Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Chronicles 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.
Ch. 2Ch 3:1-2 (= 1Ki 6:1). The Temple Begun
1. in mount Moriah ] Gen 22:2.
in the place that David had prepared ] R.V. which he made ready in the place that David had appointed (following the Hebrew, whereas A.V. leaves the Hebrew and agrees with LXX.).
Ornan the Jebusite ] See 1Ch 21:15 ff.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Where the Lord appeared unto David – The marginal rendering, or which was shown to David, is preferred by some; and the expression is understood to point out to David the proper site for the temple by the appearance of the Angels and the command to build an altar 2Sa 24:17-25; 1Ch 21:16-26.
In the place that David had prepared – This seems to be the true meaning of the passage, though the order of the words in the original has been accidentally deranged.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
2Ch 3:1-14
Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem.
The surpassing beauty of the temple
I. That God did not need this lavish expenditure of gold and gems and rich ornaments
II. Yet Divine condescension accepted this offering of human gratitude.
III. The beauty and costliness of the temple served to impress the mind of surrounding nations with the feelings of the people of israel towards their great God.
IV. The adornment of the temple a rebuke to mere utilitarian views. (Biblical Museum.)
And he began to build in the second day of the second month.
Memorable days
Have we not all had memorable days?
1. The day when the boy left home.
2. The day when the young man finds his first friend in business, the head that can direct him, the hand strong enough to give him assurance of protection, the voice all strength and music that charmed his fears away, and gave him consciousness of latent possibilities of his own.
3. The day when the young man got his first practical hold of life and business, how much he made in his first little profit, the very first sovereign he made by his own wits and energy. Do not let all days be alike; save yourselves from so running one day into another as to drop the dignity, the accent, the significance of special occasions. (J. Parker, D. D.)
Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God.—
Life-building
The building of the temple is a striking example of life-building.
I. Solomon began with instruction. Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed: literally, Now this is the ground-plan. So many people are building without a ground-plan. It would seem as if they were attempting to perform the impossibility of building from the top; they have no foundations, no great principles; there is a brick here, and a stone there, and a beam of wood yonder, but there is no grand scheme. Solomon was instructed. Then Solomon was not a born builder that is to say, a man who needed no instruction, no hint, no apprenticeship, in these things. He was a man who began with instruction. A man is none the worse for having his little book of instructions in his pocket when he goes abroad. The book is not a large one in mere superficies, but who can declare in arithmetical numbers its cubical contents? Every line is a volume; every sentence is a time-bill; every proposition is a philosophy. Even Solomon accepted instruction. It is never wise to be beyond a hint, beyond the counsel of experience.
II. Solomon began well: what wonder if he continue well? He said he would start life with the dowry of wisdom. No accidents could happen to Solomon, because he started at the right point; accepted the true definition of life, and walked in the light of wisdom. If it happened that Solomon should ever trifle with that light, conceal it, modify it, despise it, he would go to the devil. No matter if he had built s thousand temples, he would land in perdition if he ceases to walk in the ways of wisdom. No man can build himself up to heaven, however many temples he may build; he must build up from within–in the matter of conviction, principles, life, character, he must blossom into purity, he must fructify into love.
III. Solomons instructions were sufficient. Sometimes we wish that we had a rehearsal of life, and that we might come back and begin at the beginning, and walk in the light of experience. There is something better than experience, and that is revelation. The Christian claims that the whole map or chart of life is to be found in the Book of God; and co it is. So there need be no pensive desire for a trial-trip in the ways of life.
IV. Solomon had a definite purpose in view: he was building a temple. Definiteness of purpose economise time, enables strength to issue in the noblest accomplishments. A man will have good reason to know what he is doing if he pay attention to Providence. There need not be so much darkness in the ways of life as is often supposed. (J. Parker, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER III
Solomon begins to build the temple in the fourth year of his
reign on Mount Moriah, 1, 2.
Its dimensions, ornaments, and pillars, 3-17.
NOTES ON CHAP. III
Verse 1. In Mount Moriah] Supposed to be the same place where Abraham was about to offer his son Isaac; so the Targum: “Solomon began to build the house of the sanctuary of the Lord at Jerusalem, in the place where Abraham had prayed and worshipped in the name of the Lord. This is the place of the earth where all generations shall worship the Lord. Here Abraham was about to offer his son Isaac for a burnt-offering; but he was snatched away by the WORD of the Lord, and a ram placed in his stead. Here Jacob prayed when he fled from the face of Esau his brother; and 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 Araunah the Jebusite.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Where the Lord appeared unto David; which place the Lord had consecrated by his gracious appearance there, 1Ch 21:26. Or, which was showed unto David, to wit, to be the place where the temple should be built; which God pointed out to him, partly by his appearance, and principally by his Spirit suggesting this to David at that time. The place that David had prepared, by pulling down the buildings which were upon it, or near it, by levelling the ground, and possibly by marking it out for the temple and courts, the dimensions whereof he very particularly and exactly understood by the Spirit of God. In the threshing-floor, i.e. in the place where that threshing-floor formerly stood.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1. Mount Moriah, where the Lordappeared unto DavidThese words seem to intimate that theregion where the temple was built was previously known by thename of Moriah (Ge 22:2), and donot afford sufficient evidence for affirming, as has been done[STANLEY], that the namewas first given to the mount, in consequence of thevision seen by David. Mount Moriah was one summit of a range of hillswhich went under the general name of Zion. The platform of the templeis now, and has long been, occupied by the haram, or sacredenclosure, within which stand the three mosques of Omar (thesmallest), of El Aksa, which in early times was a Christian church,and of Kubbet el Sakhara, “The dome of the rock,” so calledfrom a huge block of limestone rock in the center of the floor,which, it is supposed, formed the elevated threshing-floor ofAraunah, and on which the great brazen altar stood. The site of thetemple, then, is so far established for an almost universal belief isentertained in the authenticity of the tradition regarding the rockEl Sakhara; and it has also been conclusively proved that the area ofthe temple was identical on its western, eastern, and southern sideswith the present enclosure of the haram [ROBINSON].”That the temple was situated somewhere within the oblongenclosure on Mount Moriah, all topographers are agreed, althoughthere is not the slightest vestige of the sacred fane now remaining;and the greatest diversity of sentiment prevails as to its exactposition within that large area, whether in the center of the haram,or in its southwest corner” [BARCLAY].Moreover, the full extent of the temple area is a problem thatremains to be solved, for the platform of Mount Moriah being toonarrow for the extensive buildings and courts attached to the sacrededifice, Solomon resorted to artificial means of enlarging andlevelling it, by erecting vaults, which, as JOSEPHUSstates, rested on immense earthen mounds raised from the slope of thehill. It should be borne in mind at the outset that the grandeur ofthe temple did not consist in its colossal structure so much as inits internal splendor, and the vast courts and buildings attached toit. It was not intended for the reception of a worshipping assembly,for the people always stood in the outer courts of the sanctuary.
2Ch3:3-7. MEASURES ANDORNAMENTS OF THE HOUSE.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The building of the temple. – 2Ch 3:1-3. The statements as to the place where the temple was built (2Ch 3:1) 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), which had received the name , i.e., “the appearance of Jahve,” from that event. It is the mountain which lies to the north-east of Zion, now called Haram after the most sacred mosque of the Mohammedans, which is built there; cf. Rosen, das Haram von Jerusalem, Gotha 1866. is usually translated: “which was pointed out to David his father.” But has not in Niphal the signification “to be pointed out,” which is peculiar to the Hophal (cf. Exo 25:40; Exo 26:30; Deu 4:35, etc.); it means only “to be seen,” “to let oneself be seen,” to appear, especially used of appearances of God. It cannot be shown to be anywhere used of a place which lets itself be seen, or appears to one. We must therefore translate: “on mount Moriah, where He had appeared to David his father.” The unexpressed subject is easily supplied from the context; and with , “on the mountain where,” cf. , Gen 35:13., and Ew. 331, c, 3. is separated from what precedes, and connected with what follows, by the Athnach under , and is translated, after the lxx, Vulg., and Syr., as a hyperbaton thus: “in the place where David had prepared,” scil. the building of the temple by the laying up of the materials there (1Ch 22:5; 1Ch 29:2). But there are no proper analogies to such a hyperbaton, since Jer 14:1 and Jer 46:1 are differently constituted. Berth. therefore is of opinion that our text can only signify, “which temple he prepared on the place of David,” and that this reading cannot be the original, because occurs elsewhere only of David’s activity in preparing for the building of the temple, and “place of David” cannot, without further ceremony, mean the place which David had chosen. He would therefore transpose the words thus: . But this conjecture is by no means certain. In the first place, the mere transposition of the words is not sufficient; we must also alter into , to get the required sense; and, further, Bertheau’s reasons are not conclusive. means not merely to make ready for (zursten ), to prepare, but also to make ready, make (bereiten ), found e.g., 1Ki 6:19; Ezr 3:3; and the frequent use of this word in reference to David’s action in preparing for the building of the temple does not prove that it has this signification here also. The clause may be quite well translated, with J. J. Rambach: “ quam domum praeparavit (Salomo) in loco Davidis .” The expression “David’s place,” for “place which David had fixed upon,” cannot in this connection be misunderstood, but yet it cannot be denied that the clause is stiff and constrained if we refer it to . We would therefore prefer to give up the Masoretic punctuation, and construe the words otherwise, connecting with the preceding thus: where Jahve had appeared to his father David, who had prepared (the house, i.e., the building of it), and make , with the following designation of the place, to depend upon as a further explanation of the , viz., in the place of David, i.e., on the place fixed by David on the threshing-floor of the Jebusite Ornan; cf. 1Ch 21:18. – In 2Ch 3:2 is repeated in order to fix the time of the building. In 1Ki 6:1 the time is fixed by its relation to the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. , which the older commentators always understood of the second day of the month, is strange. Elsewhere the day of the month is always designated by the cardinal number with the addition of or , the month having been previously given. Berth. therefore considers to be a gloss which has come into the text by a repetition of , since the lxx and Vulg. have not expressed it.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Temple Built. | B. C. 1012. |
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. 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 a 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. 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.
Here is, I. The place where the temple was built. Solomon was neither at liberty to choose nor at a loss to fix the place. It was before determined (1 Chron. xxii. 1), which was an ease to his mind. 1. It must be at Jerusalem; for that was the place where God had chosen to put his name there. The royal city must be the holy city. There must be the testimony of Israel; for there are set the thrones of judgment,Psa 122:4; Psa 122:5. 2. It must be on Mount Moriah, which, some think, was that very place in the land of Moriah where Abraham offered Isaac, Gen. xxii. 2. So the Targum says expressly, adding, But he was delivered by the word of the Lord, and a ram provided in his place. That was typical of Christ’s sacrifice of himself; therefore fitly was the temple, which was likewise a type of him, built there. 3. It must be where the Lord appeared to David, and answered him by fire,1Ch 21:18; 1Ch 21:26. There atonement was made once; and therefore, in remembrance of that, there atonement must still be made. Where God has met with me it is to be hoped that he will still manifest himself. 4. It must be in the place which David has prepared, not only which he had purchased with his money, but which he had purchased with his money, but which he had pitched upon divine direction. It was Solomon’s wisdom not to enquire out a more convenient place, but to acquiesce in the appointment of God, whatever might be objected against it. 5. It must be in the threshold floor of Ornan, which, if (as a Jebusite) it gives encouragement to the Gentiles, obliges us to look upon temple-work as that which requires the labour of the mind, no less than threshing-work does that of the body.
II. The time when it was begun; not till the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, v. 2. Not that the first three years were trifled away, or spent in deliberating whether they should build the temple or no; but they were employed in the necessary preparations for it, wherein three years would be soon gone, considering how many hands were to be got together and set to work. Some conjecture that this was a sabbatical year, or year of release and rest to the land, when the people, being discharged from their husbandry, might more easily lend a hand to the beginning of this work; and then the year in which it was finished would fall out to be another sabbatical year, when they would likewise have leisure to attend the solemnity of the dedication of it.
III. The dimensions of it, in which Solomon was instructed (v. 3), as he was in other things, by his father. This was the foundation (so it may be read) which Solomon laid for the building of the house. This was the rule he went by, so many cubits the length and breadth, after the first measure, that is, according to the measure first fixed, which there was no reason to make any alteration of when the work came to be done; for the dimensions were given by divine wisdom, and what God does shall be for ever; nothing can be put to it, or taken from it, Eccl. iii. 14. His first measure will be the last.
IV. The ornaments of the temple. The timber-work was very fine, and yet, within, it was overlaid with pure gold (v. 4), with fine gold (v. 5), and that embossed with palm-trees and chains. It was gold of Parvaim (v. 6), the best gold. The beams and posts, the walls and doors, were overlaid with gold, v. 7. The most holy place, which was ten yards square, was all overlaid with fine gold (v. 8), even the upper chambers, or rather the upper floor or roof–top, bottom, and sides, were all overlaid with gold. Every nail, or screw, or pin, with which the golden plates were fastened to the walls that were overlaid with them, weighed fifty shekels, or was worth so much, workmanship and all. A great many precious stones were dedicated to God (1Ch 29:2; 1Ch 29:8), and these were set here and there, where they would show to the best advantage. The finest houses now pretend to no better garnishing than good paint on the roof and walls; but the ornaments of the temple were most substantially rich. It was set with precious stones, because it was a type of the new Jerusalem, which has no temple in it because it is all temple, and the walls, gates, and foundations of which are said to be of precious stones and pearls,Rev 21:18; Rev 21:19; Rev 21:21.
| The Furniture of the Temple. | B. C. 1012. |
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
See note on 1Ki 6:1
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
THE SECOND BOOK OF CHRONICLES
IN discussing the First Book of Chronicles we called attention to the fact that according to Usshers chronology, the two Books, not reckoning the table of genealogy, covered a space of 468 years of history; the First Book only 41 of these, and this second, 427. As to the authorship of these Books, Ezra is commonly accepted.
The analysis of any book is largely the presentation of a personal view. One man divides this Second Book of Chronicles into two portions: The Reign of Solomon, chapters 1 to 9, and The Kings of Judah, chapters 10 to 36.
Scofield in his reference Bible, says of this Book: It falls into eighteen divisions, by reigns, from Solomon to the captivities; records the division of the kingdom of David under Jeroboam and Rehoboam, and is marked by an ever growing apostasy, broken temporarily by reformations under Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Hezekiah, and Josiah.
It is our purpose to follow neither of these divisions, however natural they may be, but to discuss the volume under three heads: Solomon and the Temple; Rehoboam and the Division, and the History of Judah.
SOLOMON AND THE TEMPLE
The Book opens with a declaration concerning the new king, And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly (2Ch 1:1).
The history that follows gives occasion to say several things concerning this marvelous man of immortal reputation:
First, Solomons kingship enjoyed an auspicious beginning. The man who ascends the throne under the favor of the Lord necessarily begins a reign of promise. If, as in Solomons case, he sensibly recognizes his responsibility and seeks wisdom from the only sufficient source, he adds greater certainty to his success. When, in addition to this, his objectives are high and God-honoring, the glory of his kingdom advances accordingly. Certainly, Solomons preparation to build the temple was not only a noble objective, but one in line with his kingly fathers purpose and prayers, and the great Heavenly Fathers will for him.
The interesting history here of gathering materials and appointing men for this marvelous construction is made more interesting still by the kings personal supervision and spiritual interest. It takes some courage to conduct war, and we believe it takes almost more courage and even a clearer sense of God, to build sanctuaries, make their appointments according to the Divine pleasure, and call the people to worship within the spacious rooms of the same. Yet, when you have read but five chapters of this Book, you find such a work complete, and are not in the least amazed or even surprised to read, The glory of the Lord had filled the house of God (2Ch 5:14).
It is doubtful whether any company of men have done more for the establishment of spirituality in the earth and for the strengthening of the souls of their fellows, than have those who brought sanctuaries into existence and led congregations of people to a genuine worship of the most high God.
The on-going of this Book reveals Solomons conscious dependence. When the altar was erected he stood by it with outstretched hands (2Ch 6:12). That is the attitude of prayer and possibly of adoration. When his lips parted to speak, he says,
O Lord God of Israel, there is no God tike Thee in the heaven, nor in the earth; which keepest covenant, and shewest mercy unto Thy servants that walk before Thee with all their hearts:
Thou which hast kept with Thy servant David my father that which Thou hast promised him; and spakest with Thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with Thine hand, as it is this day.
Now therefore, O Lord God of Israel, keep with Thy servant David my father that which Thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in My sight to sit upon the throne of Israel; yet so that thy children take heed to their way to walk in My Law, as Thou hast walked before Me (2Ch 6:14-16).
Now then, O Lord God of Israel, let Thy Word be verified, which Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant David (2Ch 6:17).
Then follows an appeal that Gods eyes should be open upon their house day and night; that His ears should hearken to the prayers made in that place, and if sin were committed, that forgiveness should be granted, and if the people fail before the face of the enemy because of sin that they also should be pardoned; that if heaven be shut up on the same ground, upon repentance the dearth should end.
Then he concludes in a more personal petition to Him:
Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all Thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house:
Then hear Thou from Heaven Thy dwelling place, and forgive (2Ch 6:29-30).
These are only samples of the long petition that followed the dedicatory sermon. They wind up with a sentence like this: O Lord God, turn not away the face of Thine anointed: remember the mercies of David Thy servant (2Ch 6:42). It is a model prayer; it is the petition of a sincere soul; it is the cry of one who knows that the mercy and love of God are the only grounds of hope.
The further text records Solomons fame and death. That fame was based upon Solomons wisdom, accentuated doubtless by the magnificence of the temple, but made more honorable still in the extent of his organization, the luxury of his court and the wealth of his treasury.
Evidently, among the rulers of the earth, the queen of Sheba held conspicuous place, and when the fame of Solomon reached her, she came to prove him with her questions, and impress him with her own riches and glory. The difficult questions were satisfactorily answered, the temple was adequately shown, the table of the king groaned with its good meats, the apparel of the servants was profoundly impressive, and the queen said to the king,
It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom:
Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard.
Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, winch stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom.
Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the Lord thy God (2Ch 9:5-8).
The compliment to the king is followed with a statement of Solomons annual income, the magnificence of his throne, the rich appointments of the palace, the extensive commercial importance of his kingdom, and the willing tributes of the earths lesser lords.
Then, as if the task of telling all was too great, we have this record,
Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the Prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat?
And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead (2Ch 9:29-31).
It is a surprising end, and yet strangely true to human history. How many men spend all their days in preparing to live, and when the preparation seems almost complete, proceed to die? The last enemy is no respecter of persons. His bow is drawn against the great as well as the humble, the rich as well as the poor, the wise as well as the ignorant. Death respects neither thrones nor kings; he holds the key to the palace room, and even to the throne room. Kings may command their humbler fellows, and even counsel their equals; but where death calls, they also obey.
REHOBOAM AND THE DIVISION
The emptying of a throne is forever fraught with perils. The eternal and pertinent question is this, Who shall come after the king? The tenth chapter answered that concerning the throne of Israel. The answer was an ill omen! Rehoboams tyrannical spirit split the kingdom. When Jeroboam and all Israel came to him, saying, Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee (2Ch 10:4), they delicately referred to the increased taxation to which the luxurious court and the personal orgies of Solomon had given rise. They thought, as people commonly do, that the new rule would prove the peoples friend. Their hope was in vain.
The old men, former counselors of Solomon, advised kindness and compassion; but the young bloods, spoiled by their fellowship with royalty, counseled increased oppression; and under their influence he said,
My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions (2Ch 10:14).
It was enough. The war was on; and that war has never ended until this day, for Israel and Judah are not yet one. A man who divides brethren and sets them to battle, little understands the infinite reach of his mischief. The father of Modernism in America, when he fell asleep at a comparatively early age, little dreamed that he had set influences to work that would divide every denomination on the continent, destroy the fellowship of men who loved one another as twins are commonly supposed to love, wreck schools and churches by the thousand, and start a war that may easily exceed the famous Hundred Year War of history.
Israel and Judahblood brothersbecame the bitterest of enemies. For some reason Second Chronicles pays little attention to Israel, but proceeds to trace Judahs history to the year of Cyrus, king of Persia, or through a period of almost a half millennium. The family feud occasionally projects itself into the record, but for the most part, Israel is forgotten, and the doings of Judah are recorded in detail.
The explanation of this is found in the circumstance that Jeroboam rejected the worship of Jehovah (2Ch 11:14-15). When God is once put away, when Gods priest is disposed of, and His minister is heard no more, then degeneracy compels a declining record.
Unitarianism three quarters of a century ago denied the Lord. Its history has amounted to little; and if it were recorded, it would simply prove, as the Jeroboam movement, a breeding place of apostasy; and yet this record regards not one apostasy only, but two.
The man of many favors may forget God.
When Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the Law of the Lord, and all Israel with him (2Ch 12:1).
What a sad commentary on the uncertainty and unstability of human nature! The explanation of Rehoboams failure has fitted thousands, yea millions of cases. He did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord (2Ch 12:14). Of all disappointments, none exceed thisto begin well and end badly; to give promise and create disappointment; to be the subject of Divine favor, and become the slave of Gods adversary.
THE HISTORY OF JUDAH
Chapters 11 to 36 contain the roster of kings. The fortunes of the country answer accurately and inevitably to the characters of their rulers. On the whole, the history is a down-grade. In that respect, it runs true to form. The doctrine of evolution may find an illustration in national life if it goes from the simple to the complex, but in so far as it contends for improvement, history fails to illustrate it. Degeneracy of nations has more often taken place than has social and moral progress.
The foundations of Judah were laid under David; the kingdoms glory appeared under Solomon. From that moment until this, one word expresses Judahs coursedecline.
Africa was once an advanced nation, now a heathen one; Italy once ruled the world, now she holds an inconspicuous place; Greece once represented the climax of physical and mental accomplishment, now she boasts neither. The reasons for decline are varied, but in Judah they were one the God who had made her great was too often forgotten, too willingly offended. When the nations neglect the source of their strength, weakness naturally ensues. Judahs strength was in the Lord, and when her kings forgot Him, despised His Word, entered into unholy alliances that were followed by the people, her fame declined, and her land fainted.
The mixed social condition manifested her sinfulness. We have a phrase, Like people, like priest. We can paraphrase that, Like princes, like people. The study of these kings results in no compliment to human nature. Some of them were utterly evil; most of them were a mixture of the good and bad; two or three of them were sound. Among the utterly evil ones, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah, Manasseh, Amon and Jehoiakin held first place. The ones that represent a mixture of good and bad were Jeroboam, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jehoiakim; while the truly good consisted of Jotham, Hezekiah and Josiah. In all probability the reign of each of these good kings was profoundly affected and made spiritually fruitful by the ministry of Isaiah, the greatest preacher among Old Testament Prophets. It is perhaps a fact of history that no rulers have ever proven faithful to God without the stimulating and salutary influence of the Gospel ministry.
The judgments and mercies of Second Chronicles alike vindicate Jehovah. In this record wickedness does not go unpunished; and yet it is a marvelous revelation of Divine mercy.
There is never the least sign of penitence on the part of the ruler and the people without an immediate and generous response from Jehovah.
When Jehoshaphat declined in his loyalty and effected a sinful coalition with Ahab, judgment fell; but instantly upon his repentance, mercy was shown. Judgment is always and everywhere Gods strange work, the work in which He takes no pleasure. As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Eze 33:11).
Mercy is His nature, His essential character, for to the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy (Pro 28:13).
Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley
CRITICAL NOTES.] In two chapters is narrated the building of the temple, which correspond with 1 Kings 6,
7. Here greater fulness of description, and more precise introduction and different arrangement of things described.
2Ch. 3:1-2.Place and time of building. Moriah (Gen. 22:2), from which was named the land of Moriahland of the appearing of the Lord. Appeared, which was shown to David, as future site (1Ch. 21:15). Prepared, fixed (1Ch. 22:5). O nan, see 2Sa. 24:18; 1Ch. 21:18. 2Ch. 3:2. Second day not in original. Translation should be He began to build in the second month in the fourth year of his reign [Speak. Com.], about 1012 B.C.
2Ch. 3:3-7.The holy house and porch. These measures afterwards given. Instructed, founded (marg.), and translation should be, Now this is the ground-plan of Solomon for the building of the house of God. Cubits, i.e., cubits after the old Mosaic standard. Threescore, only length and width given here, not height, as 1Ki. 6:2. 2Ch. 3:4. Porch, in length as breadth of the house. Height a difficulty. Speak. Com. proposes to read 20 for 120. Overlaid (1Ki. 6:22). 2Ch. 3:5. Greater house, i.e., the holy place or chief room of the house, double in area the holy of holies. Ceiled. The walls were lined with cedar, and the floor with fir, the ceiling only to be covered with fir and overlaid with gold (1Ki. 6:15). Palm, for ornaments (1Ki. 6:29). Chains, probably garlands or festoons. 2Ch. 3:6. Garnished, covered, or paved the house with precious and beautiful marble [Kitto]. Stones, gems for its beautification (cf. 1Ch. 29:2). Parraim, not found elsewhere, generally taken for a place, but uncertain what place. 2Ch. 3:7. House, the holy place still spoken of, the whole of whose beams, posts, &c., had the same decorations.
2Ch. 3:8-14.The most holy house, i.e., sanctuary or holy of holies. For its dimensions, see 1Ki. 6:20. Six hundred talents, an addition to narrative in Kings. 2Ch. 3:9. Nails, to fasten the gold plate on the wooden lining of the walls. Upper chambers, given 1Ch. 28:11; their position uncertain. 2Ch. 3:10. Cherubims (cf. image), moveable work; sculptured work. Original word only found here. 2Ch. 3:11-13. Their position described. They stood on floor, occupying each a space ten cubits in height and in width (1Ki. 6:23). Wings touched each other over the ark, and stretched across from wall to wall. Faces not looking at each other, like the cherubs of Moses (Exo. 37:9), but looking outward from the most holy to the holy place. 2Ch. 3:14. Vail, an important addition to Kings. Blue, exactly the same colours as that of tabernacle (Exo. 26:31).
2Ch. 3:15-17.The pillars and their ornaments. High (marg.). Long refers to distance of one from the other; height given 1Ki. 7:15; 2Ki. 25:17; confirmed by Jer. 52:21-22. They appear to have stood on a line with the front of the porch; their position defined obscurely. 2Ch. 3:16. Chains, chaplets or festoons in the manner of the oracle, which must have had similar chain work (cf. 1Ki. 6:21). Bertheau reads in a ring, so as to go all round the neck as a necklace. 2Ch. 3:17. Reared before the temple, conspicuous to beholders. Jachin, he will establish. Boaz, strength. Possibly proper names, and may belong to supposed younger sons of Solomon [Ewald]. The LXX. trans. direction and strength. Lit., Jachin would seem to be, as rendered in the margin, He will establish, while Boaz may either be in strength, or in him is strength, or in it is strength. The meaning was probably, God will establish in strength (i.e., firmly) the temple and the religion connected with it [Speak. Com.].
