Bible Strands

1 Chronicles 17:13

I will be his Father, and he will be My son. And I will never remove My loving devotion from him as I removed it from your predecessor.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — God speaks to David through the prophet Nathan, delivering an oracle about the future temple builder and the permanent establishment of the Davidic throne. (1 Chronicles 17:12–14)

The words — The Hebrew אֶֽהְיֶה־לְאָב (eh-yeh-lev) literally means "I will become a father," and חַסְדִּי (chas-di) translates to "my covenant loyalty" or "my loving devotion."

The thread — This father-son declaration and the guarantee of enduring loyalty recur in Psalm 2:7 and Hebrews 1:5, while the reference to a predecessor aligns with 1 Samuel 15:28 where the kingdom itself is transferred.

Why it lands — The verse explicitly states that God will permanently sustain the royal line through a familial covenant rather than withdrawing favor as done previously.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

אֲנִי֙'a.NiIאֶֽהְיֶה־'eh.yeh-I will becomeלּ֣וֹl/oof/ himלְאָ֔בle./'Av<into>/ a fatherוְה֖וּאve./Hu'and/ heיִֽהְיֶה־yih.yeh-he will becomeלִּ֣יl/iof/ meלְבֵ֑ןle./Ven<into>/ a sonוְחַסְדִּי֙ve./chas.D/iand/ covenant loyalty/ myלֹא־lo'-notאָסִ֣יר'a.SirI will removeמֵֽעִמּ֔וֹme./'i.M/ofrom/ with <the>/ himכַּאֲשֶׁ֣רka./'a.Sherjust/ asהֲסִיר֔וֹתִיha.si.Ro.tiI removed [it]מֵאֲשֶׁ֥רme./'a.Sherfrom/ [the one] whoהָיָ֖הha.Yahhe wasלְפָנֶֽיךָ׃le./fa.Nei./kha<to>/ before/ you

King James Version

I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee:

Cross-references