Attributed commentary excerpt
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Chronicles 29:16
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · 19th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
all this store that we have prepared--It may be useful to exhibit a tabular view of the treasure laid up and contributions stated by the historian as already made towards the erection of the proposed temple. Omitting the brass and iron, and precious stones, which, though specified partly (Ch1 29:7), are represented in other portions as "without weight" (Ch1 22:3, Ch1 22:14), we shall give in this table only the amount of gold and silver; and taking the talent of gold as worth £5475 (the talent being 125 pounds in weight), the value of the gold will be about 73s. per ounce. The talent of silver is given at £342 3s. 9d., or 4s. 41/2d. per ounce. The total amount of the contributions will be: Sum accumulated, and in public treasury (Ch1 22:14): Gold £547,500,000 Silver 342,187,500 Contributed by David from his private resources [Ch1 29:4]: Gold 16,425,000 Silver 2,395,312 Contributed by the assembled rulers [Ch1 29:7]: Gold 28,000,000 Silver 3,421,875 A grand total of approximately £939,929,687 Though it has been the common practice of Eastern monarchs to hoard vast sums for the accomplishment of any contemplated project, this amount so far exceeds not only every Oriental collection on record, but even the bounds of probability, that it is very generally allowed that either there is a corruption of the text in Ch1 22:14, or that the reckoning of the historian was by the Babylonian, which was only a half, or the Syrian, which was only a fifth part, of the Hebrew talent. This would bring the Scripture account more into accordance with the statements of JOSEPHUS, as well as within the range of credibility.
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