HOMILETICS
THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE.2Ch. 3:1-14
This first work that Solomon undertook was long in preparation but lasting in effect. Of all monuments of the internal administration of Solomon, none is to be compared in itself or in its effect on the future character of the people with the building of the temple. It was far more than a mere architectural display. It supplied the framework of the history of the kingdom of Judah. There is hardly any reign which is not in some way connected with its construction or its changes [Stanley].
I. The site chosen. Consecrated by the offering of Isaac and the gracious appearance of the angel to David. The place selected by David, bought with his money, and prepared by his labourspulling down buildings, levelling rocks, marking out dimensionsrevealed by the Spirit of God (1 Chr. 22:1, 18, 26). Solomon not at liberty to fix nor at a loss to find a place. Wisdom to submit to Gods appointment and to be guided by his providence.
II. The specifications given. These are the ground plans, &c. (2Ch. 3:3). There must be foundation or ground planmany build in the air, build from the top, build without principles, plan, or good materials. We have need to be instructed, not born natural architects like the bee and the beaver. In life-building keep to the first measure, the divine rule. This the only guide, the only foundation. No other can be laid.
III. The time the work commenced. In the second month and fourth year of his reign. Time more specific in 1Ki. 6:1. Memorable day. Many such in Christian life; not monotonous and commonplacered-letter days crises in life to remind and help. The day when born again, when school was entered, when home was left. The month when business started or the Christian church entered. The year after some great event. The deliverance from Egypt, from sickness or spiritual bondage. Days should speak of plans formed and work commenced, of special providences and significant events.
IV. The form of the building erected. First, the Porch and its Pillars (2Ch. 3:15-17). The most startling novelty of the building in which foreign architects had freest play. In materials it was probably suggested by Assyrian, in elevation by Egyptian architecture, while Tyrian sculptors displayed their art to the full in the two elaborate pillars. They stood immediately under the porch, within, but not supporting it, and were called, either from the workmen or from their own firmness and solidity, Jachin and Boaz. Their golden pedestals, bright brazen shafts, rich capitals, light festoons, were thought prodigies of art so remarkable that the Israelites were never wearied of recounting their glories [Stanley]. Second, the Holy Place, the greater house (2Ch. 3:5), double the area of the Holy of Holies. The whole interior was lined with boards richly decorated with carved work, clusters of foliage and flowers, among which the pomegranate and lutus, or water-lily, were conspicuous, and overlaid, excepting the floor, with gold, either by gilding or in plates (1 Kings 6) [Jamieson]. Third, the Most Holy Place. Its upper chambers (2Ch. 3:9); sculptured cherubim of colossal size, their faces inwards conformably to their use, which was to vail the ark (2Ch. 3:10-13). The vail between the Holy and the Most Holy Place (2Ch. 3:14) displayed the beauty of colour, embossed with cherubims, and made of four materials. This pattern given to Solomon (1Ch. 29:11-12), not the invention of human architects. Destitute of invention, we may gather materials and work according to pattern. But remember the builder depends upon the architect. Except the Lord build the house, &c.
THE DESCRIPTION OF THE TEMPLE
I. Solid in its form. Stones and pillars indicate strength and duration. Whatever God builds is strong and solid. The earth is established; the hills are everlasting; the church is built on a rock. The foundation of the Lord standeth sure.
II. Costly in its materials. Not only grand and massive in style, but costly. Best cedars, best gold, and costly stones (1Ki. 7:10). The porch, the holy place, and the most holy house overlaid with gold. To the artistic use of precious metals was added the glory of coloured gems. Garnished the house with precious stones for beauty (2Ch. 3:6).
III. Beautiful in its appearance. The temple of nature is beautiful. The sky spread out as curtains, and the stars shine as lamps. The decorations of the Temple were not a form of mere barbaric splendour as thought by some writers. The skill of the smith, the sculptor, and the engraver lavished upon substances and in a place rarely seen by the eye of man. In its symmetry, order, and design, the work was an offering to Jehovah, whose presence filled the temple. The house of the earthly Jerusalem was a type of the glorified Church, the city of pure gold, like unto clear glass.
And it is a joy that in every age
The greatest works of mind or hand have been
Done unto God [Baileys Festus].
THE SURPASSING BEAUTY OF THE TEMPLE.2Ch. 3:6
ObserveI. That God did not need this lavish expenditure of gold and gems and rich ornaments. They were all perishable things. II. Yet divine condescension accepted this offering of human gratitude. III. The beauty and costliness of the temple not without their uses. The temple so adorned served to impress the mind of surrounding nations with the feelings of the people of Israel towards their great God. IV. The adornment of the temple a rebuke of the utilitarian views of those who are advocates of a Judas-like economy, and who regard as waste all that is given to God beyond the bare necessities of the case [Bib. Mus.].
HOMILETIC HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS
2Ch. 3:4. Within with pure gold. Such was Christs inside (Col. 2:9); in his outside was no such desirable beauty (Isa. 53:2); so the churchs glory is inward (Psa. 45:13), in the hidden man of the heart (1Pe. 3:4) [Trapp].
2Ch. 3:5. Gold and fir.
1. The best things employed for God.
2. The best employed with no niggard spirit and empty hand.
3. The best applied to secure harmony, beauty, and strength.
The lofty buildings set forth the germs of all Christian architecture and the principle of national worship in fixed places for ever.
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness.
2Ch. 3:10-13. Cherubims.
1. Image work, painted to impress mind and life. Symbols of spiritual truths. The eye may help the fancy and the soul; but if our creed be only painted, it is as a painted wing: you will always find it where you left ita wing that cannot flutter, much less fly, a wing that is useless in every respect [Dr. Parker].
2. Stood, denoting attendance and service. They serve who also stand and wait (cf. Psa. 103:20).
3. Wings extended, to teach alacrity in service, swift as an angel.
4. Faces inward, not fixed on a throne and faced towards worshippers. God only must be worshipped, not angels who merely attend and vail their faces before him. Whatever the cherubim were, it is certain that they were in no sense representations or emblems of deity, like the winged figures of Assyria and Egypt, with which they have been often compared the representation simply expresses the claim of Jehovah, the God of Israel, of such lordship over all creation as is hymned in the seraphic song of Isa. 6:3 [Ellicott, O.T. Com.].
2Ch. 3:17. Jachin and Boaz establishment and strength in temple work (cf. 1Ki. 7:21). The pillars were richly decorated and placed in a very conspicuous position in front of, and detached from, the temple. The one on the dexter side was named Jachin, that is, He shall establish, and that on the sinister side Boaz, that is, In it is strength. These names seem to show that they were memorial columns, such as have often been erected in one form or another in all ages, and that they commemorated the Lords work in establishing his kingdom and presence in Jerusalem. They thus expressed to future ages the thanksgiving words of David: Lord, by thy favour thou hast settled strength for my mountain (Psa. 20:7, marg.); Honour and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary (Psa. 96:6) [J. H. Blunt]. Showing not only by the matterbrassbut by the names of these pillars, what steadfastness the elect stand in before God, both for present and future. For present they have strength in themselvesBoaz, i.e., in it is strength; for future God will so direct and establish them with his graceJachin, i.e., he shall direct or establish, that they shall never wholly depart from him. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out (Rev. 3:12) [Trapp].
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 3
2Ch. 3:6. Stones for beauty. The lavish use of the precious metals in ornamentation was a peculiar feature of early Oriental architecture [Speak. Com.]. Tis the eternal law that first in beauty should be first in might [Keats]. Precious stones. They who are not made saints in a state of grace shall never be saints in glory. The stones which are appointed for that glorious temple above are hewn and polished and prepared for it here, as the stones were wrought and prepared in mountains for the building of the temple at Jerusalem [Leighton].
2Ch. 3:7-10. The mission of art. Art is on a mission for the great common people. It is to educate them. It is to elevate them. It is to refine them. It is to do its work now, no longer for the palace, no longer for the temple, but for that which has something of both the palace and the temple in itfor the family. Art is aiming at the household, and when it shall have done its work there, it will be with such resplendent and wondrous fruits as shall make all the past as nothing in the comparison. We are just on the eve of this great development. The wealth of the world is increasing, so that men are beginning to be able to make their houses richer than Grecian temples used to be [Beecher].
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
3. BUILDING THE TEMPLE (2Ch. 3:1 to 2Ch. 5:1)
TEXT
2Ch. 3:1. Then Solomon began to build the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem on mount Moriah, where Jehovah, appeared unto David his father, which he made ready in the place that David had appointed, in the threshing-floor 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. 3. Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was three-score cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. 4. And the porch that was before the house, the length of it, according to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the height a hundred and twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold. 5. And the greater house he ceiled with fir-wood, which he overlaid with fine gold, and wrought 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 thresholds, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubim on the walls.
8. And he made the most holy house: the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house, was 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 cherubim of image work; and they overlaid them with gold. 11. And the wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long: the 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 the 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 cherubim spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were toward the house. 14. And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubim thereon.
15. Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits. 16. And he made chains in the oracle, and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains. 17. And he set 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.
2Ch. 4:1. Moreover he made an altar of brass; twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof. 2. Also he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass; and the height thereof was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits compassed it round about. 3. And under it was the likeness of oxen, which did compass it round about, for ten cubits, compassing the sea round about. The oxen were in two rows, cast when it was cast. 4. It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set upon them above, and all their hinder parts were inward. 5. And it was a handbreadth thick; and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it received and held three thousand baths. 6. He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them; such things as belonged to the burnt-offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.
7. And he made the ten candlesticks of gold according to the ordinance concerning them; and he set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left. 8. He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. And he made a hundred basins of gold. 9. Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass. 10. And he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, toward the south.
11. And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. So Huram made an end of doing the work that he wrought for king Solomon in the house of God: 12. the two pillars, and the bowls, and the two capitals which were on the top of the pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars, 13. and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks; two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were upon the pillars. 14. He made also the bases, and the lavers made he upon the bases; 15. one sea, and the twelve oxen under it. 16. The pots also, and the shovels, and the flesh-hooks, and all the vessels thereof, did Huram his father make for king Solomon, for the house of Jehovah, of bright brass. 17. In the plain of the Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah. 18. Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out.
19. And Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon was the showbread; 20. and the candlesticks with their lamps, to burn according to the ordinance before the oracle, of pure gold; 21. and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold, and that perfect gold; 22. and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the firepans, of pure gold. And as for the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple, were of gold.
2Ch. 5:1. Thus all the work that Solomon wrought for the house of Jehovah was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, even the silver, and the gold, and all the vessels, and put them in the treasuries of the house of God.
PARAPHRASE
2Ch. 3:1. Finally the actual construction of the Temple began. Its location was in Jerusalem at the top of Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to Solomons father, King David, and where the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite had been. David had selected it as the site for the Temple. 2. The actual construction began on the seventeenth day of April in the fourth year of King Solomons reign. 3. The foundation was ninety feet long and thirty feet wide. 4., A covered porch ran along the entire thirty-foot width of the house, with the inner walls and ceiling overlaid with pure gold! The roof was 180 feet high. 5. The main part of the Temple was paneled with cypress wood, plated with pure gold, and engraved with palm trees and chains. 6. Beautiful jewels were inlaid into the walls to add to the beauty; the gold, by the way, was of the best, from Parvaim. 7. All the walls, beams, doors, and thresholds throughout the Temple were plated with gold, with angels engraved on the walls.
8. Within the Temple, at one end, was the most sacred roomthe Holy of Holiesthirty feet square. This too was overlaid with the finest gold, valued at $18,000,000. 9. Twenty-six-ounce gold nails were used. The upper rooms were also plated with gold.
10. Within the innermost room, the Holy of Holies, Solomon placed two sculptured statues of angels, and plated them with gold. 11, 12, 13. They stood on the floor facing the outer room, with wings stretched wingtip to wingtip across the room, from wall to wall. 14. Across the entrance to this room he placed a veil of blue and crimson finespun linen, decorated with angels.
15. At the front of the Temple were two pillars 52 feet high, topped by a 7 foot capital flaring out to the roof. 16. He made chains and placed them on top of the pillars, with 100 pomegranates attached to the chains. 17. Then he set up the pillars at the front of the Temple, one on the right and the other on the left. And he gave them names: Jachin (the one on the right), and Boaz (the one on the left).
2Ch. 4:1. He also made a bronze altar thirty feet long, thirty feet wide, and fifteen feet high. 2. Then he forged a huge round tank fifteen feet across from rim to rim. The rim stood 7 feet above the floor, and was forty-five feet around. 3. This tank was set on the backs of two rows of metal oxen. The tank and oxen were cast as one piece. 4. There were twelve of these oxen standing tail to tail, three facing north, three west, three south, and three east. 5. The walls of the tank were five inches thick, flaring out like the cup of a lily. It held 3,000 barrels of water. 6. He also constructed ten vats for water to wash the offerings, five to the right of the huge tank and five to the left. The priests used the tank, and not the vats, for their own washing.
7. Carefully following Gods instructions, he then cast ten gold lampstands and placed them in the Temple, five against each wall; 8. he also built ten tables and placed five against each wall on the right and left. And he molded 100 solid gold bowls. 9. Then he constructed a court for the priests, also the public court, and overlaid the doors of these courts with bronze. 10. The huge tank was in the southeast corner of the outer room of the Temple.
11. Huramabi also made the necessary pots, shovels, and basins for use in connection with the sacrifices. So at last he completed the work assigned to him by King Solomon: 1216. The construction of the two pillars, The two flared capitals on the tops of the pillars, The two sets of chains on the capitals, The 400 pomegranates hanging from the two sets of chains on the capitals, The bases for the vats, and the vats themselves, The huge tank and the twelve oxen under it, The pots, shovels, and fleshhooks. This skillful craftsman, Huramabi, made all of the above-mentioned items for King Solomon, using polished bronze. 17, 18. The king did the casting at the claybanks of the Jordan valley between Succoth and Zeredah. Great quantities of bronze were used, too heavy to weigh.
19. But in the Temple only gold was used. For Solomon commanded that all of the utensils, the altar, and the table for the Bread of the Presence must be made of gold; 20. also the lambs and lampstands, 21. the floral decorations, tongs, 22. lamp snuffers, basins, spoons, and firepansall were made of pure gold. Even the doorway of the Temple, the main door, and the inner doors to the Holy of Holies were of gold.
2Ch. 5:1. So the Temple was finally finished. Then Solomon brought in the gifts dedicated to the Lord by his father, King David. They were stored in the Temple treasuries.
COMMENTARY
Moriah was located on the Eastern side of the city of Jerusalem. It may well have been the place where Abraham went to offer Isaac (Gen. 22:2), although some stoutly dispute this. It is identified as the location of Ornans threshing floor where David offered the sacrifice that stopped the plague (1Ch. 21:18). The place was already hallowed by sacrifice.[49] It was on an elevation commanding attention from all sections of Jerusalem. There seemed to be no doubt that this was Jehovahs choice for the building site for the Temple. Why Solomon waited until the fourth year of his reign is not clear. He might have wanted the beginning to coincide exactly with the four hundred eightieth anniversary of the release from Egypt (1Ki. 6:1). He could have been so busy setting up his kingdom, entering into contracts with other countries, that he could not begin the work any earlier. We suggest that the date when the Temple was begun was about 967 B.C. This historian was careful to mark the second day of the second month for this important event. The rest of chapters three and four describe the Temple as it was built.
[49] Clarke, Adam, A Commentary and Critical Notes, Vol. II, p. 638. Spence, H. D. M. The Pulpit Commentary, II Chronicles, p. 31.
The dimensions of the Temple proper (the Holy Place and the Oracle) were sixty cubits by twenty cubits. The Tabernacle had measured thirty cubits by ten cubits. The exact length of the cubit cannot now be determined. It is estimated to have varied between sixteen and twenty-one inches. The usually accepted standard for the cubit is eighteen inches. The porch served as an introduction to the Holy Place and is said to have measured twenty cubits in length and one hundred and twenty cubits in height. There was nothing like this in connection with the Tabernacle. 1Ki. 6:3 describes the porch as twenty cubits long and ten cubits broad, no reference being made to its height. Since the Temple measured thirty cubits in height, the porch would appear to be considerably out of proportion if it was one hundred cubits high. There is no satisfactory way to settle this matter. The interior of the porch was overlaid with pure gold. The skilled artisans who constructed the Tabernacle were experts in gold overlay. In this later day, Huram and his fellow craftsmen brought their finest skills to these tasks.
The greater house (2Ch. 3:5) was the Holy Place. The imported fir or cypress wood from Lebanon was used to cover the interior of the Holy Place. Artists carved palm trees and chains of wreathen work in this beautiful wood all of which was then overlaid with gold. This gold overlay would most likely be in the form of a transparency highlighting the grain of wood and the beauty of the carvings in the wood. The use of precious stones was not mentioned in the records in I Kings. 1Ch. 29:2 describes Davids collection of onyx stones, all kinds of precious stones, and marble stones. These were used in beautifying the interior of the Holy Place. The gold of Parvaim (2Ch. 3:6) is difficult to identify because the location of Parvaim is unknown. It may describe a kind of gold of rare quality. The complete interior of the Holy Place was carved with cherubim (winged figures) and overlaid with gold. The priest would enter through the golden porch. In the Holy Place the priest walked on a golden floor, looked on walls and ceiling of gold.
The most holy house (the Oracle) measured twenty cubits in all three dimensions. It was a perfect cube (1Ki. 6:20). The most holy place in the Tabernacle was ten cubits in all three dimensions. Since the height of the holy place was thirty cubits, there was another room ten cubits high above the Oracle. This room most likely contained the upper chambers which also were overlaid with gold. A very lavish proportion of gold (600 talents) was applied to the Most Holy Place as an overlay. This Oracle must have been a place of exquisite beauty defying description.
The cherubim in the tabernacle were fashioned out of the gold that formed the mercy seat, the cover for the ark. These were winged figures beneath whose wings the glory of Jehovah rested. These cherubim were in the Temple when the ark was moved into the Oracle. In addition to these cherubim, two cherubim of olivewood (1Ki. 6:23) were made to hover over the ark. Each cherub was overlaid with gold and had a wingspan of ten cubits. The ark rested between these cherubim and the tip of a wing of each cherub touched a wall of the Oracle. The cherubim looked toward the Holy Place. These sacred creatures always represented the presence and the unapproachableness of Jehovah. A wall divided the Oracle from the Holy Place (1Ki. 6:31-32). Two doors of olive-wood provided entrance to the Oracle. This wall was draped with a beautiful multi-colored fine linen veil. Chains of gold were a part of this divider between the Oracle and the Holy Place (1Ki. 6:21).
Two pillars of brass were made to be set at the entrance to the Holy Place. Each of these was thirty-five cubits high with a capital five cubits high crowning the column. The account in 1Ki. 7:15 gives the height of each pillar as eighteen cubits plus the five cubit capital. These dimensions are proportionate with those of the porch. The thirty five cubits in our present reference (2Ch. 3:15) may be explained as an error by a scribe. These pillars were ornately decorated and were situated so as to command the entrance to the Holy Place. The one on the right was named Jachin (shall establish). Boaz (in it is strength) was the name for the left pillar. Those who worshipped Jehovah and went in and out of His Temple would be strengthened and established by God.
The great altar of brass was placed in the court of priests and measured twenty cubits by twenty cubits by ten cubits. The altar in the Tabernacle was five cubits by five cubits by three cubits. It has been estimated that as many as forty priests could serve at this altar at one time. The molten sea measured ten cubits in diameter. It was five cubits high and thirty cubits in circumference. The walls of the great vessel were four inches thick (a handbreadth). The reference in 1Ki. 7:26 indicates that the sea held two thousand baths. This may refer to the amount of water usually maintained in the vessel. The present reference (2Ch. 3:5) states the capacity as three thousand baths. This may be the absolute capacity of the great sea. The estimated content of the bath as a liquid measure varies from about five to twelve gallons. The brim of this great vessel was ornamented like the flower of a lily. It set upon a curiously wrought base consisting of the figures of twelve oxen. The number twelve was typical in its representation of the twelve tribes of Israel. The brazen sea was apparently reserved for the ceremonial washings of the priests.
Whereas there had been but one laver of brass in the Tabernacle, in addition to the great sea in the Temple there were ten lavers of brass. Each of these contained forty baths (1Ki. 7:38) and was mounted on wheels so as to be mobile. These were used for the washing of the offerings and related services. Five of them were placed on either side of the court of priests.
The Temple was lighted by ten golden candlesticks. Five of these were located on either side of the Holy Place. 1Ki. 7:48 mentions the table whereupon the showbread was. Here in 2Ch. 3:8 we read about ten tables and 2Ch. 4:19 refers to tables whereon was the showbread. In the cleansing of the Temple in 2Ch. 29:18 only one table of showbread is mentioned. These ten tables may have been auxiliary to the other services in the Holy Place. The basins of gold would be used in the ministries in the Holy Place. The setting up of the court of priests in which the great altar, the sea, and the lavers were located was accomplished by laying a marble pavement and enclosing the court with three courses of hewn stone and a course of cedar beams (1Ki. 7:12). The great court, or court of Israel enclosed the court of priests and like the other court, it too, was paved and protected by the rock wall.
All of the utensils necessary to the work of the Temple were made by Huram. He completed the pillars of brass with all of their intricate decorations (four hundred pomegranates). The place where the casts were prepared for the works of brass was beyond the Jordan river near the Jabbok. The clay in that region was very useful for this purpose. So much brass was used in the Temple that no attempt was made to keep a record of it. The golden altar of incense, the candlesticks properly ornamented, the snuffers for servicing the lights, the firepans (golden censers), the doors for the Holy Place and the Oracle were all made according to the pattern by the master craftsman, Huram.
LESSON FIFTEEN 58
THE ARK AND THE TEMPLE.
SOLOMONS PRAYER OF DEDICATION.
A GREAT FESTIVAL. SOLOMON AS KING.
3. BUILDING THE TEMPLE-Continued (35:1)
INTRODUCTION
The ark was set in the Holy of Holies. The Temple was finished. When the prayer was completed, the Temple was filled with the light of the glory of God. Solomon established himself as the king of Israel.
TEXT
(Scripture text in Lesson Fourteen)
PARAPHRASE
(Scripture text in Lesson Fourteen)
COMMENTARY
Solomon was faithful in all matters that pertained to the Temple. Those vessels that were specifically designed for the Temple services were completed according to their respective patterns. In addition to these there were many sacred vessels acquired in Davids day and dedicated to Jehovah. These were placed in special rooms set apart for such treasures. The building of the Temple was complete in the eleventh year of Solomons reign after seven years of diligent work on the magnificent structure (1Ki. 6:38). Solomon called a great assembly of elders and princes to a meeting in Jerusalem for the purpose of bringing the ark of the covenant into the Temple. Although the Temple was not completed until the eighth month, this significant event of bringing in the ark took place in the seventh month. The seventh month, Tisri, was the first month of the civil year. The first day of this month was the Hebrew New Year. The tenth day was the Day of Atonement. The Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated through eight days beginning on the fifteenth day of the month. Through several years the ark had been kept in the tent David had set up for it in Jerusalem. On this important occasion the ark, the Tent, the furnishings and utensils of the old Tabernacle were carried into the Temple. Here is a beautiful picture of the progress of Jehovahs self-revelation. Having completed His purpose with regard to the old Tabernacle, He now causes it to be folded away and laid in storage rooms in the Temple. In its place a grand new institution was brought into being. The day would come when the Temple would have fulfilled its purpose. It too, would be removed, and in its place the grandest institution of all, the Church, would be brought on the scene. The assignment for moving the ark and the Tabernacle was given to the Levites, To underscore the consecration of the king and the people, great numbers of sacrifices were offered. We would assume that these offerings were presented on the altar of burnt offering in the court of priests at the Temple. Of all the parts of the Old Tabernacle, only the ark of the covenant would actually be used in the Temple. Once the ark had contained the tables of the Law, a pot of manna, and Aarons rod. The only treasure in the ark when it was brought into the Temple were the tables of the Law. The manna and Aarons rod probably had been removed by the Philistines when they had the ark in Samuels day. The ark was carried into the Oracle and placed beneath the extended wings of the large cherubim which were built for the Oracle. The curious note concerning the staves is not clear. The staves were to remain in the rings of the ark at all times so that it could readily be lifted to the shoulders of priests and moved at Jehovahs direction. The ark with its staves in place was in the Oracle at the time that the writer of II Chronicles completed his record. So the most sacred vessel out of the old Tabernacle was placed in the holiest part of the Temple.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(a) SITE AND DATE (2Ch. 3:1-2).
(1) At Jerusalem in mount Moriah.Nowhere else in the Old Testament is the Temple site so specified. (Comp. the land of Moriah, the place appointed for the sacrifice of Isaac, Gen. 22:2.)
Where the Lord appeared unto David his father.So LXX.; rather, who appeared unto David his father. Such is the meaning according to the common use of words. There is clearly an allusion to the etymology of MORIAH, which is assumed to signify appearance of Jah. (Comp. Gen. 22:14.) Translate, in the mount of the Appearance of Jah, who appeared unto David his father. The Vulgate reads: in Monte Moria qui demonstratus fuerat David patri ejus; but nirah never means to be shown or pointed out. The Syriac, misunderstanding the LXX. (), renders in the hill of the Amorites.
In the place that David had prepared.This is no doubt correct, as the versions indicate. The Hebrew has suffered an accidental transposition.
In the threshingfloor of Ornan.1Ch. 21:28; 1Ch. 22:1.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
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.
2Ch 3:1
This word is used only two times in the entire Old Testament. The other use is found in Gen 22:2, when God instructed Abraham instructed to offer Isaac upon this same mount.
