1 Chronicles 28:9
in 1 Chronicles 28As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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 Jehovah 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.
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.
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This verse in 1 Chronicles 28
Commentary
9 notes on this verse"Do you know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, him will God destroy." And in another place: "The Lord is with you as long as you are with him. If you abandon him, he also will abandon you."
This site's exposition
if thou seek him, he will be found of thee
David's charge narrows from the nation to one son, and the sentence he gives Solomon states the book's own doctrine to a single man: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. The verb Chronicles uses to measure every king in the books that follow, seek, is spoken here first to the king who will be measured by it, echoing the sole occurrence of if ye seek him, he will be found of you already given at 15:2. Serving God with a perfect heart and a willing mind is set against a God who searches all hearts, so the charge allows no gap between the outward act and the inward motive.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
There is a passage in the first book of the same Chronicles that declares the choice of the will: "And you, Solomon, my son, know you the God of your father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts; if you seek him, he will be found of you; but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever." But these people find some room for human merit in the clause "if you seek him," and then the grace is thought to be given according to this merit in what is said in the ensuing words, "he will be found of you." And so they labor with all their might to show that God's grace is given according to our merits, in other words, that grace is not grace. For, as the apostle most expressly says, to them who receive reward according to merit "the recompense is not reckoned of grace but of debt."
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Searcheth - If thou dost only put on a profession of religion to please me, or if thy obedience to God be unsincere, thou mayest indeed deceive me, but thou canst not deceive him, for he searcheth the motions of thy heart. Cast thee off - Notwithstanding all his promises to me and to my seed, and that great honour and favour which he hath shewed thee.
And thou, Solomon my son,....
We make nothing of religion if we do not mind it, and make heart-work of it. Serve him with a perfect, that is, an upright heart (for sincerity is our gospel perfection), and with a willing mind, from a principle of love, and as a willing people, cheerfully and with pleasure.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Know 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 Psa 36:10; and its occurrence here may be accepted as evidence that the entire speech is recorded in the actual words of the monarch.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Charles Spurgeon1834–1892
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 3490: “Sincere Seekers—assured Finders” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) · Written before 1892.
proposed
ALTHOUGH this was addressed to Solomon, it may, without any violence to the Truth of God, be addressed tonight to every unconverted person here present, for there are a great many texts of Scripture of a similar import which apply to all ungodly ones, such, for instance, as that, "Seek you the Lord while He may be found; call you upon Him while He is near." And that other, "He that seeks, finds; to him that knocks, it shall be opened." I should like to go round, if it were possible, and say to every hearer here, as I put my hand upon his shoulder, "If you seek your God, He will be found of you"—even of you. May I ask you to take it as spoken to each individual—not to your neighbors, not to one who is better or worse than yourselves, but to you? You, young man, and you of riper years, you of all ages, classes and sexes, "If you seek Him, He will be found of you." I know that those who think at all about religion and do not understand it, are very apt to conceive that there is something wonderfully mysterious about it. That a man should follow it, and may, perhaps, attain the blessing of it towards the end of life, or on a dying bed, though some conceive that then nobody is quite sure that he is saved unless it is some extraordinarily good man! Oh, is not this strange, that with a book so plain as this, and with a Gospel preached by so many in these days, yet the mass of mankind are in a cloud and a fog about the blessed Revelation of God? Jesus Christ is salvation! He is to be had—He is to be had now! You may know you have Him. You may be saved now —completely saved, and live in the full enjoyment of that knowledge! "If you seek Him, He will be found of you." The notion is that there are a great many very mysterious preliminaries, a great deal to do, and a great deal to be, and all quite beyond our power. It is not so, but seek Him.
A commentator
Charles Spurgeon1834–1892
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 3490: “Sincere Seekers—assured Finders” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) · Written before 1892.
proposed
ALTHOUGH this was addressed to Solomon, it may, without any violence to the Truth of God, be addressed tonight to every unconverted person here present, for there are a great many texts of Scripture of a similar import which apply to all ungodly ones, such, for instance, as that, "Seek you the Lord while He may be found; call you upon Him while He is near." And that other, "He that seeks, finds; to him that knocks, it shall be opened."
