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2 Chronicles Chapter Two

 

2 Chronicles 2 Outline of Contents

Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple (v.1~18)

New King James Version (NKJV)

 

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 2

Solomon intending to build a temple for God and a palace for himself sent to Hiram king of Tyre to furnish him with materials and workmen 2 Chronicles 2:1 to which Hiram returned an agreeable answer 2 Chronicles 2:11 and for this service Solomon numbered all the strangers in Israel 2 Chronicles 2:17.

 

2 Chronicles 2:1  Then Solomon determined to build a temple for the name of the Lord and a royal house for himself.

   YLT  1And Solomon saith to build a house for the name of Jehovah and a house for his kingdom

And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the Lord .... For the worship and service of God and for his honour and glory being directed enjoined and encouraged to it by his father David:

and an house for his kingdom; for a royal palace for him and his successors first the one and then the other; and in this order they were built.

 

2 Chronicles 2:2  2 Solomon selected seventy thousand men to bear burdens eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.

   YLT  2and Solomon numbereth seventy thousand men bearing burden and eighty thousand men hewing in the mountain and overseers over them -- three thousand and six hundred.

And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men .... Of whom and the difference of the last number in this text from 1 Kings 5:15 see the notes there. See Gill on 1 Kings 5:15. See Gill on 1 Kings 5:16.

 

2 Chronicles 2:3  3 Then Solomon sent to Hiram[a] king of Tyre saying:

As you have dealt with David my father and sent him cedars to build himself a house to dwell in so deal with me.

   YLT  3And Solomon sendeth unto Huram king of Tyre saying `When thou hast dealt with David my father then thou dost send to him cedars to build for him a house to dwell in;

And Solomon sent to Huram king of Tyre .... The same with Hiram 1 Kings 5:1 and from whence it appears that Huram first sent a letter to Solomon to congratulate him on his accession to the throne which is not taken notice of here:

as thou didst deal with my father and didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein; see 1 Chronicles 14:1 even so deal with me; which words are a supplement.

 

2 Chronicles 2:4  4 Behold I am building a temple for the name of the Lord my God to dedicate it to Him to burn before Him sweet incense for the continual showbread for the burnt offerings morning and evening on the Sabbaths on the New Moons and on the set feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.

   YLT  4lo I am building a house to the name of Jehovah my God to sanctify [it] to Him to make perfume before Him perfume of spices and a continual arrangement and burnt-offerings at morning and at evening at sabbaths and at new moons and at appointed seasons of Jehovah our God; to the age this [is] on Israel.

Behold I build an house to the name of the Lord my God .... Am about to do it and determined upon it see 2 Chronicles 2:1

to dedicate it to him; to set it apart for sacred service to him:

and to burn before him sweet incense; on the altar of incense:

and for the continual shewbread; the loaves of shewbread which were continually on the shewbread table; which and the altar of incense both were set in the holy place in the tabernacle and so to be in the temple:

and for the burnt offerings morning and evening; the daily sacrifice: on the sabbaths and on the new moons and on the solemn feasts of the Lord our God: at which seasons besides the daily sacrifice additional burnt offerings were offered and all on the brasen altar in the court: this is an ordinance

for ever unto Israel: to offer the above sacrifices even for a long time to come until the Messiah comes; and therefore Solomon suggests as Jarchi and Kimchi think that a good strong house ought to be built.

 

2 Chronicles 2:5  5 And the temple which I build will be great for our God is greater than all gods.

   YLT  5`And the house that I am building [is] great for greater [is] our God than all gods;

And the house which I build is great .... Not so very large though that with all apartments and courts belonging to it he intended to build was so; but because magnificent in its structure and decorations:

for great is our God above all gods; and therefore ought to have a temple to exceed all others as the temple at Jerusalem did.

 

2 Chronicles 2:6  6 But who is able to build Him a temple since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then that I should build Him a temple except to burn sacrifice before Him?

   YLT  6and who doth retain strength to build to Him a house for the heavens even the heavens of the heavens do not contain Him? and who [am] I that I do build to Him a house except to make perfume before Him?

But who is able to build him an house .... Suitable to the greatness of his majesty especially as he dwells not in temples made with hands:

seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? see 1 Kings 8:27

who am I then that I should build him an house save only to burn sacrifice before him? since God was an immense and infinite Being be would have Hiram to understand that he had no thought of building an house in which he could be circumscribed and contained only a place in which he might be worshipped and sacrifices offered to him.

