Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
2 Chronicles 5:4

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Construction of the temple (2:1-7:22)

With the help of King Hiram of Tyre, Solomon prepared materials and arranged a workforce to build the planned temple (2:1-18; see notes on 1 Kings 5:1-18). Construction went on for seven years, until the temple, its furniture, its courtyard, and all other articles and decorations connected with it were completed according to plan (3:1-5:1; see notes on 1 Kings 6:1-51). The temple was then dedicated to God (5:2-7:22; see notes on 1 Kings 8:1-9).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

THE ARK BROUGHT INTO THE HOLY OF HOLIES

"Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers' houses of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David, which is Zion. And all the children of Israel assembled themselves unto the king at the feast, which was in the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came: and the Levites took up the ark; and they brought up the ark, and the tent of meeting, and all the vessels that were in the Tent; these did the priests the Levites bring up. And king Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, went before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be counted nor numbered for multitude. And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah unto its place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof above. And the staves were so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracle; but they were not seen without: and there it is unto this day. There was nothing in the ark save the two tables that Moses put there at Horeb, when Jehovah made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt."

"All of 2 Chronicles 5, 2 Chronicles 6 and 2 Chronicles 7 is virtually identical with 1 Kings 8:1 to 1 Kings 9:9, the few additions giving mainly liturgical information."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 385. Our Commentary on 1 Kings has our discussion of what is contained in this section.

"The city of David, which is Zion" (2 Chronicles 5:2). Zion was the old citadel and stronghold of the Jebusites which David captured. The temple was located north of Zion on the elevation known as Moriah.

"And there it is unto this day" These words are from the ancient source quoted by the Chronicler (Ezra); because the temple no longer stood when Chronicles was written.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

The Levites took up the ark - i. e., such of the Levites as were also priests (compare 2 Chronicles 5:7; 1 Kings 8:3).

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 5

And all of the work that Solomon made for the house of the LORD was finished: and Solomon brought in all the things that David his father had dedicated; and the silver, and the gold, and all the instruments, put he among the treasures of the house of God. Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month ( 2 Chronicles 5:1-3 ).

Which would be, then, the feast of trumpets.

And the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark. And they brought up the ark, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, these did the priests and the Levites bring up. And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be counted because of the number of them, the multitude of them. And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the holy of holies of the house, under the wings of the cherubims: For the cherubims spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above. And they drew out the staves from the ark. And there was nothing in the ark except the two tables which Moses put therein at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt ( 2 Chronicles 5:4-10 ).

Now, originally, when Moses set up this little Ark of the Covenant, they put not only the two tables of stone upon which God had inscribed the Ten Commandments, but they also had the rod of Aaron that budded, and they also had a jar of manna. But at this point, of course, the Ark of the Covenant was taken by the Philistines and passed around. And so, at this point, all that was in the Ark of the Covenant, according to the record, was just the two tables of stone.

I've often thought how exciting it would be if they could discover again the Ark of the Covenant someplace. This little box made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. And if the two tables of stone upon which God inscribed the law were still in them, what an archaeological find that would be. I'm sure that God has kept it lost, because what a relic this would become, and people would soon be worshipping it. And so God, I'm sure, deliberately just kept this thing hidden and uncovered by man, lest man would make some kind of an idol out of it.

Now it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and they were not at that time waiting for their courses: And the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brothers, being arrayed in white linen, and having the cymbals and the psalteries and the harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them a hundred and twenty priests who were sounding with trumpets:) It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God ( 2 Chronicles 5:11-14 ).

What a momentous occasion this must have been. The people of Israel gathered here at this fabulously, beautiful temple overlaid with gold. It's now complete. Beautiful work, the carvings and all. And so they bring the Ark of the Covenant from the tent into the holy of holies within this temple. And they pull out the staves and they set it in its place between the cherubim. Then the priests, some of them with the instruments of psalteries, others with harps. A hundred and twenty of them with trumpets. Plus, David had appointed a couple thousand as singers. And they all began to just worship God in the song, in the music. And as it came to this great crescendo, as the sound of the trumpets and the voices blended as one voice of praise and thanksgiving unto God, the cloud of God's glory that was the sign of God's presence among the children of Israel in the wilderness came down and it filled the temple. And the priests, because of the glory of God's presence, couldn't even stand, but just lay there in the glory of God's presence. What a beautiful sight. A bunch of fanatics. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

1. The installation of the ark 5:2-14

Solomon dedicated the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles (2 Chronicles 5:3). The priests brought the ark and the utensils, that had been in the tent David had pitched for the ark, into the temple. The temple site was north of, and higher than, the "city of David" where the Jerusalemites lived. Sacrifices of worship accompanied the installation. The descent of the cloud (shekinah) signified that God’s presence now abode in the most holy place in a localized sense (cf. Exodus 40:34-35). From then on God dwelt there among His people until the Babylonians destroyed the temple in 586 B.C. (cf. Ezekiel 10). His presence was the basis for Solomon’s address to the people and his prayer that followed.