Gen 22:2, “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah ; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The Sanctuary Proper
v. 1. Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah, v. 2. And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign, v. 3. Now, these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God, v. 4. And the porch that was in the front of the house, v. 5. And the Greater House, v. 6. And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty, v. 7. He overlaid also the house, v. 8. And he made the Most Holy House, v. 9. And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
2Ch 3:1
Mount Moriah. This name occurs twice in the Old Testament, viz. here and Gen 22:2, in which latter reference it is alluded to as “the land of Moriah,” and “one of the mountains” in it is spoken of. Whether the name designates the same place in each instance is more than doubtful. In the present passage the connection of the place with David is marked. Had it been the spot connected with Abraham and the proposed sacrifice of Isaac, it is at least probable that this also would have been emphasized, and not here only, but in 2Sa 24:17-25 and 1Ch 21:16-26; but in neither of these places is there the remotest suggestion of such fame of old belonging to it. Nor in later passages of history (e.g. Nehemiah’s rebuilding, and in the prophets, and the New Testament), where the opportunities would have been of the most tempting, is there found one single suggestion of the kind. There am also at fewest two reasons of a positive and intriusic character against Solomon’s Moriah being Abraham’sin that this latter was a specially conspicuous height (Gen 22:4), and was a secluded and comparatively desolate place, neither of which features attach to Solomon’s Moriah. Nevertheless the identity theory is stoutly maintained by names as good as those of Thomson; Tristram; Hengstenberg (‘Genuineness of Pentateuch, 2.162, Ryland’s tr.); Kurtz (‘History of O. C.,’ 1.271); and Knobel and Kalisch under the passage in Genesisagainst Grove (in Dr. Smith’s ‘ Bible Dictionary’); Stanley; De Wette, Bleek, and Tischendorf [see ‘Speaker’s Commentary,’ under Gen 22:2]. Though there is some uncertainty as to the more exact form of the derivation of the name Moriah, it seems most probable that the meaning of it may be “the sight of Jehovah.” Where the Lord appeared unto David his father. The clause is no doubt elliptical, and probably it is not to be mended by the inserting of the words,” the Lord,” as in our Authorized Version. We do not read anywhere that the Lord did then and there appear to David, though we do read that “the angel of the Lord” appeared to him (2Sa 24:16, passim; 1Ch 21:15, 1Ch 21:19, passim). Nor is it desirable to force the niph. preterite of the verb here, rightly rendered “appeared” or “was seen,” into “was shown.” We should prefer to solve the difficulty occasioned by the somewhat unfinished shape of the clause (or clauses) by reading it in close relation to 1Ch 22:1. Then the vivid impressions that had been made both by works and words of the angel of the Lord caused David to feel and to say with emphasis, “This is the (destined) house of the Lord God,” etc. In this light our present passage would read, in a parenthetic manner, “which (i.e. the house, its Moriah position and all) was seen of David;” or with somewhat more of ease, “as was seen of David;” and the following “in the place,” etc; will read in a breath with the preceding “began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in the place,” etc. David had prepared (so 1Ch 22:2-4). In the threshing-floor of Ornan (so 2Sa 24:18; 1Ch 21:15,1Ch 21:16, 1Ch 21:18, 1Ch 21:21-28).
2Ch 3:2
In the second day. The word “day” as italicized in our Authorized Version type is of course not found in the Hebrew text. Several manuscripts fail also to show the other words of this clause, viz. “In the second;” and that they are probably spurious derives confirmation from the fact that neither the Arabic nor Syriac Versions, nor the Septuagint nor Vulgate translations, produce them. In the second month, in the fourth year. Reading the verse, therefore, as though it began thus, the most interesting but doubtful question of fixing an exact chronology for what preceded Solomon’s reign is opened. In our present text there is little sign of anything to satisfy the offers to do so, if only again to disappoint the more grievously. There we read of “four hundred and eighty years” from the Exodus to this beginning of the building of Solomon’s temple. Now, this latter date can be determined with tolerable accuracy by travelling backwards from the date of Cyrus taking Babylon, and the beginning of the return from the Captivity, making allowance for the seventy years of the Captivity, the duration of the line of separate Judah-kings, and the remanet, a large one, of the years of Solomon’s reign. All this, however, helps nothing at all the period stretching from the Exodus to the beginning of the building of the temple. And the events of this period, strongly corroborated by other testimony, seem to show convincingly that no faith can be reposed in the authenticity of the chronological statement of our parallel.
2Ch 3:3
Now these. Perhaps the easiest predicate to supply to this elliptical clause is are the measures, or the cubits. Was instructed. The verb is hoph. conjugation of to “found;” and the purport of the clause is that Solomon caused the foundations of the building to be laid of such dimensions by cubit. Ezr 3:11 and Isa 28:16 give the only other occurrences of the hoph. conjugation of this verb. Cubits after the first measure. This possibly means the cubit of pre-Captivity times, but at all events the Israelites’ own ancient cubitperhaps a hand-breadth (Eze 43:13) longer than the present, or seven in place of six. The cubit (divided into six palms, and a palm into four finger-breadths) was the unit of Hebrew lineal measure. It stands for the length from the elbow to the wrist, the knuckle, or the tip of the longest finger. There is still considerable variation in opinion as to the number of inches that the cubit represents, and considerable perplexity as to the two or three different cubits (Deu 3:11; Eze 40:5; Eze 43:13) mentioned in Scripture. One of the latest authorities, Conder, gives what seem to be reasons of almost decisive character for regarding the cubit of the temple buildings as one of sixteen inches. The subject is also discussed at length in Smith’s ‘ Bible Dictionary,’ 3.17361739. And the writer finally concludes to accept, under protest, Thenius’s calculations, which give the cubit as rather over nineteen inches.
2Ch 3:4
The porch an hundred and twenty. The “porch” (, Greek, ). It is out of the question that the porch should be of this height in itself. And almost as much out of the question that, if it could be so, this should be the only place to mention it by word or. description. There can be no doubt that the text is here slightly corrupt, and perhaps it is a further indication of this that, while the parallel contains nothing of the height, this place fails (but comp. our 2Ch 3:8) to give the breadth (“ten cubits”), which the parallel does give. The words for” hundred” and for “cubit” easily confuse with one another. And our present Hebrew text, , read , will make good Hebrew syntax, and be in harmony with the Septuagint (Alexandrian), and with the Syriac and Arabic Versions. This gives the height of the porch as 20 cubits, which will be in harmony with the general height of the building, which was 30 cubits. Thus far, then, the plan of the temple is plain. The house is 60 cubits long, i.e. 20 for the holy of holies ( or );40 for the holy place (); and for breadth 20 cubits. The porch was in length the same as the breadth of the house, viz. 20 cubits, but in breadth it was 10 cubits (l Kings 2Ch 6:3) only, while its height was 20 cubits, against a height of 30 cubits for the “house” (1Ki 6:2). Overlaid it within with pure gold; i.e. covered the planks with gold leaf, or sometimes with plates of gold (Ovid; ‘L Epp. ex. Pont,’ 1.37, 38, 41, 42; Herod; 1.98; Polyb; 10.27. 10). The appreciation, as well as bare knowledge, of gold belonged to a very early date (Gen 2:12). The days when it was used in ring or lump (though not in coin) for sign of wealth and for purposes of exchange, and also for ornament (Gen 13:2; Gen 24:22; Gen 42:21), indicate how early were the beginnings of metallurgy as regards it, though much more developed afterwards (Jdg 17:4; Pro 17:3; Isa 40:19; Isa 46:9); and show it in the time of David and Solomon no rare art, even though foreign workmen, for obvious reasons, were the most skilful workers with it. There are four verbs used to express the idea of overlaying, viz.
(a) , in hiph. This occurs only in this chapter, 2Ch 3:5, 2Ch 3:7, 2Ch 3:8, 2Ch 3:9; but in niph. Psa 68:13 may be compared.
(b) in hiph. This occurs in the present sense, though not necessarily staying very closely by it; in 2Ch 9:15, 2Ch 9:16, and its parallel (1Ki 10:16, 1Ki 10:17); and perhaps in 2Sa 1:24. The meaning of the word, however, is evidently so generic that it scarcely postulates the rendering “overlay.”
(c) in piel. This occurs in our present verse, as also in a multitude of other places in Chronicles, Kings, Samuel, and Exodus. The radical idea of the verb (kal) is “to be bright.”
(d) in hiph. This occurs only once (1Ki 6:32). No one of these verbs in itself bespeaks certainly of which or what kind the overlaying might be, unless it be the last, the analogy of which certainly points to the sense of a thin spreading.
2Ch 3:5
The greater house; i.e. the holy place. He ceiled. This rendering is wrong. The verb is (a) given above (2Ch 3:4). It is repeated in the next clause of this very verse as “overlaid,” as also in 2Ch 3:7, 2Ch 3:8, 2Ch 3:9. The generic word “covered” would serve all the occasions on which the word occurs here. From a comparison of the parallel it becomes plain that the meaning is that the crone structure of floor and walls was covered over with wood (1Ki 6:7, 1Ki 6:15, 1Ki 6:18). That wood for the floor was fir (1Ki 6:15), probably slim for the walls, which must depend partly on the translation of this 2Ch 3:15. It would seem to say that (beside the stone) there was an inner stratum, both to walls and floor, of cedar (reason for which would be easy of conjecture). But another translation obviates the necessity of this inner stratum supposition, rendering “from the floor to the top of the wall.” According to this, while the overlaying gold was on cedar for walls and ceiling (1Ki 6:9), it was on fir for the floor, which does not seem what our present verse purports, unless, according to the suggestion of some, “fir” be interpreted to include cedar. Set thereon palm trees and chains. These were, of course, carvings. The chains, not mentioned in the parallel (1Ki 6:29; but see 1Ki 7:17), were probably wreaths of chain design or pattern. Easier modern English would read “put thereon.”
2Ch 3:6
He garnished. The verb employed is (e) of 2Ch 3:4, supra (Rev 21:19). Precious stones. The exact manner in which these were applied or fixed is not stated. What the precious stones were, however, need not be doubtful (1Ch 29:2; the obvious references for which passage, Isa 54:11, Isa 54:12 and Rev 21:18-21, cannot be forgotten. See also Eze 27:16; So Eze 5:14; Lam 4:7). For beauty; i.e. to add beauty to the house. Parvaim. What this word designates, or, if a place, where the place was, is not known. Gesenius (‘Lexicon,’ sub vet.) would derive it from a Sanskrit word, purva, meaning “oriental.” Hitzig suggests another Sanskrit word, paru, meaning “hill,” and indicating the “twin hills” of Arabia (Prof; 6.7. 11) as the derivation. And Knobel suggests that it is a form of Sepharvaim, the Syriac and Jonathan Targum version of Sephar (Gen 10:30). The word does not occur in any other Bible passage.
2Ch 3:7
And graved cherubim. In the parallel this statement is placed in company with that respecting the “palms and flowers.“ Layard tells us that all the present description of decoration bears strong resemblance to the Assyrian. There can be no difficulty in imagining this, both in other respects, and in connection with the fact that foreigners, headed by the chief designer Hiram, had so large a share in planning the details of temple workmanship.
2Ch 3:8
The most holy house. The writer proceeds from speaking of “the greater house” (2Ch 3:5), or holy place, to the “holy of holies.” The parallel (1Ki 6:20) adds the height, as also 20 cubits. Six hundred talents. It is impossible to assert with any accuracy the money value intended here. Six hundred talents of gold is an amazing proportion of the yearly revenue of 666 talents of gold, spoken of in 1Ki 10:14. This latter amount is worth, in Keil’s estimate, about three million and three quarters of our money, but in Peele’s estimate nearer double that! The Hebrew, Phoenician, and Assyrian unit of weight is the same, and one quite different from the Egyptian. The silver talent (Hebrew, ciccar, ) contained 60 manehs, each maneh being equal to 50 shekels, and a shekel being worth 220 grains; i.e. there were 3000 shekels, or 660,000 grains, in such talent. But the gold talent contained 100 manehs, the maneh 100 shekels, and the shekel 132 grains, making this gold talent the equivalent of 10,000 shekels, or 1,320,000 grains. The “holy shekel,” or “shekel of the sanctuary,” could be either of gold or silver (Exo 38:4, Exo 38:5).
2Ch 3:9
The weight of the nails, fifty shekels of gold. According to the above scale, therefore, this weight would be a twelve-thousandth part for the nails of all the weight of the overlaying plates of gold. The upper chambers. This is the first mention of these “chambers” in the present description, but they have been alluded to by the Chronicle writer before, in 1Ch 28:11. What or where they were is as yet not certainly ascertained. Presumably they were the highest tier of those chambers which surrounded three sides of the main building. But some think they were a superstructure to the holy of holies; others, high chambers in the supposed very lofty superstructure of the porch. Both of these suppositions seem to us of the unlikeliest. It would, however, be much more satisfactory, considering that all the subject before and after treats of the most holy place, to be able to connect this expression in some way with it, nor is there any reason evident for overlaying richly with gold the aforesaid chambers (2Ch 9:4 compared with 2Ch 22:11) of the third tier.
2Ch 3:10
Image work. The word in the Hebrew text () translated thus in our Authorized Version is a word unknown. Gesenius traces it to “an unused” Hebrew root , of Arabic derivation (meaning “to carry on the trade of a goldsmith”), and offers to translate it “statuary” work with the Vulgate (opus statuarium). The parallel (1Ki 6:23) gives simply “wood of oil” (not “olive,” Neh 8:15), i.e. the oleaster tree wood. It is obvious that some of the characters of these words would go some way to make the other unknown word. But it must be confessed that our text shows no external indications of a corrupt reading.
2Ch 3:11
Twenty cubits. This, like all the preceding cubit measurings of the temple foundations and heights, and with all the succeeding cherubim measurings, is the exact double of that observed by Moses (Exo 37:6-9). The height of the cherubim, ten cubits, not mentioned in our text, is given in the parallel (1Ki 6:26).
2Ch 3:13
Their faces were inward; Hebrew, “were to the house,“ viz. to the holy place. The position of these cherubim, both as to wings and faces, was clearly different from that of those for the tabernacle of Moses. There they “cover the mercy-seat with their wings, and their faces are one to another toward the mercy-seat were the faces of the cherubim” (Exo 25:20; Exo 37:9). May this alteration in the time of Solomon indicate possibly one more advance in the developing outlook of Divine mercy to a whole world? Neither this place nor the parallel makes it certain whether the cherubim, that are here said to stand on their feet, stood on the ground, as some say they did. As regards those of the tabernacle, the prepositions used in Exo 25:18, Exo 25:19 and Exo 37:7, Exo 37:8 appear to lay stress on their position being a fixture at and on each extremity of the mercy-seat.
2Ch 3:14
The veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen (so Exo 26:31, Exo 26:33, Exo 26:35; Exo 36:35; Exo 40:3, Exo 40:21). It is remarkable that our parallel (1Ki 6:1-38.) does not make mention of the veil, though a feature of which so much was always made. On the other hand, it is remarkable that our present passage does not make mention of the folding “doors of olive tree,” which, with “the veil,” intercepted the approach to the oracle (1Ki 6:31, 1Ki 6:32), nor of the partition walls (1Ki 6:16) in which they were situate, nor of the “partition chains [1Ki 6:21] of gold before the oracle.”
2Ch 3:15
Thirty and five cubits. The height of these pillars is attested in three places to have been 18 cubits (1Ki 7:15; 2Ki 25:17; Jer 52:21). Some therefore think that the height given in our text describes rather the distance of the one pillar from the other, which would be just 35 cubits, if they stood at the extreme points of the line of the porch front; since the wings on each side (5 cubits for the lowest chamber, and 2.5 cubits for the thickness of the walls) would make up this amount. It is further noticed with this explanation that their height (18 cubits) with the chapiters (5 cubits) added, would bring them to the same height as the porch, and that their ornamentation agrees with that of the porch (1Ki 7:19). All this may be the ease. Yet considering other indications of uncertainty about our text, and the fact that the characters yod kheth (18) are easily superseded by lamed he (35), it is perhaps likelier that we have here simply a clerical error. The parallel place tells us that these pillars and the chapiters were cast of brass; that “a line [1Ki 7:15; Jer 52:1-34 :41] of twelve cubits [not seven] did compass either of them about;” that the ornamentation of each chapiter was “a net of checker-work, and a wreath of chain-work;” that upon the five cubits of chapiter there was another “four cubits of lily-work,” etc. If this last feature apply to the two pillars, and not (as some think) to the porch only, the pillars would reach a height of 27 cubits, and if it be supposed that they stood on some stone or other superstructure, it may still be that our “thirty-five cubits” has its meaning. Meantime the passage in Jeremiah (Jer 52:1-34 :41) tells us that the pillars were hollow, and that the thickness of the metal was “four fingers.”
2Ch 3:16
Chains, as in the oracle. Though the writer of Chronicles has not in this description mentioned any chains as appertaining to the oracle, yet they are mentioned in the parallel. The selection of what is said has in our present text so much the appearance of haste, that this may account for the abrupt appearance of the allusion here. Otherwise the words, “in the oracle,” tempt us to fear some corruptness of text, scarcely safely removed by Bertheau’s suggestion to substitute (“ring”) for (“oracle”). An hundred pomegranates. These passages indicate that the total number of pomegranates was two hundred for each pillar.
2Ch 3:17
Jachin Boaz. The margin of our Authorized Version gives with sufficient correctness the meaning of these names of the pillars, which purport to set forth the safety and sure strength that belong to those who wait on, and who calmly and constantly abide by, the Divine leading. The latter, however, is one word, a substantive, not a compound of preposition, pronoun, and substantive; and the former, though by derivation the future of the hiph. conjugation of the verb , is established as a substantive in its own right.
HOMILETICS
Verse 1-4:22
(see also on 2Ch 4:1-22. in its proper place).These two chapters are occupied with the subject of the
The Preparation for the building of the temple
its site, its exact proportions and measures, its contents and furniture, vessels and instruments. Upon the first glance, and merely superficial reading of these, it may seem that they bear little relation to us, address no special messages to us, and proffer but little instruction adapted to our light, our time of day, our confessedly more spiritual form of religion. A little longer thought, more patient inquiry, and deeper consideration will go far to correct, or, at any rate, to modify, an estimate of this kind. Perhaps no devout mind, in a healthy state, unsophisticated and unvitiated by special freak of education, will fail to feel, free of argument, that the principles underlying the directions of minutest detail of outward work once, find their use and application now within the domain of motive, of purity of motive, and exactitude in judging, not the motives of others, but our own; within the domain, again, of cheerful, ungrudging giving to Christ and to his living Church; and within the domain of that exalted but perfectly simple law of giving, not the lame, the blind, the blemished, and the utter superfluity of our own possessions, but the first and the best, and of what may call for some self-denial, some self-sacrifice. Add to these considerations the hard fact that, in the name of Christianity, in the purer name of Christ himself, and for the love of him, now for fifteen centuries (repudiating that narrowest of all things, a narrow construction of the spirituality of the simplest and purest religion possible) the instinct of the disciples and followers of Christ has expended on the art of ecclesiastical architecture, the art of ecclesiastical painting, the art of ecclesiastical musicall things of the outside, if so they must be calledan amount of care, time, skill, devotion, exactness, and wealth of precious things, exceeding by millionfolds all devoted to the temple of Solomon and all its successors, and required for them, even by highest inspiration of the pattern showed on the mount. It is, therefore, a great historic mistake, and a blinded or oblivious reading of history, when any presume to suppose that the detail, exactness, material grandeur, and contribution of all costly things commanded for the temple of the ancient Jew are not paralleled by their almost identical likes in the Church of the Christian! For such reasons as these it is interesting, and it is useful, to review the injunctions and the methods and the accomplished results of Solomon’s work as rehearsed in these chapters. They contain the seminal principles which Christian work still demands, and by which the Christian Church should be guided. Far, then, from slighting and underrating the significance of the sacred principles that underlay the religion of elder days, and of that chosen people, to whom it was conveyed in all its outer detail by special revelation, let us be encouraged to consider it attentively, now, in respect of that holy house, the temple, which stood for So much in the minds of a great and remarkable nation, and which was a manifestation of so much of the mind and will of God to them first, and through them and after them to the world. For we are here reminded of
I. THE STRESS LAID UPON THE VERY PLACE WHERE THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE TEMPLE SHOULD BE PLANTED. It was the place:
1. Where sin had been sternly reminded of its just punishment (1Ch 21:15-17), and had grievously felt it.
2. Where the interposing angel of the Lord appeared, and spoke and stayed the destruction and pestilence (1Ch 21:27), in answer to confession, repentance, and sacrifice.
3. Where that same sacrifice was offered on the new-builded altar, which was paid for, and everything necessary to the sacrifice upon it paid for by David, that it might as far as possible be the perfect offering of self. The house and the altar were almost synonymous (1Ch 22:1). And we are reminded of the greatest fact, the central fact, that there is no such thing as a true Church without altar. The one, only true and ever-abiding Church of the living God on earth is the sacred environment of the solemn altar, is founded one with it, built up round about it, grows out of it, commences, as did the temple of David (1Ch 22:2) and Solomon, from it, and ever must have it for its centre.
II. THE FACT OF THE DIVINE INSTRUCTION GIVEN FOR THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE IN ALL ITS PARTS. This fact, per se, may be justly regarded as marking:
1. The Divine estimate as to human need of revelation for all that pertains to real religion. There is something that inevitably and invariably differences natural religion from revealed religion. It lacks direction, stability, and a real living connection between the worshipped and the worshipper, the great Adorable and the humble sinful adorer. This is supplied by revelation, which is by most deliberate preference not partial, not fitful, not a thing to be taken or left, but uniform, spreading everywhere and penetrating to each detail.
2. The reverence towards all that affects our spiritual and eternal weal, which Heaven would help us to feel and earnestly to believe in.
3. The kind sympathetic interest with which the August Majesty himself would wish to help us assure ourselves that he tends even the human side of religious institutions. He “dwells in light unapproachable,” and yet himself is not inaccessible, is not afar off, is nigh to us. What a welcome thought, inspiring thought, that he helps us build our very place of worship! Notice
III. THE CAREFULNESS AND EXACTITUDE WHICH THAT DIVINE INSTRUCTION MODELLED FOR OUR IMITATION. After the tabernacle, in time indeed, but second to it in no other sense, nor strictly separable from it, here was the beginning of corporate Church life and institution and building. All things must be done “decently and in order;” “as to the Lord, and not to men” alone; “not with eye-service.” And as real religion is the only real life, how sure were all the carefulness and exactitude now prescribed and exemplified to draw up, and constantly to tend to draw up, lesser life, home life, and individual life! The individual life (time and illustrations without number have shown it) will grow more divinely ordered for that man whose taste, whose knowledge, but, above all, whose deep principle reverences, observes, and “observes to do” all the words of such commandments, with those that correspond with them, and are their heirs and successors, as are contained in these chapters.
IV. THE PRINCIPLE INVOLVED IN THE MATERIALS AND CONTENTS OF THE TEMPLE, IN THEIR BEING SUFFICIENT IN ALL SMALLEST DETAILS, BEAUTIFUL IN DESIGN AND MAKE, GENUINE AND SOLID, AND COSTLY.
V. THE THINGS IN OR BEFORE THE TEMPLE, WHICH WERE GREATER THAN IT. Beside the many lesser vessels and instruments, each of which had its ancillary (and therefore not unimportant) relation to the greater vessels, or to the worship, service, and sacrifices for which those greater were ordained, there were some of special, marked, leading importance; while the distinguishing importance of some others lay strictly in their import. Call attention to just the things which arc said of:
1. The greater house; its gold; its ceiling, with fine gold, palm-tree figures and chains; its walls, with graven cherubim.
2. The most holy house; its fine gold; its two symbolic cherubim; its veil, with wrought cherubim.
3. The two pillars; their height; their chapiters, with chains and pomegranates; their names and respective positions.
[The general homiletics of 2Ch 3:1-17. and 4. combined close here, and the more particular homiletics appropriate to 2Ch 4:1-22. separately, follow that chapter.]
HOMILIES BY W. CLARKSON
2Ch 3:1, 2Ch 3:2
Beginning to build.
“Solomon began to build the house of the Lord.” We are frequently in a similar position; we are starting some sacred enterprise, which, directly or indirectly, affects the Church of Christ, the kingdom of God. What are the sentiments and what is the spirit appropriate to such an occasion? But we may first learn from the text
I. THAT, TO A LARGE EXTENT, OUR POSSESSION IS OUR HERITAGE. It was a very great privilege Solomon was now enjoying, and it must have been felt by him to be a high honour and a keen gratification. How much of it he owed to his father! It was David who conceived the idea; it was he who gained the sanction of Jehovah; it was he who had practically gained the valuable co-oporation of Hiram (1Ki 5:1); it was he, also, who had secured an admirable and acceptable site for the building (1Ch 21:18; 1Ch 22:1). If we examine we shall find that a very large part of our acquisition, whether it be property (in the usual sense of that word), or knowledge and intellectual power, or honour, or affection, or ever character, is due to that which we have inherited from those who came before us.
II. THAT GREATER WORK DEMANDS FULLER PREPARATION. The building of the temple was certainly one of the very first things that Solomon considered and determined upon when he came to the throne. Yet it was not until “the second month, in the fourth year of his reign,” that the erection actually commenced. So great a work took large preparation. We show our sense of the real seriousness and magnitude of the work we do for God when we take time and spend strength in its preparation. To go with haste and heedlessness to any sacred work, even though the “house of the Lord” we arc building is not one of magnificence (1Ch 22:5), is a spiritual mis-demeanour; to enter upon any great undertaking in the name and cause of Jesus Christ without much patient thought and earnest effort in the way of preparation is wholly wrong.
III. THAT THE COMMENCEMENT OF A GREAT WORK IS A MEMORABLE MOMENT. It was fitting that the very day when this great work began should he recorded, as it is in Holy Writ (2Ch 3:2). It was a memorable moment in Solomon’s reign and in the history of the Jews. For then began to rise a building which had an immense and, indeed, an incalculable influence on the nation, and so upon mankind. Such times are sacred. Of all those days to which, in later years, we look back with interest and joy, none will stand out so clearly, and none will give us such pure and strong gratification, as the days when we instituted some movement in the cause of Christ, in the service of our fellow-men.
IV. THAT THIS HOUR OF COMMENCEMENT SHOULD BE A VERY SACRED TIME TO OUR SOULS. It may well be one of:
1. Joyful eagerness; for there is something very inspiring in the act of commencing a truly noble workit exhilarates and animates the soul. It should also be one of:
2. Special prayerfulness; for then we urgently need the guiding and guarding hand of our God to be upon us.
3. Steadfast purpose; for there will be unanticipated difficulties and disheartening delays, possibly much temporary disappointment and partial failure, and a strong, resolute purpose will be needed to carry us through to the end.
4. Unselfish devotedness. We must ever keep in mind that the “house” we are erecting, of whatever kind it be, is the house “of the Lord.” If we fail to realize that it is for Christ that we are working, our labour will lose its excellency, its inspiration, and its reward.C.
2Ch 3:3-9
Four dements of faithful service.
These are
I. OBEDIENCE; the intelligent carrying out of Divine direction. Close and careful correspondence with the commandment was more particularly enforced under the Mosaic dispensation (Heb 8:5). Solomon was careful to do as he was “instructed for the building” (2Ch 3:3); the dimensions were determined “by the first measure” (2Ch 3:3); he was concerned to act obediently. In the service of Christ, while there is very little indeed of prescription or proscription as to the details of devotion or the particulars of Divine service, we shall be careful to consult the will of Christ in everything. The mind of our Master, and not our own individual preference, should be the main consideration in all Christian effort: we shall gain a knowledge of his mind by a devout and intelligent study of his life and of his words, and of those of his apostles.
II. SPONTANEITY. This is not any wise inconsistent with obedience, and it was not absent even from the building of the temple, in which there was, necessarily, so much of careful and detailed prescription. Solomon” garnished the house with precious stones” (2Ch 3:6), and these had been furnished by the spontaneous liberality of David and of his people (1Ch 29:2, 1Ch 29:8). In the service of our Saviour there is ample room for the play of spontaneous devotion. We may bring to his sacred cause the “precious stones” of our most reverent and earnest thought, of our most fervent feeling, of our most eloquent and convincing speech, of our most self-denying labour, all uncommanded and unconstrained, all prompted by a pure and keen desire to serve our Lord and bless our brethren.
