2 Chronicles 2

Solomon Will Build a Temple and Palace

1 ^[a]1Now Solomon ^[b]decided to build a house for the name of the LORD and a ^[c]royal palace for himself.

2 ^[d]So ²Solomon ^[e]assigned 70,000 * men to carry loads and 80,000 * men to quarry stone in the mountains and 3,600 * * to supervise them.

3 ³Then Solomon sent word to ^[f]Huram the king of Tyre, saying, "⁴As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedars to build him a house to dwell in, so do for me.

4 "Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, dedicating it to Him, ⁵to burn fragrant incense before Him and to set out ⁶the showbread continually, and to offer ⁷burnt offerings morning and evening, ⁸on sabbaths and on new moons and on the appointed feasts of the LORD our God, this being required forever in Israel.

5 "The house which I am about to build will be great, for ⁹greater is our God than all the gods.

6 "But ¹⁰who is able to build a house for Him, for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? So who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except * to ^[g]burn incense before Him?

7 "Now ¹¹send me a skilled man to work in gold, silver, brass and iron, and in purple, crimson and violet fabrics, and who knows how to make engravings, to work with the skilled men ^[h]12whom I have in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.

8 "¹³Send me also cedar, cypress and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber of Lebanon; and indeed ¹⁴my servants will work with your servants,

9 to prepare timber in abundance for me, for the house which I am about to build will be great and wonderful.

10 "Now behold, ¹⁵I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, 20,000 * ^[i]kors of crushed wheat and 20,000 * ^[j]kors of barley, and 20,000 * baths of wine and 20,000 * baths of oil."

Huram to Assist

11 Then Huram, king of Tyre, answered in a letter sent to Solomon: "¹⁶Because the LORD loves His people, He has made you king over them."

12 Then Huram continued, "Blessed be ¹⁷the LORD, the God of Israel, who has made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, endowed with discretion and understanding, ¹⁸who will build a house for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.

13 "Now I am sending Huram-abi *, a skilled man, endowed with understanding,

14 ¹⁹the son of a Danite * woman and a Tyrian father, who knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone and wood, and in purple, violet, linen and crimson fabrics, and who knows how to make all kinds of engravings and to execute any design which may be assigned to him, to work with your skilled men and with those of my lord David your father.

15 "Now then, let my lord send to his servants wheat and barley, oil and wine, of ²⁰which he has spoken.

16 "²¹We will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you on rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may carry it up to Jerusalem."

17 Solomon numbered all the aliens who were in the land of Israel, ²²following the census which his father David had taken; and 153,600 * * * * * were found.

18 ²³He appointed 70,000 * of them to carry loads and 80,000 * to quarry stones in the mountains and 3,600 * * supervisors to make the people work.

2 Chronicles 2 Commentary

Chapter 2

Solomon's message to Huram respecting the temple, His treaty with Huram.

- Solomon informs Huram of the particular services to be performed in the temple. The mysteries of the true religion, unlike those of the Gentile superstitions, sought not concealment. Solomon endeavoured to possess Huram with great and high thoughts of the God of Israel. We should not be afraid or ashamed to embrace every opportunity to speak of God, and to impress others with a deep sense of the importance of his favour and service. Now that the people of Israel kept close to the law and worship of God, the neighbouring nations were willing to be taught by them in the true religion, as the Israelites had been willing in the days of their apostacy, to be infected with the idolatries and superstitions of their neighbours. A wise and pious king is an evidence of the Lord's special love for his people. How great then was God's love to his believing people, in giving his only-begotten Son to be their Prince and their Saviour.

Cross References

• 1. 1 Kings 5:5
• 2. 1 Kings 5:15, 16; 2 Chronicles 2:18
• 3. 1 Kings 5:2-11
• 4. 1 Chronicles 14:1
• 5. Exodus 30:7
• 6. Exodus 25:30
• 7. Exodus 29:38-42
• 8. Numbers 28:9, 10
• 9. Exodus 15:11; 1 Chronicles 16:25
• 10. 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 6:18
• 11. Exodus 31:3-5; 2 Chronicles 2:13, 14
• 12. 1 Chronicles 22:15
• 13. 1 Kings 5:6
• 14. 2 Chronicles 9:10, 11
• 15. 1 Kings 5:11
• 16. 1 Kings 10:9; 2 Chronicles 9:8
• 17. Psalms 33:6; Psalms 102:25
• 18. 2 Chronicles 2:1
• 19. 1 Kings 7:14
• 20. 2 Chronicles 2:10
• 21. 1 Kings 5:8, 9
• 22. 1 Chronicles 22:2
• 23. 2 Chronicles 2:2

Footnotes

• [a]. Ch 1:18 in Heb
• [b]. Lit "said"
• [c]. Lit "house for his royalty"
• [d]. Ch 2:1 in Heb
• [e]. Lit "numbered"
• [f]. In 1 Kin 5:18, "Hiram"
• [g]. Lit "offer up in smoke"
• [h]. Lit "who are with me"
• [i]. I.e. One kor equals approx 10 bu
• [j]. I.e. One kor equals approx 10 bu
• [k]. Lit "said...and he sent"
• [l]. Lit "said"
• [m]. Lit "knowing discretion"
• [n]. Lit "house for his royalty"
• [o]. Lit "knowing understanding"
• [p]. Lit "a woman of the daughters of Dan"
• [q]. Lit "whose father is a Tyrian man"
• [r]. Lit "devise any device"
• [s]. Lit "skilled men"
• [t]. Lit "numbering"
• [u]. Lit "numbered of them"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 2

Solomon intending to build a temple for God, and a palace for himself, sent to Hiram, king of Tyre, to furnish him with materials and workmen, 2Ch 2:1-10, to which Hiram returned an agreeable answer, 2Ch 2:11-16, and for this service Solomon numbered all the strangers in Israel, 2Ch 2:17,18.