1 Chronicles 14 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Hiram sends to David timber and artificers to build him a palace: David marries more wives, and begets sons and daughters: he twice conquers the Philistines.

Before Christ 1044.

And Beeliada— In the parallel place, 2 Sam. ch. 1 Chronicles 5:16., as also in the third chapter and eighth verse of this book, the same person is called Eliada. See Houbigant and Pilkington.

And they smote— He smote. Houbigant.

All lands— The word כל kal, translated all, is to be rendered according to the subject to which it is applied; sometimes by all is meant only a great many, or the greatest part: sometimes it does not signify a whole, but only complete or perfect; and sometimes, only in a more restrained sense, sincere or well disposed. Hence Bishop Patrick in the present passage very justly limits the term to the neighbouring countries and people. See Noldius on כל.

REFLECTIONS.—1st, The account of Hiram's kindness and David's family we had 2 Sam. ch. 1 Chronicles 5:11. (1.) Like Hiram, we should not envy our neighbour's prosperity, but rejoice in it, and wish to increase it. (2.) Like David, we should consider every temporal blessing that we possess, as lent us of the Lord, to be improved for his glory, and the good of mankind.

2nd, The Philistines' invasions, and David's victories we heard before. They give us, (1.) A comfortable emblem of the conquests which Jesus hath made for us of all our enemies. (2.) They admonish us of the restless enmity of the seed of the serpent against the children of God. (3.) They teach us, with David, to cry to God for direction in all our difficulties, and to ascribe to him the praise of all our mercies. (4.) David's son and David's Lord hath gotten him a greater name, by his victories over sin, and death, and hell: in him his people rejoice; before him his enemies tremble.