2 Chronicles 3

THen Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David Which Place the Lord had Consecrated by his gracious Appearance there, 1 Chron. 21. 26. Or, which was showed unto David, to wit, to be the Place where the Temple should be built; which God pointed out to him partly by his Appearance, and principally by his Spirit suggesting this to David at that time. his father, in the place that David had prepared By pulling down the Buildings which were upon it or near it, by levelling the Ground, and possibly by marking it out for the Temple and Courts, the Dimensions whereof he very particularly and exactly understood by the Spirit of God. in the threshing-floor i. e. In the place where that Threshing-floor formerly stood. of Ornan the Jebusite.

And he began to build in the second day of the second month Of this Verse and the rest of this Chapter see my Notes on 1 King. 6., in the fourth year of his reign.

Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed Partly by his Father David; and partly by the Spirit of God which inspired and guided him in the whole Work. Or, these were Solomons Foundations, the Hebrew verb being put for the noun, as it is elsewhere. The Sense is, These were the Measures of the Foundations, upon which he intended to build the Temple. for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure i. e. According to the Measure of the first and ancient Cubit. By which it is evident that there were Cubits of different sorts and sizes; which also appears from Ezek. 40. 5. and 43. 13. But how big those Cubits were, and how much larger than the common Cubits, and whether this was the Cubit used by Moses in the building of the Tabernacle, which seems most probable, or some other and yet larger Cubit, is not agreed among Learned Men, and cannot now be exactly known, nor is it of any great moment for us to know. was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.

And the porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was an hundred and twenty This being a kind of Turret to the Building. The breadth of it here omitted is expressed to be ten Cubits, 1 King. 6. 3.: and he overlaid it within with pure gold.

And the greater house i. e. The Holy Place, which was thrice as large as the lesser house or the Holy of Holies, which is called the most Holy House, v. 8. See the notes on 1 Chron. 28. 11. he ceiled with fir-tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm-trees and chains.

And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim See the Notes on 1 King. 9. 26, &c..

He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof with gold, and graved cherubims on the walls.

And he made the most holy house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits: and he overlaid it with fine gold amounting to six hundred talents.

And the weight of the nails i. e. Of each of the Nails or Heads of those Nails whereby the Pla... es were fastned to the Boards. was fifty shekels of gold: and he overlayed the upper chambers Of which see on 1 Chro. 28. 11. with gold.

And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image-work Made in the shape of Young Men or Boyes, as they commonly are. Or, of moveable work, so called because they were not fixed to the Mercy-seat, as the Mosaical Cherubims were, but stood upon their Feet, as it is said here v. 13. in a moving posture., and overlaid them with gold.

And the wings of the cherubims were twenty cubits long: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.

And one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was five cubits also, joyning to the wing of the other cherub.

The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward n. Heb. Towards the House, or rather, that House, not the Holy House, as divers understand it; for then their backs must have been turned towards the Ark, which was indecent and directly contrary to the posture of Moses his Cherubims which looked towards it, but the Most Holy House, which was last named, v. 8. and of which he continues yet to speak; this Posture being most agreeable to their Use, which was with their Wings to close in the Ark and cover it, as it is expresly affirmed below, ch. 5. 8.

And he made the vail To wit, the Inner Vail before the Most Holy Place, by comparing this with Exod. 26. 31. 1 King. 6. 21. of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.

Also he made before the house i. e. Before the Holy House, or before the Temple, as this is explained, v. 17. lest it should be understood of the Most Holy House, of which he had spoken before. two pillars of thirty and five cubits high To wit, both of them: of which see the Notes on 1 King. 7. 15., and the chapiter that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.

And he made chains, as in the oracle As he had done, or like unto those which he made, in the Oracle; of which see 1 King. 6. 21. The particle, as, is oft understood, as Gen. 49. 9. Deut. 33. 22, &c., and put them on the heads of the pillars, and made an hundred pomegranats In each Row; or 200 in all, as it is said 1 King. 7. 20., and put them on the chains.

And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left, and called the name of that on the right hand, Jachin, and the name of that on the left, Boaz.