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2
Chronicles Chapter Three
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 3 & 4
These
two chapters give an account of the building of the temple
of the materials
parts
and form of it
and of things belonging to it
and which agrees with 1 Kings 6:1 see the
notes there; only here
1 Chronicles 3:1
mention is made of the particular place where it was built
Mount Moriah; of which
see the notes on Genesis 22:2. The
dimensions of the house
as the Targum rightly explains
2 Chronicles 3:3
are said to be after the first measure
either of that of the tabernacle by
Moses
or rather of that of the pattern David gave to Solomon
1 Chronicles 28:11
though some understand it of the greater cubit: the holy place is called the
greater house
2 Chronicles 3:5
being twice as long as the holy of holies; in 2 Chronicles 3:6
we are informed what the precious stones were for
which David and his princes
gave for the temple
1 Chronicles 29:2
that they were to decorate the house; and also what sort of gold was used in
overlaying it
gold of Parvaim
which some interpret of PeruF8
in
America; but it is a question whether that was then known
or
if it was
must
go by another name
since Peru is a late name given by the Spaniards
at their
conquest of it. BochartF9 takes it to be Taprobane
an island in the
Indian sea
as if it was Taph Parvan or Provan
the shore of Parvan. KircherF11
is of opinion it is the same with Javaim
the isles of Java in the same sea
from whence was gold
which is not very likely. WaserusF12 thinks
Parvaim is the name of a town which is by PlinyF13 corruptly called
Parbacia
which was in the land of Havilah
or the kingdom of the Charazenes
where was the best gold
Genesis 2:11 though
others suppose it to be the same with Ophir
by removing the first letter of
the word
to which PfeifferF14 inclines
and is as probable as any;
and much more probable than what the JewsF15 say
that this gold was
so called
because it was red like the blood of "parim"
oxen: in 2 Chronicles 3:8
the quantity of gold
with which the most holy place was overlaid
is given
six hundred talents: of which See Gill on 1 Kings 6:21
In 2 Chronicles 3:9 we
read of the nails with which the plates of gold were fastened to the boards
nowhere else mentioned
except in the Vulgate Latin version of 1 Kings 6:21
"he fastened the plates with golden nails"; which version perhaps is
most correct; the weight of which were fifty shekels of gold; that is
according to the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions
each nail weighed so
much
which amounted to seventy five pounds of our moneyF16.
Eupolemus
an Heathen writerF17 speaks of these nails
which he
makes to be silver ones; and says they were of the weight of a talent
in the
form of a woman's breast
and in number four
with which the plates of gold
were fastened
which were of five cubits; I suppose he means there were four of
these nails in every plate of five cubits: in 2 Chronicles 4:1 an
account is given of an "altar of brass"
made by Solomon
we have not
elsewhere
only referred to 1 Kings 8:64
whether this was only covered with brass
as that made by Moses was
as someF18
think; or whether of massy brass
as Dr. LightfootF19 because not to
be removed as that was
is not certain; the altar of the second temple was of
stones unpolished
according to the MisnahF20
with which
agrees"46 And laid up the stones in the mountain of the temple in a
convenient place
until there should come a prophet to shew what should be done
with them. 47 Then they took whole stones according to the law
and built a new
altar according to the former;' (1 Maccabees 4)and so PhiloF21:
"twenty cubits was the length thereof
and twenty cubits the breadth
thereof
and ten cubits the height thereof"; it was four times as big in
its square as that of Moses
and three times higher
and a cubit over
See Gill
on Exodus 27:1.
HecataeusF23
an Heathen writer
speaks of this altar as four
square
and made of whole and unpolished stones
each side of which was twenty
cubits
but the height of it he makes to be twelve cubits
in which he
mistakes. It weighed
according to Jacob LeonF24 7000 arobas of
brass
each aroba containing twenty five pounds. The rest of the chapter agrees
with the account in the book of Kings.F8 Erasm. Schmid. de America
Orat. ad Calc. Pindar. p. 261. Montani Phaleg. in Calc. Jac. Capellus in loc.F9
Phaleg. l. 2. c. 27. & Canaan
l. 1. c. 46. col. 692. Braunius de Vest.
Sacred. Heb. p. 221.F11 Prodrom. Copt. c. 4. p. 119.F12
De Antiqu. Num. Heb. l. 1. c. 6.F13 Nat. Hist l. 6. c. 28.F14
Difficil. Script. Sacr. cent. 3. loc. 16. p. 247.F15 T. Bab. Yoma
fol. 45. 1. Hieros. Yoma
fol. 41. 4. Shemot Rabba
sect. 39. fol. 136. 4.F16
Brerewood de Ponder. &c. c. 5.F17 Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel.
l. 9. c. 34. p. 450.F18 Cunaeus de Rep. Heb. l. 2. c. 5.F19
Prospect of the Temple
ch. 34. p. 2029. So Villalpandus.F20 Middot
c. 3. sect. 4.F21 De Victimis
p. 850.F23 Apud Euseb.
Evangel. Praepar. l. 9. c. 4. p. 408.F24 Relation of Memorable
Things in the Temple
ch. 4. p. 20.