III. BEAUTY. These precious stones were “for beauty “(2Ch 3:6), and the abundance of gold would also add to the beauty of the building, as seen from the inside. Every “house of the Lord” which we build should be Fair and comely as well as strong. Happily for us, the beauty in which God delights is not pecuniarily costly; it is that which the poorest may bring to the sanctuary and the service of his Lord. It is not found in precious stones which only the wealthy can secure; it is found in “a meek and quiet spirit” (1Pe 3:3), in the spirit of true reverence and pure devotion (Joh 4:23), in patient endurance under wrong (1Pe 2:19, 1Pe 2:20), in patient continuance in well-doing (Rom 2:7), in a broad and deep Christian charity (1Co 13:1-13.). These are the beauties which adorn our character and make our service well-pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour.
IV. THOROUGHNESS. The strong timber which Solomon used was “overlaid with pure gold”with the precious metal, and that of the best kind. Nothing was spared that could give strength, solidity, perfectness to the building now erected. It was built, not for a few years, or for a generation, but for long centuries; to stand the force of the elements of nature; to remain strong and fair when children’s children in distant times shored come up to Zion to see the house of the Lord and to enter into its courts. All work that we do for our Divine Redeemer should partake of this character. It should be thorough; it should be of the very best that we can offer; it should be of “pure gold.” Not our weakness, but our strength; not our exhaustion, but our freshness; not our crudeness, but our culture; not our ignorance, but our information and acquisitionour very best self should we bring to our Lord who gave himself for us. With the choicest materials we can furnish, in the exercise of our faculties at their fullest, should we build up his sacred cause who lavished his strength and laid down his life on our behalf.C.
2Ch 3:10-13
Life at its highest.
These cherubim were, of course, symbolic; but what did they symbolize?
1. Certainly not the Divine. Nothing is more improbable, indeed nothing is more incredible, than that in the holy place of the temple there should be anything artistic intended to portray or represent the Deity. That would have gone far to unteach the very truth which was so carefully taught by every Mosaic institution.
2. As certainly not the animal and irrational. Part of these creatures may have belonged to the unintelligent world; but if it were so, it would only be to represent some virtue or power of which that particular animal was suggestive.
3. Probably the highest form of creature-life, human or angelic; either man at his best, when endowed with nobler powers than he possesses here, or else the holy and pure intelligences which belong to that great realm that intervenes between the human and Divine. And the idea is that, as we reach the very noblest forms of life, we find these in the near presence of God and engaged in his study and service. To what shall we do well to aspire? Where shall we dwell when we touch our culminating point? In what activities shall we be then engaged? To these questions the cherubim provide the answer.
I. IN THE NEAR PRESENCE OF GOD. The cherubim were, day and night, in the most holy place, close to the sacred ark, very near to the manifested presence of God. Life, at-its very highest, is life that is spent with God; in which the spirit is conscious of his nearness to itself. God was not more truly present at Bethel than elsewhere; but to Jacob that was the very “house of God,” because there he felt himself to be in the very presence of the Holy One. And it is just as we realize that, step by step along all our earthly course, moment by moment through all our earthly life, God is truly with us and we are the objects of his thought and his loveit is in that proportion that our life rises to its true stature, and we are not only men, we are sons of God, we are “living ones” whose home is on the earth, but whose citizenship is in heaven.
II. IN THE SUSTAINED STUDY OF GOD. The faces of these cherubim were “inward” (2Ch 3:13). They turned toward the manifested presence; they gazed continually on God. God was the Object of their ceaseless thought, of their fixed and settled study. Just as we truly live, this will be so with us. We shall wish to know ourselves, and shall study our human nature in all its varied manifestations; we shall wish to know all we can learn of the visible universe, and shall delight to search its secret stores, its beauties, and its marvels. But we shall feel that the one object that is, far above all others, worthy of our most earnest and patient study, is the character, the life, the will, the working of our heavenly Father. The noblest and truest study of mankind is God, and our life is life indeed as we are engaged in the reverent and the intelligent study of his mind and spirit. To us who “have the mind of Christ,” and know the Father by our knowledge of his Son, this grand privilege is open.
III. IN THE ACTIVE SERVICE OF GOD. A full description is given of the wings of the cherubim. Why? Is it not to indicate that they stand ready, with their full powers outstretched, to do the bidding of Jehovah? The highest life is in the fullest service. As we serve we live. Even the “living ones’ of the celestial kingdom find their nobility, not in commanding, but in fulfilling and in achieving. The attitude of the highest intelligences we can conceive and depict is that of perfect readiness to carry out the commandments, to do the work, to promote the kingdom of God. It wilt be thus that we too shall attain our highest. Not by receiving that which is most costly, not by enjoying that which is most pleasant; but by eagerly and faithfully doing that which is most worthy and most Divine.C.
2Ch 3:15-17
Our strength and beauty.
The dimensions of these pillars are still unsettled and uncertain. But there can be no question as to their main characteristics, and very little doubt as to their spiritual significance. Their obvious size and their names speak of strength; the decorations which they bore speak of beauty. Standing where they stood, in or at the porch of the house of the Lord, they were standing monuments of the two closely related truths
I. THAT WE SHOULD RECOGNIZE IN GOD HIMSELF STRENGTH AND BEAUTY.
1. Strength. Our temptation is to trust in the strong barrier of sea or mountain range; in the powerful army and navy with all their equipments; in the vigorous and sagacious policy of our statesmanship; in the amplitude of pecuniary resources, etc. But the strength of a country, as also of a man, is in God. If his favour is turned away, all our material advantages will fail us. Rabshakeh’s multitudes of armed Assyrians disappear at the stroke of the God of Israel; the rich man, with his full barns and his cherished plans, leaves his wealth behind him when God says, “Thy soul is required of thee.” But to the faithful Hezekiah the favour of Jehovah proves an ample shield against the threatening enemy. And they are blessed who “walk in the light of God’s countenance;” for he is “the glory of their strength: and in his favour shall their horn be exalted” (Psa 89:15, Psa 89:17). The wise nation and the wise man will not look complacently around them to find the secret and source of their strength; they will look up toward him that dwelleth in the heavens, and say, “Jachin; Boaz;” “he will establish;” “in him is strength.’
2. Beauty. We are inclined to boast of the beauty of the landscape; or of the persons of our sons and daughters; or of our palaces and castles and cathedrals; or of our “pleasant pictures,” and fair gems and jewels. But our delight should be, first and most, in him whose Divine character is perfect; who unites in himself, with completest symmetry, all possible attributes; who is as merciful as he is pure; who is as pitiful as he is righteous; who is as gentle as he is strong; whom we can not only adore and honour, but delight in and love. We go to the house of the Lord that we may behold “the beauty of the Lord” (Psa 27:4); and especially that we may dwell upon the beauties and the glories of the character of that Son of man who was “holy, harmless, undefiled,” in whose mouth no guile was found, but in whose life every grace that can adorn humanity was seen by those that knew him.
II. THAT WE SHOULD SEEK FROM GOD OUR STRENGTH AND BEAUTY. The Israelites went up to the house of the Lord that by obedient sacrifice, by reverent worship, by believing prayer, they might secure the favour of the Most High. If we would gain from God the strength we need, and that spiritual excellency which is the true beauty of the nation and the individual, we must go to God to seek it. We must present ourselves before him from whom all strength and glory come. We must seek him
(1) in confession, and in Christ who is our Propitiation;
(2) in reverent worship;
(3) in earnest and believing prayer for his upholding power and for his shaping hand.
Then will he make us strong to overcome and to accomplish; beautiful to attract and to win.C.
HOMILIES BY T. WHITELAW
2Ch 3:1-17
The building of the temple.
I. THE SITE.
1. Central At Jerusalem.
(1) Natural. Jerusalem, the metropolis of the kingdom, the political and religious centre of the country, was entitled to contain the chief symbol round which the political and religious life of the nation was in future to revolve.
(2) Appropriate. As the king had a palace in the capital, it was fitting the king’s King, Jehovah, should there have a temple.
(3) Convenient. Since the temple was to be Israel’s meeting-place in their national assemblies, it was better the structure should stand in the chief city of the realm than in a provincial town.
(4) Significant. It seemed to say that henceforth Solomon was to seek the security of his throne, the stability of his government, and the welfare of his empire in the worship of Jehovah and the practice of religion.
2. Conspicuous. On Mount Moriah, which had been so named because of Jehovah’s appearing on its summit to Abraham (Gen 22:2), rather than because it had been pointed out to David by Jehovah (Bertheau)a mountain situated north-east of Zion, and now styled “The Haram,” after a Mohammedan mosque with which it is crowned. According to present-day measurements, rising to the height of between 2278 and 2462 feet above the level of the Mediterranean, it was a fitting site for the temple, which, besides being firmly established as founded on a rock, would thereby be visible from afar, and so a centre of attraction for travellers approaching the city. So is Christ’s Church, like it, founded on a rock (Mat 16:18), and, like it, should be a city set upon a hill (Mat 5:14).
3. Consecrated. In the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. (On the suitability of the Haram summit to be a threshing-floor, see Exposition.) In addition to the theophany which had there occurred in connection with the offering of Isaac, a similar manifestation of Jehovah had recently taken place in the lifetime of David (1Ch 21:15-30). It was thus to Solomon a spot doubly hallowed. If in David’s eyes, because of the old patriarchal altar that had stood thereon, the place was invested with a special charm, in Solomon’s this charm would not be diminished, but intensified, by the recollection of the altar his father had built.
II. THE TIME.
1. Specific. “In the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign, began Solomon to build;” i.e. 480 years after the exodus from Egypt (1Ki 6:1); or, according to another reckoning, 592 years subsequent to that event, 240 after the building of Tyre, and 143 years 8 months prior to the founding of Carthage (Josephus, ‘Ant.,’ 8.3.1; ‘Against Apion,’ 1.17, 18). Great events make deep indentations on the memories of men as well as on the course of time. The building of the Solomonic temple, of more than national, was of world-wide importance.
2. Early. It shows the high conception Solomon had of the work delegated to him by his father, as well as marked out for him by God; indicates the earnestness and enthusiasm with which he undertook it, that he set about its performance almost at the earliest possible moment, “in the fourth year of his reign,” before erecting for himself a palace, or for his country a chain of forts. It is an Old Testament form of the New Testament lesson, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mat 6:33).
III. THE ERECTION.
1. The house, or the temple proper.
(1) Its dimensions: 60 cubits long, 20 broad (2Ch 3:3), 30 high (1Ki 6:2); i.e. taking the cubit at 1.33 feet, 79.8 feet, 26′. feet, and 39.9 feet, or, in round numbers, 80 feet, 27 feet, and 40 feet.
(2) Its parts. “The greater house” (2Ch 3:5), i.e. the holy place, or the outer of the two compartments into which the house was divided, and “the most holy house” (2Ch 3:8), or the inner of the two compartments. As this latter was a perfect cube, 20 cubits each way, the former was (internally viewed) a rectangular parallelopiped, of length 40, of breadth 20, of height 30 cubits. Besides these were “the upper chambers” (2Ch 3:9), or the space above the holy of holies, whose dimensions were 20 cubits long, 20 broad, and 10 high.
(3) Its ornaments. The house was built of white freestone cut from the royal quarries under Bezetha, the northern hill on which Jerusalem is built, smoothly polished and laid so skilfully and harmoniously together that “there appeared to the spectators no sign of any hammer or other instrument of architecture, but as if, without any use of them, the entire materials had naturally united themselves together” (Josephus, ‘Ant.,’ 8.3. 2). The interior of the house was covered with wood, the walls and the ceiling with cedar, the floor with cypress (1Ki 6:15), so that no part of the stonework was visible. The wood was ornamented with carved work representing palm trees (2Ch 3:5) and cherubim (2Ch 3:7), the latter on the walls, the former on the roof. In addition were knops or gourde and open flowers (1Ki 6:18). Similar decorations were carved upon the outer sides of the walls (1Ki 6:29). The whole house, interior and exteriorwalls, roof, beams, posts, doorswas overlaid with gold plates, which received impressions from the carved work underneath. “To say all in a word, Solomon left no part of the temple, neither internal nor external, but what was covered with gold” (Josephus). The gold, of the finest quality (1Ki 6:20), was fetched from Parvaim, a place of uncertain locationOphir in Ceylon (Bochart), Ophir in India (Knobel), Peru and Mexico (Ritter), Southern or Eastern Arabia (Bertheau), the peninsula of Malacca (Leyrer, in Herzog), having all been suggested. The veil which divided the compartments was made of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linenthe same materials as were employed in constructing the tabernacle vail (Exo 26:31)and was ornamented with similar cherubic figures. The precious stones wherewith the walls were garnished are not mentioned.
2. The porch.
(1) Its situation: in front of the house.
(2) Its dimensions: 20 cubits broad, 120 high, and 10 long (1Ki 6:3).
The disproportion between the ground measures and the altitude has suggested the existence in this place of an error (Keil), or of an intentional exaggeration (Bertheau), though Josephus appears to have regarded it as literally correct (‘Ant.,’ 8.3. 2). Ewald, who upholds the text as genuine, thinks of a tower rising above the porch to the height of 120 feet (‘History of Israel, ‘3.236); but this is far from probable, indeed statically impossible, and must be rejected. On the assumption of a corrupt text, the question remains how high the porch was. Some say 20 cubits (Keil), or 10 lower than the house; others 30, i.e. the exact height of the house (Bertheau); a third 23, at least as high as the pillars (Merz, in Herzog; Schurer, in Riehm).
(3) Its ornaments. Its interior was overlaid with fine gold (2Ch 3:4); its entrance guarded by two massive columns.
3. The pillars.
(1) Their names: that on the right Jachin, or, “He shall establish,” meaning that in this shrine Jehovah would henceforth permanently abide (1Ki 8:13; Psa 87:5; Psa 139:14), or that through this would the kingdom be henceforth immovably established (Psa 89:5); that on the left Boaz, signifying “In him, or in it, is strength,” and pointing perhaps to the fulness of heavenly might that resides in him who is the sanctuary’s God (Isa 45:24), or to the consolidation which should henceforth be given to the kingdom through the erection of this temple (Psa 144:14). Other explanations have been given, as that Jachin and Boaz were the names of the donors or builders of the pillars (Gesenius), or of two youthful sons of Solomon (Ewald), or that the two words should be read together, as if both were inscribed on each pillar, “He will establish, or may he establish, it with strength” (Thenius). Least acceptable of all solutions is that of the Fathers, that the two names were intended to point to the two natures in Christ, in whom, though appearing in a lowly garb of humanity, dwelt the fulness of Divine strength.
(2) Their height: thirty-five cubits, inclusive of the chapiter of five cubits with which each was crowned (2Ch 3:15); each shaft eighteen cubits, and each crown five cubits, or both together twenty-three cubits (1Ki 7:15, 1Ki 7:16; Jer 52:21; Josephus, ‘Ant.,’ 7.3. 4). It has been suggested that, as twice 18 are 36, the Chronicler should be regarded as stating the length of the two columns together. But as this does not get over the discrepancy, it is better to recognize that the original text has suffered some corruption.
(3) Their position: before the temple. Whether within the porch (1Ki 7:21), perhaps supporting the roof, or outside and apart from the building, is contested. The ablest art scholars who have given attention to the subject have decided for the latter (see Riehm, ‘Hand-worterbuch,’ art. “Jaehin and Boaz”).
(4) Their parts: first, a hollow column of brass, eighteen cubits high as above mentioned, twelve cubits in circumference, and of metal four fingers thick; and, second, a chapiter or crown of lily-work, i.e. a brass cup shaped like a fully-opened lilythe under part a belly-shaped band of network, bulging out between an under and an upper row of pomegranates strung on chains; above the upper row the lily-shaped cup, or crown, decorated all over with buds, flowers, and leaves like those of lilies.
LESSONS.
1. The place due to religion in communities and individuals, the first.
2. The quality of service given to God and the Church, the best.
3. The power of art to express the ideas and emotions of religion.W.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
. The Building of the Temple, and Making of the Holy Vessels: 2Ch 3:1 to 2Ch 5:1.
2Ch 3:1 And Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on mount Moriah, which was shown to his father David, and which he had prepared in the place of David, in the floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2And he began to build in the second month, on the second1 day in the fourth year of his reign.
3And this is the foundation of Solomon, to build the house of God: the length after the former measure was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. 4And the porch that was before the length, before the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the height a hundred and twenty2; and he 5overlaid it within with pure gold. And the great house he lined with cypress, and overlaid it with fine gold, and made thereon palms and garlands 6And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty; and the gold was 7gold of Parvaim. And he overlaid the house, the beams, the sills, and its walls and its doors, with gold, and graved cherubim on the walls.
8And he made the house of the most holy, that its length before the breadth of the house was twenty cubits, and its width twenty cubits; and overlaid it with fine gold, to six hundred talents. 9And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold: and he overlaid the upper rooms with gold. 10And he made in the house of the most holy two cherubim of sculptured work, and overlaid them with gold. 11And the wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long; the wing of the one was five cubits, touching the wall of the house, and the other wing five cubits, touching the wing of the other 12cherub. And the wing of the other cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the house, and the other wing five cubits, joining the wing of the first cherub. 13The wings of these cherubim spread forth twenty cubits; and they stood on their feet, and their faces to the house.
14And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and byssus, and raised cherubim thereon.
15And he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five3cubits height; and the capital that was on the top was five cubits. 16And he made chains in the ring,4 and put them on the pillars; and he made a hundred pomegranates, 17and put them on the chains. And he set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right and one on the left; and he called the name of the right pillar Jachin, and the name of the left Boaz.
2Ch 4:1 And he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits its length, and twenty 2cubits its breadth, and twenty cubits its height. And he made the sea molten; ten cubits from brim to brim, round about, and five cubits its height; 3and a line of thirty cubits compassed it about. And figures of oxen5 were under it, compassing it round about; ten in a cubit, encircling the sea around: two rows the oxen formed, cast out of its mass. 4It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking northward, and three looking westward, and three looking southward, and three looking eastward; and the sea was set on them above, 5and all their hinder parts were inwards. And its thickness was a hand-breadth, and its brim was wrought like the brim of a cup, as a lily blossom, 6holding in it (many) baths; it contained three thousand.6 And he made ten lavers, and put five on the right and five on the left, to wash in them; the work of the burnt-offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in. 7And he made ten candlesticks of gold, after their plan, 8and set them in the temple, five on the right and five on the left. And he made ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right, and five on 9the left: and he made basons of gold a hundred. And he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the door-leaves with brass. 10And he set the sea on the right side eastward, over against the south.
11And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the bowls: and Huram7 finished the work which he made for King Solomon in the house of God. 12The two pillars, and the balls, and the capitals on the top of the two pillars, and the two grates to cover the two balls of the capitals which were on the 13top of the pillars. And the four hundred pomegranates on the two grates; two rows of pomegranates on each grate, to cover the two balls of the capitals 14which were upon the two8 pillars. And he made9 stands, and he made lavers 15, 16upon the stands. One sea, and twelve oxen under it. And the pots, and the shovels, and the forks,10 and all their vessels, made Huram his father for King Solomon, for the house of the Lord, of bright brass. 17In the plain of Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground11 between Succoth and Zeredathah. 18dathah. And Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance; for the weight of the brass was not found out.
19And Solomon made all the vessels that were for the house of God, the 20golden altar, and the tables with the shew-bread on them. And the candlesticks with their lamps, to burn after their rule before the oracle of costly gold. 21And the flowers, and the lamps, and the snuffers: this was the most 22perfect gold.12 And the knives, and the bowls, and the censers, and the extinguishers of costly gold: and the door of the house, its inner leaves to the most holy place, and the door leaves of the house for the temple, of gold.
Ch 2Ch 5:1.Then was finished all the work that Solomon made for the house of the Lord: and Solomon brought in the holy gifts of David his father; and the silver, and the gold, and all the instruments he put among the treasures of the house of God.
EXEGETICAL
Preliminary Remark.From the description of the building of the temple in 1 Kings 6, 7, the present account is distinguished1. By this, that in the introduction more precise statements are made with respect to the plan of the building, but less precise with respect to the time when it began, than there (comp. 2Ch 3:1-2 with 1Ki 6:1); 2. By this, that our author describes, in unbroken connection, first (2Ch 3:3-17) the magnitude and arrangement of the edifice itself, then (2Ch 4:1-22) those of its several furnishings in the court and the sanctuary, whereas in 1 Kings 6, 7 this description meets with two considerable interruptions, inasmuch asa. an account of a divine promise given to the king during the building (2Ch 6:11-13), andb. a description of a palace-building of Solomon, partly concurrent with that of the temple (2Ch 7:1-11), are there inserted; 3. By a somewhat different arrangement of the several objects enumerated and described in 1 Kings 4. By the greater fulness and circumstantiality of the description, as contained in 1 Kings (for example, with respect to the ten brazen stands, 1Ki 7:27-38, which our author, 2Ch 4:14, only slightly mentions); and 5. By the here again remarkable excerpting habit of the Chronist. In the following exposition, only that which is peculiar to our author will be fully discussed; but with regard to that which he has in common with 1 Kings, or which he, compared with the more ample details there, only briefly notices, reference will be made to the exposition of Bhr (Bibelw. vii. pp. 3870), which is characterized by solidity and scientific ability.
1. Place and Time of building the Temple: 2Ch 3:1-2.And Solomon began . . . on mount Moriah. Only here is the site of the temple so named; but the designation is no doubt identical with the land of Moriah ( , land of the appearing of the Lord), Gen 22:2. The place of the celebrated sacrifice of Abraham was even that floor of Ornan on which David presented his offering, and which he had consequently chosen for the site of the temple, the hill lying north-east of Zion, which is now called the Haram, after the holy mosque of the Mahommedans standing on it. Comp. Rosen, Das Haram, Gotha 1866, and the plan and description in Ph. Wolffs Jerusalem (3d edit. 1872), p. 89 ff.Which was shown to his father David, as the future site of the temple; see 1Ch 21:15 ff. Against this most usual exposition it may certainly be objected (with Keil) that the Niphal elsewhere denotes, not be shown, but be seen, appear. Yet the rendering of Keil: where He (Jehovah) appeared to his father David (so also the Sept.), has this defect, that the subject Jehovah has to be supplied, and that has to be taken in the sense of , as elsewhere only in the phrase (Ew. 331, c, 3)(and) which he had prepared in the place of David, which site he (Solomon) had prepared on the place fixed by David. So Berth., Kamph., etc., and in the main Luther, Starke, and other ancients (for example, Rambach: quam domum prparavit Salomo in loco Davidis). On the contrary, the Sept., Vulg., Syr., etc., translate as if stood before , in the place which David had prepared (the building of the temple); and Keil, in accordance with his supplying of Jehovah as subject to , interprets: who (David) had prepared the house, that is, the building of it, in the place appointed of David. None of these expositions is quite satisfactory; whence it is natural to suppose some corruption of the text.
2Ch 3:2. And he began to build in the second month, in the second. As cannot well (comp: Luther, etc.) signify on the second day, for this would be expressed by or the like (with the cardinal number), it is strongly to be suspected that the word has come into the text by an error of transcription; comp. Crit. Note. The second month is Ziph, corresponding nearly with our May (comp. 1Ki 6:37).In the fourth year of his reign, that is, as Solomon reigned from 1015, about the year 1012 b.c. (comp. Hitzig, Gesch. p. 10 f., whose chronological determinations otherwise contain much that is arbitrary; among other things, the assumption that Solomon reigned from 1035 b.c., thus, on the whole, not forty but sixty years).
2. The building of the Temple itself; and first, of the Porch and the Holy Place (or the Front and Middle Room): 2Ch 3:3-7.And this is the foundation of Solomon; these are the fundamental proportions which he employed in building. The inf. Hoph. is used substantively, as in Ezr 3:11.The length after the former measure, the Mosaic or holy cubit, that, Eze 40:5; Eze 43:13, was a handbreadth longer than the civic cubit of the later time, in and after the exile (comp. on 1Ch 22:13 f.). Only the length and the width of the temple are here given, not its height, which was, 1Ki 6:2, thirty cubits.
2Ch 3:4. And the porch, that was before the length, that extended in front of the oblong house as its entrance,before the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, was measured in front of the width of the house, twenty cubits. That the breadth or depth of this porch was not twenty cubits, but only ten (1Ki 6:3), is not here said, but follows of necessity from the following statements concerning the size of the most holy place compared with that of the holy place, which was twice as long (comp. 2Ch 3:3 with 2Ch 3:8).And the height a hundred and twenty. A certainly erroneous statement; a front building of 120 cubits height, before a house only thirty cubits high, could not be called , but would have been a , tower (Keil). Behind the present defective reading is perhaps concealed the statement that the breadth of the porch was ten cubits: Berth. and Kamph. wish to arrange the text after 1Ki 6:3 : And the porch, which was before the house, its breadth was ten cubits before it, and the length, which was before the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits. But there are some objections to this emendation; see Keil, p. 235 (Remark 1).
2Ch 3:5. And the great house he lined with cypress. The holy place is called the great house, as forming the chief room of the whole house. Line, , coinciding essentially with the foregoing overlay, stands here twice, first of lining the stone with wood, and then of overlaying or plating this wood with gold.Made thereon palms and garlands, applied to it ornaments of palms and garlands (according to 1Ki 6:18, in the form of bas-reliefs cut in the panels of the wall). = the fem. used in the same sense, 1Ki 6:29; 1Ki 6:35, figures of palms; this masc. form occurs also Ezek. 41:28. , properly, chains of gold wire,see 2Ch 3:16 and Exo 28:14,but here ornaments wound like a chain on the gilded walls, representing garlands.
2Ch 3:6. And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty; comp. 1Ch 29:2, and Bhr on 1Ki 6:7.And the gold was gold of Parvaim, from Parvaim, a country, as the etymon of the probable Indian name seems to indicate, situated in the east, but of unknown, and not to be determined, site. On its conjectured identity with Ophir, and the opinions regarding it, see the excursus after 2 Chronicles 8
2Ch 3:7. And he overlaid the house, the beams, those of the ceiling, as those next named, the sills that are under the doors. Somewhat more precise than the present statements concerning the internal decorations of the house (the holy place with its porch, which are here in question, as 2Ch 3:8 ff. show) are those contained in 1Ki 6:18; 1Ki 6:29-30.
3. The Most Holy Place, with its Cherubic Figures and Veil: 2Ch 3:8-14.And he made the house of the most holy, that its length . . . twenty cubits. That, besides the length and breadth, the height also was the same, and thus its form was cubic, see 1Ki 6:20. Our author does not specially set forth this certainly symbolic circumstance; on the contrary, his love of the ornamental and magnificent leads him to set forth another circumstance omitted in 1 Kings, that the weight of the gold plating for the inner wall of the most holy place was 600 talents.
2Ch 3:9. And the weight of the nails, that served for fastening the gold plate on the wooden lining of the walls. And this statement concerning the weight of the nails being fifty shekels is peculiar to our author, and characteristic of him; as also the following one in b, concerning the inner gilding of the upper chambers over the most holy place (comp. 1Ch 28:11).
