Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
1 Chronicles 22:2 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 2. 2And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The KJV term here refers to resident foreigners in Israel; it must not be used as a racial slur or proof of inferior worth. In 1 Chronicles 22:2, “strangers” belongs to the complete movement “Foreign residents, artisans, and imported cedar begin preparation.”
Resident foreigners are gathered as stonecutters
This verse is one part of that explanation in 1 Chronicles 22:2–5. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- 1 Chronicles 22:2–5
Read 1 Chronicles 22:2 with 22:2–5. The selected wording supplies one opening in the thought unit and establishes its first name, action, or speech; the surrounding verses supply the relationships and outcome summarized here: David gathers resident foreigners as stonecutters, prepares metals, receives cedar from Sidon and Tyre, and accumulates materials because Solomon is young.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within “Foreign residents, artisans, and imported cedar begin preparation,” 1 Chronicles 22:2 opens the thought unit and establishes its first name, action, or speech through the wording “And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set….” Its placement is governed by this reviewed relationship: The first temple-preparation act names the labor and international supply chain beneath projected magnificence. 1 Chronicles 21:28–22:1 has just established this prior movement: David continues sacrificing at Ornan's floor because the angel's sword makes Gibeon inaccessible to him, then declares this site God's house and Israel's altar. Together those details explain why “Foreign residents, artisans, and imported cedar begin preparation” belongs here rather than merely following a database record.
Read 1 Chronicles 22:2–5 together
Why these verses belong together: 1 Chronicles 22:2–5 forms the complete movement “Foreign residents, artisans, and imported cedar begin preparation”: David gathers resident foreigners as stonecutters, prepares metals, receives cedar from Sidon and Tyre, and accumulates materials because Solomon is young.
Verse 2. 2 And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God.
Verse 3. 3 And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight;
Verse 4. 4 Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.
Verse 5. 5 And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.
Follow the Context
- David gathers resident foreigners as stonecutters, prepares metals, receives cedar from Sidon and Tyre, and accumulates materials because Solomon is young.
- The first temple-preparation act names the labor and international supply chain beneath projected magnificence.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“strangers”
In plain language: The KJV term here refers to resident foreigners in Israel; it must not be used as a racial slur or proof of inferior worth.
In 1 Chronicles 22:2, “strangers” belongs to the complete movement “Foreign residents, artisans, and imported cedar begin preparation.”
Why it matters: This wording materially sharpens the passage-specific meaning or boundary.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
1 Chronicles 22:2 does not permit the wording “And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set…” to be read apart from the selected verse's context. Sacred purpose does not justify forced labor, ethnic hierarchy, unsafe quarrying, limitless spending, or treating resident foreigners as disposable.
What Remains True
Worship requires ordered, truthful, skilled, and accountable service, while sacred office, beauty, or scale never determines a person's worth. This unit tests that truth through the narrated movement: David gathers resident foreigners as stonecutters, prepares metals, receives cedar from Sidon and Tyre, and accumulates materials because Solomon is young. In 1 Chronicles 22:2, the concrete line “And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set…” keeps that truth accountable to the narrated evidence.
Teach It Back
Explain why 1 Chronicles 22:2 gathers resident foreigners and assigns stonecutters for the projected temple. Use 22:2–5, paraphrase “And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set…,” state one source or reconstruction limit, identify one person or group power can obscure, and reject one conclusion this verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read 1 Chronicles 22:2–5 — Foreign residents, artisans, and imported cedar begin preparationSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The legal and labor status of the resident foreigners, scale of preparation, and chronology relative to Samuel-Kings cannot be fully reconstructed.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: 1 Chronicles 22:2–5, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 1 Chronicles
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew wording, morphology, names, clauses, regnal formulas, temple vocabulary, older-English controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/1Chr.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 22:2–5
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Full Notes: 1 Chronicles
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press; STEP Bible presentation, 2019 edition; current web presentation
Supports: Unit-bounded translation comparisons and only those lexical, textual, grammatical, numerical, historical, and parallel-passage notes attached to these verses.
Exact location: STEP Bible NET2full, 1 Chronicles 22:2–5, verse-attached translation and translator notes
Open source ↗