God’s Word Translation
1 Chronicles 28:9
9“And you, my son Solomon, learn to know your father’s God. Serve the Lord wholeheartedly and willingly because he searches every heart and understands every thought ⌞we have⌟. If you dedicate your life to serving him, he will accept you. But if you abandon him, he will reject you from then on.
1 Chronicles 28:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
- New International Version (NIV)“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.
Context of 1 Chronicles 28:9
7I will establish his kingdom forever if he will remain determined to obey my commands and laws, as he is doing today.’ 8Now, ⌞leaders, I order you⌟ in the sight of Israel (the Lord’s congregation) and as our God listens to dedicate your lives to doing everything the Lord your God has commanded. Then you will be able to possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants. “And you, my son Solomon, learn to know your father’s God. Serve the Lord wholeheartedly and willingly because he searches every heart and understands every thought ⌞we have⌟. If you dedicate your life to serving him, he will accept you. But if you abandon him, he will reject you from then on. 10So be careful, because the Lord has chosen you to build the temple as his holy place. Be strong, and do it.” 11Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the entrance hall and the temple, its storerooms, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the throne of mercy.
Read all of 1 Chronicles 281 Chronicles 28:9 word by word
וְאַתָּ֣ה שְׁלֹמֹֽה־בְנִ֡י דַּע֩ אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֨י אָבִ֜יךָ וְעָבְדֵ֗הוּ בְּלֵ֤ב שָׁלֵם֙ וּבְנֶ֣פֶשׁ חֲפֵצָ֔ה כִּ֤י כָל־לְבָבוֹת֙ דּוֹרֵ֣שׁ יְהוָ֔ה וְכָל־יֵ֥צֶר מַחֲשָׁב֖וֹת מֵבִ֑ין אִֽם־תִּדְרְשֶׁ֙נּוּ֙ יִמָּ֣צֵא לָ֔ךְ וְאִם־תַּֽעַזְבֶ֖נּוּ יַזְנִיחֲךָ֥ לָעַֽד׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And thou, Solomonשְׁלֹמֹהshelômôh · SolomonH8010
- my sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- thou the Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- of thy fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
- and serveעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: ministerH5647
- him with a perfectשָׁלֵםshâlêm · completeH8003
- heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
- and with a willingחָפֵץchâphêts · delightingH2655
- mindנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soulH5315
- for the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- searchethדָּרַשׁdârash · to seekH1875
- all heartsלֵבָבlêbâb · heartH3824
- and understandethבִּיןbîyn · to understandH995
- all the imaginationsיֵ֫צֶרyêtser · intentionH3336
- of the thoughtsמַחֲשָׁבָהmachăshâbâh machăshebeth · plotH4284
- him, he will be foundמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
- of thee; but if thou forsakeעָזַב‛âzab · to leave: forsakeH5800
- him, he will cast thee offזָנַחzânach · to rejectH2186
- for everעַד‛ad · perpetuityH5703
Cross-references for 1 Chronicles 28:9
- Deuteronomy 4:35You were shown these things so that you would know that the Lord is God. There is no other god.
- 1 Kings 8:43hear ⌞them⌟ in heaven, the place where you live. Do everything they ask you so that all the people of the world may know your name and fear you like your people Israel and learn also that this temple which I built bears your name.
- Psalms 9:10Those who know your name trust you, O Lord, because you have never deserted those who seek your help.
- Jeremiah 9:24If they want to brag, they should brag that they understand and know me. They should brag that I, the Lord, act out of love, righteousness, and justice on the earth. This kind of bragging pleases me, declares the Lord.
- Jeremiah 22:16He defended the cause of the poor and needy. Everything went well for him. Isn’t this what it means to know me?” asks the Lord.
- Jeremiah 24:7I will give them the desire to know that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, because they will wholeheartedly come back to me.
- Jeremiah 31:34No longer will each person teach his neighbors or his relatives by saying, ‘Know the Lord.’ All of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” declares the Lord, “because I will forgive their wickedness and I will no longer hold their sins against them.”
- Hosea 4:1Listen to the Lord’s word, you Israelites. The Lord has brought these charges against those who live in the land: “There is no faith, no love, and no knowledge of God in the land.
- John 8:55Yet, you haven’t known him. However, I know him. If I would say that I didn’t know him, I would be a liar like all of you. But I do know him, and I do what he says.
- John 17:3This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
- Acts 17:23As I was going through your city and looking closely at the objects you worship, I noticed an altar with this written on it: ‘To an unknown god.’ I’m telling you about the unknown god you worship.
- Romans 1:28And because they thought it was worthless to acknowledge God, God allowed their own immoral minds to control them. So they do these indecent things.
- 1 Corinthians 15:34Come back to the right point of view, and stop sinning. Some people don’t know anything about God. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
- 2 Corinthians 4:6We are his servants because the same God who said that light should shine out of darkness has given us light. For that reason we bring to light the knowledge about God’s glory which shines from Christ’s face.
- Genesis 28:13The Lord was standing above it, saying, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give the land on which you are lying to you and your descendants.
- Exodus 3:16“Go, assemble the leaders of Israel. Say to them, ‘The Lord God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, appeared to me. He said, “I have paid close attention to you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.
Commentaries on 1 Chronicles 28:9
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9Know thou the God of thy father - “Knowing God,” in the sense of having a religious trust in Him, is an unusual phrase in the earlier Scriptures. It scarcely occurs elsewhere in the historical books. David, however, uses the phrase in his Psalms Psalm 36:10; and its occurrence here may be accepted as evidence that the entire speech is recorded in the actual words of the monarch.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9-10David's message to Solomon focused on the responsibilities of becoming king, not the privileges. Solomon's main duty was to seek, worship, and serve the Lord. The Lord also demanded a strong commitment to building the temple sanctuary.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 9-109-10. And thou, Solomon my son--The royal speaker now turns to Solomon, and in a most impressive manner presses upon him the importance of sincere and practical piety. know thou--He did not mean head knowledge, for Solomon possessed that already, but that experimental acquaintance with God which is only to be obtained by loving and serving Him.Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Chronicles 28:9
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Chronicles 28
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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