2Ch 3:10. Two cherubim of sculptured work, literally, a work of imagery. , from the Arab, root zua, finxit, formavit, only here in the O. T.Overlaid them with gold, a remark occurring also 1Ki 6:28, but there forming the end of the description of the cherubim.
2Ch 3:10-12. The description of the size and position of the four outspread wings, each five cubits long, is clumsy and circumstantial, after the Eastern fashion, but at the same time perfectly obvious and clear. The expressions for the mutual contact of the tips of the wings are and (once 2Ch 3:12) , properly; cleave, adhrere.
2Ch 3:13. The wings of these cherubim spread forth twenty cubits, literally, were spreading forth (effected an expansion of) twenty cubits; comp. on , 1Ch 28:18; 2Ch 5:8. Against Berth., who would expel out of the text; see Keil on this passage.Stood on their feet, and their faces to the house, that is, to the holy place, not to one another, as the faces of the cherubs on the mercy-seat (Exo 25:20). That they had in this upright position a height of ten cubits, the author of 1 Kings (2Ch 6:26) affirms in his more exact statement of the proportions. Are we entitled to infer from the statement of our author the human form of the cherubim? This appears at all events very probable; comp. Bhr on 1Ki 6:23 ff., and Riehm, Die Cherubim in der Stiftshtte und im Tempel, Theol. Stud. und Krit. 1871, iii. p. 399 ff., where (as in the treatise De natura et notione symbolica cheruborum, 1864) this theologian certainly, for the oldest time, conceives the cherubim as theophanic storm-clouds, and represents them in the form of birds, but, for the latter time (and certainly for that of Solomon), affirms a change of this prey-bird form to a winged human form. Similarly H. Schultz, Alttestamentl. Theol. i. 337 ff., and Dillmann, Art. Cherubim in Schenkels Bibel-Lexikon.
2Ch 3:14. And he made the veil of blue, and purple, etc., thus of the same four materials of which the veil in the tabernacle had been made, and interwoven with the same cherubic figures as it was; see Exo 26:31. On this , the inner veil between the holy and the most holy place, the older description of the temple in 1Ki 6:21 says nothing.
4. The Two Pillars Jachin and Boaz: 2Ch 3:15-17; comp. the much fuller description in 1Ki 7:15-22; 1Ki 7:41-42 (also 2Ch 4:12 f.).And he made before the house (in the porch) two pillars of thirty and five cubits height; in 1 Kings, rather of eighteen cubits; see Crit. Note.And the capital that was on the top. Instead of the , head-piece (from , cover, overlay), the parallel 1Ki 7:16 gives the term , crown, pommel.
2Ch 3:16. And he made chains in the ring, in the girdle-formed network encircling the top of the pillars, that served for the fastening of the pomegranates, and is otherwise called , network, but here , collar (comp. Gen 41:42; Eze 16:11); for is certainly to be read instead of , which gives no tolerable sense, and has drawn away the old translations to strange explanations (Vulg.: quasi catenulas in oraculo; Syr. and Arab.: chains of fifty cubits length, that is, reaching from the most holy place to the pillars, etc.); comp. the Crit. Note. Moreover, the term seems to be a synonym rather of the , network, mentioned 2Ch 4:12-13, than of the balls, rolls, mentioned in the same place (against Keil).Made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains, perhaps so that there was an apple on every link of the chain-like ornament (Berth.). The number 100, which is given also in Jer 52:23, determines also merely the one of the two rows of pomegranates which hung on every ring or girdle of the network. That each of these bore 100 apples, and thus the sum total of all the apples on both pillars amounted to 400, is stated 2Ch 4:13, in accordance with 1Ki 7:42. On 2Ch 3:17, especially on the names Jachin and Boaz, see Bhr on 1Ki 7:21.
5. The Holy Furniture of the Temple and its Court: 2Ch 4:1-10.
2Ch 4:1. The brazen altar. And he made an altar of brass, the altar of burnt-offering. See more particularly concerning its construction, more exactly described in Eze 43:13-17, and its probably terrace-like appearance, in Keil, Archol. p. 127, with the plan, plate iii. fig. 2. That our verse has no parallel in 1 Kings 6, 7 is perhaps only accidental, but may arise from this, that there only articles made by Huram (Hiram) are fully described, to which the altar of burnt-offering did not belong. It is, moreover, only incidentally mentioned in 1 Kings, namely, in 2 Chronicles 8 22, 64, on occasion of the dedication of the temple, and again in 2Ch 9:25.
2Ch 4:2-5. The Brazen Sea; comp. 1Ki 7:23-26 and the expositors thereon.A line of thirty cubits compassed it about, formed the measure of its circumference (the actual existence of such a line is not to be supposed).
2Ch 4:3. And figures of oxen were under it, instead of which 1Ki 7:24 has: and colocynths (or flower buds, according to Bhr) were under the brim of it round about. Our therefore appears an error of transcription for , as in the second member for .
2Ch 4:5. Holding in it (many) baths; it contained three thousand. According to 1Ki 7:26, rather only 2000, which number alone suits the size of the vessel as described in 2Ch 4:2 (comp. Crit. Note). Moreover, the , it contained, is by no means disturbing, as Berth. and Kamph. think, who condemn it as a gloss coming into the text from 1 Kings. The pleonastic phrase rather suits the effort of the author to represent the size of the vessel as very great; and the construction is essentially the same as in the following verse.
2Ch 4:6. The Ten Lavers, with the incidental Statement of the Use of the Brazen Sea.And he made ten lavers. Much more full is 1Ki 7:27-38, where the stands bearing these lavers are described with special minuteness.To wash in them; the work of the burnt-offering they washed in them, the flesh of the burnt-offerings to be burned on the altar. On , scour, rinse, as a synonym of , comp. Jos 4:4; Eze 40:38.
2Ch 4:7. The Golden Candlesticks in the Holy Place. The notice of these is wanting, as well as the following one referring to the ten tables, and the next referring to the two courts, in the parallel text 1Ki 7:39, perhaps from a gap in the text. Yet incidental references to these objects are found there; see 1Ki 6:36; 1Ki 7:12; 1Ki 7:48-49.After their plan, properly, according to their right, , a reference to Exo 25:31 ff.
2Ch 4:8. And he made ten tables, on which to place the ten candlesticks, scarcely for the shew-bread, as seems to follow from 2Ch 4:19; see rather on this passage, as on 1Ch 28:16 (against Light-foot), Starke, Bhr, Keil, etc.And he madebasins of gold, bowls or tankards for pouring the libation; comp. Amo 6:6; scarcely bowls for receiving the blood of the victim (as Berth. thinks).
2Ch 4:9. And he made the courts of the priests, the smaller or inner court (1Ki 6:36; 1Ki 7:12), or also the upper court, as it is called, Jer 36:10, on account of its greater elevation.And the great court, the outer ( connected with ); comp. Eze 43:14 ff; Eze 45:19, where it is distinguished as the lower or new court, from the inner or upper court of the priests. A more precise description of this outer court is wanting as well in 1 Kings 6, 7, where it is not even mentioned, as in our passage, where only its door leaves overlaid with brass are mentioned.
2Ch 4:10. Addendum concerning the Position of the Brazen Sea; comp. 1Ki 7:39 b.
6. The Brass Works of Huram: 2Ch 4:11-18. The list is opened with the pots, shovels, and bowls, objects belonging to the furniture of the altar of burnt-offering in the court, that belong properly to the foregoing section. Even so 1Ki 7:40, where likewise with in the middle of the verse we pass to all that was made by Huram.The pots, and the shovels, and the bowls. (for which 1Ki 7:40, defectively: ) are the pots for taking away the ashes; , the shovels for removing the ashes from the altar; (perhaps to be distinguished from , the sprinkling-bowls or wine tankards in 2Ch 4:8 b), the bowls for receiving and sprinkling the blood.And Huram finished the work. Comp. from this to the end of the section the almost literally agreeing verses 1Ki 7:40 b47, and Bhr on the passage. For the partial deviations and errors in our text, see Crit. Note.
2Ch 4:16. And all their vessels. Most recent expositors (also Keil) wish to read, after 1Ki 7:45 : all these vessels, , because we cannot think in the vessels of the vessels hitherto named. But might not the forms (models) be meant in which the various vessels were cast? The allusion to the foundries of the king in the next verse makes this very probable; but the reading in 1Ki 7:45 appears by no means absolutely settled.Made Huram his father. For , see on 2Ch 2:12.Of bright brass, , accus. materi; in 2 Kings the equivalent stands for this.
2Ch 4:17. In the plain of Jordan (properly, in the circuit of Jordan) the king cast them, in the clay ground, properly, in the densities of the ground, (or, if the reading is to be preferred, sing.: in the density of the ground; , Sept.). According to the older exegesis, the phrase denoted: in the clay ground, in argillosa terra (Vulg.). The designation of the hard forms for the casting, which Berth. thinks are mentioned here, should rather be the of 2Ch 4:16.Between Succoth and Zeredathah. In 1Ki 7:46 the name of the second place is Zarthan, which is only another form of Zeredathah; comp. Jdg 7:22.
2Ch 4:18. For the weight of the brass was not found out, or was not determined (Berth.); that is, there was so great a quantity, that, etc. (comp. 2Ch 5:6).
7. Enumeration of the Golden Vessels of the Sanctuary, with the Close of the whole Account of the Building: 2Ch 4:19ch. 2Ch 5:1; comp. 1Ki 7:48-51, which section also deviates much in its first verses from the present one.And the tables with the shew-bread on them. Originally, perhaps, only an inexact expression (synecdoche), as in 1Ch 28:16, this mention of the has here certainly the appearance of a multiplicity of tables for the shew-bread. But 1Ki 7:48 names quite distinctly only one table.
2Ch 4:20. And the candlesticks . . . to burn after their rule (, as 2Ch 4:7) before the oracle, the debir, that is, the most holy place. The candlesticks had accordingly their place in the holy place immediately before the veil; and so the altar of incense (comp. Heb 9:4).
2Ch 4:21. And the flowers, and the lamps. Comp. Bhr on 1Ki 7:49.This was the most perfect gold. , properly, perfections of gold; the elsewhere not occurring (equivalent to , Psa 50:2, or , Eze 23:12) appears unintelligible to the Sept., and hence the whole clause is omitted. As it appears superfluous along with the costly gold at the close of the verse before, and is wanting in 1Ki 7:49, it awakens critical suspicion.
2Ch 4:22. And the knives, serving perhaps to clean the lamps (with the snuffers), but also for other purposes. Their place among the vessels of the temple is attested also by 2Ki 12:14; Jer 52:18. For the next named bowls see on 2Ch 4:11. The (trays for the incense) and (extinguishers) are also named 1Ki 7:50 : on the contrary, the (basons) named there first are wanting here.And the door of the house. appears to be a general collective phrase for the opening, doorway, outlet of the house; for it includes two doors, that into the holy place, and that into the holy of holies. The parallel 1Ki 7:50 : , leads to the conjecture that is perhaps an error for , and the hinges (in which case also must be put for ).
2Ch 5:1 agrees almost to the letter with 1Ki 7:51. The before is best rendered by namely; comp. 2Ch 4:19; less probable is the rendering: as: well the silver as also the gold (Keil). For these gifts of David, see the account in 1Ch 18:10 f.; also 1Ch 26:26 f., 2Ch 29:3 ff.
. The Dedication of the Temple: 2Ch 5:2 to 2Ch 7:10
1. Removal of the Ark from Zion to the Temple: 2Ch 5:2-14
2Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chiefs of the fathers of the sons of Israel, to Jerusalem, to bring up the ark 3of the covenant of the Lord from the city of David, which is Zion. And all the men of Israel assembled unto the king in the feast, which was the seventh month. 4And all the elders of Israel came j and the Levites bore the ark. 5And they brought up the ark and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels 6that were in the tent; the priests, the Levites,13 brought them up. And king Solomon, and all the assembly of Israel that assembled with him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, that could not be told or numbered for multitude. 7And the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord into its place, into the oracle of the house, the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim. 8For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the 9cherubim covered the ark and its staves above. And they made the staves so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark,14 before the oracle, but 10they were not seen without: and they were there unto this day. Nothing was in the ark save the two tables, which Moses put into it at Horeb, where the Lord made [a covenant] with the sons of Israel, when they came out of Egypt. 11And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy placefor all the priests 12that were present had sanctified themselves, without observing the courses. And the Levites, the singers all of them, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, and their sons and brethren, arrayed in byssus, with cymbals, and psalteries, and harps, stood at the east of the altar, and with them a hundred and twenty priests 13sounding with trumpets.15 And the trumpeters and singers were as one [man] to sound aloud with one voice to praise and thank the Lord, and when they lifted up the voice with trumpets, and cymbals, and instruments of song, and with praising the Lord: For He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever: then the 14house was filled with the cloud of the house of the Lord. And the priests could not stand to minister before the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
Footnotes:
[1] , which the Sept. and Vulg. do not express, appears a gloss brought into the text by repetition of the foregoing .
[2] appears a defective reading, as the Sept. cod. Al., Syr., and Ar. have 20 for 120. Comp. the Exeg. Expl.
[3]According to the parallels 1Ki 7:15, 2Ki 25:17, etc, instead of thirty-five () must apparently be read eighteen ().
[4]so according to the emendation of Berth.: , instead of the Masoretic (Sept. ), which yields no suitable sense.
[5] appears a slip of the pen for (1Ki 7:24), as in b, for .
[6]For is to be read, according to 1Ki 7:26, (2000); the before seems to have come into the text from the fourfold in the verse before.
[7]The Kethib has here Hiram (), the only time this reading occurs in Chronicles.
[8]For read , although stands also in 1Ki 7:42; but see Sept. there.
[9] seems wrongly written for , as the second time for . Comp. 1Ki 7:43.
[10] is perhaps written wrongly for , sprinkling cups, 2Ch 3:11. Comp. 1Ki 7:44.
[11]For some prints give .
[12]The words are not represented in the Sept.
[13]Before is to be supplied , according to 1Ki 8:4.
[14] appears to be an error of transcription for .
[15] Kethib: ; Keri: ; so 2Ch 5:13 and 2Ch 7:6. Comp. Exeg. Expl. on 1Ch 15:24.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
CONTENTS
The information in this Chapter, is in respect to the building of the temple. Here is an account of the spot, the time in which it was begun, the dimensions, extent, and ornaments of it.
2Ch 3:1
Though we have a more particular account in 1Ki 6 , (to which once for all I refer the Reader) of this temple, and the building of it by Solomon; yet, as the Holy Ghost hath been pleased to have it recorded again in this book of the Chronicles, it evidently implies the importance of the thing itself; and how highly it ought to be regarded. I should not think myself justified, therefore, in passing it hastily by. And first, Reader, consider the hallowed spot in Mount Moriah. A spot rendered forever memorable, being the place the Lord pointed out to Abraham, for the offering of his son Isaac. And as this was evidently intended to shadow forth the offering of the Lord Jesus Christ; what spot could be more suited for the temple (which was also a type of Christ) to be erected upon? Mount Moriah was one of those several mounts around Jerusalem. Mount Calvary stood near it. And what is observable moreover is, that neither Abraham nor Solomon had any hand in the choice of the place. God himself appointed both. Jesus is of the Lord’s own providing. Gen 22:2 . And, secondly, what rendered this place more memorable was, that it was in the place in which the Lord had answered by fire. 1Ch 22:18-19 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2Ch 3:1-17 .
1. Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father [rather, “which was shown to David his father”], in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Oman [or, Araunah. See 2Sa 24:18 ; 1Ch 21:18 ] the Jebusite.
2. And he began to build in the second day [omit “day;” many commentators would also omit “in the second.” The verse would then run thus: “And he began to build in the second month in the fourth year of his reign” (comp. 1Ki 6:1 )] of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
3. Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed [ Heb. founded] for the building of the house of God” [The passage should be thus translated: “Now this is the ground-plan of Solomon 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 [This differs considerably from 1Ki 6:2 . The true reading is, beyond any reasonable doubt: “And the height was twenty cubits “]: and he overlaid it within with pure gold.
5. And the greater house [ i.e., the holy place, or main chamber of the temple, intervening between the porch and the holy of holies] he ceiled with fir tree [rather, “he covered” or “lined.” The reference is not to the ceiling, which was entirely of wood, but to the walls and floor, which were of stone, with a covering of planks (see 1Ki 6:15-18 )], which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains. [The ornamentation of the temple walls with palm trees is noticed in 1Ki 6:29 . “Chains” are not there mentioned.]
6. And he garnished [ Heb. covered] the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim [This word does not occur elsewhere in Scripture. It has generally been taken for the name of a place; but what place is quite uncertain].
7. He overlaid also the house [still the holy place, or great chamber of the temple], the beams, the posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold: and graved cherubims on the walls.
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 [or, as some think, of movable] work, and overlaid them with gold.
11. And the wings of the cherubims [comp. 1Ki 6:24-27 ] 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 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 [Literally, “their faces were toward the house.” Instead of looking towards one another, with heads bent downward over the mercy-seat, like the cherubs of Moses ( Exo 37:9 ), these of Solomon looked out from the sanctuary into the great chamber, here as elsewhere often called , ” the house.”]
14. And he made the vail [an important addition to the description in Kings, where the vail is not mentioned] of blue, and purple, and crimson [ i.e., exactly the same colours as the vail of the tabernacle ( Exo 26:31 )], and fine linen, and wrought [Literally, caused to ascend] cherubims thereon.
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 [ 1Ki 7:21 ] 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 [“He shall establish “], and the name of that on the left Boaz [“In it is strength “].
The Building of the Temple
“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.
“And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign” (
WE do not want commonplace diaries. If diaries were commonplace they could be done without; it is because they are special that they acquire their uniqueness and their value. Who could do without memorable days, hours never to be forgotten, occasions that focalise a lifetime, red-letter days? They help us to live the rest of the time. The week may be barren, exacting, difficult of management, but a sweet Sabbath, a day right royal in its engagements and in its enjoyments, helps us through the six days with the sublety, the grace, and the comfort of an inspiration. Have we not all had memorable days? the day when the boy left home, the second day of the second month, in the fifteenth year of his age. He can never know what emptiness he left behind him. The people he left professed to smile, and laughed a glad laugh, but they had a sore time of it after the boy had left. The day when the young man finds his first friend in business, the head that can direct him, the hand strong enough to give him assurance of protection, the voice all strength and music that charmed his fears away, and gave him consciousness of latent possibilities of his own; the day when the young man got his first practical hold of life and business, how much he made in his first little profit, his introductory return, the very first sovereign he honestly made by his own wits and energy; he never could have another sovereign with so many shillings in it as that, it was in the second day of the second month, in the twentieth year of his age. He thought he would send it home to be looked at; he imagined that in the little village he had left that sovereign would create quite a sensation. Yet he dare not trust it out of his sight. Six times a day he examined it to feel that it was real metal and no painted gold: for he made it, his labour won it, and he accepts it as an assurance that God will not forsake him. Do not let all days be alike; save yourselves from so running one day into another as to drop the dignity, the accent, and the significance of special occasions. Nor turn these occasions into opportunities for mere sentimentality. There is another boy leaving home, there is another youth wanting a first friend, there is another struggler panting to win the first prize. By the memory of what you did in the second day of the second month, in the twentieth year of your age, stop, and help him who hath no helper.
“Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God” ( 2Ch 3:3 ).
The building of the temple is a striking example of life-building. Instead of saying Solomon began to build a temple, say Solomon began to build a life, and all that he did will fall into its proper place, and every item in the specification will be useful. It is folly to build a temple if you are not building a life. It aggravates the mischief of life to be doing some good things, and leaving the best things undone. Better do nothing, better be a whole fool and absolute, than be so wise in little points as to turn all the rest of life into practical madness. “Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed:” literally, Now this is the ground-plan. So many people are building without a ground-plan. It would seem as if they were attempting to perform the impossibility of building from the top; they have no foundations, no great principles, no settled, vital, unchangeable convictions; there is a brick here, and a stone there, and a beam of wood yonder, but there is no grand scheme, no grasp, no plan approved by architectural experience. “Solomon was instructed.” Then Solomon was not a born builder, that is to say, a man who needed no instruction, no hint, no apprenticeship, in these things. He was a man who began with instruction. Who does not feel that he is wholly independent of education in the matter of life-building? Man often makes himself the victim of a phrase; so he claims the right of private judgment, the right of individual conscience. Noble words when nobly used, when used wisely in the scheme of life; but if made to minister to conceit, to the individualism which is solitude, and to the solitude which is atheistic, then there is no right in the matter from beginning to end, it is vanity, and wind, and folly. A man is none the worse for having his little book of instructions in his pocket when he goes abroad. The book is not a large one in mere superficies, but who can declare in arithmetical numbers its cubical contents? Every line is a volume; every sentence is a time-bill; every proposition is a philosophy. Even Solomon accepted instruction. It is never wise to be beyond a hint, beyond the counsel of experience, or beyond the encouragement of men who have done a great deal of life-building and who know all the difficulties of the situation.
Solomon began well: what wonder if he continue well! He said he would start life with the dowry of wisdom. Then he could never be poor. Men could spend all the stars if they were sovereigns: they can never spend the inheritance of wisdom; the more you utilise it the more it becomes; it is a kind of bread which grows in the breaking of it, so that having fed five thousand men you have whole basketfuls of fragments to take up, and you perform the arithmetical miracle of having more at the end than you had at the beginning. Give a spendthrift the universe in golden coins, and he will stand at the other end of it a pauper, and will be wholly unable to tell you how he spent the money. Wisdom is wealth. Knowledge is power. To have a real philosophy of life not an outward mechanism of it, but a vital conception of its meaning and its purpose is to be really rich. Men should set themselves down and ask some questions: What is life? How long is it? How much is there of it? At what counter is this gold to be spent? Were men to ask questions so far-reaching and much-involving there would indeed be a revival of religion, because there would be a revival of common-sense, a revival of practical philosophy, a revival of truest wisdom. But men perish for the want of a plan; they do not know where they begin, or in what course they are going. What wonder if experience has written as its proverb, The chapter of accidents is the Bible of the fool? No accidents could happen to Solomon, because he started at the right point; accepted the true definition of life, function, and faculty; and walked in the light of wisdom. If it happened that Solomon should ever trifle with that light, conceal it, modify it, despise it, he would go to the devil. No matter though he had built a thousand temples he would land in perdition if he ceased to walk in the ways of wisdom. No man can build himself up to heaven, however many temples he may build: he must build up from within, build up in the matter of conviction, principles, life, character; he must blossom into purity, he must fructify into love; he must breathe himself into heaven by the power and grace of God. Men are not dragged into heaven against their will: they grow in grace and knowledge and liberty, and they are in heaven almost imperceptibly. Let every man take heed how he useth wisdom, and let him take heed especially who imagines that his feet cannot slip.
Sometimes we wish that we had a rehearsal of life; and that we might come back and begin at the beginning, and walk in the light of experience. Some men have thought to amend Providence in these arrangements; thus: suppose a man could live until thirty years of age a kind of rehearsal life, trying life, tasting its various cups, walking in its various ways, ascertaining the key or clue to the labyrinth, and then coming back and beginning, so that we might live after the manner dictated and justified by experience. There is no need of it; there is something better than experience, something infinitely preferable. What is that something? Revelation. The whole map is laid out; every man may tell exactly where he is at any moment If men will close the specification and begin to build after their own invention, what wonder if they should be ashamed of their own architecture and never trust themselves to the roof of their own building? If men will close the book, and abandon the instructions and play at being God on their own account, what wonder if we should find them next in a swamp? Life has been lived, right away down to old age. There is nothing unfamiliar in life; we find it in infancy, in youth, and in manhood; in business, in literature, in pleasure; in selfishness, in nobility; in misanthropy, in philanthropy; we find it in old age, we find it struggling with death: what more do we want? All the sea has been marked out, the chart is plainly written here is a rock, there a reef, yonder a dangerous whirl of water, if men will leave the chart at home, and throw the compass overboard, who will pity their fate should they be lost at sea? The Christian claims that the whole map or chart of life is to be found in the Book of God; and so it is. There is nothing fantastic in the claim. If there were no spiritual philosophy in it, it overflows with common-sense. It is a treasure-house of experience. So there need be no pensive desire for a trial-trip in the ways of life. All the dead say, they will accompany us; all hell says that it would come with us if it could to prevent our going to that place of torment. Not only living teachers, frail as ourselves, but the innumerable dead, wise as philosophy, foolish as madness, all want to go with the young traveller, and to tell him what waters to drink, what food to avoid, what herbs to pluck for healing, what gates to open upon larger spaces for cultivation and ownership. No man needs go the life-road alone. Every stone is known, every footprint is identified, and the lifting of a hand is foretold with infinite precision. Everything now is in weights and scales and balances and standards, and no man can be at any uncertainty as to the value of a thought or the issue of a volition. Let revelation take the place of rehearsal.
Solomon had a definite purpose in view, he was building a temple. Definiteness of purpose economises time, enables strength to issue in the noblest accomplishments; want of definiteness means frivolity, extravagance, or selfishness, or narrowness of policy, certainly it means ultimate disappointment and mortification. We cannot all build the same kind of building. Each man is appointed to carry out his own particular work: let each see that he make his calling and election sure. Sometimes we may be working at various points of the same temple. There is a great law of combination and cooperation, so that every man’s work should be of no value in itself, but when all the work is brought together and fashioned in its first and its ulterior meaning, then every man has glory or satisfaction in his own particular contribution. Take any instrument; divide its construction into a dozen sections; let each labour according to his own particular skill and experience: let each hold up the part which he has done, and there is no value in any one part: bring them together by a master hand, bring them into accord, then the angel of music will descend to dwell in that tabernacle, to speak through every door and window, and make a wide circle glad with heaven’s joy. So we cannot sometimes tell what we are doing. We have to wait until the master brings all the work together; then some who have been working in the dark, hardly knowing what they have been doing, will see that they have been making unconscious contributions to life’s organ, to life’s temple. A man will have good reason to know what he is doing if he pay attention to Providence. There need not be so much darkness in the ways of life as is often supposed.
“And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work” ( 2Ch 3:10 ).
That was bold, yet it was necessary. We must paint, we must have pictures; if we cannot have reds and golds and blues and subtle mixtures of hue, we must have black and white. It is in us that we should have something beautiful to look at. Solomon had graved or painted cherubims. Think of painted wings; what mockeries! wings that never stirred, never fluttered, never warmed themselves in the waiting sun. The Church is full of these wings now, painted wings, painted cherubim. We have not these names, but we have other names that we idolize. We have now painted creeds: how astonishingly hideous they look! they are painted on the walls in blue, shaded with gilt, “I believe in God.” Is that a painted creed? Yes. A painted wing is an intolerable offence to the imagination, but a painted faith, who can bear it? If it stand there as a mere symbol, it may be beautiful; if it mean that what is painted on the wall is painted with blood in the life, let it stand: the eye may help the fancy and the soul; but if our creed be only painted, it is as a painted wing: you will always find it where you left it a wing that cannot flutter, much less fly, a wing that is useless in every aspect. The poet says
So with our painted faiths. If our creed be not in our heart it will be as a millstone round about our neck. We have painted resolutions. They are the gallery which, if it were to be sold at a pound a foot, would make the Church a millionaire. What resolutions the Church has passed and forgotten!