 

2 Chronicles 2:7  7 Therefore send me at once a man skillful to work in gold and silver in bronze and iron in purple and crimson and blue who has skill to engrave with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem whom David my father provided.

   YLT  7`And now send to me a wise man to work in gold and in silver and in brass and in iron and in purple and crimson and blue and knowing to grave gravings with the wise men who [are] with me in Judah and in Jerusalem whom David my father prepared;

Send now therefore a man cunning to work in gold and in silver and in brass and in iron .... There being many things relating to the temple about to be built and vessels to be put into it which were to be made of those metals:

and in purple and crimson and blue; used in making the vails for it hung up in different places:

and that can skill to grave; in wood or stone:

with the cunning men that are with me in Judah and Jerusalem whom my father David did provide; see 1 Chronicles 22:15.

 

2 Chronicles 2:8  8 Also send me cedar and cypress and algum logs from Lebanon for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and indeed my servants will be with your servants

   YLT  8and send to me cedar-trees firs and algums from Lebanon for I have known that thy servants know to cut down trees of Lebanon and lo my servants [are] with thy servants

Send me also cedar trees fir trees and algum trees out of Lebanon .... Of the two first of these and which Hiram sent see 1 Kings 5:10. The algum trees are the same with the almug trees 1 Kings 10:11 by a transposition of letters; these could not be coral as some Jewish writers think which grows in the sea for these were in Lebanon; nor Brazil as Kimchi so called from a place of this name which at this time was not known; though there were trees of almug afterwards brought from Ophir in India as appears from the above quoted place as well as from Arabia; and it seems as BeckiusF3In Targum in loc. observes to be an Arabic word by the article "al" prefixed to it:

for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; better than his:

and behold my servants shall be with thy servants; to help and assist them in what they can and to learn of them see 1 Kings 5:6.

 

2 Chronicles 2:9  9 to prepare timber for me in abundance for the temple which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.

   YLT  9even to prepare for me trees in abundance for the house that I am building [is] great and wonderful.

Even to prepare me timber in abundance .... Since he would want a large quantity for raftering cieling wainscoting and flooring the temple:

for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great; as to its structure and ornaments.

 

2 Chronicles 2:10  10 And indeed I will give to your servants the woodsmen who cut timber twenty thousand kors of ground wheat twenty thousand kors of barley twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand baths of oil.

   YLT  10`And lo to hewers to those cutting the trees I have given beaten wheat to thy servants cors twenty thousand and barley cors twenty thousand and wine baths twenty thousand and oil baths twenty thousand.'

Behold I will give to thy servants the hewers that cut timber twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat .... Meaning not what was beaten out of the husk with the flail as some; nor bruised or half broke for pottage as others; but ground into flour as R. JonahF4Apud Kimchium in loc. interprets it; or rather perhaps it should be rendered "food"F5So Kimchi מכת "pro" מכלת "ineuria librariorum" Schindler Lex. Pentaglott. col. 73. that is for his household as in 1 Kings 5:11 and the hire of these servants is proposed to be given in this way because wheat was scarce with the Tyrians and they were obliged to have it from the Jews Acts 12:20

and twenty thousand measures of barley; the measures of both these were the cor of which see 1 Kings 5:11

and twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand baths of oil; which measure was the tenth part of a "cor". According to the Ethiopians a man might consume four of these measures in the space of a monthF6Ludolf. Lexic. Ethiop. p. 197. .

 

2 Chronicles 2:11  11 Then Hiram king of Tyre answered in writing which he sent to Solomon: Because the Lord loves His people He has made you king over them.

   YLT  11And Huram king of Tyre saith in writing and sendeth unto Solomon: `In the love of Jehovah to His people He hath given thee king over them.'

Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing which he sent to Solomon .... In which letter he told him he had considered the contents of his and would grant him all that he desired see 1 Kings 5:8.

because the Lord hath loved his people; he hath made thee king over them; which are much the same words the queen of Sheba said to Solomon; see Gill on 1 Kings 10:9.

 

2 Chronicles 2:12  12 Hiram[b] also said: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who made heaven and earth for He has given King David a wise son endowed with prudence and understanding who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal house for himself!

   YLT  12And Huram saith `Blessed [is] Jehovah God of Israel who made the heavens and the earth who hath given to David the king a wise son knowing wisdom and understanding who doth build a house for Jehovah and a house for his kingdom.

Huram said moreover blessed be the Lord God of Israel that made heaven and earth .... Huram seems to have had some good notions of the divine Being not only as the God of the people of Israel in a peculiar sense but as the Former and Maker of all things:

who hath given to David the king a wise son endued with prudence and understanding; see 1 Kings 5:7.

that might build an house for the Lord and for his kingdom; as in 2 Chronicles 2:1.

