2 Chronicles 6:5
New International Version
Since the day I brought my people out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name might be there, nor have I chosen anyone to be ruler over my people Israel.

New Living Translation
‘From the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have never chosen a city among any of the tribes of Israel as the place where a Temple should be built to honor my name. Nor have I chosen a king to lead my people Israel.

English Standard Version
‘Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there, and I chose no man as prince over my people Israel;

Berean Standard Bible
‘Since the day I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house so that My Name would be there, nor have I chosen anyone to be ruler over My people Israel.

King James Bible
Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build an house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be a ruler over my people Israel:

New King James Version
‘Since the day that I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man to be a ruler over My people Israel.

New American Standard Bible
‘Since the day that I brought My people from the land of Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, so that My name might be there, nor did I choose a man to be the leader over My people Israel;

NASB 1995
Since the day that I brought My people from the land of Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man for a leader over My people Israel;

NASB 1977
‘Since the day that I brought My people from the land of Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man for a leader over My people Israel;

Legacy Standard Bible
‘Since the day that I brought My people from the land of Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man for a ruler over My people Israel;

Amplified Bible
‘Since the day that I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I did not choose a city among all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house so that My Name (Presence) might be there, nor did I choose any man to be a leader over My people Israel;

Christian Standard Bible
“Since the day I brought my people Israel out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city to build a temple in among any of the tribes of Israel, so that my name would be there, and I have not chosen a man to be ruler over my people Israel.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“Since the day I brought My people Israel out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city to build a temple in among any of the tribes of Israel, so that My name would be there, and I have not chosen a man to be ruler over My people Israel.

American Standard Version
Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be prince over my people Israel:

English Revised Version
Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be prince over my people Israel:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
'Ever since I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I didn't choose any city from the tribes of Israel as a place to build a temple for my name. And I didn't choose any man to be prince over my people Israel.

Good News Translation
'From the time I brought my people out of Egypt until now, I did not choose any city in the land of Israel as the place to build a temple where I would be worshiped, and I did not choose anyone to lead my people Israel.

International Standard Version
From the day I brought out my people from the land of Egypt I never chose a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple where my name might reside. And I never chose any man to become Commander-in-Chief over my people Israel.

Majority Standard Bible
?Since the day I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house so that My Name would be there, nor have I chosen anyone to be ruler over My people Israel.

NET Bible
He told David, 'Since the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which to live. Nor did I choose a man as leader of my people Israel.

New Heart English Bible
'Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house in, that my name might be there; nor did I choose any man to be a leader over my people Israel:

Webster's Bible Translation
Since the day that I brought forth my people from the land of Egypt I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build a house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be a ruler over my people Israel:

World English Bible
‘Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house in, that my name might be there, and I chose no man to be prince over my people Israel;
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
From the day that I brought out My people from the land of Egypt, I have not fixed on a city out of any of the tribes of Israel to build a house for my name being there, and I have not fixed on a man to be leader over My people Israel;

Young's Literal Translation
'From the day that I brought out My people from the land of Egypt, I have not fixed on a city out of any of the tribes of Israel to build a house for my name being there, and I have not fixed on a man to be leader over My people Israel;

Smith's Literal Translation
From the day, that I brought forth my people from the land of Egypt I chose not in a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a house for my name to be there; and I chose not in man to be leader over my people Israel.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
From the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel, for a house to be built in it to my name: neither chose I any other man, to be the ruler of my people Israel.

Catholic Public Domain Version
‘From the day when I led my people away from the land of Egypt, I did not choose a city from all the tribes of Israel, so that a house would be built in it to my name. And I did not choose any other man, so that he would be the ruler of my people Israel.