Solomon having carried forward the temple so far,
“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” ( 2Ch 3:17 ).
There is wonderful suggestion of strength in a pillar. What dignity, too, that straight line has! Who can look at a pillar and be unmoved? To some blind eyes it is nothing, but to those whose eyes are in their heads, what is signified by its uprightness, its solidity, its obvious utility, its preparedness to stand there and take the risks of the building upon it? Mr. Ruskin says that not only must a pillar be strong, it must look strong. That gives men confidence in a public building. A pillar an inch in diameter might be perfectly sufficient for its work, but it does not look sufficient. All God’s building is manifestly established, strong, solid; the very gossamer which God weaves is more enduring than a plate of steel. “The foundation of the Lord standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his.” And yet on the top of the pillars we find lily-work, little tufts of beauty; so that we must not only have utility, but decoration. Beauty has a great part to play in the ministry of life. Little flowers come and go, but they always come as gospels, and leave behind them a sense of benediction. So it is in great character. Men may be too severe in their righteousness. They may be of that quality which men like to admire through a telescope, but which no little child would ever come near were there any other road to fly away by. Add to your faith until you reach brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness add charity a great pillar, with a capital of beauty. We cannot live upon severity, we cannot feast upon righteousness; and we cannot live without truth and without uprightness. In Christ we find strength and beauty.
Solomon did one thing which is of infinite significance, Solomon having finished his building brought up the ark. It was a new building, but it was an old ark. You cannot make two arks. Some things are done once for all. So in life we may have new situations, but the old truth; new churches, but the old Bible. No man may publish a supplement to the Bible: he may plant its acorns, and grow them into oaks; he may sow flowers, and grow them into new paradises of beauty; but a new temple with a new Bible would be an intolerable novelty it would be too new. See Solomon’s temple, which he spoke of in terms that to our modern conceptions of building are almost fabulous, but see within that magical fabric the old ark the ark that had seen the wilderness and seen the battle, and gone through all the varieties of an eventful fortune; yet there it stood, still the treasure-house of the heart, still the light of the Church, still the security of the spiritual kingdom upon the earth. But even here we find encouragement to persevere, for even here we may have novelty and antiquity a new head-dress, but the old philosophies inhabiting the brain, and taking possession and dominion of the soul and ruling it with gentle sway. We may have a new house, larger than the last by many a room, even by story upon story, for our last house was a little one, and our present house is an ample habitation, the one a habi-taculum, the other a palace, but in both the old Bible, the old ark, the old commandments, the old mercy-seat. If you had encouragement to proceed, you could build elaborately, and prove your earnestness by your expenditure. Solomon so proved his enthusiasm. He kept back nothing. And he sent to heathen nations to send in all they could gather. But he never sent to them to furnish him with an ark; he never said, If you can find me a new altar, a new God, a new faith, I should be obliged to you. The temple was nothing until the ark was put into it: the church is nothing until the Bible is read in it: then every stone is consecrated, the roof is a sky. So it must be in all life; we must have wisdom to start with, instruction to proceed with, enthusiasm attested by expenditure, strength and beauty, establishment and direction, and within all our novelties we must have the eternal, the unchangeable ark, the verity that submits to no modification, the law that grows into love, the righteousness clothed with garments of mercy. Let men who have hitherto been acting the part that is foolish take up the policy that is wise. Have a programme or ground-plan of life, a brief creed and yet an infinite faith: having some things that cannot be exchanged for gold, and compared with which rubies would be worthless dust. What will the end be of a man who adopts this course? The end will be a living temple, a divine ark,–music, peace, joy, infinite contentment.
Prayer
We have not come to the mount that might be touched and that burned with fire, but we have come unto mount Zion, the city of the living God, and unto the blood of Jesus. By that holy sacrifice we have all things that are good, the nourishment of our soul, and the education of all our faculties, and our preparation for all things yet to come. Without the cross we have nothing; with thy cross, thou Son of God, we have all things, and we abound. We know that if God spared not his only begotten Son, there was nothing he would not give; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. We do not accept the cross as the end of God’s gifts, but as the seal and pledge of all; because he gave Christ, he will give all things: because Christ died for us, he rose again: if he had died otherwise, he would not have known the resurrection; but now, thou blessed Son of Man, thou art our Priest, our Intercessor, our Advocate and Comforter; thou art able to save unto the uttermost; thine is not a partial power, thou dost possess the resources of almightiness, we are safe in the arms of Christ; no man should be able to pluck the flock out of the Father’s hand, for in that hand is all the mystery of omnipotence. So we rest in these sweet doctrines, we abide in the sanctuary of these eternal facts; no storm can reach us, no enemy can expel us from the asylum of the divine protection. We abide with Christ, Christ abides with us; he turns the twilight into noonday, and noonday he increases sevenfold. Thou hast kept the good wine until now; we have never tasted the best which thou hast to give, thou hast always something more, something better, something larger, and towards this fuller possession thou art calling us by every bright event of thy providence, and by every pathetic strain of thy cross: thou hast kept us all these years; there is not a moment that is not a jewel given to us by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Forbid that we should become so familiar with the goodness as to be indifferent to it; may thy mercy be a daily surprise, may the tenderness of the living and loving God amaze us by an unexpected revelation. Thus may we live in sweet excitement, in well-controlled rapture, in that elevation of soul which is the best preparation for the service of others. Enrich us with all wisdom; give us enlargement and penetration of understanding; help thy Church so to read the signs of the times as to know what Israel ought to do, and when thy Church knows its duty may it throw away all fear and selfish calculation, and with the courage of righteousness go forth under the banners of God. For all family life and love and comfort we bless thee; for the laughter of children, for the merriment that knows no anxiety, for all the hope and cheer and gladness of household song, for the table spread in the wilderness, for the cup which we have not yet exhausted, we bless the Lord with a warm heart and a loud voice: thou hast filled the right hand with plentifulness, and in our left hand is abundance, and on our head is the diadem of grace. Blessing and honour and glory and power and thanksgiving, louder than the roar of seas be unto the living Father, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, for all his compassion and all his protection. Give the old man to feel that in Christ there is no old age that is not the beginning of youth, and give the least child to feel that he is in a world that is warmed by the sun of heavenly love. Enter our sick-chambers, and they shall become disinfected; look upon our dying, and they shall live; smile upon our ill-understood grief, and it shall break forth into dimples of laughter and joy. Be we all holy men, all noble institutions, all blessed endeavours and enterprises to enlarge the illumination of the world and hasten its reconciliation to God. Thus may we ever be in God’s temple because we are ever at Christ’s cross. Amen.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
XXVIII
THE WORKS OF SOLOMON
1Ki 5:1-7:51
The works of Solomon were mainly buildings, whether of houses, or cisterns, etc., constructed during his reign and under his supervision. The first and most famous was the Temple. The second was his own house. The third was his wife’s house. The fourth was the upbuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and its fortifications, strengthening particularly the famous citadel of Millo. Fifth, he built two kinds of cities, and quite a number of each kind. One kind was for the headquarters and protection of his commerce; another kind was fortified cities controlling all the passes from any direction into his land. Among the fortified cities note the following:
First, Lebanon. He erected a strong fortification in the northern part of his country in the mountains of Lebanon on the great highway of Damascus, to guard the immense trade that poured through that city from the fords of the Euphrates.
Next, Hazor, still further north near Lake Merom. The object of that city was to protect the entrance from the south of Syria into his country. You should know the topography of the country in order to understand fully the wisdom of the location of each fortified city.
The next was at Megiddon on the plain of Bsdraelon, which was the great battle plain of the Holy Land. It was so in ancient times. It was so in mediaeval times, and according to prophecy will be so near the end of time. This fortification controlled all the Esdraelon plain. It was in the western part of the Holy Land, about the middle of it not far from the Mediterranean Sea.
The next was the great pass of Bethhoron, where Joshua fought his decisive battle. That is the pass leading from the Philistine country to Jerusalem. He fortified both ends of that pass, upper and nether, so that from the Plains of the Philistines an army could not approach Jerusalem in that direction.
Then on the south there were Gezer and Baalath, two other fortified places that protected not only from the Philistine raids, but from the Egyptian raids on the southwest. His other fenced cities and I will not mention all of them, protected the borders on the east of the Jordan, so that when these fortifications were completed Solomon’s country was like Paris before the war with Germany, and even since, i.e., from every direction there were long lines of fortifications.
The other class of cities was mainly on account of trade. You should have a map before you. East or northeast of Damascus, and south of his border on the Euphrates, was a desert, and in that desert a cluster of the most famous springs or fountains in the world perennial water in abundance and beautiful groves of palm trees and there Solomon built a city, Tadmor, which stood a thousand years, and in later history is called Palmyra, where Zenobia, the Queen of the East, reigned. If you are familiar with Roman history, you will remember her capture at her capital Palmyra, and her being brought a prisoner to Rome, and there settling down as a quiet Roman matron, marrying a member of the Roman nobility. In history the city of Palmyra is famous. In our times it is famous for archaeology. To the ruins of Palmyra, Baalbek, and Thebes on the Nile, and similar places, scholars go to excavate and give us the result of their studies in archaeology.
Solomon built quite a city, not for land commerce, but for sea commerce, at the head of the Gulf of Akaba, and transported a large population there in order that it should be held by loyal Jews, as that was his only good seaport. Those on the Mediterranean coast that lay within the boundary of his country Joppa, for example were very poor seaports. The next great buildings in connection with his reign were the store houses, immense structures on all the lines of traffic leading to Jerusalem where the revenues of the king were collected. Then the great stables that he had erected for the housing of his chariot horses and cavalry horses.
Another great work of Solomon was the building of roads. Our city papers say much about the split-log drag and the necessity for good wagon roads, roads for foot passengers and horsemen, for bringing the country products to the city markets. Solomon’s system of roads became as famous as the roads described by Prescott in the history of Peru, which are ahead of any in history except the Roman roads.
A very difficult work of Solomon was the building of a navy of his own. When he traded in the Mediterranean he had to use the ships of Tyre, just as a great part of our trade now is carried on in English or German bottoms. That is not as helpful to a country as to have its own merchant marine, its own ships for carriage. A tremendous change in Solomon’s kingdom was brought about by the establishment of this navy of his at Eziongeber at the head of the Gulf of Akaba, which is a part of the Red Sea. Those ships were manned largely by Tyrians, as the Jews were not good sailors, and that fleet would sail with imposing ceremony, to be gone three years. That is a very considerable voyage. The fleet would sail down the Indian Ocean to the East Indies, Borneo, Sumatra, and other islands of the archipelago in the. Indian Ocean, and then on to the archipelagos in the Pacific Ocean, and all down the eastern coast of Africa.
Before Solomon’s time Africa had been circumnavigated. Fleets, starting in the Red Sea, had gone clear around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, and back into the Mediterranean through the Straits of Gibraltar. They seemed to have forgotten about this when, not long before the time of Columbus, Vasco da Gama circumnavigated Africa, but it had been done before Solomon’s time. That fleet would bring him back spices, jewels, gold, and silver, and it mentions in your text here peacocks among other things, with the hundred eyes of Argus in their tails, according to Greek legend. You remember that Juno appointed Argus, because he had a hundred eyes, to watch Jupiter and see that he did not stay out at night, and Jupiter employed Mercury to play on his flute, and by its music to put Argus to sleep, and while asleep to kill him; and then Jupiter had his own sweet will without espionage. But Juno put the eyes of Argus in the peacock’s tail, and indeed if his eyes could serve no better purpose while in his head, they might as well be in a bird’s tail. In Huribut’s Bible Atlas is a detailed description of Solomon’s famous building, the Temple of the Lord. You must not expect from me an elaborate description of the Temple. I submit, rather, some salient points.
I. The plan and specifications. These were all given to David by inspiration of God. The Temple proper was but an enlargement of the house built by Moses, with relative proportions preserved throughout. The plan of the house built by Moses was also inspired. This we studied in Exodus.
II. The date. In 1Ki 6:1 , this statement is made: “And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord,” and on the second day of that second month, as you see from the corresponding passage in Chronicles, this Temple was commenced. This specific date, so circumstantially given, has puzzled many commentators. They don’t know how to fit the events of Moses, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and David into just 480 years. It is the governing passage that largely influenced Archbishop Usher in arranging the chronology as you see it at the head of your King James Bible.
Turn now to 1Ki 6:37 : “In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the Lord laid, in the month of Ziv. And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.” Not only the building itself, but all its furniture, the utensils, and implements of every kind put in the Temple and used in its worship, was a work of seven years.
The next salient point worthy of your attention is the message of the Lord to Solomon when he was about to commence this work. You will find it on 1Ki 6:11 : “And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying, Concerning this house which thou art building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes and execute my judgments, and keep all of my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David, thy father. And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.” This is what he says to Solomon, “You have commenced to build a house for me. I come to tell you that I am with you, and give you my promise at the start that it shall be God’s dwelling-place.” When we come to the next visit the Lord makes to Solomon, when the house was dedicated, I will give you another remarkable passage, but this one is at the commencement of the work.
The next thing we note is the site. The first intimation of the site is given to us in Abraham’s time. Abraham was commanded to take his son Isaac and offer him up as a burnt offering upon Mount Moriah, then held by the Jebusites; and on that mountain and at the very place where the Temple wag subsequently erected, there the symbolic forecast of the offering up of a greater Isaac took place. The next account that we have of the site is when the great plague came upon the people of Jerusalem, and David to avert the plague presented himself before God, and offered to die for his people, to let the punishment come upon him and spare the people. When he saw the angel of death approaching Jerusalem, he boldly went forth to meet the angel, and proposed a substitutionary sacrifice of himself; and then the plague was stayed, and at the place where the plague was stayed, David bought the threshing-floor of Araunah, the Jebusite, and marked it out as the site where God’s house was to be erected, where the great sacrifices were to be offered throughout the ages, that were to foretell the coming of the greatest Sacrifice.
Next in importance is the great work of preparing the foundation. You must conceive of an irregularly shaped mountain whose crest was taken off low enough down the mountain to give sufficient area. If on three sides the mountain sloped down into the valley, a wall must be built on those three sides high enough for the desired level, and the crest taken off must be used to fill in all the space to a level with the wall summit. On one side there would be no wall. The area of the space thus leveled was about thirty acres in the shape of a trapezoid, one side of which was 1,520 feet; the opposite side 1,611 feet; one end 1,017 feet, and the other end 921 feet. Of course, the height of the wall would vary on the three sides, according to the dip of the slope into the valley below. The greatest height of the wall was 143 feet. This perpendicular wall, built of immense stones bevelled into each other would cement, would render the Temple area unapproachable and impregnable on three sides. The fourth side was safe-guarded by an immense moat, and by the fortified tower of Millo. The crest of the mountain taken off was not sufficient in bulk to fill on the three sides up to the top of the wall, and then to furnish stones for the buildings and terraces. So Solomon opened quarries on the other mountainsides, tunneling under the city itself. There today may be seen Solomon’s subterranean quarries, where slaves toiled in the heart of the earth. Their bones are yet where they died, and the marks of their implements on the everlasting rock, and some of the mammoth unused stones. These slaves were the unassimilated Canaanites, fed and clothed indeed after a fashion, but without wages. So also the multitude of laborerg who were sent to Tyre under overseers to get out the forest timbers, were conscript laborers, thousands of them, working in reliefs under taskmasters.
But Solomon had nobody in his kingdom skilful enough to direct the stone work and establish foundries for the materials of brass, silver, and gold. So he appealed to Hiram, king of Tyre, for an expert superintendent. The king of Tyre sent him the son of a widow, also called Hiram. If you ever get to be a Mason, you will hear more about Hiram Abiff. He was the architect of the whole business, and had the full superintendence of everything. Your text here gives an account of him, and of what he did in constructing the Temple.
An equally stupendous work in the way of preparation had to be done, namely, to provide an adequate water supply. To this end, he built enormous cisterns capable of holding many millions of barrels of water, and aqueducts for carrying the water. He built pools, like the Pool of Siloam, and vast reservoirs.
You must not conceive of the thirty-five acres as one level, but several terraced levels, one terrace rising above another until on the highest level is the Temple proper and its immediate approaches. The lowest level was the court of the Gentiles, a higher level the court of the women. The whole area with its inner divisions corresponds in general plan to the enclosed area around the tabernacle of Moses and the tent itself. The Temple proper, itself a small building, was only the tent of Moses on a larger scale, all relative proportions preserved.
The lumber material was more difficult to procure than the stone material. It came from the forests of Lebanon cedar and fir. The getting out of the timber from the forest, and the floating of it in great rafts from Tyre to Joppa, was performed by Hiram’s men. Solomon furnished the rations and compensated for the labor by giving King Hiram ten cities. When Hiram came to inspect the cities, he found them to be only sites for cities, something like Charles Dickens’ description of American cities, which existed only in sanguine prospect, or like the Bible description of Jerusalem in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah: “Now the city was exceedingly large, only the houses were not yet built, and the inhabitants thereof were few.” Hiram, in disgust, refused to receive them, and Solomon built them and peopled them with Jews. It has always seemed, on the face of it, that Solomon played an unworthy Yankee trick on his confiding and generous ally. Solomon’s own men had to transport this lumber material all the way up hill from Joppa to Jerusalem, and there, under the skilled supervision of Hiram, the widow’s son, they were fashioned for their place in the Temple. Indeed, every part, whether of stone, timber, or metal, was so skilfully fashioned that the Temple went up without the sound of ax, saw, or hammer. So the spiritual temple arises in silence rather than noise. The kingdom of heaven comes not with observation. “Sanctified rows,” as in many modern meetings, and confusions of mingled services, as at Corinth, are not contributory to the edifying of the temple of Christ.
There are some very striking references to the works of Solomon in the books of Ecclesiastes and the Song. For instance, this passage from Ecclesiastes 2 Solomon himself talking: “I made me great works, I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards; I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits; I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees.”
The gardens or paradises built by Solomon, the principal ones, were these: One near Jerusalem, where tremendous work in the rock had to be made to get space terrace space for his garden. Another was built about seven miles south of Jerusalem, near Bethlehem; and his summer park was at Mount Lebanon, described in the Song of Solomon, and when the hot summertime would come, and he would start to that summer resort in the mountains, a palanquin, or traveling carriage was made, and what a gorgeous thing it was! As it was a mountainous country, a palanquin was used and carried on the shoulders of men, but not until he got to a point where a chariot could not be used; up to that point he went in a beautiful chariot, the finest ever known, drawn by the finest of horses, as that Song tells you: “Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the powders of the merchant?”
The era of all these famous works was one of peace. These are not the achievements of unsettled times. War is destructive, not constructive. Solomon was not a man of blood, but the prince of peace, and hence the type of him at whose triumph all wars cease forever.
QUESTIONS
1. What was the principal building works of Solomon in Jerusalem?
2. What two kinds of cities elsewhere?
3. Cite the more important fortified cities and the purpose of each.
4. Locate and describe the trade city of Tadmor, and give something of its subsequent history.
5. What was city for sea trade, and how peopled?
6. Why was he dependent upon the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon for Mediterranean trade?
7. Locate and give the reason for building Eziongeber, and describe the commerce promoted by it. Tell about his fleet there, how manned and why, the time length of its voyages, the countries visited, and the products imported.
8. Was Africa circumnavigated before the famous voyages around it by Vasco da Gama? How was it done?
9. Where, probably, the Ophir of the ancients? Where Tarshish?
10. What did Solomon build in the way of roads, and what other countries since his time were noted for the building of good roads?
11. What attention is given to this matter by our country now?
12. How were the plans and specifications of the Temple obtained, and through whom?
13. What previous plan on a smaller scale was followed, and how and through whom was it obtained?
14. Why was Jehovah so particular in insisting on exact conformity with every detail of his plan?
15. What was the site of the Temple, and the two great historical events leading to its selection, and their typical import?
16. Where may we find the details of the Temple structure?
17. Give the date of its beginning, and time of its building.
18. Describe the foundation work, the area obtained, and its shape and side dimensions.
19. Whence the material for this foundation work, the laborers, and the modern evidence of their labor?
20. How many levels on this area, and the purpose of each?
21. Whence and what the materials of wood, how gotten out and transported, who the laborers, how many, and how supplied with food?
22. Who was the human architect?
23. Besides food supplies, how did Solomon compensate Hiram, king of Tyre, for his help, what Hiram’s opinion of the bargain, and what became of the rejected compensation?
24. What evidence of the perfect preparation of every piece of material before it was put into the building, and what the typical import?
25. What became of Solomon’s Temple, and whose succeeded it? What were its fortunes, and who restored it on a grand scale near the time of our Lord, and what became of it? What building now occupies the ancient building site?
26. Of what was the tabernacle of Moses and Solomon’s Temple a type?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
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.
Ver. 1. Then Solomon began to build. ] See Trapp on “ 1Ki 6:1 “ &c
At Jerusalem in mount Moriah.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2 Chronicles Chapter 3
Then in the 3rd chapter. “Solomon began to build the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where [Jehovah] appeared unto David his father in the place that David had prepared in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” v. 1.
There again you observe the link. The glory is built upon the suffering. It was there that the sacrifice was offered; it was there that the destroying angel’s hand was stayed. It was on mount Moriah. It was there, too, on the threshing-Door of the Gentile, because there must be that link. You see, it was by the hands of lawless men that the Jews crucified their own Messiah. And, accordingly, it was on the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, the enemy that had been in possession of Jerusalem. We find the wonderful wisdom of God which marks this type. So the house, then, is prepared with all magnificence; but into all its details I do not pretend to go.
It is always a great thing, in looking at Scripture, never to go beyond what you knew. That gives you firmness, because a person who pretends to know more than he does, must, after all, if he is an honest man, admit it to some extent. He can hardly pretend to honesty if he disguises it. But it is a great thing not to go beyond our measure, because then we can speak distinctly; whereas, otherwise, at the very best we must be somewhat ambiguous, or – what is a very great fault in dealing with the Word of God – rash. Oh, it is a serious thing to impute to God what God does not say, and to run the risk of making the God of truth appear a liar. And so it must be, where men guess instead of waiting to learn; but then we must always wait to learn, and I believe that where we have the faith to wait God will give us to learn.
I abstain, therefore, purposely in this case from saying some things that I have a judgment about, but that are not necessary. There is only one point of deep interest that I will speak of, and that is the distinction between the cherubim here and the cherubim of the ark in the tabernacle. When the ark was brought into the temple here, the wings of the cherubim looked
out toward the house; that is, instead of locking “inward” – which is a mistake in our version – they really looked outward. In the tabernacle, on the contrary, the cherubs looked upon the blood that was upon the mercy seat. All their attention was occupied with that. The cherubim were the emblems of God’s judicial authority. Now this is just exactly the difference. Righteousness now is so perfectly satisfied that it has no other task than to proclaim the greatness of the victory that Christ has won for us – no other work, as far as we are concerned, but to clothe us with the best robe. How precious for us! The righteousness of God is that which preserves, for no sword is in the hand there. In the garden of Eden the cherubs had a flaming sword. It was to guard and keep off man. But in the tabernacle the cherubs are simply the witnesses of what grace has done. They have nothing to do. They are guarding, not guarding man from it, but maintaining guard, as it were, even over the perfection of what grace has done for sinful man. But in the temple it is another thing. There the cherubs, or witnesses of the judicial power of God, look outward. It is now a question of righteous governing.
That is not the case now in the gospel. Righteousness does not govern. In the Millennium, righteousness will reign through grace. That is a totally different state of things. I do not mean as to the work of Christ, because that is the same work no matter when or where. The work of Christ is always grace reigning through righteousness. But I am speaking now of the character of the millennial reign; and I say that the great distinctive feature then will be not grace reigning, but righteousness. “A king shall reign in righteousness,” and “princes are to rule in judgment.” That is the point of it; and hence, therefore, as we see in this very case of Solomon, so he acted. It was on that principle that he slew Joab – on that principle also that he dealt with Shimei who had been spared during the time of David, the man of grace, the witness of grace. But under Solomon it could not be. It was perfectly right that they should die. It was not a mistake; it was a right thing; it was according to the principle that was then established; just as when the Lord Jesus was here upon earth, He said, “I am not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save.” But when He comes in glory, He will destroy; and it will be as right then to destroy, as now it is His glory to save.
Hence, then, we must distinguish. If we do not do so, the Word of God will be a mass of confusion to us, or we shall make fearful confusion with it, which is exactly what people do. That is, they do not rightly divide the word of truth. Now, if we only understand the Scriptures, everything will be in its place – everything in its due season and order. That is what I am endeavouring to help Christians to by the suggestions that I am making upon these books; that is, to help them to apply rightly the precious Word of God, whether it be typical or anything else.
I say, then, that the cherubs look outward; they look to the house, and that is the great point. It is the old house, because it was the sign of the judicial power of God that was going everywhere throughout the earth with its centre in Jerusalem. But God’s power was now dealing from that centre outside; and, although there was an inner circle of Israel, the circumference of blessing was the earth itself – I might say the universe, only we are here looking simply at the earth.
And further, let us note that there were two pillars, the sign of divine stability. This kingdom, when it shall be in the hands of the Lord Jesus, will not be a mere type, but a reality. It will never dissolve through the weakness of man. It shall not be left to others. Hence, therefore, as the witness of it, there were two pillars – Jachin and Boaz. These show as a figure, but only as a witness. “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”
Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
mount Moriah. Not mentioned since Gen 22:2, nor ever again.
Moriah. Vision of Jah. Refers here to “where Jehovah appeared”.
where. See note on 1Ch 22:1.
had prepared. Compare 1Ch 22:14; 1Ch 2:7.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Chapter 3
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. And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign ( 2Ch 3:1-2 ).
He began to build on Mount Moriah. Where in the world did we hear of Mount Moriah before? As we go back to the book of Genesis, “And God did tempt Abraham and said unto him, ‘Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, and offer him as a sacrifice on a mountain that I will show thee.’ Abraham took Isaac and the servants and they saddled the donkeys and they journeyed. And after three days Abraham left the servants and the donkeys and he said, ‘You wait here. I and the lad will go and worship God and we will come again.’ And as Abraham and Isaac were journeying together, Isaac said unto Abraham, ‘Here is the wood, here is the fire, where is the sacrifice?’ And Abraham said, ‘God will provide Himself a sacrifice.’ And they journeyed together to Mount Moriah. And there Abraham built an altar and he placed Isaac upon it. And he raised his knife and God said, ‘Abraham, stop. I see now that you are obedient and will withhold nothing from Me. Behold, the ram caught by its horns in the thicket. Take and offer it.’ And Abraham took the ram and offered it as a sacrifice unto the Lord. And Abraham called the name of the place Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide. And he prophesied, he said, ‘In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.'” ( Gen 22:1-14 ). Earlier he said, “The Lord will provide.” “Father, where is the sacrifice?” “The Lord will provide Himself a sacrifice.” What a prophetic statement. God’s going to provide Himself as the sacrifice. And he called the name of the place Jehovah-Jireh. And then referring to the previous prophecies said, “In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.”
