Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building:
Hear me, my brethren. This was the style of address becoming a constitutional king of Israel (Deuteronomy 17:20; 1 Samuel 30:23; 2 Samuel 5:1).
I had in mine heart - I proposed or designed.
To build an house of rest - a solid and permanent temple.
For the footstool of our God. God seated between the cherubim, at the two extremities of the ark, might be said to be enthroned in His glory, and the coverlet of the ark to be His footstool. And had made ready for the building. The immense treasures which David had amassed, and the elaborate preparations he had made, would have been amply sufficient for the erection of the temple of which he presented the model to Solomon.