New American Bible
Since the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city out of any tribe of Israel for the building of a house, that my name might be there; nor have I chosen any man to be ruler of my people Israel;

New Revised Standard Version
‘Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any of the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, so that my name might be there, and I chose no one as ruler over my people Israel;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build a house in, that my name might be there;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
‘From the day when I brought out my people Israel to build a house that my name would be there
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Since the day that I brought forth My people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house in, that My name might be there; neither chose I any man to be prince over My people Israel;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
From the day when I brought up my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city of all the tribes of Israel, to build a house that my name should be there; neither did I choose a man to be a leader over my people Israel.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Solomon Praises the LORD
4and said: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His own hand what He spoke with His mouth to my father David, saying, 5‘Since the day I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house so that My Name would be there, nor have I chosen anyone to be ruler over My people Israel. 6But now I have chosen Jerusalem for My Name to be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’…

Cross References
1 Kings 8:16
‘Since the day I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house so that My Name would be there. But I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’

Deuteronomy 12:5
Instead, you must seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to establish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you must go.

2 Samuel 7:6-7
For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt until this day, but I have moved about with a tent as My dwelling. / In all My journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever asked any of the leaders I appointed to shepherd My people Israel, ‘Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedar?’

Acts 7:46-47
who found favor in the sight of God and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. / But it was Solomon who built the house for Him.

1 Kings 8:29
May Your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that You may hear the prayer that Your servant prays toward this place.

1 Kings 9:3
And the LORD said to him: “I have heard your prayer and petition before Me. I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting My Name there forever; My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.

2 Samuel 7:10-13
And I will provide a place for My people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own and be disturbed no more. No longer will the sons of wickedness oppress them as they did at the beginning / and have done since the day I appointed judges over My people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD declares to you that He Himself will establish a house for you. / And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. ...

Isaiah 66:1
This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or where will My place of repose be?

Acts 7:49-50
‘Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or where will My place of repose be? / Has not My hand made all these things?’

1 Chronicles 17:4-6
“Go and tell My servant David that this is what the LORD says: You are not the one to build Me a house in which to dwell. / For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt until this day, but I have moved from tent to tent and dwelling to dwelling. / In all My journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever asked any of the leaders I appointed to shepherd My people, ‘Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedar?’

1 Chronicles 28:2-3
Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was in my heart to build a house as a resting place for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and as a footstool for our God. I had made preparations to build it, / but God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for My Name, because you are a man of war who has shed blood.’

1 Kings 6:12-13
“As for this temple you are building, if you walk in My statutes, carry out My ordinances, and keep all My commandments by walking in them, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father David. / And I will dwell among the Israelites and will not abandon My people Israel.”

Jeremiah 7:12-14
But go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for My Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. / And now, because you have done all these things, declares the LORD, and because I have spoken to you again and again but you would not listen, and I have called to you but you would not answer, / therefore what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears My Name, the house in which you trust, the place that I gave to you and your fathers.

Matthew 5:35
or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

1 Kings 8:20
Now the LORD has fulfilled the word that He spoke. I have succeeded my father David, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised. I have built the house for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel.


Treasury of Scripture

Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build an house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be a ruler over my people Israel:

Since the day

2 Samuel 7:6,7
Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle…

1 Kings 8:16
Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.

my name

Exodus 20:24
An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.

Exodus 23:21
Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.

Deuteronomy 12:5,11
But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: …

1 Samuel 10:24
And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.

1 Samuel 13:13,14
And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever…

1 Samuel 15:23
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

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2 Chronicles 6
1. Solomon, having blessed the people, blessed God
12. Solomon's prayer in the consecration of the temple, upon the bronze platform.














Since the day I brought My people out of the land of Egypt
This phrase recalls the pivotal event of the Exodus, a foundational moment in Israel's history when God delivered His people from slavery. The Hebrew root for "brought" (יָצָא, yatsa) emphasizes God's active role in liberating Israel. This deliverance is a recurring theme throughout the Old Testament, symbolizing God's faithfulness and power. The Exodus is not just a historical event but a spiritual metaphor for salvation and redemption, reminding believers of God's ability to deliver from bondage.

