2 Chronicles 6 16

2 Chronicles 6:16 kjv

Now therefore, O LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit upon the throne of Israel; yet so that thy children take heed to their way to walk in my law, as thou hast walked before me.

2 Chronicles 6:16 nkjv

Therefore, LORD God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk in My law as you have walked before Me.'

2 Chronicles 6:16 niv

"Now, LORD, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, 'You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me according to my law, as you have done.'

2 Chronicles 6:16 esv

Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying, 'You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.'

2 Chronicles 6:16 nlt

"And now, O LORD, God of Israel, carry out the additional promise you made to your servant David, my father. For you said to him, 'If your descendants guard their behavior and faithfully follow my Law as you have done, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.'

2 Chronicles 6 verses

2 Chronicles 6 16 Meaning

King Solomon, in his prayer of dedication for the Temple, reminds the Lord, the God of Israel, to fulfill His promise made to David regarding a continuous lineage of his descendants sitting on the throne of Israel. However, Solomon explicitly reiterates the crucial condition attached to this promise: its perpetuation depends on his sons and subsequent generations diligently following God's law and living righteously, just as David had strived to live before God.

2 Chronicles 6 16 Context

This verse is situated within Solomon’s profound prayer of dedication for the newly completed Temple in Jerusalem (2 Chr 6:12-42). Having finished the building, Solomon now stands before the altar, lifts his hands, and publicly blesses God and the assembly (v. 3-11), recalling God's faithfulness in bringing His promises concerning the Temple to fruition. In verses 12-42, Solomon transitions into an earnest petition. Verse 16 specifically highlights the enduring importance of the Davidic Covenant for the continuity of the kingdom, explicitly emphasizing the conditional element of perpetual kingship. The chapter records Solomon’s awareness that while God’s house (dynasty) would be eternal (2 Sam 7), the continuous occupation of the throne depended on the king's and his descendants' fidelity to God's commands. This awareness provides a theological foundation for understanding the future successes and failures of the Judahite monarchy as depicted in the books of Kings and Chronicles. Historically, the Davidic covenant formed the theological bedrock of the Judean kingdom, signifying God's direct involvement in their rulership, but also demanding righteousness from their leaders.

Word Analysis

• Now therefore, O Lord, the God of Israel,
  • Now therefore: Connects Solomon's prayer to the preceding recognition of God's faithfulness in fulfilling promises. It signals a move from acknowledgment to specific petition.
  • O Lord: Translates the Hebrew יְהוָה (YHWH), the personal covenant name of God, emphasizing His relationship with His people and His reliability.
  • the God of Israel: Reinforces God's unique covenantal relationship with the nation of Israel, and thus with its divinely appointed monarchy.
• keep with your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying,
  • keep: From the Hebrew שָׁמַר (shamar), meaning to guard, observe, fulfill. Here, it is a plea for God to remain faithful to His covenant oath. It echoes the requirement for humanity to "keep" God's law.
  • your servant David my father: Emphasizes the deep relationship God had with David, setting him as an exemplary figure, and Solomon's direct lineage, underscoring his inherited role.
  • what you have promised him: Refers directly to the Davidic Covenant as recorded in 2 Sam 7. This covenant forms the theological backbone of the monarchy.
  • saying: Introduces the direct quote or specific content of God's promise.
• ‘You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel,
  • You shall not lack a man: This part of the promise (from 2 Sam 7:12-16) guarantees an enduring dynasty for David, that a successor would always be available.
  • to sit before me: Hebrew לְפָנַי (lefanai), literally "before My face/presence." Signifies reigning under God's watchful eye, by His authority and with His approval. The earthly king is subordinate to the true divine King.
  • on the throne of Israel: The locus of power, symbolizing sovereign rule over God's chosen nation.
• if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.’
  • if only: Hebrew אִם־רַק (im-raq), a strong conditional particle. This highlights that while the dynasty itself is eternal, the unbroken presence of a Davidic king on the physical throne is conditional upon the royal lineage's obedience. This balances the "unconditional" and "conditional" aspects of the Davidic covenant.
  • your sons: Refers to David's direct descendants who would inherit the kingship.
  • pay close attention to their way: From Hebrew שָׁמַר דֶּרֶךְ (shamar derekh), meaning to observe, guard, or diligently attend to their conduct and lifestyle. It stresses careful moral and spiritual heed.
  • to walk in my law: Hebrew לָלֶכֶת בְּתוֹרָתִי (lāleḵeṯ bəṯōrāṯî). "Walk" implies daily living and conduct. "My law" refers to the Torah, God's divine instruction, encompassing His statutes, commands, and principles. This is the heart of the demanded obedience.
  • as you have walked before me: David, despite his flaws, served as the ideal prototype for righteous kingship in Chronicles. He modeled a life lived "before God" (lefanai) in relative faithfulness to the Law, serving as a standard for his descendants. This implicitly contrasts him with Saul's disobedience and foreshadows the future failures of later kings.

2 Chronicles 6 16 Bonus section

The Chronicler, writing to a post-exilic audience, emphasizes this conditionality of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience more directly than the book of Kings. For the Chronicler, the continuous occupation of the throne (and thus the health of the nation) was explicitly dependent on the personal righteousness of the king. This focus serves to encourage his audience, returned from exile, that future prosperity is directly linked to their faithfulness to God’s Law, much as the kings' faithfulness determined their own continuity. This also highlights a key tension within the Davidic covenant itself: the promise of an "eternal house" for David (2 Sam 7:16) and the promise of a perpetual king "on the throne" (2 Chr 6:16, 1 Kgs 2:4; Ps 132:12). While God’s dynasty for David is ultimately unconditional and eternal (fulfilled in Christ), the earthly manifestation of kingship in an unbroken line depended on human obedience.

2 Chronicles 6 16 Commentary

2 Chronicles 6:16 encapsulates a profound theological truth about God's covenantal relationship: His promises are unwavering, but human responsibility is paramount. Solomon, aware of the sacred weight of the Davidic Covenant (an eternal dynasty for David), skillfully includes the crucial, often overlooked, conditional element. While 2 Samuel 7 guarantees an enduring "house" (dynasty) for David irrespective of the kings' sins (Ps 89), Solomon emphasizes the conditional continuation of the individual king on the throne. This implies that continued political stability and divine endorsement of the monarchy hinged on the kings' fidelity to God's Torah.

This verse serves as a prophetic foreshadowing and a theological cornerstone for the Chronicler’s narrative. It explains why later Davidic kings were dethroned, captured, or had their lines cut short – their failure to "pay close attention to their way" and "walk in [God's] law" led to divine judgment and a break in the kingly succession. Ultimately, the New Testament reveals Jesus Christ as the only Davidic descendant who perfectly fulfilled this condition, making His reign truly eternal and universal, thus securing the unconditional aspect of the Davidic Covenant (eternal house) through a perfect, obedient Son who rightfully and eternally sits on David's throne.