1 Chronicles 29:1

The anxiety which David felt on account of the youth of Solomon (repeated from 1 Chronicles 22:5 ) evidently pressed heavily on him. The additional expression here is to be noticed, whom alone God hath chosen . By this plea, full of truth as it was, we may suppose that David would shelter himself from any possible blame or reflection on the part of the people, from the charge of partiality on the part of his elder children, and any unjust slight to them, and also from any self-reproach , in that he was devolving such a responsible task on so young and tender a man. Palace . This word ( הַבִּירָה ), by which the temple is designated here and in 1 Chronicles 29:19 , seems to be very probably a word of Persian derivation. It is found in Nehemiah 1:1 ; in Daniel 8:2 ; but very frequently in Esther, where it is used not only of "Shushan the palace" ( Esther 1:2 ; Esther 2:3 ; Esther 3:15 ), as the royal abode, but also of the special part of the city adjoining the palace proper ( Esther 1:5 ; Esther 2:5 ; Esther 8:14 ; Esther 9:6 ). The word is found also in Nehemiah 2:8 ; but there it carries the signification of the fortress of the temple. There may be some special appropriateness in its use here, in consideration of the circumstance of the fortifications and wall, which flanked the temple.