving and dedication, acknowledges the profound reality of human transience before the eternal and sovereign God. He declares that all humanity, including the Israelites from their patriarchs onward, exists as temporary guests on the earth. Our lives are fleeting and insubstantial, much like a fleeting shadow, utterly devoid of any inherent or self-sustaining permanence. This truth compels humility and highlights utter dependence on God, who alone endures forever.
1 Chronicles 29 15 Context
First Chronicles chapter 29 details the culmination of King David’s preparations for building the temple in Jerusalem, a task designated by God for his son, Solomon. Having gathered immense quantities of materials and encouraged generous freewill offerings from the people, David breaks forth into a profound prayer of thanksgiving and worship. The immediate context of verse 15 is within this grand public prayer, after the display of immense national wealth and generosity (vv. 6-9). David's prayer attributes all blessings, wealth, and power to God (vv. 11-12) and acknowledges that even the lavish gifts presented are from God’s own hand (v. 14). Verse 15 serves as a humbling declaration that, despite the magnitude of their accomplishments and their aspirations to build a magnificent, enduring Temple, they as human beings are intrinsically temporary and dependent. Historically and culturally, this acknowledgment directly contrasts with the prevalent ancient Near Eastern ideologies that sought permanence through monumental architecture, royal dynasties, and divine claims for kings. David explicitly denies human inherent permanence, affirming God alone as the unchanging reality, setting a spiritual foundation for the Temple's purpose—not as a monument to man's glory, but to God's.
1 Chronicles 29 15 Word analysis
- For we are: Denotes a communal confession and shared human condition, highlighting David's identification with his people and a collective spiritual reality.
- strangers (Heb. גֵּרִים, gerim): Literally, "sojourners," "aliens," or "resident aliens." In ancient Israel, a ger was someone who resided in the land but did not have the full rights of a native-born Israelite; they were dependent on the kindness of their host. This signifies a lack of intrinsic ownership or belonging and emphasizes dependence on God.
- before thee: Establishes the divine perspective. The statement of human temporality is made in the direct presence and sight of the eternal God. It's a humble submission to God's sovereignty.
- and sojourners (Heb. תּוֹשָׁבִים, toshavim): Often used alongside gerim to reinforce the idea of a temporary resident without permanent inheritance or native roots. It underscores the fleeting nature of their stay on earth.
- as were all our fathers: Connects the present generation to their ancestral history (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and generations in the wilderness). This identity as temporary residents is not new but an inherent part of Israel's spiritual heritage, reminding them of God's leading through history. It's an inherited reality.
- our days: Refers to the span of human life, emphasizing its limited duration.
- on the earth: Specifies the earthly realm as the domain of this transience, contrasting it with God's eternal heavenly dwelling.
- are as a shadow (Heb. כַּצֵּל, katstsel): A profound simile illustrating fragility, transience, and insubstantiality. Shadows are fleeting, lack substance, have no independent existence, and vanish with the changing light. This vivid image portrays human life as momentary and quickly disappearing.
- and there is none abiding (Heb. וְאֵין מִקְוֶה, v'ein miqveh): This phrase can be nuanced. While miqveh (מִקְוֶה) can mean "hope" or "collection," in this context, it denotes "expectation of continuance" or "lasting foundation." Thus, it conveys that there is no inherent stability, permanence, or self-sustained future in human life or earthly existence itself. Our dwelling place is not truly lasting apart from God.
Words-group Analysis:
- "strangers...and sojourners": A foundational theological statement about human identity on earth, emphasizing an external origin and a transient destination. It means humanity are tenants, not owners, subject to a divine landlord.
- "as were all our fathers": This phrase embeds the current generation within the consistent historical experience of God's people. It's a shared heritage of pilgrimage, not a novel revelation, deepening its significance as a fundamental truth.
- "our days on the earth are as a shadow": This striking metaphor underscores the brevity, ephemerality, and lack of substance of human existence in the temporal realm. Life passes swiftly, leaving little behind of its own accord.
- "and there is none abiding": This definitive statement asserts humanity's complete lack of self-sufficiency for enduring existence. True permanence must come from an external, eternal source—God alone. It counters any presumption of immortality or lasting security on human terms.
1 Chronicles 29 15 Bonus section
The Hebrew word miqveh (מִקְוֶה), translated as "abiding" in the KJV for "none abiding," carries the primary meaning of "hope" or "expectation," as well as "a collection (of water)," e.g., a pool. In this specific context, scholarly interpretation leans towards "no hope of continuance" or "no ground for a permanent expectation," rather than merely "no physical place to abide." This subtle but significant nuance strengthens the message: there is no inherent basis for hope in humanity's own enduring existence; all hope for true, lasting life must come from God. This aligns with other Old Testament wisdom literature and prophetic lamentations that decry the vanity of trusting in transient human constructs. David's profound prayer thus teaches that the source of true hope and permanence lies solely in the eternal character and covenant of God, not in human life itself or in its achievements, however grand.
1 Chronicles 29 15 Commentary
In 1 Chronicles 29:15, King David offers a profound theological statement, grounding the magnificent act of temple provision in spiritual humility. Even amidst unparalleled national unity, wealth, and grand aspirations to build an enduring structure for God, David articulates a fundamental truth: human life is fleeting and insubstantial. The declaration of being "strangers and sojourners" connects the Israelites, from their patriarchs to David's generation, to a core identity of pilgrims dependent on God's grace, with no inherent right to permanent dwelling. The potent imagery of "days... as a shadow" captures the brevity and utter lack of substance in human existence apart from the Eternal God. The phrase "there is none abiding" serves as a direct polemic against any notion of human permanence or self-sufficiency, powerfully asserting that true enduring hope and stability rest solely in God. This understanding reshapes the focus from the human accomplishment of building a grand Temple to the transcendent nature of the God it serves. It underscores that all earthly possessions and even grand achievements are transient, only gaining significance when dedicated to the One who is everlasting. This verse encourages a perspective of deep humility, dependence, and an eternal mindset for those who serve the living God.