1 Chronicles 22:2

“And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel, etc.] The proselytes, as the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions; that is, proselytes of the gate, who submitted to the seven precepts of Noah, were admitted to dwell in the Cities of Israel, (see <010904> Genesis 9:4) and these were ordered to be got together to be employed in building the temple, and making preparations for it; and that partly because they were better artificers than the Israelites, who were chiefly employed in husbandry and cattle, and partly that the Israelites, who were freemen, might not be put to hard service; but chiefly this was for the sake of a mystery in it, denoting that the…”

“David commanded to gather together the strangers--partly the descendants of the old Canaanites (Ch2 8:7-10), from whom was exacted a tribute of bond service, and partly war captives (Ch2 2:7), reserved for the great work he contemplated.”

“The strangers - i. e., the aliens the non-Israelite population of the land. Compare 2 Chronicles 2:17. return to 'Top of Page'”

“22:2-19 God had promised David that his kingdom would be permanent and that his son would build a temple for the Lord (17:11-12). Now that the site had been chosen (21:18–22:1), David made preparations for building the Temple of God. He gathered the materials (22:2-5), and he charged both Solomon (22:6-16) and the leaders of Israel (22:17-19) with the task of building the Temple after his death.”

“the strangers: Kg1 9:20, Kg1 9:21; Ch2 2:17, Ch2 8:7, Ch2 8:8; Isa 61:5, Isa 61:6; Eph 2:12, Eph 2:19-22 masons: Ch1 14:1; Sa2 5:11; Kg1 5:17, Kg1 5:18, Kg1 6:7, Kg1 7:9-12; Kg2 12:12, Kg2 22:6; Ezr 3:7 1 Chronicles 22:3”

“Workmen and materials for the building of the temple. - Ch1 22:2. In order to procure the necessary workmen, David commanded that the strangers in the land of Israel should be gathered together, and, as we learn from Ch2 2:16, also numbered. הגּרים, the strangers, are the descendants of the Canaanites whom the Israelites had not destroyed when they took possession of the land, but had reduced to bondage ( Ch2 8:7-9; Kg1 9:20-22). This number was so considerable, that Solomon was able to employ 150,000 of them as labourers and stone-cutters ( Kg1 5:15.; Ch2 2:16.). These strangers David appointed to be stone-cutters, to hew squared stones, גזית אבני (see on Kg1 5:18). Ch1 22:3 Iron and brass…”