Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning,

1 CHRONICLES 17:9KJV
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1 Chronicles 17:9 (KJV)

What does 1 Chronicles 17:9 mean?

1 Chronicles 17:9 describes God’s promise to give Israel a secure and permanent home, where they will be safe from being uprooted or harmed by wicked people as they were in the past. God is assuring Israel that their days of instability and oppression will come to an end.

In this verse, God is speaking to David through the prophet Nathan, during a time when David wanted to build a temple for God. Instead, God promises to establish Israel in their land and protect them from enemies. The verse emphasizes God’s commitment to Israel’s safety and stability, contrasting their future security with the troubles they faced earlier in their history.

The Hebrew behind 1 Chronicles 17:9

  • "Ordain" (שׂוּם, sūm) means to set, appoint, or establish. Here, it highlights God’s active role in designating a specific place for Israel, not just allowing them to settle by chance.
  • "Plant" (נָטַע, nāṭaʿ) gives the image of putting down roots, suggesting a lasting and nurturing settlement, not a temporary stay.
  • "Moved" (רָגַז, rāgaz) often means to be disturbed or shaken. God’s promise is that Israel will no longer be unsettled or driven out.
  • "Waste" (בָּלָה, bālah) means to wear out or destroy. The verse assures that the “children of wickedness” will not wear Israel down or ruin them as before.

Why 1 Chronicles 17:9 matters

  • This verse clarifies that God’s promise to Israel involves both a physical place and a sense of lasting security, not just temporary relief.
  • The language of planting and not being moved shows God’s intention for Israel to have deep, enduring roots, which contrasts with their earlier wandering and vulnerability.
  • In the wider passage, this promise sets up God’s covenant with David, showing that God’s plans for Israel’s future are tied to David’s lineage and God’s faithfulness.

Where else these words appear

“waste” Hebrew H1086 · used in 15 verses

  • Genesis 18:12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
  • Nehemiah 9:21 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.
  • Psalms 102:26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:

“moved” Hebrew H7264 · used in 40 verses

  • Genesis 45:24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.
  • Psalms 18:7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
  • Isaiah 32:11 Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins.

“wickedness” Hebrew H5766 · used in 51 verses

  • Leviticus 19:15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
  • Job 34:10 Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
  • Isaiah 59:3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

“plant” Hebrew H5193 · used in 55 verses

  • Genesis 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
  • Psalms 104:16 The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;
  • Jeremiah 12:2 Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.