2 Chronicles
Chapter 4
He made an altar of bronze, 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 10 feet high.
He also made the big bronze basin called “The Sea.” It measured feet from rim to rim, circular in shape, and feet high; a cord feet long measured its circumference.
Under it and completely encircling it were pomegranates. They went around the sea over a length of feet. The pomegranates were arranged in two rows, identical to the rest.
It rested on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, three facing east. On these, their hindquarters all turned inward, stood the Sea.
It was a hand’s breadth in thickness, and its rim was shaped like the rim of a cup, like a flower. It could hold , gallons of water.
He made ten washing basins. He put five on the south side and five on the north side. In them, they rinsed the items used for burnt sacrifices. The priests washed in “The Sea.” He made the ten golden lampstands in the prescribed manner and placed them in the temple, five on the right and five on the left.
He made ten tables and set them in a nave, five to the right and five to the left, and he made a hundred golden sprinkling bowls.
He built the priest’s court and the great court with its gates, and he plated the gates with bronze.
He placed the sea from the right-hand side to the southeast.
Huram-abi also made the pots, the shovels, and the bowls. Thus, he completed the work he had to do for King Solomon in the house of God:
the two pillars; the two moldings of the capitals surmounting the pillars; the two sets of lattice to cover the two moldings of the capitals surmounting the pillars;
the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of lattice, with the pomegranates of each filigree in two rows;
the ten stands and the ten basins on the stands;
the Sea and the twelve oxen beneath it;
the pots, the shovels, the forks, and all their accessories made by Huram-abi of burnished bronze for King Solomon, for the Lord’s house.
The king made them by sand casting near the Jordan between Succoth and Zeredah.
Solomon made all these articles in such quantities that the weight of the bronze could not be measured.
Solomon placed all the furnishings he had made in the house of God: the golden altar and the tables for the loaves of offering;
the lampstands of pure gold with their lamps to burn, as prescribed, before the Sanctuary, of pure gold;
the floral work, the lamps, the extinguishers of gold (and it was pure gold);
the knives, the sprinkling bowls, incense boats, of fine gold; the door of the temple, the inner doors (for the Holy of Holies) and the temple doors (for the Hekal), of gold.
Commentaries
The Reign of Solomon.
In these chapters, the Chronicler shares his view of Solomon’s reign, based on the account in 1 Kings 1-11. He omits any negative details about the king or anything that contradicts his greatness. He highlights the building of the Temple, dedicating five chapters (2-7) to it. Solomon is shown as the ideal king of Israel, the leader who fulfills David’s dream and God’s plan by constructing the Temple. He is described as the wise king who excels in construction, leadership, and trade. Chapters 1-9 begin (1:14-17) and end (9:1-28) with celebrations of Solomon’s wealth and wisdom.
Construction of the Temple.
The Chronicler omits the story from 1 Kings 3:15-5:14 and emphasizes the main goal of Solomon’s reign: building the Temple, with only a brief mention of the royal palace (2:11). Starting in chapter 3, he details Solomon’s building projects, including furnishings and utensils, following the account in 1 Kings 6 and later. He uses hyperbolic figures and measurements, especially regarding gold quantities. Some details indicate the author was imagining the Temple being rebuilt after the exile (3:14; Ez 40:5).
The Works.
We break this passage into three parts: the choice of the site (3:1ff), the building of the Temple (3:3-14), and the listing of its furnishings (3:15-4:22). Regarding the location, David’s selection is honored and connected to the sacrifice of Isaac; this adds prestige to the Temple by linking the sacrifice God asked of Abraham with those that will be offered in the future Temple. The mention of the second month (3:2) and the veil of the Temple (3:14) pertains to the Temple rebuilt after the exile (Ezra 3:8).