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2
Chronicles Chapter Four
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
4:1 Moreover he
made a bronze altar: twenty cubits was its length, twenty cubits its width, and
ten cubits its height.
YLT
1And he maketh an altar of
brass, twenty cubits its length, and twenty cubits its breadth, and ten cubits
its height.
See
Introduction to Chapter 4
2 Chronicles 4:2 2 Then he made the Sea of
cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was
completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty
cubits measured its circumference.
YLT
2And he maketh the molten
sea; ten by the cubit, from its edge unto its edge, round in compass, and five
by the cubit its height, and a line of thirty by the cubit doth compass it,
round about.
2 Chronicles 4:3 3 And under it was
the likeness of oxen encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, all the way
around the Sea. The oxen were cast in two rows, when it was cast.
YLT
3And the likeness of oxen
[is] under it, all round about encompassing it, ten in the cubit, compassing
the sea round about; two rows of oxen are cast in its being cast.
2 Chronicles 4:4 4 It stood on twelve oxen:
three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking
toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set
upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward.
YLT
4It is standing on twelve
oxen, three facing the north, and three facing the west, and three facing the
south, and three facing the east, and the sea [is] upon them above, and all
their hinder parts [are] within.
2 Chronicles 4:5 5 It was a
handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like
a lily blossom. It contained three thousand [a]baths.
YLT
5And its thickness [is] a
handbreadth, and its lip as the work of the lip of a cup flowered with lilies;
taking hold -- baths three thousand it containeth.
2 Chronicles 4:6 6 He also made ten lavers,
and put five on the right side and five on the left, to wash in them; such
things as they offered for the burnt offering they would wash in them, but the
Sea was for the priests to wash in.
YLT
6And he maketh ten lavers,
and putteth five on the right, and five on the left, to wash with them; the
work of the burnt-offering they purge with them; and the sea [is] for priests
to wash with.
2 Chronicles 4:7 7 And he made ten lampstands
of gold according to their design, and set them in the temple, five on
the right side and five on the left.
YLT
7And he maketh the ten candlesticks
of gold, according to their ordinance, and placeth in the temple, five on the
right, and five on the left.
2 Chronicles 4:8 8 He also made ten tables,
and placed them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the
left. And he made one hundred bowls of gold.
YLT
8And he maketh ten tables,
and placeth in the temple, five on the right, and five on the left; and he
maketh bowls of gold a hundred.
2 Chronicles 4:9 9 Furthermore he made the
court of the priests, and the great court and doors for the court; and he
overlaid these doors with bronze.
YLT
9And he maketh the court of
the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and their doors he
hath overlaid with brass.
2 Chronicles 4:10 10 He set the Sea on the
right side, toward the southeast.
YLT
10And the sea he hath placed
on the right shoulder eastward, over-against the south.
2 Chronicles 4:11 11 Then Huram made the pots
and the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished doing the work that he was to
do for King Solomon for the house of God:
YLT
11And Huram maketh the pots,
and the shovels, and the bowls, and Huram finisheth to make the work that he
made for king Solomon in the house of God;
2 Chronicles 4:12 12 the two pillars and the
bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two
networks covering the two bowl-shaped capitals which were on top of the
pillars;
YLT
12two pillars, and the bowls,
and the crowns on the heads of the two pillars, and the two wreaths to cover
the two bowls of the crowns that [are] on the heads of the pillars;
2 Chronicles 4:13 13 four hundred pomegranates
for the two networks (two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the
two bowl-shaped capitals that were on the pillars);
YLT
13and the pomegranates four
hundred to the two wreaths, two rows of pomegranates to the one wreath, to
cover the two bowls of the crowns that [are] on the front of the pillars.
2 Chronicles 4:14 14 he also made carts and the
lavers on the carts;
YLT
14And the bases he hath made;
and the lavers he hath made on the bases;
2 Chronicles 4:15 15 one Sea and twelve oxen
under it;
YLT
15the one sea, and the twelve
oxen under it,
2 Chronicles 4:16 16 also the pots, the
shovels, the forks—and all their articles Huram his master[b] craftsman
made of burnished bronze for King Solomon for the house of the Lord.
YLT
16and the pots, and the
shovels, and the forks, and all their vessels, hath Huram his father made for
king Solomon, for the house of Jehovah, of brass purified.
2 Chronicles 4:17 17 In the plain of Jordan the
king had them cast in clay molds, between Succoth and Zeredah.[c]
YLT
17In the circuit of the
Jordan hath the king cast them, in the thick soil of the ground, between
Succoth and Zeredathah.
2 Chronicles 4:18 18 And Solomon had all these
articles made in such great abundance that the weight of the bronze was not
determined.
YLT
18And Solomon maketh all
these vessels in great abundance, that the weight of the brass hath not been
searched out.
2 Chronicles 4:19 19 Thus Solomon had all the
furnishings made for the house of God: the altar of gold and the tables on
which was the showbread;
YLT
19And Solomon maketh all the
vessels that [are for] the house of God, and the altar of gold, and the tables,
and on them [is] bread of the presence;
2 Chronicles 4:20 20 the lampstands with their
lamps of pure gold, to burn in the prescribed manner in front of the inner
sanctuary,
YLT
20and the candlesticks, and
their lamps, for their burning according to the ordinance, before the oracle,
of gold refined;
2 Chronicles 4:21 21 with the flowers and the
lamps and the wick-trimmers of gold, of purest gold;
YLT
21and the flowers, and the
lamps, and the tongs of gold -- it [is] the perfection of gold;
2 Chronicles 4:22 22 the trimmers, the bowls,
the ladles, and the censers of pure gold. As for the entry of the sanctuary,
its inner doors to the Most Holy Place, and the doors of the main hall
of the temple, were gold.
YLT
22and the snuffers, and the
bowls, and the spoons, and the censers, of gold refined, and the opening of the
house, its innermost doors to the holy of holies, and the doors of the house to
the temple, of gold.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)