Bible Commentaries

2 CHRONICLES CHAPTER 3

The place and time of building the temple. The measure and ornaments thereof, 2 Chronicles 3:1-9. The cherubims, 2 Chronicles 3:10-13. The veil and the pillars, 2 Chronicles 3:14-17.

Where the Lord appeared unto David; which place the Lord had consecrated by his gracious appearance there, 1 Chronicles 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. 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 this verse, and the rest of this chapter, See Poole "1 Kings 6:1".

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 Solomon’s 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.

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 Ezekiel 40:5 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.

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 Kings 6:3.

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, Deu 8. See Poole "1 Chronicles 28:11".

See Poole "1 Kings 9:26", &c.

Of the nails, i.e. of each of the nails or heads of those nails whereby the plates were fastened to the boards.

The upper chambers; of which See Poole "1 Chronicles 28:11".

Of image work; made in the shape of young men or boys, as they commonly are. Or, of movable 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 2 Chronicles 3:13, in a moving posture.

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’s cherubims, which looked towards it; but the most holy house, which was last named, 1 Chronicles 3:8, 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 expressly affirmed below, 1 Chronicles 5:8.

The veil, to wit, the inner veil before the most holy place by comparing this with Exodus 26:31 1 Kings 6:21.

Before the house, i.e. before the holy house, or before the temple as this is explained, 1 Chronicles 3:17, lest it should be understood of the most holy house, of which he had spoken before.

Thirty and five cubits high, to wit, both of them; of which See Poole "1 Kings 7:15".

As in the oracle; as he had done, or like unto those which he made, in the oracle; of which see 1 Kings 6:21. The particle as is oft understood, as Genesis 49:9 Deuteronomy 33:22, &c.

An hundred pomegranates in each row, or two hundred in all, as it is said, 1 Kings 7:20.