2 Chronicles
Chapter 3
The Works
Solomon then began to build the Lord’s house in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where David, his father, had a vision. It was the place prepared by David, the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
Solomon began building in the second month of the fourth year of his reign, on the second day.
Solomon laid the foundation for God’s temple. Its length (determined according to the old standard of measure) was feet, and its width was feet.
The porch in front of the main hall was feet long, corresponding to the temple’s width, and its height was feet. He plated it on the inside with pure gold.
The Great Room he faced with juniper, which he plated with pure gold, and on it set palms and festoons.
He adorned the building with precious stones of great beauty. The gold was from Parvaim;
with this, he faced the house, the beams, thresholds, walls, and doors. On the walls, he carved cherubs.
He then built the Holy of Holies. Its length, across the width of the Great Room, was feet, and its width feet. He plated it with tons of fine gold;
the gold nails weighed ounces. He also plated the upper rooms with gold.
In the Holy of Holies, he made two cherubs of wrought metalwork and plated them with gold.
The total span of the cherubs’ wings was feet, each being / feet long, with one wing touching the room wall and the other touching the other cherub.
One wing of a cherub, -/ feet long, touched the apartment wall; the second, -/ feet long, touched the other cherub’s wing.
The spread of these cherubs’ wings was feet. They stood on their feet, facing the Hall.
He made the Veil of violet, scarlet, crimson, and fine linen, working cherubs on it.
In front of the Great Room, he made two pillars feet high, and on the top of each, a capital measuring feet.
He set festoons like in the Holy of Holies, at the tops of the pillars, and a hundred pomegranates which he placed on the festoons.
He set up the pillars in front of the house, one on the right and the other on the left; the one on the right he called Jachin, and the one on the left Boaz.
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).