2 Chronicles
3:1 Now Solomon
began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount
Moriah
where the Lord[a]
had appeared to his father David
at the place that David had prepared on the
threshing floor of Ornan[b] the
Jebusite.
YLT
1And Solomon beginneth to
build the house of Jehovah
in Jerusalem
in the mount of Moriah
where He
appeared to David his father
in the place that David had prepared
in the
threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite
Verses 1-17
See
Chapter Introduction
2 Chronicles
3:2 2 And
he began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth
year of his reign.
YLT
2and he beginneth to build
in the second [day]
in the second month
in the fourth year of his reign.
2 Chronicles 3:3 3 This is the foundation
which Solomon laid for building the house of God: The length was sixty
cubits (by cubits according to the former measure) and the width twenty cubits.
YLT
3And [in] these hath Solomon
been instructed to build the house of God: The length [in] cubits by the former
measure [is] sixty cubits
and the breadth twenty cubits.
2 Chronicles 3:4 4 And the vestibule that was
in front of the sanctuary[c] was twenty
cubits long across the width of the house
and the height was one
hundred and[d] twenty. He
overlaid the inside with pure gold.
YLT
4As to the porch that [is]
on the front
the length [is] by the front of the breadth of the house
twenty
cubits
and the height a hundred and twenty
and he overlayeth it within with
pure gold.
2 Chronicles 3:5 5 The larger room[e] he paneled
with cypress which he overlaid with fine gold
and he carved palm trees and
chainwork on it.
YLT
5And the large house he hath
covered with fir-trees
and he doth cover it with good gold
and causeth to
ascend on it palms and chains
2 Chronicles 3:6 6 And he decorated the house
with precious stones for beauty
and the gold was gold from Parvaim.
YLT
6and he overlayeth the house
with precious stone for beauty
and the gold [is] gold of Parvaim
2 Chronicles 3:7 7 He also overlaid the
house—the beams and doorposts
its walls and doors—with gold; and he carved
cherubim on the walls.
YLT
7and he covereth the house
the beams
the thresholds
and its walls
and its doors
with gold
and hath
graved cherubs on the walls.
2 Chronicles 3:8 8 And he made the Most Holy
Place. Its length was according to the width of the house
twenty cubits
and
its width twenty cubits. He overlaid it with six hundred talents of fine gold.
YLT
8And he maketh the most holy
house: its length [is] by the front of the breadth of the house twenty cubits
and its breadth twenty cubits
and he covereth it with good gold
to six
hundred talents;
2 Chronicles 3:9 9 The weight of the nails was
fifty shekels of gold; and he overlaid the upper area with gold.
YLT
9and the weight of the nails
[is] fifty shekels of gold
and the upper chambers he hath covered with gold.
2 Chronicles 3:10 10 In the Most Holy Place he
made two cherubim
fashioned by carving
and overlaid them with gold.
YLT
10And he maketh in the most
holy house two cherubs
image work
and he overlayeth them with gold;
2 Chronicles 3:11 11 The wings of the cherubim were
twenty cubits in overall length: one wing of the one cherub was
five cubits
touching the wall of the room
and the other wing was five
cubits
touching the wing of the other cherub;
YLT
11as to the wings of the
cherubs
their length [is] twenty cubits
the wing of the one [is] five cubits
touching the wall of the house
and the other wing [is] five cubits
touching
the wing of the other cherub.
2 Chronicles 3:12 12 one
wing of the other cherub was five cubits
touching the wall of the room
and the other wing also was five cubits
touching the wing of the other
cherub.
YLT
12And the wing of the other
cherub [is] five cubits touching the wall of the house
and the other wing [is]
five cubits
adhering to the wing of the other cherub.
2 Chronicles 3:13 13 The wings of these
cherubim spanned twenty cubits overall. They stood on their feet
and they
faced inward.
YLT
13The wings of these cherubs
are spreading forth twenty cubits
and they are standing on their feet and
their faces [are] inward.
2 Chronicles 3:14 14 And he made the veil of
blue
purple
crimson
and fine linen
and wove cherubim into it.
YLT
14And he maketh the vail of
blue
and purple
and crimson
and fine linen
and causeth cherubs to go up on
it.
2 Chronicles 3:15 15 Also he made in front of
the temple[f] two
pillars thirty-five[g] cubits
high
and the capital that was on the top of each of them was
five cubits.
YLT
15And he maketh at the front
of the house two pillars
thirty and five cubits in length
and the ornament
that [is] on their heads five cubits.
2 Chronicles 3:16 16 He made wreaths of
chainwork
as in the inner sanctuary
and put them on top of the
pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates
and put them on the
wreaths of chainwork.
YLT
16And he maketh chains in the
oracle
and putteth on the heads of the pillars
and maketh a hundred
pomegranates
and putteth on the chains.
2 Chronicles 3:17 17 Then he set up the pillars
before the temple
one on the right hand and the other on the left; he called
the name of the one on the right hand Jachin
and the name of the one on the
left Boaz.
YLT
17And he raiseth up the
pillars on the front of the temple
one on the right
and one on the left
and
calleth the name of that on the right Jachin
and the name of that on the left
Boaz.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)