Bible Commentaries
2 Chronicles 3

Verse 1

Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where [the LORD] appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

Then Solomon began to build. — See Trapp on " 1 Kings 6:1 " …

At Jerusalem in mount Moriah. — Where Isaac, as a type of Christ, bore the wood, obeyed his father, and should have been sacrificed. Calvary, where our Saviour suffered, was either a part of this mount, or very near unto it.

Verse 2

And he began to build in the second [day] of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.

In the fourth year of his reign. — Temple work meets with many problems, and goes not on too hastily.

Verse 3

Now these [are the things wherein] Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure [was] threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.

Wherein Solomon was instructed. — Heb., Founded. To be well instructed, is to be well grounded; for want whereof, many are wherried about with divers and strange doctrines. Hebrews 13:9

Verse 4

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: and he overlaid it within with pure gold.

And the porch. — See on 1 Kings 6:3 .

And he overlaid it within with pure gold. — Such was Christ’s inside; Colossians 2:9 in his outside was no such desirable beauty; so Isaiah 53:2 the Church’s glory is inward, Psalms 45:13 in the hidden man of the heart. 1 Peter 3:4

Verse 5

And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.

Which he overlaid with fine gold. — As the parts of this temple were not seen naked, so neither must our souls be seen without faith, love, and other golden graces.

Verse 6

And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold [was] gold of Parvaim.

And he garnished the house with precious stones. — Every one of which had some egregious virtue: so, much more hath effectual faith, laborious love, reverent fear, patient hope, right repentance, assured confidence, …, and - that which holdeth all these together lovely lowly mindedness. See 1 Peter 5:5 . See Trapp on " 1 Peter 5:5 "

And the gold was gold of Parvaim. — That is, Of Havilah, Genesis 2:11 where the best gold is, saith Junius, and where, Pliny saith, Lib. vi. cap. 28. there is a town called, corruptly, Parbacia. Others take it for Ophir, now called Peru, the greater and the lesser; whence the word here used is of the dual number. It hath affinity with Epher, dust, and Peer, comeliness: the finest gold is but yellow earth.

Verse 7

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.

He overlaid also the house. — All the inside of it. Let us spare for no cost, ut aureos et argenteos animos, hoc est, variis virtutibus excultos habeamus. Lavat. Gold and silver will perish, though they be tried in the fire; 1 Peter 1:7 so will not true grace: it will one day be glory.

And graved cherubims. — See 1 Kings 6:23 . Angels are present in the assemblies of God’s people.

Verse 8

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.

Six hundred talents. — Which is, as we count it, two millions and two hundred and fifty thousand pound.

Verse 9

And the weight of the nails [was] fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.

And he overlaid the upper chambers. — These were, saith Diodate, certain principal rooms of the building of the porticoes, appointed for the holy ministers to make their meals in, like unto refectories; or else for places of meetings and counsel. See 1 Chronicles 28:11 .

Verse 10

And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold.

Two cherubims of image work. — Opere exemtili, so Tremellius; of work that might be taken asunder. Or of moving work, so others; that is to say, made as if they were in the act of flying or going. If it were image work - cherubims were made like boys, - yet this is no plea for Popish images; since they are flatly forbidden; and God made the law for us, not for himself.

Verse 11

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. 2 Chronicles 3:12 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], joining to the wing of the other cherub.

Ver. 11, 12. See on 1 Kings 6:24 , …

Verse 13

The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces [were] inward.

And their faces were inward. — Heb., Toward the house; i.e., toward the holy place, called the greater house. 2 Chronicles 3:5

Verse 14

And he made the vail [of] blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.

And he made the veil. — See on 1 Kings 6:21 .

Verse 15

Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the chapiter that [was] on the top of each of them [was] five cubits.

Also he made before the house two pillars. — These were cast by Hiram, as great ordnance are now-a-days, round and hollow. See on 1 Kings 7:15 .

Verse 16

And he made chains, [as] in the oracle, and put [them] on the heads of the pillars; and made an hundred pomegranates, and put [them] on the chains. 2 Chronicles 3:17 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.

Ver. 16,17. See 1 Kings 7:17-18 ; 1 Kings 7:21 .