Bible Commentaries
2 Chronicles 2

Verses 1-18

2 Chronicles 2:1 . A house. The word temple among the Jews, gradually obtained from the Gentiles. The Egyptians were the first that built temples; the Greeks and the Tyrians followed, as they rose to wealth and science. It was therefore wise in Solomon to employ the Tyrian artificers which now excelled the Egyptians. The hundred and fifty three thousand six hundred workmen engaged in this national enterprise did each a little, and did it well.

2 Chronicles 2:8 . Algum-trees. Hebrew, berosh, which is thought to be a species of cedar not fragrant. Jerome, following the Greeks, wrote arceuthina, or the juniper tree.

2 Chronicles 2:13 . Of Huram my father’s. Josephus explains this, by calling the king Huram, and the artist Uram. According to 1 Kings 7:13-14, the name of this celebrated workman was Hiram of Tyre, but descended from the tribe of Naphtali. Mr. Whiston, an Arian, makes much ado about the variation in the orthography of Hebrew names in this book, and evidently with a view to lower the credit of revelation. The fact is, Ezra found them differently spelled in holy books, which must be the case where names are written from oral enunciation. We lay too much blame on transcribers.