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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)