Sunday, February 15, 2026

1 Chronicles 29:25, Philippians 2:9

While reading 1 Chronicles 29 in the NIV last year, I noticed a resemblance to an-other passage, albeit in a different translation.

In the NIV, 1 Chronicles 29:25 is:
The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal splendor such as no king over Israel ever had before.
In the ESV, Philippians 2:9 is:
Therefore God has highly exalted him [Jesus] and bestowed on him the name that is above every name
For what it's worth, in the ESV, 1 Chronicles 29:25 is:
And the LORD made Solomon very great in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.
And in the NIV, Philippians 2:9 is:
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name
The passages within each translation resemble each other to a degree, but those across translations contain two identical phrases.  Of course, referencing the original languages would be irrelevant here because 1 Chronicles 29 is in Hebrew while Philippians 2:9 is in Greek.

Although this similarity may be just coincidental, it does match with how Solomon foreshadows Christ in a way.  For instance, take 1 Chronicles 17:11-14, where God says to David (via Nathan):  "11 'When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.  12 He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.  13 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.  I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, 14 but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.'"  In its immediate context, this describes Solomon, but in a broader sense, it also pertains to Christ.  It may also be worth pointing out that in Matthew 12:42, Jesus says of Himself, "Something greater than Solomon is here."