The statement in 2 Chronicles 5:9 that the poles of the ark were visible "to this day" suggests that someone wrote Chronicles before the destruction of the temple. However, most scholars believe the evidence for a postexilic date of composition is overwhelming, and that this reference is a copyist’s mistake. Probably it came into this text from 1 Kings 8:8. [Note: See Payne, p. 460; and C. F. Keil, The Books of the Chronicles, p. 324.] Evidently the veil did not extend the full width of the sanctuary.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

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Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      1 Thus all the work that Solomon made for the house of the LORD was finished: and Solomon brought in all the things that David his father had dedicated; and the silver, and the gold, and all the instruments, put he among the treasures of the house of God.   2 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.   3 Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month.   4 And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark.   5 And they brought up the ark, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, these did the priests and the Levites bring up.   6 Also king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be told nor numbered for multitude.   7 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims:   8 For the cherubims spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.   9 And they drew out the staves of the ark, that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracle; but they were not seen without. And there it is unto this day.   10 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put therein at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.

      This agrees with what we had 1 Kings 8:2-10, c., where an account was given of the solemn introduction of the ark into the new-erected temple. 1. There needed no great solemnity for the bringing in of the dedicated things, 2 Chronicles 5:1; 2 Chronicles 5:1. They added to the wealth, and perhaps were so disposed as to add to the beauty of it; but they could not add to the holiness, for it was the temple that sanctified the gold,Matthew 23:17. See how just Solomon was both to God and to his father. Whatever David had dedicated to God, however much he might have liked it himself, he would by no means alienate it, but put it among the treasures of the temple. Those children that would inherit their godly parents' blessing must religiously pursue their pious intentions and not defeat them. When Solomon had made all the vessels of the temple in abundance (2 Chronicles 4:18; 2 Chronicles 4:18), many of the materials were left, which he would not convert to any other use, but laid up in the treasury for a time of need. Dedicated things must not be alienated. It is sacrilege to do it. 2. But it was fit that the ark should be brought in with great solemnity; and so it was. All the other vessels were made new, and larger, in proportion to the house, than they had been in the tabernacle. But the ark, with the mercy-seat and the cherubim, was the same; for the presence and the grace of God are the same in little assemblies that they are in large ones, in the poor condition of the church that they are in its prosperous estate. Wherever two or three are gathered together in Christ's name there is he as truly present with them as if there were 2000 or 3000. The ark was brought in attended by a very great assembly of the elders of Israel, who came to grace and solemnity; and a very sumptuous appearance no doubt they made, 2 Chronicles 5:2-4; 2 Chronicles 5:2-4. It was carried by the priests (2 Chronicles 5:7; 2 Chronicles 5:7), brought into the most holy place, and put under the wings of the great cherubim which Solomon had set up there, 2 Chronicles 5:7; 2 Chronicles 5:8. There they are unto this day (2 Chronicles 5:9; 2 Chronicles 5:9), not the day when this book was written after the captivity, but when that was written out of which this story was transcribed. Or they were there (so it might be read) unto this day, the day of Jerusalem's desolations, that fatal day, Psalms 137:7. The ark was a type of Christ, and, as such, a token of the presence of God. That gracious promise, Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world, does in effect bring the ark into our religious assemblies if we by faith and prayer put that promise in suit; and this we should be most solicitous and earnest for. Lord, if thy presence go not up with us, wherefore should we go up? The temple itself, if Christ leave it, is a desolate place, Matthew 23:38. 3. With the ark they brought up the tabernacle and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle,2 Chronicles 5:5; 2 Chronicles 5:5. Those were not alienated, because they had been dedicated to God, were not altered or melted down for the new work, though there was no need of them; but they were carefully laid up as monuments of antiquity, and probably as many of the vessels as were fit for use were still used. 4. This was done with great joy. They kept a holy feast upon the occasion (2 Chronicles 5:3; 2 Chronicles 5:3), and sacrificed sheep and oxen without number,2 Chronicles 5:6; 2 Chronicles 5:6. Note, (1.) The establishment of the public worship of God according to his institution, and with the tokens of his presence, is, and ought to be, matter of great joy to any people. (2.) When Christ is formed in a soul, the law written in the heart, the ark of the covenant settled there, so that it becomes the temple of the Holy Ghost, there is true satisfaction in that soul. (3.) Whatever we have the comfort of we must, by the sacrifice of praise, give God the glory of, and not be straitened therein; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. If God favour us with his presence, we must honour him with our services, the best we have.