So the place of worship and the place of sacrifice for the nation of Israel was moved from Gibeon to Jerusalem. And there the temple was built on Mount Moriah, the same mount that God showed to Abraham where he offered his son Isaac with the prophecy, “The Lord will provide Himself a sacrifice. In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.”
Now the temple was actually built on the side of Mount Moriah, not on the top, which is interesting in itself. Because among all of the pagan religions, they always built their altars and their places of worship at the tops of the mountains. You go to Athens, and at the top of each mountain in Athens there are the ruins of the pagan temples of the past. Always on the top. The Acropolis, right at the top of the mountain. There in Corinth, the top of the mountain above Corinth, the temple of Aphrodite. And so it is interesting, number one, that the temple was not built on the top of Mount Moriah, but on the side of the mount.
For Mount Moriah continues up, slopes upwards from the temple site and the top of Mount Moriah is actually Mount Calvary or Golgotha. And you can look at the whole topography of that area and you can see how Mount Moriah gently slopes from the temple mount right on up to the top which would be Calvary, Golgotha. And the skull is formed there in the cliff because of the quarries where they excavated out that portion of the mount. And you look back towards the city of Jerusalem and you can see where they’ve actually cut away the mountain, built the wall of the city right up over the bedrock which continues from there, or did continue at the time of Abraham, and crested on the top. Golgotha, the place of the skull, where God provided Himself a sacrifice. And the prophecy of Abraham was fulfilled in the death of Jesus Christ.
So Mount Moriah. It is interesting that the Bible locates it for us for all time, that we would know, so that God can tie together the interesting types and shadows from the Old Testament with their fulfillment in the New. Thus, the place of Isaac’s sacrifice was the place where God provided.
He began to build the temple there in Mount Moriah there at the threshingfloor.
Now these are the things that Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The building was to be ninety feet by thirty feet. [The very building itself.] The porch was in the front of it, and the length was according to the breadth of the house, the height of it was a hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure gold ( 2Ch 3:3-4 ).
So a building this size and now inside is just overlaid completely with pure gold.
The greater house he ceiled with fir trees, and he overlaid those with fine gold, and he set thereon palm trees and chains. And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was the gold of Parvaim. He overlaid also the house, with the beams, and the posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and he carved cherubims on the walls. And he made the most holy place, the length according to the breadth of the house, was thirty feet, and the breadth of it thirty feet: and he overlaid it with fine gold, which came to six hundred talents ( 2Ch 3:5-8 ).
Or, at the thirty-dollar-an-ounce price, about eighteen million dollars. What it would be today, of course, with gold at 500-something an ounce you can figure out yourself. But this was just for the holy of holies within. So the amount of the value of this whole temple that was built by Solomon is valued at somewhere in the billions of dollars. The estimates, of course, range.
Now the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold. And the most holy house he made two cherubims, and he overlaid them with gold. And the wings of the cherubim were thirty feet long: one wing of the one cherub was seven and a half cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was likewise seven and a half cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub ( 2Ch 3:9-11 ).
So that is the total wingspan of the cherub. The two cherubs were twenty feet. There was cherubs, their wings would touch in the middle. And this, remember, is all a little model of heaven. The holy of holies is a model of heaven and the throne of God. And so the cherubim about the throne of God that John saw in the book of Revelation and that Ezekiel saw.
And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and he wrought the cherubim ( 2Ch 3:14 ).
They wove cherubim into this veil of the temple.
Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits ( 2Ch 3:15 ),
So that will be about forty-seven and a half, fifty feet tall.
And there was this ornamental work on the top of each of them of seven and a half feet. And he made chains, as in the oracle, and he put them on the heads of the pillars; and made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains. And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and he called the name on the right hand Jachin, and the name on the left Boaz ( 2Ch 3:15-17 ). “
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
2Ch 3:1-7
Introduction
INSTRUCTIONS SOLOMON RECEIVED FOR BUILDING THE TEMPLE; AND THINGS HE DID SINFULLY
The chief problem in this chapter relates to 2Ch 3:3, which in our version states that:
“These are the foundations which Solomon laid for the building of the house of God.”
Yet the foundations are not even mentioned in this chapter. Furthermore, the RSV states that “These are Solomon’s measurements.” The Good News Bible omits the statement, and James Moffat has; “Here is the ground-plan drawn up by Solomon.” It is quite evident that the true meaning of the verse is disputed.
This writer believes that the KJV should be followed in verse 3. The translators of that version believed that they were translating God’s Word, but that conviction no longer guides the renditions of many modern translators; and their fanciful `emendations,’ given for the purpose of giving `what the Spirit intended to say,’ or `what He really meant.’ are frequently inaccurate.
“Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God” – KJV.
This rendition is undoubtedly the best one; and it has the utility of clearing up what would otherwise be an impossible contradiction later in 2Ch 3:14. Also the ASV honored this translation of the passage by including it in the marginal reference.
What is the significance of this? In 2Ch 3:14 mentions Solomon’s making the veil of the temple; but we have already noted that Solomon actually made two doors of olive-wood for the entrance to the oracle, and not a veil; therefore the reference here to his `making the veil’ should be understood, not as what he did, but as what he was instructed to do, as plainly indicated in 2Ch 3:3
Of course, there is another way of reconciling Kings and Chronicles regarding the two olive-wood doors (Kings) and the veil (Chronicles), namely, by the conclusion that the temple had both! While such is possible, that idea will not appeal to very many people.
Contrary to the usual opinion of commentators that the Chronicler was attempting to glorify Solomon in these chapters, this writer believes he had a totally different purpose, including here, not what Solomon had done with those olive-wood doors, but what he had been instructed to do by his father David, namely, to make the veil.
This was by no means all of Solomon’s violations of God’s Word. Those extravagantly large cherubim, the graven images of lions on each side of his throne, and the twelve brazen oxen that supported the laver, and the pagan pillars Jachin and Boaz – all of which violations are mentioned by the Chronicler, and to indicate, contrary to what many suppose, that the Chronicler was not attempting to glorify Solomon.
2Ch 3:1-7
SOLOMON BEGINS ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE
“Then Solomon began to build the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem on mount Moriah, where Jehovah appeared unto David his father, which he made ready in the place which David had appointed, in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign. Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. And the porch that was before the house, the length of it, according to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the height a hundred and twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold. And the greater house he ceiled with fir-wood; which he overlaid with fine gold, and wrought thereon palm-trees and chains. And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim. And he overlaid also the house, the beams, the thresholds, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubim on the walls.”
“And he began to build … in the fourth year of his reign” (2Ch 3:2). “The delay to the fourth year may have been due to the problems of collecting materials, or it may represent a four-year co-regency of Solomon with his father David.”
(See the chapter heading for a discussion of 2Ch 3:3.)
“And the porch … the height a hundred and twenty (cubits)” (2Ch 3:4). “This height which so much exceeds the height of the main building (1Ki 6:2) should probably be corrected by the reading of the Arabic version and by the Alexandrian Septuagint, which read twenty cubits.”
In this connection, we wonder why the RSV failed to make this obviously indicated correction. They have not failed to make many other changes with even less authority.
E.M. Zerr:
2Ch 3:1-2. Mount Moriah was a spot within the boundaries of Jerusalem, and first made famous by the offering of Isaac by Abraham. On a geographical and historical subject, the scholarship of the world should be the basis for our conclusions. I shall therefore make a few quotations as to the location and identity of this spot. “The Offering of Isaac. (Genesis 22.) From Beer-sheba Abraham took his son Isaac, at God’s command, to offer him as a burnt offering in ‘the land of Moriah.’ Some authorities accept the Samaritan tradition, that this place was Mount Gerizim; but we see no sufficient reason to dissent from the general view, that it was Mount Moriah, at Jerusalem, ten centuries afterward the site of the Temple.” –Rand-McNally Bible Atlas. The next is from Smith’s Bible Dictionary. “Mount Moriah. The elevation on which Solomon built the temple, where God appeared to David ‘in the threshingfloor of Abraham the Jebusite.’ It is the eastern eminence of Jerusalem, separated from Mount Zion by the Tyropoeon valley. The top was leveled by Solomon, and immense walls were built round it from the base to enlarge the level surface for the temple area. Tradition which first appears in a definite shape in Josephus, and is now almost universally accepted, asserts that the ‘Mount Moriah’ of Chronicles is identical with the ‘mountain’ in ‘the land of Moriah’ of Genesis, and that the spot on which Jehovah appeared to David, and on which the temple was built, was the very spot of the sacrifice of Isaac.”
2Ch 3:3. Was instructed means that Solomon gave instructions to his workmen to guide them in their laying the ground plan for the building. The 20 x 60 cubits applies to the main part of the temple not counting the many adjoining parts.
2Ch 3:4-8. For information regarding this paragraph, the reader is requested to see my comments on 1 Kings 6 th chapter.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
In this and the following chapter we have the account of the building and furnishing of the Temple. In all fundamental essentials it was on the pattern of the Tabernacle which Moses had made. The proportions and relations were identical, but Solomon’s Temple was larger. Its symbolism was exactly the same, though its magnificence was far greater. However, ornamentation was admitted which would have interfered with the express command that no likeness of God was to be attempted. It was a dwelling place for the unseen God, and its structure was representative of the way of man’s approach to Him rather than revelatory of the nature of Being. That was a mystery beyond the comprehension of the finite mind, and it was a distinguishing element in the Hebrew religion that it made no attempt to explain. Solomon erected this glorious house on the spot chosen by his father. The story is told here in order to give a graphic and comprehensive idea of the splendor of the house itself.
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 3 The Building of the Temple
1. The place (2Ch 3:1-2)
2. The dimensions (2Ch 3:3)
3. The porch and holy place (2Ch 3:4-7)
4. The most holy (2 Chron. 3:4-18)
5. The brazen pillars (2Ch 3:15-17)
First, the place is mentioned where the house of the LORD was built, in Mount Moriah (Gen. 22), where [the LORD] appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. The building began in the second day of the second month in the fourth year of Solomons reign. From 1Ki 6:1 we learn that this was the 480th year from the Exodus. Counting forty years to one generation we have exactly twelve generations. This figure can be chronologically verified. The internal measurement given in verse 3 is sixty cubits long (about ninety feet), twenty cubits wide (about thirty feet), and thirty cubits high (about forty-five feet). Then there was the porch. The height of the porch is given as 120 cubits, which is evidently the error of a copyist; it should be twenty cubits, or perhaps thirty. For the full description see annotations on 1 Kings 6. Notice again the description of the cherubim overlaid with gold. These are not the cherubim upon the ark, but they were great figures made by Solomon. Each was ten cubits high. Their great wings met over the mercy seat upon which were the cherubim, which look down upon the mercy-seat. The Solomonic cherubim looked outwards. The word inward in verse 13 is a wrong translation. On the meaning of this attitude of these gigantic cherubim, see comment on 1Ki 6:23-30. In verse 14, the veil is mentioned, of which we read nothing in 1 Kings 6. This veil was woven of the same material and in the same manner as the one in the tabernacle (Exo 26:31).
The two pillars called Jachin (He will establish) and Boaz (In Him is strength) are the symbols of the stability of the government of this earth in the glorious reign of Christ, which is typified by the reign of Solomon and the house he built.
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
am 2993, bc 1011, An, Ex, Is, 480
Solomon: 1Ki 6:1-14
in mount Moriah: Gen 22:2, Gen 22:14
where the Lord appeared unto David: or, which was seen of David
Ornan: 2Sa 24:18-25, Araunah, 1Ch 21:18, 1Ch 22:1
Reciprocal: Exo 31:6 – that they Deu 11:29 – General 2Sa 24:16 – Araunah 1Ch 17:12 – He shall 1Ch 21:15 – Ornan 1Ch 21:26 – by fire 2Ch 9:3 – the house Ezr 2:68 – in his place Ezr 5:11 – which a great Psa 87:1 – His Eze 7:20 – the beauty Zep 1:10 – from
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ch 3:1. In mount Moriah Part of this mountain was in the tribe of Judah, and part of it in the tribe of Benjamin: so that the temple is ascribed to them both. To Judah, Psalm 77:68, 69, and to Benjamin, Deu 33:12. For the greatest part of the courts were in the tribe of Judah; but the altar, the porch, the most holy part of the temple, where the ark and the cherubim were, in the tribe of Benjamin. It was the belief of the ancient Jews, that the temple was built on the very spot where Abraham offered up Isaac. So the Jewish Targum (a paraphrase on the books of Moses, in the Chaldee language) says expressly, adding, But he (Isaac) was delivered by the word of the Lord, and a ram provided in his place. That offering of Isaac was typical of Christs sacrifice of himself: therefore fitly was the temple built there, which was also a type of him. Where the Lord appeared unto David That is, which place the Lord had consecrated by his gracious appearance there, 1Ch 21:26. The place that David had prepared Which he had not only purchased with his money, but which he had pitched upon by divine direction, and made ready for the purpose by pulling down the buildings that were upon it or near it, by levelling the ground, and possibly by marking it out for the temple and courts, the dimensions whereof he probably very particularly and exactly understood by the Spirit of God. In the thrashing-floor of Ornan In that place where the thrashing-floor formerly was.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Ch 3:1. Mount Moriah, or the land of vision; the place which the rabbins generally allow to be the same where Abraham offered up his son Isaac.
2Ch 3:2. Began to build. See the chronology at the end of Ruth, and 2Ki 6:1. According to archbishop Usher the temple was finished in November, and exactly a thousand years before the birth of Christ. This differs eleven or twelve years from the chronology of our bibles, and of Royamonts chronology. The temple was finished in seven years and a half: this was expeditious. York minster was built during the session of four archbishops.
2Ch 3:4. The height was a hundred and twenty cubits. The LXX, and most of the ancient versions, read twenty cubits. 1Ki 6:2.
2Ch 3:6. Gold of Parvaim. Leaves richly gilt, for overlaying the inner walls of the house; and as we find no patriarch of the name of Parvaim, it may mean highly-coloured gold, receiving a superior tint from the matrices in which it was formed.
2Ch 3:13. They stood on their feet. Parkhurst, from whomsoever he took his plate of the cherubim, committed an obvious mistake, for he makes the cherub to stand on one foot, and the head to consist of four living creatures. See Eze 1:10. Rev 4:6.
2Ch 3:17. He reared up the pillars, Jachin and Boaz, names importing stability and strength. They gave a grand and imposing aspect at the entrance of the temple.
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Ch 3:1 to 2Ch 5:1. The Building of the Temple and its Equipment (see notes on 1 Kings 6, 1Ki 7:13-51).What was said in reference to the preceding section applies also to this one. The Chronicler omits all mention of Solomons other buildings, his interest being centred on the Temple; he has, on the other hand, many additions not found in 1 Kings.
2Ch 3:1. mount Moriah: cf. Gen 22:2*; this name for the Temple mount does not occur elsewhere in the OT.
2Ch 3:6. Parvaim: perhaps the Hebrew name of a gold-mine in north-east Arabia called el-farwain.
2Ch 3:10. image work: the meaning of the Hebrew word is quite uncertain; the LXX of wood is a mere guess, based probably on 1Ki 6:23, where the cherubim are stated to have been made of olive wood.
2Ch 3:14. No mention is made of a veil in 1 K.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE
(vv.1-17)
We are reminded that the site of the temple was Mount Moriah, on property bought by David from Oman the Jebusite, where his threshing floor had been (v.1). For we must observe that the suffering of tribulation, as pictured in the threshing floor, must precede the joy of the establishing of God’s house. Suffering must always come before glory (1Pe 4:13).
The date of beginning of building is carefully noted in verse 2, the second day of the second month in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign. Thus, it was neither rushed at the beginning of his reign nor delayed for a long time. In God’s ways there is always orderly preparation and orderly progression: He is never premature or late in whatever He does.
The foundation (v.3) speaks of the fact that what God builds is solid and enduring, as indicated in Heb 11:10, – “the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” The size, 60 by 20 cubits, was not great compared to many buildings of our present time, for this was only about 90 by 30 feet. But the magnificence of the temple was far beyond any present day building.
There was also a vestibule across the width of the house, that is, 20 cubits in width, though the depth of it is not mentioned. But the height (120 cubits) is immense, and seems out of proportion with the rest of the building. However, some Septuagint manuscripts evidently read 20 instead of 120. The inside of this was overlaid with pure gold, for the house was God’s dwelling place, though in Chronicles the emphasis is placed upon the house as being the way of approach to God.
The larger room, that is, the outer sanctuary (its size 20 by 40 cubits), was panelled with cypress and overlaid with fine gold, with carved palm trees and chainwork. The palm trees speak of both the fruitfulness and the victory of the Lord Jesus. The chainwork reminds us of the words of the Lord to the shepherdess, “Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, your neck with chains of gold” (Son 1:10). Rather than having a stiff neck, her neck was submissive to the gracious authority of the Lord Jesus, that is, “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2Co 10:5). Thus the golden chain speaks of the gentle authority of the Lord Jesus in His ability to bring souls willingly to submit to Him. How different are the chains and fetters of iron spoken of in Psa 49:8, which indicate the enforced bondage of those who refuse to be willingly subject to the Lord.
The house was decorated with precious stones, each of these reflecting some particular virtue of the Lord Jesus as is the case with every colour. All the woodwork was overlaid with gold, for the wood speaks of humanity in its various forms, and this was to be covered by that which speaks of God’s glory. Cherubims were also carved on the walls. The cherubims picture the sovereign government of God, as is also witnessed in the two cherubim on the mercy seat.
The most holy place was half the size of the outer sanctuary, that is, 20x20x20 cubits. Thus, it formed a perfect cube. Since it is symbolical of the dwelling place of God, its three dimensions are identical, speaking of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit being equal. We could say that part of the sanctuary was length, part of it breadth and part of it height. Rather all of it is comprehended in each of these dimensions. Thus also the Father is not part of God: He is God absolutely and perfectly. The Son is God, and the Spirit is God. To emphasise this, all was overlaid with fine gold. Even the nails were of gold, their weight fifty shekels.
Inside the holy place there were also cherubim, two of them, carved in gold, their wings outstretched, each wing measuring 5 cubits, so that the two inside wings touched each other and thus the whole 20 cubits of the wall was included in their wing spans (vv.10-13). We are not to think of the cherubims as created beings, for no creature can share in the glory of God’s presence, but they symbolise the principle of God’s government in its perfect balance, both grace and truth united in maintaining God’s authority.
As in the tabernacle, there was a veil separating the most holy place from the outer sanctuary. This was made of blue, purple, crimson and fine linen. All of these speak of the various beauties of the Manhood of the Lord Jesus, for the veil was to represent “His flesh” (Heb 10:20).
In front of the temple Solomon placed two pillars 35 cubits high with a capital at the top of each measuring five cubits. The pillars speak of that which is stable and outstanding (Gal 2:9; Rev 3:12). Wreaths of chainwork were put on top of the pillars and 100 graven pomegranates were put on the wreaths. As we have mentioned, the chainwork speaks of willing submission to the authority of the Lord Jesus. Pomegranates are noted for their profusion of seeds, thus indicating the promise of great fruit, which is the result of submission to the Lord. The pillars were named Jachin (meaning “He will establish”), and Boaz (“in him is strength”), indicating the solidity and power of the Lord Jesus.
Fuente: Grant’s Commentary on the Bible
3:1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount {a} Moriah, where [the LORD] appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
(a) Which is the mountain where Abraham was thought to have sacrificed his son, Gen 22:2.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
2. The temple proper 3:1-9
The mention of Mount Moriah as the site of the temple (2Ch 3:1) recalls God’s provision of a substitute sacrifice for Isaac on that very spot (Gen 22:2; Gen 22:14). [Note: See Asher Kaufman, "Where the Ancient Temple of Jerusalem Stood," Biblical Archaeology Review 9:2 (March-April 1983):40-59.] The temple would later stand there, and the high priest would offer a substitute sacrifice for Israel on the Day of Atonement each year there.
The glory of the temple was not so much its size as its quality and appearance. The writer stressed the gold that overlaid it and its general magnificence. Its significance was that it represented the glory of Yahweh, the greatest of all "gods" (2Ch 2:5). In the ancient Near East a god’s house (temple) represented the god.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
SOLOMON
THE chroniclers history of Solomon is constructed on the same principles as that of David, and for similar reasons. The builder of the first Temple commanded the grateful reverence of a community whose national and religious life centered in the second Temple. While the Davidic king became the symbol of the hope of Israel, the Jews could not forget that this symbol derived much of its significance from the widespread dominion and royal magnificence of Solomon. The chronicler, indeed, attributes great splendor to the court of David, and ascribes to him a lions share in the Temple itself. He provided his successor with treasure and materials and even the complete plans, so that on the principle, “Qui facit per alium, facit per se,” David might have been credited with the actual building. Solomon was almost in the position of a modern engineer who puts together a steamer that has been built in sections. But, with all these limitations, the clear and obvious fact remained that Solomon actually built and dedicated the Temple. Moreover, the memory of his wealth and grandeur kept a firm hold on the popular imagination; and these conspicuous blessings were received as certain tokens of the favor of Jehovah.
Solomons fame, however, was threefold: he was not only the Divinely appointed builder of the Temple and, by the same Divine grace, the richest and most powerful king of Israel: he had also received from Jehovah the gift of “wisdom and knowledge.” In his royal splendor and his sacred buildings he only differed in degree from other kings; but in his wisdom he stood alone, not only without equal, but almost without competitor. Herein he was under no obligation to his father, and the glory of Solomon could not be diminished by representing that he bad been anticipated by David. Hence the name of Solomon came to symbolize Hebrew learning and philosophy.
In religious significance, however, Solomon cannot rank with David. The dynasty of Judah could have only one representative, and the founder and eponym of the royal house was the most important figure for the subsequent theology. The interest that later generations felt in Solomon lay apart from the main line of Jewish orthodoxy, and he is never mentioned by the prophets.
Moreover, the darker aspects of Solomons reign made more impression upon succeeding generations than even Davids sins and misfortunes. Occasional lapses into vices and cruelty might be forgiven or even forgotten; but the systematic oppression of Solomon rankled for long generations in the hearts of the people, and the prophets always remembered his wanton idolatry. His memory was further discredited by the disasters which marked the close of his own reign and the beginning of Rehoboams. Centuries later these feelings still prevailed. The prophets who adopted the Mosaic law for the closing period of the monarchy exhort the king to take warning by Solomon, and to multiply neither horses, nor wives, nor gold and silver. {Deu 17:16-17; Cf. 2Ch 1:14-17 and 1Ki 11:3-8}
But as time went on Judah fell into growing poverty and distress, which came to a head in the Captivity and were renewed with the Restoration. The Jews were willing to forget Solomons faults in order that they might indulge in fond recollections of the material prosperity of his reign. Their experience of the culture of Babylon led them to feel greater interest and pride in his wisdom, and the figure of Solomon began to assume a mysterious grandeur, which has since become the nucleus for Jewish and Mohammedan legends. The chief monument of his fame in Jewish literature is the book of Proverbs, but his growing reputation is shown by the numerous Biblical and apocryphal works ascribed to him. His name was no doubt attached to Canticles because of a feature in his character which the chronicler ignores. His supposed authorship of Ecclesiastes and of the Wisdom of Solomon testifies to the fame of his wisdom, while the titles of the “Psalms of Solomon” and even of some canonical psalms credit him with spiritual feeling and poetic power.
When the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach proposes to “praise famous men,” it dwells upon Solomons temple and his wealth, and especially upon his wisdom; but it does not forget his failings. {Sir 47:12-21} Josephus celebrates his glory at great length. The New Testament has comparatively few notices of Solomon; but these include references to his wisdom, {Mat 12:42} his splendor, {Mat 6:29} and his temple. {Act 7:47} The Koran, however, far surpasses the New Testament in its interest in Solomon; and his name and his seal play a leading part in Jewish and Arabian magic. The bulk of this literature is later than the chronicler, but the renewed interest in the glory of Solomon must have begun before his time. Perhaps, by connecting the building of the Temple as far as possible with David, the chronicler marks his sense of
Solomons unworthiness. On the other hand, there were many reasons why he should welcome the aid of popular sentiment to enable him to include Solomon among the ideal Hebrew kings. After all, Solomon had built and dedicated the Temple; he was the “pious founder,” and the beneficiaries of the foundation would wish to make the most of his piety. “Jehovah” had “magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.” {1Ch 29:25} “King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom; and all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.” {2Ch 9:22-23} The chronicler would naturally wish to set forth the better side of Solomons character as an ideal of royal wisdom and splendor, devoted to the service of the sanctuary. Let us briefly compare Chronicles and Kings to see how he accomplished his purpose.
The structure of the narrative in Kings rendered the task comparatively easy: it could be accomplished by removing the opening and closing sections and making a few minor changes in the intermediate portion. The opening section is the sequel to the conclusion of Davids reign; the chronicler omitted this conclusion, and therefore also its sequel. But the contents of this section were objectionable in themselves. Solomons admirers willingly forgot that his reign was inaugurated by the execution of Shimei, of his brother Adonijah, and of his fathers faithful minister Joab, and by the deposition of the high-priest Abiathar. The chronicler narrates with evident approval the strong measures of Ezra and Nehemiah against foreign marriages, and he is therefore not anxious to remind his readers that Solomon married Pharaohs daughter. He does not, however, carry out his plan consistently. Elsewhere he wishes to emphasize the sanctity of the Ark and tells us that “Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her, for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David, king of Israel, because the places are holy whereunto the ark of the Lord hath come.” {2Ch 8:11}
In Kings the history of Solomon closes with a long account of his numerous wives and concubines, his idolatry and consequent misfortunes. All this is omitted by the chronicler; but later on, with his usual inconsistency, he allows Nehemiah to point the moral of a tale he has left untold: “Did not Solomon, king of Israel, sin by these things? Even him did strange women cause to sin.” {Neh 13:26} In the intervening section he omits the famous judgment of Solomon, probably on account of the character of the women concerned, he introduces sundry changes which naturally follow from his belief that the Levitical law was then in force. His feeling for the dignity of the chosen people and their king comes out rather curiously in two minor alterations. Both authorities agree in telling us that Solomon had recourse to forced labor for his building operations; in fact, after the usual Eastern fashion from the Pyramids down to the Suez Canal, Solomons temple and palaces were built by the corvee. According to the oldest narrative, he “raised a levy out of all Israel.” This suggests that forced labor was exacted from the Israelites themselves, and it would help to account for Jeroboams successful rebellion. The chronicler omits this statement as open to an interpretation derogatory to the dignity of the chosen people, and not only inserts a later explanation which he found in the book of Kings, but also another express statement that Solomon raised his levy of the “strangers that were in the land of Israel.” {2Ch 2:2; 2Ch 2:17-18; 2Ch 8:7-10} These statements may have been partly suggested by the existence of a class of Temple slaves called Solomons servants.
