5:3 the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him. Even though David wanted to build the temple himself, he spent much of his reign expanding and consolidating the kingdom (2 Sam. 7:10, 11). In a play on the Hebrew word for “house,” the prophet Nathan told David that God would build a “house,” or dynasty, for him, while David’s offspring would build a “house,” or temple, for God (2 Sam. 7:12–16). Through God’s grace, Solomon is implementing the promise made to his father David.