Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. XXVIII.

Vers. 1. ANd David assembled all the Princes of Israel.] Here is repeated what was said before, chap. 23.2. for both that and this are meant of the same assembling of the princes.

Vers. 2. Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, &c.] This phrase here used for Davids standing up upon his feet, may seem to imply, that though he were now in the generall assembly of the princes and people, yet even now he began to be so farre infeebled with age, that he used to lie along upon a bed or couch; onely

being now to be speaker in the assembly, to make known the will of God concern∣ing Solomon his sonne, he strengthened himself (being happely assisted therein by his nobles or servants) to stand up upon his feet. And indeed within a while after this, we see he lay bedrid in great extremity of weaknesse. 1. Kings 1.1.

I had in my heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God.] That is, the ark, or the propitiatory, or mercy-seat wherewith the ark was covered: for elsewhere also we find the ark term∣ed Gods footstool, as Psal. 99.5. Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his foot∣stool: and Psal. 132.7. We will go into his tabernacle, we will worship at his footstool. And the reasons why the ark is so called, may be first, because the Lord being repre∣sented as sitting between the wings of the Cherubims as in a throne, the body of the ark was in that respect in stead of a footstool to him: and secondly, to intimate how they ought to judge of Gods presence there in a spirituall manner; that the people might not entertain any carnall and earthly conceits of Gods presence there, not consonant to the infinite glory and majesty of God: the ark is called Gods footstool, so to raise their thoughts of God above the world, and to teach them so to conceive of Gods presence in the ark, as withall to acknowledge that he dwelleth on high, and filleth heaven and earth with his glory; yea, that the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him, 1. Kings 8.27.

Vers. 4. Howbeit, the Lord God of Israel chose me before all the house of my fa∣ther, to be king over Israel for ever.] To wit, in my posterity: and this was ac∣complished in Christ. See Luke 1.32, 33.

Vers. 14. He gave of gold by weight, for things of gold, for all instruments of all manner of service, silver also for all instruments of silver, &c.] To wit, the golden vessels for the service of the holy place, the silver vessels for the Priests court.

Vers. 15. Even the weight for the candlesticks of gold.] For the holy place were these candlesticks made: for though there was but one candlestick in the tabernacle of Moses, yet in the Temple there were ten candlesticks of pure gold for the holy place, 1. Kings 7.49. As for the candlesticks of silver here also mentioned, they were doubtlesse for the porch of the courts, and happely also for the chambers that were about the courts.

Vers. 16. And by weight he gave gold for the tables of shew-bread, &c.] For in the temple there were severall tables of shew-bread, 2. Chron. 4.19. As for the silver tables here mentioned also, they were for the chambers of the Priests, and o∣ther places of the temple.

Vers. 18. And gold for the pattern of the chariot of the Cherubims, &c.] This must needs be meant, not of the two Cherubims that were upon the Mercy-seat, one at each end (for they were made in Moses time, and now carried by Solomon into the Temple▪) but of those two greater Cherubims made by Solomons appointment of Olive wood, and covered over with plates of gold, and that to stand before the ark, to hide and cover it even from the eyes of the high Priest, when he came into the most holy place, 1. Kings 6.23. And it is called the chariot of the Cherubims, not onely because it was the representation of Gods presence there attended with his holy Angels, who are called the Lords chariots: Psal. 68.17. The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of Angels: but also happely because there was

in these Cherubims thus standing before the ark, some resemblance of the chariots used in those times; yea and some adde, that hereby was signified also that Gods pre∣sence in the ark was not so fixed amongst them, but that he would leave them if his people should too farre provoke him by their sinnes.