 

2 Chronicles 2:13  13 And now I have sent a skillful man endowed with understanding Huram[c] my master[d] craftsman

   YLT  13`And now I have sent a wise man having understanding of Huram my father

And now I have sent a cunning man endued with understanding .... In such things as Solomon required he should 2 Chronicles 2:7.

of Huram my father's; a workman of his whom he employed and so might be depended upon as a good artificer; though rather Huram is the artificer's name:

and Abi we render "my father" his surname that is "Huram Abi"; and this is the opinion of several learned menF7Luther. Emanuel Sa Piscator Schmidt Beckius in Targum in loc. and is very probable; for certain it is that his name was Huram or Hiram 1 Kings 7:13 and so he is called "Huram his father or Huram Abif" 2 Chronicles 4:16.

 

2 Chronicles 2:14  14 (the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan and his father was a man of Tyre) skilled to work in gold and silver bronze and iron stone and wood purple and blue fine linen and crimson and to make any engraving and to accomplish any plan which may be given to him with your skillful men and with the skillful men of my lord David your father.

   YLT  14(son of a woman of the daughters of Dan and his father a man of Tyre) knowing to work in gold and in silver in brass in iron in stones and in wood in purple in blue and in fine linen and in crimson and to grave any graving and to devise any device that is given to him with thy wise men and the wise men of my lord David thy father.

The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan .... Here follows an account of the descent of the artificer and of his skill in working; of what seeming disagreement there may be in this account with that in 1 Kings 7:14; see Gill on 1 Kings 7:14.

 

2 Chronicles 2:15  15 Now therefore the wheat the barley the oil and the wine which my lord has spoken of let him send to his servants.

   YLT  15`And now the wheat and the barley the oil and the wine as my lord said let him send to his servants

Now therefore the wheat and the barley the oil and the wine which my lord hath spoken of .... In his letter to him 2 Chronicles 2:10 as for the phrase "my lord" which some think is used because Hiram was tributary to Solomon it may only be a respectful way of speaking:

let him send unto his servants; Hiram accepted thereof as a proper reward for the work of his servants.

 

2 Chronicles 2:16  16 And we will cut wood from Lebanon as much as you need; we will bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa and you will carry it up to Jerusalem.

   YLT  16and we -- we cut trees out of Lebanon according to all thy need and bring them in to thee -- floats by sea to Joppa and thou dost take them up to Jerusalem.'

And we will cut wood out of Lebanon as much as thou shall need .... Both cedar and fir 1 Kings 5:8

and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa; a port in the Mediterranean sea the same that Jonah went down to; see Gill on 1 Kings 5:9

and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem; in land carriages about forty miles off.

 

2 Chronicles 2:17  17 Then Solomon numbered all the aliens who were in the land of Israel after the census in which David his father had numbered them; and there were found to be one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred.

   YLT  17And Solomon numbereth all the men the sojourners who [are] in the land of Israel after the numbering with which David his father numbered them and they are found a hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred;

And Solomon numbered all the strangers that were in the land of Israel .... Which according to Kimchi were the remains of the Amorites Hittites Perizzites and Jebusites see 2 Chronicles 8:8 yet not idolaters or they would not have been suffered by David and Solomon to have dwelt in the land but were such as were become proselytes of the gate:

after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; not at the time Israel was numbered by him but in order to provide workmen for the building of the temple 1 Chronicles 22:2

and they were found an hundred and fifty thousand and six hundred; men able to bear burdens and hew timber.

 

2 Chronicles 2:18  18 And he made seventy thousand of them bearers of burdens eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountain and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.

   YLT  18and he maketh of them seventy thousand burden-bearers and eighty thousand hewers in the mountain and three thousand and six hundred overseers to cause the people to work.

And he set threescore and ten thousand of them .... Which is repeated from 2 Chronicles 2:2 to show how the above number of strangers were disposed of; 70 000 of them bearers of burdens 80 000 of them hewers of wood and 3 600 overseers of the workmen in all 153 600; an emblem of the Gentiles employed in building the spiritual temple the church Zechariah 6:15.

 

──John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible

 

New King James Version (NKJV)

Footnotes:

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:3 Hebrew Huram (compare 1 Kings 5:1)
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:12 Hebrew Huram (compare 1 Kings 5:1)
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:13 Spelled Hiram in 1 Kings 7:13
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:13 Literally father (compare 1 Kings 7:13 14)