(5) Solomon my son is young and tender--i.e., an inexperienced young man. David repeats the expression (1Chronicles 29:1); and it is applied to Rehoboam (2Chronicles 13:7) at the age of forty-one. The word here rendered "young," literally, "youth" (na'ar), is even more vague than the Latin adolescens. It may mean a new-born babe (Exodus 2:6), a young child (Isaiah 7:16; Isaiah 8:4), a youth (Isaiah 3:5; 1Samuel 17:55), or a man in the prime of life (1Samuel 30:17; Exodus 33:11). Solomon calls himself "a young child" (na'ar q?ton) even after his accession to the throne (1Kings 3:7), though he was born soon after the time of the Syro-Ammonite war (2Samuel 12:24).

Tender.--Timid (Deuteronomy 20:8).

The house that is to be builded . . . exceeding magnifical.--Literally, the house to build . . . (one is) to make great exceedingly. For the infinitival construction, comp. 1Chronicles 5:1; 1Chronicles 13:4; 1Chronicles 9:25; 1Chronicles 15:2.

Exceeding.--Literally, unto height, upwards; an adverbial expression, which frequently occurs in the Chronicles. (See 1Chronicles 14:2 : "On high.")

Of fame and of glory throughout all countries.--Literally, for a name and for a glory (tiph'ereth) for all the lands. (Comp. Isaiah 2:3; Isaiah 60:3, et seq., Isaiah 62:2-3.) In similar terms the famous Assyrian Sennacherib (Sin-ahi-irba) speaks of his palace as built "for the lodging (taprati) of multitudes of men." And of his temple of Nergal he says: "The house of Nergal, within the city of Tarbicu, I caused to be made, and like day I caused it to shine" (usnammir).

I will therefore now make preparation for it.--Literally, Let me now prepare for him--the expression of an earnest desire, and self-encouragement to an arduous task, rather than of mere resolve.

We need not suppose that the verse relates to any actual utterance of David's. It is not said when nor to whom he spoke. The historian is merely representing the king's motive for these preparations. "To say" in Hebrew often means to think, by an elliptic construction. (Comp. Exodus 2:14 with Genesis 17:17.)

So David prepared.--It is strange, but instructive, to remember that there have been critics so destitute of the historical faculty as to allege that "the whole episode about David's preparations is a fiction of the chronist's" (Gramberg), because the Books of Samuel and Kings are silent on the subject.

Verse 5. - Solomon... is young and tender. It is impossible to fix the exact age of Solomon as marked by these words. In a "fragment" of Eupolemus (see Cory's 'Ancient Fragments of the Phoenician,' etc., Writers,' edit. London, 1832) he is put down at twelve years of age. Josephus ('Ant. Jud.,' 8:7, § 8) as vaguely supposes he was fourteen at the time that he took the throne. He was the second son of Bathsheba, and can scarcely have exceeded the last-mentioned age by more than three or four years (yet comp. 1 Kings 2:2; 1 Kings 3:1, 7). This same language, "young and tender," is repeated in 1 Chronicles 29:1. The reign of Solomon lasted forty years (1 Kings 11:42; 2 Chronicles 9:30). He is called old (1 Kings 11:4) when his strange wives "turned away his heart after other gods." We are not told his age at the time of his death. There are, in fact, no sufficient data for fixing to the year, or indeed within the liberal margin of several years, the age now designated as young and tender.

22:1-5 On occasion of the terrible judgment inflicted on Israel for the sin of David, God pointed out the place where he would have the temple built; upon which, David was excited to make preparations for the great work. David must not build, but he would do all he could; he prepared abundantly before his death. What our hands find to do for God, and our souls, and those round us, let us do it with all our might, before our death; for after death there is no device nor working. And when the Lord refuses to employ us in those services which we desired, we must not be discouraged or idle, but do what we can, though in a humbler sphere.And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender,.... Jarchi supposes he was about twelve years of age, though he observes that the same word is used of Joshua when forty two years of age; it is probable Solomon might be now about twenty:

and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnificent, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: and such was the temple built by Solomon; it was renowned throughout the whole earth; never was there a temple equal to it, no, not the famous temple of Diana at Ephesus, built by the assistance of many kings, and at the expense of all Asia, and was two hundred years in building:

I will therefore now, make preparation for it; seeing his son was so young, and this building to be so magnificent, though he himself was not admitted to build it:

so David prepared abundantly before his death; of which we have an after account in this chapter, and more largely in 1 Chronicles 28:1.