the houses] i.e. the porch, the greater house, and the most holy house; 2 Chronicles iii. 4, 5, 8.
⁵of gold for the things of gold, and of silver for the things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. Who then offereth willingly to consecrate himself[¹] this day unto the Lord?
[¹] Hebrew to fill his hand.
5. offereth willingly to consecrate himself] The phrase to consecrate himself (Hebrew, to fill his hand) means properly to make himself a priest, and is here used metaphorically. The sense is “Who will give these gifts for the sacred Temple in the same willing spirit which is required of a priest in his self-dedication to priestly service?”
6–9.
The Offerings of the Chiefs of Israel.
⁶Then the princes of the fathers’ houses, and the princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers over the king’s work, offered willingly;
6. over the king’s work] See xxvii. 25–31.
⁷and they gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand darics, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and of iron a hundred thousand talents.
7. five thousand talents] i.e. of uncoined gold by weight, an immense sum, compare verse 3.
ten thousand darics] A daric was a Persian gold coin worth about 22 shillings. Used thus in connection with the reign of David, the word is of course a curious anachronism. The translation of Authorized Version drams (i.e. drachmæ) may possibly be right. The value of a gold drachma was about 9s. 5d.