2Ch 3:1 Then
Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah,
where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had
prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
Where the Lord
appeared unto David - The expression is understood to point out to David
the proper site for the temple by the appearance of the Lord and the command to
build an altar 2Sa_24:17-25; 1Ch_21:16-26.
In Mount Moriah -
Supposed to be the same place where Abraham was about to offer his son Isaac;
here the angel of the Lord appeared to David, at which time David built an
altar unto the Lord in the threshing-floor which he bought from Ornan the
Jebusite.
The building of
the temple - The statement as to the place where the temple was built are
found here only. Mount Moriah is manifestly the mountain in the land of Moriah
where Abraham was to have sacrificed his son Isaac (Gen_22:2. It is the
mountain which lies to the north-east of Zion.
2Ch 3:2 And he
began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his
reign.
2Ch 3:3 Now these
are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of
God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and
the breadth twenty cubits.
Cubits after the
first measure - cubits according to the ancient standard. The Jews, it is
probable, adopted the Babylonian measures during the captivity, and carried
them back into their own country. The writer notes that the cubit of which he
here speaks is the old (Mosaic) cubit.
Cubits after the
first measure - It is supposed that the first measure means the cubit used
in the time of Moses, contradistinguished from that used in Babylon, and which
the Israelites used after their return from captivity; and, as the books of
Chronicles were written after the captivity, it was necessary for the writer to
make this remark, lest it should be thought that the measurement was by the
Babylonian cubit, which was a palm or one-sixth shorter than the cubit of
Moses. The prophet Ezekiel made same distinction.
wherein Solomon
was instructed — by the written plan and specifications given him by his
father.
2Ch 3:4 And the
porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was according to the
breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was an hundred and twenty:
and he overlaid it within with pure gold.
The height was an
hundred and twenty cubits - Some think this should be twenty only; but if
the same building is spoken of as in 1Ki_6:2, the height was only thirty
cubits. Twenty is the reading of the Syriac, the Arabic, and the Septuagint in
the Codex Alexandrinus. There is probably a copy error here, which, from the
similarity of the letters, might easily occur. This will bring it within the
proportion of the other measures, but a hundred and twenty seems too great a
height.
2Ch 3:5 And the
greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and
set thereon palm trees and chains.
The greater house
- the holy place, or main chamber of the temple, intervening between the
porch and the holy of holies.
He cieled with fir
tree - Rather, “he covered,” or “lined.” He wainscotted with cypresses, and
overlaid it with good gold, and carved thereon palms and garlands.
2Ch 3:6 And he
garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of
Parvaim.
Precious stones
for beauty - The phrase translated “for beauty” means “for its
beautification,” “to beautify it.” The ornamenting of the walls with precious
stones is very easily credible, since among the things which Solomon brought in
quantity from Ophir they are expressly mentioned (1Ki_10:11)
Gold of Parvaim -
We know not what this place was. Jewish scholars claim the gold was of a
reddish hue. Gold in ancient Egyptian tombs was of this color.
2Ch 3:7 He
overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls thereof, and the
doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubims on the walls.
2Ch 3:8 And he
made the most holy house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of
the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits: and he
overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.
The most holy
house - the holy of holies. It was a perfect cube.
2Ch 3:9 And the
weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper
chambers with gold.
2Ch 3:10 And in
the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with
gold.
two cherubims of
image work - The word translated “image work,” occurs only in this passage.
The word means “carved work.”
two cherubims —
These figures in the tabernacle were of pure gold (Exo_25:1-40) and
overshadowed the mercy seat. The two placed in the temple were made of olive wood,
overlaid with gold. They were of colossal size; for each, with expanded wings,
covered a space of ten cubits in height and length - two wings touched each
other, while the other two reached the opposite walls; their faces were inward,
that is, towards the most holy house, conformably to their use, which was to
veil the ark.
2Ch 3:11 And the
wings of the cherubims were twenty cubits long: one wing of the one cherub was
five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was likewise
five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.
2Ch 3:12 And one
wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house:
and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing of the other
cherub.
2Ch 3:13 The wings
of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on
their feet, and their faces were inward.
2Ch 3:14 And he
made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought
cherubims thereon.
This is an important addition to the description in
Kings, where the veil is not mentioned. It was made of exactly the same colors
as the veil of the tabernacle Exo 26:31 And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and
scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be
made: The veil between the holy place and the most holy, not
mentioned in 1Ki_6:21, was made of the same materials and colors as the veil on
the tabernacle, and was interwoven with similar cherub figures.
2Ch 3:15 Also he
made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the
chapiter that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.
Of thirty and five
cubits - The two pillars before the house whose form is more accurately
described in 1Ki_7:15-22. The height of it is here given at thirty-five cubits,
while, according to 1Ki_7:15; 2Ki_25:17; Jer_52:21, it was only eighteen
cubits.
2Ch 3:16 And he
made chains, as in the oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars; and
made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.
As in the oracle –
This has no meaning, for the most holy place is not here being discussed, but
the pillars before the porch, or rather an ornament on the capital of these
pillars.
2Ch 3:17 And he
reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other
on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name
of that on the left Boaz.
