2 Chronicles 5
5:1 a This verse concludes the section on Temple furnishings, following 1 Kgs 7:51 b almost verbatim.• the gifts his father, David, had dedicated: Just as the spoils taken from Egypt went into building the Tabernacle, the spoils of Israel’s enemies built the Temple. The prophets often portrayed the spoils of other nations as being at Israel’s disposal (see Isa 60:10-14 c; Zech 14:14 d).
5:3 e The dedication of the Temple took place during the annual Festival of Shelters, which is held in early autumn. This seven-day festival required a pilgrimage to the central place of worship (Deut 16:13-15 f). The seventh month marked the end of Israel’s harvest season, allowing landowners to leave for a week without concern for fields or crops.
5:5 g the special tent: “Tent of Meeting” is the name used in Exodus to indicate the function of the Tabernacle (e.g., Exod 33:7 h). The Tabernacle was the dwelling place of the divine presence (e.g., Exod 25:8-9 i) and the place where God met with his people through the priests. After the Temple was built, this special tent had no further function.
Summary for 2Chr 5:7-8: 5:7-8 j The giant cherubim were symbols of the universal and eternal rule of God.
5:9 k The Hebrew phrase to this day might be an idiom meaning from then on. The Ark was evidently not in the Temple following the Exile, when the Chronicler wrote.
5:10 l The Ark contained only the tablets of the covenant (see Exod 25:21 m; Deut 10:5 n). The pot of manna Aaron placed in the Ark (Exod 16:33-34 o) had apparently been lost.
Summary for 2Chr 5:11-14: 5:11-14 p The Chronicler complements the dedication of the Temple with a detailed description of a great celebration. He names the three specific orders of singers and all their kinsmen. The 120 ... trumpeters apparently included five priests from each of the 24 divisions (1 Chr 24:3-19 q). The sanctified priests, their standard apparel of fine linen robes, the musical instruments, the singers, and the trumpeters were all correctly positioned. When the priests exited, the musicians raised their song, and the cloud of the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple.
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