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2 Chronicles 3

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Temple Construction Begins 1–2

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. ​
2
And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign. ​

Dimensions and Decoration of the Temple 3–7

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. ​
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. ​
5
And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.
6
And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim. ​
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. ​

The Most Holy Place and Cherubim 8–14

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. ​
9
And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
10
And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold. ​
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.
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.
13
The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward. ​
14
And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon. ​

The Bronze Pillars: Jachin and Boaz 15–17

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. ​
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.
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. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for 2 Chronicles 3

Verse 1

mount Moriah — Moriah (Moriyah) occurs in Scripture only here and at Gen 22:2, where Abraham is told to go 'into the land of Moriah' to offer Isaac, and he named the place 'In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen' (Gen 22:14). The threshingfloor of Ornan is the Araunah of 2 Sam 24:18, where the angel of the LORD sent David to set up an altar (1 Chr 21:16–18).

Verse 2

the second day of the second month, in the fourth year — 1 Kings 6:1 gives the same date from another side: 'in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt', 'in the month Zif, which is the second month'. The house was finished in the eighth month of the eleventh year, 'seven years in building it' (1 Kings 6:38).

Verse 3

wherein Solomon was instructed — 'Instructed' renders yasad, to found or lay a foundation, so the verse opens the foundation plan of the house. The plan David delivered is called 'the pattern' (1 Chr 28:11, 19). The house is sixty cubits long and twenty broad, the figures of 1 Kings 6:2.

Verse 4

the porch… an hundred and twenty — The porch stood across the front, as wide as the house, twenty cubits, with the height given here as a hundred and twenty. 1 Kings 6:3 gives its length (twenty cubits, 'according to the breadth of the house') and its breadth (ten) and does not state a height. Here it is 'overlaid… within with pure gold'.

Verse 6

gold of Parvaim — Parvaim is named only here in Scripture. 'Garnished' is tsaphah, to overlay, the verb of vv.4 and 10. 'Beauty' is tiphereth, the word translated 'glory' in 1 Chr 29:11. The 'precious stones' are those David had prepared, 'all manner of precious stones' (1 Chr 29:2).

Verse 7

graved cherubims on the walls — Gold covered the beams, posts, walls and doors (cf. 1 Kings 6:22, 'the whole house he overlaid with gold'). The walls carried cherubim, as 1 Kings 6:29 describes: 'carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers'. The inner house has its own, much larger pair (v.10).

Verse 8

the most holy house — 'Most holy' is the doubled word qodesh qodashim, holy of holies. Its twenty cubits by twenty, with a height of twenty (1 Kings 6:20), made a cube, as the New Jerusalem is later seen: 'The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal' (Rev 21:16). The gold on it weighed 'six hundred talents'.

Verse 10

two cherubims of image work — Tsa'atsu'a, 'image work', is found only here in the Bible. 1 Kings 6:23 describes the same pair as 'two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high', and says 'he overlaid the cherubims with gold' (6:28). They are separate from the golden cherubim of the mercy seat (Ex 25:18).

Verse 13

spread themselves forth twenty cubits — Each cherub had two wings of five cubits (1 Kings 6:24), so one wing touched the wall and the other met its fellow's 'in the midst of the house' (1 Kings 6:27). Their faces were 'inward', literally toward the house, unlike the cherubim of the mercy seat whose faces 'look one to another' (Ex 25:20).

Verse 14

the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen — The tabernacle's veil was of 'blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen', with cherubims (Ex 26:31), and the veil here follows it. At the death of Christ 'the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom' (Matt 27:51), and Hebrews calls it 'his flesh' (Heb 10:20).

Verse 15

two pillars of thirty and five cubits high — Here the pillars are thirty-five cubits, with a chapiter of five cubits on each. 1 Kings 7:15–16 describes the same two pillars as cast of brass, with a line of twelve cubits about each and a chapiter of five cubits on each top. Here they stand 'before the house'.

Verse 17

Jachin… Boaz — Yakin means 'he will establish', while Strong's gives no sure meaning for Boaz. Both are also men's names: Boaz is the ancestor of David (Ruth 4:21–22) and Jachin a son of Simeon (Gen 46:10). 1 Kings 7:21 names them the same way, 'the right pillar… Jachin… the left… Boaz'.