THE SAM. vii, 1-15. Moreover LORD declareth unto thee, that THE LORD will make thee a house: when thy days shall be expired, and thou shalt be with thy fathers, I will raise up thy SEED after thee, which shall issue from thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom; he shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever;-I WILL BE TO HIM A FATHER, AND HE SHALL BE TO ME A SON: (whosoever [shall be concerned] in injuring Him, even I will chastise them with the rod of men, 1 CHRON. xvii. 1-14. Moreover, I declare unto thee that the Lord will build thee a house: And it shall come to pass, when thy days shall be expired to go unto thy fathers, that I will raise up thy SEED after thee, which shall be of thy sons, and I will establish his kingdom; He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever; I WILL BE TO HIM A FATHER, AND HE SHALL BE TO ME A SON: And my mercy will I not withdraw from HIM, as I withdrew it from him who was before thee:-But I will establish HIM in 2 SAM. vii. 1-15. and with the stripes of the sons of Adam) And my mercy shall not depart from HIM, as I withdrew it from Saul, whom I withdrew before thee; But thy house and thy kingdom shall be established before Me* for ever; thy throne shall be confirmed for ever. 1 CHRON. xvii. 1-14. my house and in my kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be confirmed for ever. THE LATTER PROPHECY. 1 CHRON. xxii. 7-13. And David said unto Solomon: My son, I thought in my heart to build a house for the name of THE LORD God: But my 1 CHRON. xxviii. 2-9. * So render the Septuagint and Syriac versions, supported by some MSS. of Kennicott and De Rossi, which read ", instead of the printed T. And the context requires, and the parallel passage justifies, the alteration. 1 1 CHRON. xxii. 7-13. THE ORACLE OF THE LORD came to me, saying: Thou hast shed blood in abundance, and hast made great wars; Thou shalt not build a house for my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in sight. my Behold a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about; for his name shall be Solomon; and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days; He shall build a house for my name ; And he shall be to me a Son, and I will be 1 CHRON. xxviii. 2-9. the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God; and had prepared to build; But GoD said unto me, unto me, Thou shalt not build a house for my name, because thou art a man of war, and hast shed blood: And the LORDGOD of Israel chose me out of all my father's house to be king over Israel for ever; (for He hath chosen Judah to be leader, and among the house of Judah, my Judah, my father's house, and among my father's sons he preferred me to make me reign over all Israel;) for He said unto me, Solomon,thy 1 I CHRON. xxii. 7-13. to him a Father: And I will confirm the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever. Now, my son, THE LORD shall be with thee, and thou shalt prosper, and thou shalt build the house of the Lord thy God; according as He hath spoken concerning thee: (Only THE LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, to keep the law of the Lord thy God: then shalt thou pros per, 1 CHRON. xxviii. 2-9. son, he shall build my house and my courts, because I have chosen him to be to Me a son, and I will be to him a Father: and I will confirm his kingdom for ever, if he be strong to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day. And know thou, Solomon, my son, the God of thy Father, and serve Him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind; forTHE LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou serve Him he will be found by thee; but if commanded thou forsake Him, if thou take heed to observe the sta tutes and the judg ments LORD which THE 1 CHRON. xxii. 7-13 Moses concerning Is rael.) Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be dismayed. 1 CHRON. xxviii. 2-9. He will cast thee off for ever. REMARKS. If we carefully compare these two prophecies and their respective accompaniments together, we shall find that they differ from each other in several material particulars: viz. the persons to whom they were immediately addressed; the times and circumstances in which they were delivered; and the subjects of each : For, 1. The former prophecy was delivered by "THE ORACLE OF THE LORD" or "THE ORACLE OF GOD" to Nathan the prophet, in order to be communicated to David; whereas the latter, was delivered by THE ORACLE OF THE LORD" or " GOD" immediately to David himself; and so Solomon states, alluding thereto; " AS THE "LORD spake unto David my Father," 1 Kings v. 5, and again, viii, 18.-But not to insist on this, which may perhaps be a difference more in appearance than in reality, because Nathan might have communicated the |