I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel
Here, the emphasis is on God's sovereign choice. The Hebrew word for "chosen" (בָּחַר, bachar) indicates a deliberate and purposeful selection. Historically, this reflects the period before Jerusalem was established as the central place of worship. God's choice of a city was not arbitrary but part of His divine plan, underscoring the importance of Jerusalem in biblical prophecy and history. This choice also highlights the unity of the tribes under God's leadership, as no single tribe was initially favored with the location of the temple.

to build a house for My Name to dwell
The "house" refers to the temple, a central place of worship and the dwelling place of God's presence among His people. The Hebrew word for "house" (בַּיִת, bayit) can mean both a physical structure and a household or family, symbolizing the temple as both a physical and spiritual center. The phrase "for My Name to dwell" signifies God's presence and His covenant relationship with Israel. In biblical theology, God's "Name" represents His character and authority, and the temple was the earthly representation of His heavenly throne.

nor have I chosen a man to be ruler over My people Israel
This part of the verse highlights God's timing and sovereignty in leadership. The Hebrew word for "ruler" (נָגִיד, nagid) implies a leader or prince, often used for kings. Historically, this reflects the period before the monarchy was established, when God Himself was seen as the ultimate ruler of Israel. The eventual choice of David as king was part of God's divine plan, pointing to the messianic lineage and the ultimate kingship of Jesus Christ. This underscores the belief that true leadership is divinely appointed and should align with God's purposes.

(5) My people out of the land of Egypt.--Kings, "My people Israel out of Egypt." (Comp 2Chronicles 5:10.) The Syr. and Arab. have Israel here also.

Neither chose I any man to be a ruler (n?gid) over my people Israel.--Neither this sentence nor the following is found in the parallel passage, where the second half of 2Chronicles 6:6 forms the last clause of the preceding verse (1Kings 8:16). The Syriac and Arabic here follow Kings as often. There is nothing in the language against the supposition that the words originally formed part of the older text.

Neither chose I any man.--Saul was originally the people's, not God's, choice. Holy Scripture nowhere teaches that the vox populi is identical with the vox Dei. (See 1Samuel 8:5, and Bishop Wordsworth's Note.)

Verse 5. - I chose no city,... neither chose I any man. The tabernacle and all it contained had but travelled from place to place, and rested at temporary halting-places; and from Moses' time all the leaders of the people Israel had been men in whom vested no permanent and no intrinsic authority (1 Samuel 16:1-15; 2 Samuel 24:18-25).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
‘Since
מִן־ (min-)
Preposition
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

the day
הַיּ֗וֹם (hay·yō·wm)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

I brought My people
עַמִּי֮ (‘am·mî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

out
מֵאֶ֣רֶץ (mê·’e·reṣ)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 776: Earth, land

of Egypt,
מִצְרַיִם֒ (miṣ·ra·yim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4714: Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africa

I have not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

chosen
בָחַ֣רְתִּֽי (ḇā·ḥar·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 977: To try, select

a city
בְעִ֗יר (ḇə·‘îr)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement

from any
מִכֹּל֙ (mik·kōl)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

tribe
שִׁבְטֵ֣י (šiḇ·ṭê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 7626: Rod, staff, club, scepter, tribe

of Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

[in which] to build
לִבְנ֣וֹת (liḇ·nō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1129: To build

a house
בַּ֔יִת (ba·yiṯ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1004: A house

so that My Name
שְׁמִ֖י (šə·mî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 8034: A name

would be
לִהְי֥וֹת (lih·yō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

there,
שָׁ֑ם (šām)
Adverb
Strong's 8033: There, then, thither

nor
וְלֹא־ (wə·lō-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

have I chosen
בָחַ֣רְתִּֽי (ḇā·ḥar·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 977: To try, select

anyone
בְאִ֔ישׁ (ḇə·’îš)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

to be
לִהְי֥וֹת (lih·yō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

ruler
נָגִ֖יד (nā·ḡîḏ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5057: A commander, civil, military, religious, honorable themes

over
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

My people
עַמִּ֥י (‘am·mî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

Israel.
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc


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OT History: 2 Chronicles 6:5 Since the day that I brought forth (2 Chron. 2Ch iiCh ii ch 2 chr 2chr)
2 Chronicles 6:4
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