2 Chronicles 4
Summary for 2Chr 4:2-5: 4:2-5 a The Temple, the house of God, depicted Eden, the garden of God (cp. Isa 51:3 b). The massive Sea that rested on the backs of the twelve bronze oxen represented either cosmic pre-creation waters or the waters of life that emanated from the Garden of Eden. Divine forces subdue the waters of chaos (Gen 1:2 c) so that they provide life-giving nourishment for plant, animal, and human life (see Rev 21:1 d, where the sea is removed forever).4:6 e The Sea served the same purpose as the bronze washbasin in the Tabernacle (cp. Exod 30:18-19 f).
4:7 g The seven lights of each of the ten gold lampstands might have represented the Pleiades, a cluster of stars symbolized by seven dots in ancient Mesopotamia (cp. Job 9:9 h; 38:31 i; Amos 5:8 j).
Summary for 2Chr 4:11-18: 4:11b-18 k Cp. 1 Kgs 7:40b-47 l, which the Chronicler follows almost verbatim.
4:19 m The Bread of the Presence symbolized God’s provision for his people. It was placed before God on the tables (4:8 n) as a type of offering, demonstrating that it belonged to God and that Israel’s provision came from God’s “table.” Some of the bread was eaten by the priests (Lev 24:5-9 o), and the rest was burned; this meal symbolized the covenant meal of fellowship between God and his people (see Exod 24:9-11 p).
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