2 Chronicles 2

ANd Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the LORD, and an house for his kingdom i. e. A Royal Palace for himself and his Successors. This whole Chapter for the substance of it is contained in 1 King. 5. and in the Notes there it is explained and the seeming Differences reconciled..

And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.

And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein, even so deal with me Which words may be commodiously understood from the nature of the thing and from the following Words, such Ellipses being frequent in the Hebrew. Or, without any Ellipses, the sense being here suspended, is compleated v. 7. so send me, &c. the 4. 5, and 6, verses being inserted by way of Parenthesis to usher in and enforce his following Request..

Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him i. e. To his Honour and Worship., and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual show-bread So called here and Numb. 4. 7. because it was to be there continually, by a constant success on of new Bread when the old was removed: of which see Exod. 25. 30. Levit. 24. 8., and for the burnt-offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new-moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.

And the house which I build is great For though the Temple strictly so called was but small, yet the Buildings belonging to it both above and under ground, were large and numerous.: for great is our God above all gods.

But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven, and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him When I speak of building a great House for our great God, let none be so foolish to think that I mean to include or comprehend God within it, for he is Infinite.? who am I then that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him i. e. To worship him there where he is graciously present..

Send me now therefore a man, cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blew, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.

Send me also cedar-trees, sir-trees, and algumtrees out of Lebanon: (for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon) and behold, my servants, shall be with thy servants,

Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build, shall be wonderfully great See the Notes on v. 5..

And behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oyl.

Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because the LORD has loved his people, he has made thee king over them.

Huram said moreover, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel that made heaven and earth, who has given to David the king a wise son, erdued with prudence and understanding, that might build an house for the LORD, and an house for his kingdom.

And now I have sent a cunning man (endued with understanding) of Huram my fathers i. e. Who was my Fathers Chief Workman. Or, Huram Abi, a Man so called; the Prefix Lamed being here only a Note of the Accusative Case. See more on ch..... 16.;

The son of a woman of the daughter of Dan Of which see the Notes on 1 King. 7. 14., and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone and in timber, in purple, in blew, and in fine linen, and in crimson: also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord So he calls David here, and Solomon in the next Verse, either out of singular respect to their Greatness and true Worth: or because he was indeed Tributary to them: or, at least, his Country was nourished by their Country, as it was afterwards, Act. 12. 20. David thy father.

Now therefore the wheat, and the barley, the oil, and the wine which my lord has spoken of, let him send unto his servants:

And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need, and we will bring it to thee in flotes by sea to Joppa, and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem.

And Solomon numbred all the strangers that were in the land of Israel, after the numbring, wherewith David his father had numbred them For David had not only numbred his own People, for which he smarted, 2 Sam. 24. but afterward he numbred the Strangers, not out of Vanity, but that Solomon might have a true Account of them, and employ them about his Buildings, as he saw fit. Yet Solomon thought fit to number them again, because Death might have made a considerable Alteration among them since Davids numbring of them; and it behoved him to have an exact Account of them.; and they were found an hundred and fifty thousand, and three thousand and six hundred.

And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and fourscore thousand to be hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people a work.