1 Cronache 29:2

2 Ora io ho impiegato tutte le mie forze a preparare per la casa del mio Dio dell’oro per ciò che dev’esser d’oro, dell’argento per ciò che deve esser d’argento, del rame per ciò che dev’esser di rame, del ferro per ciò che dev’esser di ferro, e del legname per ciò che dev’esser di legno, delle pietre d’onice e delle pietre da incastonare, delle pietre brillanti e di diversi colori, ogni specie di pietre preziose, e del marmo bianco in gran quantità.

1 Cronache 29:2 Meaning and Commentary

1 Chronicles 29:2

Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God,
&c.] According to the utmost of his ability for the building and decorating of it:

the gold
for the things to be made of gold; as the candlesticks, shewbread tables

and the silver for [things] of silver;
as for basins

and the brass for [things] of brass;
as the brasen altar, brasen laver,

and iron for [things] of iron;
for nails, hinges

and wood for [things] of wood;
for rafters, ceilings, floors

onyx stones;
the Targum, stones of beryl: and stones to be set; other precious stones to be set in gold and silver:

glistering stones;
the Targum, emeralds; the word is used for stibium, or black lead, with which women painted their eyes; and so may signify black stones, like black lead; as white marble is after mentioned, perhaps black is here meant, or such stones Solomon paved the ways with leading to Jerusalem ^F25: but as such stones are not very glistering, there seems to be no reason for such an epithet; unless the stone "phengites" should be meant, which was a clear bright stone, and served for looking glasses. Domitian the Roman emperor, when under suspicion of being murdered by persons he had offended, garnished the porticos of his palace with this stone, which was of such brightness, that by the images formed in it he could see what was behind him ^F26; and so Lucian speaks ^F1 of Astarte having a splendid stone about her, called (lucniv) , which in the night gave much light to the temple, but shone weakly in the day time, and looked like fire:

and of divers colours;
that is, stones of various colours, as jaspers, amethysts Kimchi interprets it of embroidered clothes, and garments of needlework, and in these precious stones were sometimes inserted:

and all manner of precious stones;
as pearls, diamonds it is hard to say what all these precious stones were for; Jarchi and Kimchi think they were to decorate the walls overlaid with gold, in which they were set; it is certain they were for garnishing and beautifying the house, see ( 2 Chronicles 3:6 )

and marble stones in abundance;
for pillars, tables, and pavement, as Jarchi; this was Parian marble, according to the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions; the whitest of marble ^F2, found the island of Paros, and which agrees with the word here used.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 Joseph. Antiqu. l. 8. c. 7. sect. 4.
F26 Sueton. Vit. Domitian. c. 14. Vid. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 36. c. 22. Isidor. Origin. l. 16. c. 4.
F1 De Dea Syria.
F2 "----Pario marmore purius." Horat. Carmin. l. 1. ode 19.

1 Cronache 29:2 In-Context

1 Poi il re Davide disse a tutta la raunanza: "Salomone, mio figliuolo, il solo che Dio abbia scelto, è ancora giovine e in tenera età, e l’opera è grande; poiché questo palazzo non è destinato a un uomo, ma a Dio, all’Eterno.

2 Ora io ho impiegato tutte le mie forze a preparare per la casa del mio Dio dell’oro per ciò che dev’esser d’oro, dell’argento per ciò che deve esser d’argento, del rame per ciò che dev’esser di rame, del ferro per ciò che dev’esser di ferro, e del legname per ciò che dev’esser di legno, delle pietre d’onice e delle pietre da incastonare, delle pietre brillanti e di diversi colori, ogni specie di pietre preziose, e del marmo bianco in gran quantità.

3 Di più, per l’affezione che porto alla casa del mio Dio, siccome io posseggo in proprio un tesoro d’oro e d’argento, io lo do alla casa del mio Dio, oltre a tutto quello che ho preparato per la casa del santuario:

4 cioè tremila talenti d’oro, d’oro d’Ofir, e settemila talenti d’argento purissimo, per rivestirne le pareti delle sale:

5 l’oro per ciò che dev’esser d’oro, l’argento per ciò che dev’esser d’argento, e per tutti i lavori da eseguirsi dagli artefici. Chi è disposto a fare oggi qualche offerta all’Eterno?"