2Ch 5:1 Thus all
the work that Solomon made for the house of the LORD was finished: and Solomon
brought in all the things that David his father had dedicated; and the silver,
and the gold, and all the instruments, put he among the treasures of the house
of God.
2Ch_5:1 contains the conclusion of the account of the
preparation of the sacred utensils as in 1Ki_7:51, and with it also the whole
account of the building of the temple is brought to an end.
Solomon brought in
all the things that David his father had dedicated — the immense sums and
the store of valuable articles which his father and other generals had reserved
and appropriated for the temple (1Ch_22:14; 1Ch_26:26).
2Ch 5:2 Then
Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the
chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the
ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.
Then Solomon
assembled - in the feast which was in the seventh month. The feast of the
dedication of the temple was on the eighth day of that month. This is related,
word for word, the same as in 1Ki_8:1-10.
The first part of the celebration was the transfer of the
ark from Mount Zion to the temple (2Ch_5:2-14), and in connection with this we
have the words in which Solomon celebrates the entry of the Lord into the new
temple (2Ch_6:1-11).
The ark was a type of Christ, and, as such, a token of
the presence of God. That gracious promise, Lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of the world, does, in effect, bring the ark into our religious
assemblies, if we by faith and prayer plead that promise; and this we should be
most earnest for. When Christ is formed in a soul, the law written in the
heart, the ark of the covenant settled there, so that it becomes the temple of
the Holy Ghost, there is true satisfaction in that soul.
2Ch 5:3 Wherefore
all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was
in the seventh month.
The feast - That
is, the feast of tabernacles, which was held in the seventh month.
2Ch 5:4 And all
the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark.
The Levites took
up the ark - such of the Levites as were also priests.
2Ch 5:5 And they
brought up the ark, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy
vessels that were in the tabernacle, these did the priests and the Levites
bring up.
2Ch 5:6 Also king
Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him before
the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be told nor numbered for
multitude.
2Ch 5:7 And the
priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, to the
oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the
cherubims:
2Ch 5:8 For the
cherubims spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims
covered the ark and the staves thereof above.
2Ch 5:9 And they
drew out the staves of the ark, that the ends of the staves were seen from the
ark before the oracle; but they were not seen without. And there it is unto
this day.
They drew out the
staves - As the ark was no longer to be carried about, these were
unnecessary.
there it is unto
this day — That is, the day when these events were recorded; for after the
Babylonian captivity there is no trace of either ark or staves.
2Ch 5:10 There was
nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put therein at Horeb, when
the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of
Egypt.
There was nothing
in the ark - In the parallel passage in Hebrews, it is expressly stated
that in the ark were "the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that
budded, and the tables of the covenant. Heb
9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the
covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had
manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; but
it is evident that the apostle speaks there of the tabernacle erected by Moses,
and of the state and contents of that tabernacle in the time of Moses; and in
the temple there were several things added, and several left out.
2Ch 5:11 And it
came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the
priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course:
When the priests
were come out - After having carried the ark into the holy of holies,
before the sacred service had commenced. The rotation system of weekly service
introduced by David was intended for the ordinary duties of the priesthood; on
extraordinary occasions, or when more than wonted solemnity attached to them,
the priests attended in a body.
2Ch_5:11-13 describe the part which the priests and
Levitical singers and musicians took in the solemn act of transferring the ark
to the temple-a matter entirely passed over in the narrative in 1Ki_8:11, which
confines itself to the main transaction.
2Ch 5:12 Also the
Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun,
with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having
cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with
them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)
2Ch 5:13 It came
even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to
be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice
with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD,
saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house
was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;
Even the house of the
Lord – 2 Chronicles 5:13 And there was one voice in the trumpeting and in the
psalm-singing, and in the loud utterance with one voice to give thanks and
praise the Lord; and when they raised their voice together with trumpets and
cymbals, and instruments of music, and said, Give thanks to the Lord, for [it
is] good, for his mercy [endures] for ever:-- then the house was filled with
the cloud of the glory of the Lord. (Septuagint)
For he is good -
This was either the whole of the song, or the refrain of each verse.
2Ch 5:14 So that
the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory
of the LORD had filled the house of God.
The priests could
not stand - God took possession of the temple; he filled it with a cloud.
Thus He signified His acceptance of this temple, to be the same to Him that the
tabernacle of Moses was, and assured His people that He would be the same in
it.