The words behind it
29 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאַתָּ֣ה | veatah | and you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| שְׁלֹמֹֽה־ | shelomoh- | O Solomon | H8010 → | 291 times |
| בְנִ֡י | veni | son my | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| דַּע֩ | da' | know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֱלֹהֵ֨י | ʾelohei | [the] God of | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אָבִ֜יךָ | ʾavikha | father your | H1 → | 1212 times |
| וְעָבְדֵ֗הוּ | veavedehu | and serve him | H5647 → | |
| בְּלֵ֤ב | belev | with a heart | H3820 → | 595 times |
| שָׁלֵם֙ | shalem | complete | H8003 → | 28 times |
| וּבְנֶ֣פֶשׁ | uvenefesh | and with a being | H5315 → | 754 times |
| חֲפֵצָ֔ה | chafetzah | willing | H2655 → | |
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| כָל־ | khol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| לְבָבוֹת֙ | levavot | hearts | H3824 → | 252 times |
| דּוֹרֵ֣שׁ | doresh | [is] searching | H1875 → | 164 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יֵ֥צֶר | yetzer | inclination of | H3336 → | |
| מַחֲשָׁב֖וֹת | machashavot | thoughts | H4284 → | |
| מֵבִ֑ין | mevin | [he is] understanding | H995 → | 170 times |
| אִֽם־ | ʾim- | if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| תִּדְרְשֶׁ֙נּוּ֙ | tidreshenu | you will seek him | H1875 → | 164 times |
| יִמָּ֣צֵא | yimatze' | he will let himself be found | H4672 → | 455 times |
| לָ֔ךְ | lakh | by you | ||
| וְאִם־ | veim- | and if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| תַּֽעַזְבֶ֖נּוּ | taazvenu | you will forsake him | H5800 → | 215 times |
| יַזְנִיחֲךָ֥ | yaznichakha | he will reject you | H2186 → | |
| לָעַֽד׃ | laad | for ever | H5703 → |
וְאַתָּ֣הand you
veatahH859 →1094 times
שְׁלֹמֹֽה־O Solomon
shelomoh-H8010 →291 times
בְנִ֡יson my
veniH1121 →4930 times
דַּע֩know
da'H3045 →945 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אֱלֹהֵ֨י[the] God of
ʾeloheiH430 →2601 times
אָבִ֜יךָfather your
ʾavikhaH1 →1212 times
וְעָבְדֵ֗הוּand serve him
veavedehuH5647 →
בְּלֵ֤בwith a heart
belevH3820 →595 times
שָׁלֵם֙complete
shalemH8003 →28 times
וּבְנֶ֣פֶשׁand with a being
uvenefeshH5315 →754 times
חֲפֵצָ֔הwilling
chafetzahH2655 →
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
כָל־all
khol-H3605 →5413 times
לְבָבוֹת֙hearts
levavotH3824 →252 times
דּוֹרֵ֣שׁ[is] searching
doreshH1875 →164 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
וְכָל־and every
vekholH3605 →5413 times
יֵ֥צֶרinclination of
yetzerH3336 →
מַחֲשָׁב֖וֹתthoughts
machashavotH4284 →
מֵבִ֑ין[he is] understanding
mevinH995 →170 times
אִֽם־if
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
תִּדְרְשֶׁ֙נּוּ֙you will seek him
tidreshenuH1875 →164 times
יִמָּ֣צֵאhe will let himself be found
yimatze'H4672 →455 times
לָ֔ךְby you
lakh
וְאִם־and if
veim-H518 →1069 times
תַּֽעַזְבֶ֖נּוּyou will forsake him
taazvenuH5800 →215 times
יַזְנִיחֲךָ֥he will reject you
yaznichakhaH2186 →
לָעַֽד׃for ever
laadH5703 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jeremiah 29:13You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 4:29–31
But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
- Psalms 119:2
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies and seek Him with all their heart.
- Matthew 7:7
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
- Psalms 119:10
With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments.
- Jeremiah 24:7
I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD. They will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with all their…
- Deuteronomy 4:29–31
Through
Jeremiah 24:7I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD. They will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with all their…
it leads to
- Hebrews 8:10
For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And…
- Jeremiah 30:22
“And you will be My people, and I will be your God.”
- Ezekiel 37:23
They will no longer defile themselves with their idols or detestable images, or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse…
- Hebrews 8:10
About 1 Chronicles
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, ON GRACE AND FREE WILL 11; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 3490: “Sincere Seekers—assured Finders” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Jerome, Against the Pelagians 3.1; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.