The other instance relates to Solomons alliance with Hiram, king of Tyre. In the book of Kings we are told that “Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.” {1Ki 9:11-12} There were indeed redeeming features connected with the transaction; the cities were not a very valuable possession for Hiram: “they pleased him not”; yet he “sent to the king six score talents of gold.” However, it seemed incredible to the chronicler that the most powerful and wealthy of the kings of Israel should either cede or sell any portion of Jehovahs inheritance. He emends the text of his authority so as to convert it into a causal reference to certain cities which Hiram had given to Solomon. {2Ch 8:1-2. R.V}
We will now reproduce the story of Solomon as given by the chronicler. Solomon was the youngest of four sons born to David at Jerusalem by Bathshua, the daughter of Ammiel. Besides these three brothers, he had at least six other eider brothers. As in the cases of Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David himself, the birthright fell to a younger son. In the prophetic utterance which foretold his birth, he was designated to succeed to his fathers throne and to build the Temple. At the great assembly which closed his fathers reign he received instructions as to the plans and services of the Temple, {1Ch 28:9} and was exhorted to discharge his duties faithfully. He was declared king according to the Divine choice, freely accepted by David and ratified by popular acclamation. At Davids death no one disputed his succession to the throne: “All Israel obeyed him; and all the princes and the mighty men and all the sons likewise of King David submitted themselves unto Solomon the king.” {1Ch 29:23-24}
His first act after his accession was to sacrifice before the brazen altar of the ancient Tabernacle at Gideon. That night God appeared unto him “and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.” Solomon chose wisdom and knowledge to qualify-him for the arduous task of government. Having thus “sought first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” all other things -” riches, wealth, and honor”-were added unto him. {2Ch 1:7-13}
He returned to Jerusalem, gathered a great array of chariots and horses by means of traffic with Egypt, and accumulated great wealth, so that silver, and gold, and cedars became abundant at Jerusalem. {2Ch 1:14-17}
He next proceeded with the building of the Temple, collected workmen, obtained timber from Lebanon and an artificer from Tyre. The Temple was duly erected and dedicated, the king taking the chief and most conspicuous part in all the proceedings. Special reference, however, is made to the presence of the priests and Levites at the dedication. On this occasion the ministry of the sanctuary was not confined to the course whose turn it was to officiate, but “all the priests that were present had sanctified themselves and did not keep their courses; also the Levites, which were the singers, all of them, even Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and their brethren, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, and psalteries, and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them a hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets.”
Solomons dedication prayer concludes with special petitions for the priests, the saints, and the king: “Now therefore arise, O Jehovah Elohim, into Thy resting-place, Thou and the ark of Thy strength; let Thy priests, O Jehovah Elohim, be clothed with salvation, and let Thy saints rejoice in goodness. O Jehovah Elohim, turn not away the face of Thine anointed; remember the mercies of David Thy servant.”
When David sacrificed at the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, the place had been indicated as the site of the future Temple by the descent of fire from heaven; and now, in token that the mercy shown to David should be continued to Solomon, the fire again fell from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of Jehovah “filled the house of Jehovah,” as it had done earlier in the day, when the Ark was brought into the Temple. Solomon concluded the opening ceremonies by a great festival: for eight days the Feast of Tabernacles was observed according to the Levitical law, and seven days more were specially devoted to a dedication feast.
Afterwards Jehovah appeared again to Solomon, as He had before at Gibeon, and told him that this prayer was accepted. Taking up the several petitions that the king had offered, He promised, “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I send pestilence among My people; if My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now Mine eyes shall be open, and Mine ears attent, unto the prayer that is made in this place.” Thus Jehovah, in His gracious condescension, adopts Solomons own words to express His answer to the prayer. He allows Solomon to dictate the terms of the agreement, and merely appends His signature and seal.
Besides the Temple, Solomon built palaces for himself and his wife, and fortified many cities, among the rest Hamath-zobah, formerly allied to David. He also organized the people for civil and military purposes.
As far as the account of his reign is concerned, the Solomon of Chronicles appears as “the husband of one wife”; and that wife is the daughter of Pharaoh. A second, however, is mentioned later on as the mother of Rehoboam; she too was a “strange woman,” an Ammonitess, Naamah by name.
Meanwhile Solomon was careful to maintain all the sacrifices and festivals ordained in the Levitical law, and all the musical and other arrangements for the sanctuary commanded by David, the man of God.
We read next of his commerce by sea and land, his great wealth and wisdom, and the romantic visit of the queen of Sheba.
And so the story of Solomon closes with this picture of royal state, –
“The wealth of Ormus and of Ind, Or where the gorgeous East with richest hand Showers on her kings barbaric pearl and gold.”
Wealth was combined with imperial power and Divine wisdom. Here, as in the case of Platos own pupils Dionysius and Dion of Syracuse, Platos dream came true; the prince was a philosopher, and the philosopher a prince.
At first sight it seems as if this marriage of authority and wisdom had happier issue at Jerusalem than at Syracuse. Solomons history closes as brilliantly as Davids, and Solomon was subject to no Satanic possession and brought no pestilence upon Israel. But testimonials are chiefly significant in what they omit; and when we compare the conclusions of the histories of David and Solomon, we note suggestive differences.
Solomons life does not close with any scene in which his people and his heir assemble to do him honor and to receive his last injunctions. There are no “last words” of the wise king; and it is not said of him that “he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor.” “Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead” that is all. When the chronicler, the professed panegyrist of the house of David, brings his narrative of this great reign to so lame and impotent a conclusion, he really implies as severe a condemnation upon Solomon as the book of Kings does by its narrative of his sins.
Thus the Solomon of Chronicles shows the same piety and devotion to the Temple and its ritual which were shown by his father. His prayer at the dedication of the Temple is parallel to similar utterances of David. Instead of being a general and a soldier, he is a scholar and a philosopher. He succeeded to the administrative abilities of his father; and his prayer displays a deep interest in the welfare of his subjects. His record-in Chronicles-is even more faultless than that of David. And yet the careful student with nothing but Chronicles, even without Ezra and Nehemiah, might somehow get the impression that the story of Solomon, like that of Cambuscan, had been “left half told.” In addition to the points suggested by a comparison with the history of David, there is a certain abruptness about its conclusion. The last fact noted of Solomon, before the formal statistics about “the rest of his acts” and the years of his reign, is that horses were brought for him “out of Egypt and out of all lands.” Elsewhere the chroniclers use of his materials shows a feeling for dramatic effect. We should not have expected him to close the history of a great reign by a reference to the kings trade in horses. {1Ch 9:28}
Perhaps we are apt to read into Chronicles what we know from the book of Kings; yet surely this abrupt conclusion would have raised a suspicion that there were omissions, that facts had been suppressed because they could not bear the light. Upon the splendid figure of the great king, with his wealth and wisdom, his piety and devotion, rests the vague shadow of unnamed sins and unrecorded misfortunes. A suggestion of unhallowed mystery attaches itself to the name of the builder of the Temple, and Solomon is already on the way to become the Master of the Genii and the chief of magicians.
When we turn to consider the spiritual significance of this ideal picture of the history and character of Solomon, we are confronted by a difficulty that attends the exposition of any ideal history. An authors ideal of kingship in the early stages of literature is usually as much one and indivisible as his ideal of priesthood, of the office of the prophet, and of the wicked king. His authorities may record different incidents in connection with each individual; but he emphasizes those which correspond with his ideal, or even anticipates the higher criticism by constructing incidents which seem required by the character and circumstances of his heroes. On the other hand, where the priest, or the prophet, or the king departs from the ideal, the incidents are minimized or passed over in silence. There will still be a certain variety because different individuals may present different elements of the ideal, and the chronicler does not insist on each of his good kings possessing all the characteristics of royal perfection. Still the tendency of the process is to make all the good kings alike. It would be monotonous to take each of them separately and deduce the lessons taught by their virtues, because the chroniclers intention is that they shall all teach the same lessons by the same kind of behavior described from the same point of view. David has a unique position, and has to be taken by himself; but in considering the features that must be added to the picture of David in order to complete the picture of the good king, it is convenient to group Solomon with the reforming kings of Judah. We shall therefore defer for more consecutive treatment the chroniclers account of their general characters and careers. Here we shall merely gather up the suggestions of the different narratives as to the chroniclers ideal Hebrew king. The leading points have already been indicated from the chroniclers history of David. The first and most indispensable feature is devotion to the temple at Jerusalem and the ritual of the Pentateuch. This has been abundantly illustrated from the account of Solomon. Taking the reforming kings in their order:-
Asa removed the high places which were rivals of the Temple, renewed the altar of Jehovah, gathered the people together for a great sacrifice, and made munificent donations to the Temple treasury. {2Ch 15:18-19}
Similarly Jehoshaphat took away the high places, and sent out a commission to teach the Law.
Joash repaired the Temple; {2Ch 24:1-14} but, curiously enough, though Jehoram had restored the high places and Joash was acting under the direction of the high-priest Jehoiada, it is not stated that the high places were done away with. This is one of the chroniclers rather numerous oversights. Perhaps, however, he expected that so obvious a reform would be taken for granted. Amaziah was careful to observe “the law in the book of Moses” that “the children should not die for the fathers,” {2Ch 25:4} but Amaziah soon turned away from following Jehovah. This is perhaps the reason why in his case also nothing is said about doing away with the high places. Hezekiah had a special opportunity of showing his devotion to the Temple and the Law. The Temple had been polluted and closed by Ahaz, and its services discontinued. Hezekiah purified the Temple, reinstated the priests and Levites, and renewed the services; he made arrangements for the payment of the Temple revenues according to the provisions of the Levitical law, and took away the high places. He also held a reopening festival and a passover with numerous sacrifices. Manassehs repentance is indicated by the restoration of the Temple ritual. {2Ch 33:16} Josiah took away the high places, repaired the Temple, made the people enter into a covenant to observe the rediscovered Law, and, like Hezekiah, held a great Passover {2Ch 34:1-33; 2Ch 35:1-27} The reforming kings, like David and Solomon, are specially interested in the music of the Temple and in all the arrangements that have to do with the porters and doorkeepers and other classes of Levites. Their enthusiasm for the exclusive rights of the one Temple symbolizes their loyalty to the one God, Jehovah, and their hatred of idolatry. Zeal for Jehovah and His temple is still combined with uncompromising assertion of the royal supremacy in matters of religion. The king, and not the priest, is the highest spiritual authority in the nation. Solomon, Hezekiah, and Josiah control the arrangements for public worship as completely as Moses or David. Solomon receives Divine communications without the intervention of either priest or prophet; he himself offers the great dedication prayer, and when he makes an end of praying, fire comes down from heaven. Under Hezekiah the civil authorities decide when the passover shall be observed: “For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month.” {2Ch 30:2} The great reforms of Josiah are throughout initiated and controlled by the king. He himself goes up to the Temple and reads in the ears of the people all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of Jehovah. The chronicler still adheres to the primitive idea of the theocracy, according to which the chief, or judge, or king is the representative of Jehovah. The title to the crown rests throughout on the grace of God and the will of the people. In Judah, however, the principle of hereditary succession prevails throughout. Athaliah is not really an exception: she reigned as the widow of a Davidic king. The double election of David by Jehovah and by Israel carried with it the election of his dynasty. The permanent rule of the house of David was secured by the Divine promise to its founder. Yet the title is not allowed to rest on mere hereditary right. Divine choice and popular recognition are recorded in the case of Solomon and other kings. “All Israel came to Shechem to make Rehoboam king,” and yet revolted from him when he refused to accept their conditions; but the obstinacy which caused the disruption “was brought about of God, that Jehovah might establish His word which He spake by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite.”
Ahaziah, Joash, Uzziah, Josiah, Jehoahaz, were all set upon the throne by the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. {2Ch 22:1, 2Ch 23:1-15, 2Ch 26:1, 2Ch 33:25, 2Ch 36:1} After Solomon the Divine appointment of kings is not expressly mentioned; Jehovahs control over the tenure of the throne is chiefly shown by the removal of unworthy occupants.
It is interesting to note that the chronicler does not hesitate to record that of the last three sovereigns of Judah two were appointed by foreign kings: Jehoiakim was the nominee of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt; and the last king of all, Zedekiah, was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. In like manner, the Herods, the last rulers of the restored kingdom of Judah, were the nominees of the Roman emperors. Such nominations forcibly illustrate the degradations and ruin of the theocratic monarchy. But yet, according to the teaching of the prophets, Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar were tools in the hand of Jehovah: and their nomination was still an indirect Divine appointment. In the chroniclers time, however, Judah was thoroughly accustomed to receive her governors from a Persian or Greek king; and Jewish readers would not be scandalized by a similar state of affairs in the closing years of the earlier kingdom.
Thus the reforming kings illustrate the ideal kingship set forth in the history of David and Solomon: the royal authority originates in, and is controlled by, the will of God and the consent of the people: the kings highest duty is the maintenance of the worship of Jehovah; but the king and people are supreme both in Church and state.
The personal character of the good kings is also very similar to that of David and Solomon. Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah are men of spiritual feeling as well as careful observers of correct ritual. None of the good kings, with the exception of Joash and Josiah, are unsuccessful in war; and good reasons are given for the exceptions. They all display administrative ability by their buildings, the organization of the Temple services and the army, and the arrangements for the collection of the revenue, especially the dues of the priests and Levites.
There is nothing, however, to indicate that the personal charm of Davids character was inherited by his descendants; but when biography is made merely a means of edification, it often loses those touches of nature which make the whole world kin, and are capable of exciting either admiration or disgust.
The later narrative affords another illustration of the absence of any sentiment of humanity towards enemies. As in the case of David, the chronicler records the cruelty of a good king as if it were quite consistent with loyalty to Jehovah. Before he turned away from following Jehovah, Amaziah defeated the Edomites and smote ten thousand of them. Others were treated like some of the Malagasy martyrs: “And other ten thousand did the children of Judah carry away alive, and brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, that they all were broken in pieces.” {1Ch 25:11} In this case, however, the chronicler is not simply reproducing Kings: he has taken the trouble to supplement his main authority from some other source, probably local tradition. His insertion of this verse is another testimony to the undying hatred of Israel for Edom.
But in one respect the reforming kings are sharply distinguished from David and Solomon. The record of their lives is by no means blameless, and their sins are visited by condign chastisement. They all, with the single exception of Jotham, come to a bad end. Asa consulted physicians, and was punished by being allowed to die of a painful disease. {2Ch 16:12} The last event of Jehoshaphats life was the ruin of the navy, which he had built in unholy alliance with Ahaziah, king of Israel, who did very wickedly. {2Ch 20:37} Joash murdered the prophet Zechariah, the son of the high-priest Jehoiada; his great host was routed by a small company of Syrians, and Joash himself was assassinated by his servants. {2Ch 24:20-27} Amaziah turned away from following Jehovah, and “brought the gods of the children of Self, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them.” He was accordingly defeated by Joash, king of Israel, and assassinated by his own people. {2Ch 25:14-27} Uzziah insisted on exercising the priestly function of burning incense to Jehovah, and so died a leper. {2Ch 26:16-23} “Even Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him, for his heart was lifted up in the business of ambassadors of the princes of Babylon; therefore there was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of Jehovah came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.” But yet the last days of Hezekiah were clouded by the thought that he was leaving the punishment of his sin as a legacy to Judah and the house of David. {2Ch 32:25-33} Josiah refused to heed the warning sent to him by God through the king of Egypt: “He hearkened not unto the words of Neco from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo”; and so Josiah died like Ahab: he was wounded by the archers, carried out of the battle in his chariot, and died at Jerusalem. {2Ch 35:20-27}
The melancholy record of the misfortunes of the good kings in their closing years is also found in the book of Kings. There too Asa in his old age was diseased in his feet, Jehoshaphats ships were wrecked, Joash and Amaziah were assassinated, Uzziah became a leper, Hezekiah was rebuked for his pride, and Josiah slain at Megiddo. But, except in the case of Hezekiah, the book of Kings says nothing about the sins which, according to Chronicles, occasioned these sufferings and catastrophes. The narrative in the book of Kings carries upon the face of it the lesson that piety is not usually rewarded with unbroken prosperity, and that a pious career does not necessarily ensure a happy deathbed. The significance of the chroniclers additions will be considered elsewhere: what concerns us here is his departure from the principles he observed in dealing with the lives of David and Solomon. They also sinned and suffered; but the chronicler omits their sins and sufferings, especially in the case of Solomon. Why does he pursue an opposite course with other good kings and blacken their characters by perpetuating the memory of sins not mentioned in the book of Kings, instead of confining his record to the happier incidents of their career? Many considerations may have influenced him. The violent deaths of Joash, Amaziah, and Josiah could neither be ignored nor explained away. Hezekiahs sin and repentance are closely parallel to Davids in the matter of the census. Although Asas disease, Jehoshaphats alliance with Israel, and Uzziahs leprosy might easily have been omitted, yet, if some reformers must be allowed to remain imperfect, there was no imperative necessity to ignore the infirmities of the rest. The great advantage of the course pursued by the chronicler consisted in bringing out a clearly defined contrast between David and Solomon on the one hand and the reforming kings on the other. The piety of the latter is conformed to the chroniclers ideal; but the glory and devotion of the former are enhanced by the crimes and humiliation of the best of their successors. Hezekiah, doubtless, is not more culpable than David, but Davids pride was the first of a series of events which terminated in the building of the Temple; while the uplifting of Hezekiahs heart was a precursor of its destruction. Besides, Hezekiah ought to have profited by Davids experience.
By developing this contrast, the chronicler renders the position of David and Solomon even more unique, illustrious, and full of religious significance.
Thus as illustrations of ideal kingship the accounts of the good kings of Judah are altogether subordinate to the history of David and Solomon. While these kings of Judah remained loyal to Jehovah, they further illustrated the virtues of their great predecessors by showing how these virtues might have been exercised Under different circumstances: how David would have dealt with an Ethiopian invasion and what Solomon would have done if he had found the Temple desecrated and its services stopped. But no essential feature is added to the earlier pictures.
The lapses of kings who began to walk in the law of the Lord and then fell away serve as foils to the undimmed glory of David and Solomon. Abrupt transitions within the limits of the individual lives of Asa, Joash, and Amaziah bring out the contrast between piety and apostasy with startling, dramatic effect.
We return from this brief survey to consider the significance of the life of Solomon according to Chronicles. Its relation to the life of David is summed up in the name Solomon, the Prince of peace. David is the ideal king, winning by force of arms for Israel empire and victory, security at home and tribute from abroad. Utterly subdued by his prowess, the natural enemies of Israel no longer venture to disturb her tranquility. His successor inherits wide dominion, immense wealth, and assured peace. Solomon, the Prince of peace, is the ideal king, administering a great inheritance for the glory of Jehovah and His temple. His history in Chronicles is one of unbroken calm. He has a great army and many strong fortresses, but he never has occasion to use them. He implores Jehovah to be merciful to Israel when they suffer from the horrors of war; but he is interceding, not for his own subjects, but for future generations. In his time-
“No war or battles sound
Was heard the world around:
The idle spear and shield were high uphung;
The hooked chariot stood
Unstained with hostile blood;
The trumpet spake not to the armed throng.”
Perhaps, to use a paradox, the greatest proof of Solomons wisdom was that he asked for wisdom. He realized at the outset of his career that a wide dominion is more easily won than governed, that to use great wealth honorably requires more skill and character than are needed to amass it. Today the world can boast half a dozen empires surpassing not merely Israel, but even Rome, in extent of dominion; the aggregate wealth of the world is far beyond the wildest dreams of the chronicler: but still the people perish for lack of knowledge. The physical and moral foulness of modern cities taints all the culture and tarnishes all the splendor of our civilization; classes and trades, employers and employed, maim and crush one another in blind struggles to work out a selfish salvation; newly devised organizations move their unwieldy masses-
“like dragons of the prime That tare each other.”
They have a giants strength, and use it like a giant. Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers; and the world waits for the reign of the Prince of peace who is not only the wise king, but the incarnate wisdom of God.
Thus one striking suggestion of the chroniclers history of Solomon is the special need of wisdom and Divine guidance for the administration of a great and prosperous empire.
Too much stress, however, must not be laid on the twofold personality of the ideal king. This feature is adopted from the history, and does not express any opinion of the chronicler that the characteristic gifts of David and Solomon could not be combined in a single individual. Many great generals have also been successful administrators. Before Julius Caesar was assassinated he had already shown his capacity to restore order and tranquility to the Roman world; Alexanders plans for the civil government of his conquests were as far-reaching as his warlike ambition; Diocletian reorganized the empire which his sword had re-established; Cromwells schemes of reform showed an almost prophetic insight into the future needs of the English people; the glory of Napoleons victories is a doubtful legacy to France compared with the solid benefits of his internal reforms.
But even these instances, which illustrate the union of military genius and administrative ability, remind us that the assignment of success in war to one king and a reign of peace to the next is, after all, typical. The limits of human life narrow its possibilities. Caesars work had to be completed by Augustus; the great schemes of Alexander and Cromwell fell to the ground because no one arose to play Solomon to their David.
The chronicler has specially emphasized the indebtedness of Solomon to David. According to his narrative, the great achievement of Solomons reign, the building of the Temple, has been rendered possible by Davids preparations. Quite apart from plans and materials, the chroniclers view of the credit due to David in this matter is only reasonable recognition of service rendered to the religion of Israel. Whoever provided the timber and stone, the silver and gold, for the Temple, David won for Jehovah the land and the city that were the outer courts of the sanctuary, and roused the national spirit that gave to Zion its most solemn consecration. Solomons temple was alike the symbol of Davids achievements and the coping-stone of his work.
By compelling our attention to the dependence of the Prince of Peace upon the man who “had shed much blood,” the chronicler admonishes us against forgetting the price that has been paid for liberty and culture. The splendid courtiers whose “apparel” specially pleased the feminine tastes of the queen of Sheba might feel all the contempt of the superior person for Davids war-worn veterans. The latter probably were more at home in the “store cities” than at Jerusalem. But without the blood and toil of these rough soldiers Solomon would have had no opportunity to exchange riddles with his fair visitor and to dazzle her admiring eyes with the glories of his temple and palaces.
The blessings of peace are not likely to be preserved unless men still appreciate and cherish the stern virtues that flourish in troubled times. If our own times become troubled, and their serenity be invaded by fierce conflict, it will be ours to remember that the rugged life of “the hold in the wilderness” and the struggles with the Philistines may enable a later generation to build its temple to the Lord and to learn the answers to “hard questions.” {2Ch 9:1} Moses and Joshua, David and Solomon, remind us again how the Divine work is handed on from generation to generation: Moses leads Israel through the wilderness, but Joshua brings them into the Land of Promise: David collects the materials, but Solomon builds the Temple. The settlement in Palestine and the building of the Temple were only episodes in the working out of the “one increasing purpose,” but one leader and one lifetime did not suffice for either episode. We grow impatient of the scale upon which God works: we want it reduced to the limits of our human faculties and of our earthly lives; yet all history preaches patience. In our demand for Divine interventions whereby-
“sudden in a minute All is accomplished, and the work is done,”
we are very Esaus, eager to sell the birthright of the future for a mess of pottage today.
And the continuity of the Divine purpose is only realized through the continuity of human effort. We must indeed serve our own generation; but part of that service consists in providing that the next generation shall be trained to carry on the work, and that after David shall come Solomon-the Solomon of Chronicles, and not the Solomon of Kings-and that, if possible, Solomon shall not be succeeded by Rehoboam. As we attain this larger outlook, we shall be less tempted to employ doubtful means, which are supposed to be justified by their end; we shall be less enthusiastic for processes that bring “quick returns,” but give very “small profits” in the long run. Christian workers are a little too fond of spiritual jerry-building, as if sites in the kingdom of Heaven were let out on ninety-nine-year leases; but God builds for eternity, and we are fellow-workers together with Him.
To complete the chroniclers picture of the ideal king, we have to add Davids warlike prowess and Solomons wisdom and splendor to the piety and graces common to both. The result is unique among the many pictures that have been drawn by historians, philosophers, and poets. It has a value of its own, because the chroniclers gifts in the way of history, philosophy, and poetry were entirely subordinated to his interest in theology; and most theologians have only been interested in the doctrine of the king when they could use it to gratify the vanity of a royal patron.
The full-length portrait in Chronicles contrasts curiously with the little vignette preserved in the book which bears the name of Solomon. There, in the oracle which King Lemuels mother taught him, the king is simply admonished to avoid strange women and strong drink, to “judge righteously, and minister judgment to the poor and needy.” {Pro 31:1-9}
To pass to more modern theology, the theory of the king that is implied in Chronicles has much in common with Wyclifs doctrine of dominion: they both recognize the sanctity of the royal power and its temporal supremacy, and they both hold that obedience to God is the condition of the continued exercise of legitimate rule. But the priest of Lutterworth was less ecclesiastical and more democratic than our Levite.
A more orthodox authority on the Protestant doctrine of the king would be the Thirty-nine Articles. These, however, deal with the subject somewhat slightly. As far as they go, they are in harmony with the chronicler. They assert the unqualified supremacy of the king, both ecclesiastical and civil. Even “general councils may not be gathered together without the commandment and will of princes.” On the other hand, princes are not to imitate Uzziah in presuming to exercise the priestly function of offering incense: they are not to minister Gods word or sacraments.
Outside theology the ideal of the king has been stated with greater fullness and freedom, but not many of the pictures drawn have much in common with the chroniclers David and Solomon. Machiavellis Prince and Bolingbrokes Patriot King belong to a different world; moreover, their method is philosophical, and not historical: they state a theory rather than draw a picture. Tennysons Arthur is what he himself calls him, an “ideal knight” rather than an ideal king. Perhaps the best parallels to David are to be found in the Cyrus of the Greek historians and philosophers and the Alfred of English story. Alfred indeed combines many of the features both of David and Solomon: he secured English unity, and was the founder of English culture and literature; he had a keen interest in ecclesiastical affairs; great gifts of administration, and much personal attractiveness. Cyrus, again, specially illustrates what we may call the posthumous fortunes of David: his name stood for the ideal of kingship with both Greeks and Persians, and in the “Cyropaedia” his life and character are made the basis of a picture of the ideal king.
Many points are of course common to almost all such pictures; they portray the king as a capable and benevolent ruler and a man of high personal character. The distinctive characteristic of Chronicles is the stress laid on the piety of the king, his care for the honor of God and the spiritual welfare of his subjects. If the practical influence of this teaching has not been altogether beneficent, it is because men have too invariably connected spiritual profit with organization, and ceremonies, and forms of words, sound or otherwise.
But today the doctrine of the state takes the place of the doctrine of the king. Instead of Cyropaedias we have Utopias. We are asked sometimes to look back, not to an ideal king, but to an ideal commonwealth, to the age of the Antonines or to some happy century of English history when we are told that the human race or the English people were “most happy and prosperous”; oftener we are invited to contemplate an imaginary future. We may add to those already made one or two further applications of the chroniclers principles to the modern state. His method suggests that the perfect society will have the virtues of our actual life without its vices, and that the possibilities of the future are best divined from a careful study of the past. The devotion of his kings to the Temple symbolizes the truth that the ideal state is impossible without recognition of a Divine presence and obedience to a Divine will.