2Ch 4 | KD | STEP | . The copper furniture of the court. . The altar of burnt-offering . Its preparation is passed over in 1 Kings 6 and 7, so that there it is only mentioned incidentally in connection with the consecration of the temple, , , and . It was twenty cubits square (long and broad) and ten cubits high, and constructed on the model of the Mosaic altar of burnt-offering, and probably of brass plates, which enclosed the inner core, consisting of earth and unhewn stones; and if we may judge from Ezekiel's description, , it rose in steps, as it were, so that at each step its extent was smaller; and the measurement of twenty cubits refers only to the lowest scale, while the space at the top, with the hearth, was only twelve cubits square; cf. my Bibl. Archaeol . i. S. 127, with the figure, plate iii. fig. 2.

2 Chronicles 4

2Ch 4:1-6. The copper furniture of the court. 2Ch 4:1. The altar of burnt-offering. Its preparation is passed over in 1 Kings 6 and 7, so that there it is only mentioned incidentally in connection with the consecration of the temple, 1Ki 8:22, 1Ki 8:54, and 1Ki 9:25. It was twenty cubits square (long and broad) and ten cubits high, and constructed on the model of the Mosaic altar of burnt-offering, and probably of brass plates, which enclosed the inner core, consisting of earth and unhewn stones; and if we may judge from Ezekiel's description, Eze 43:13-17, it rose in steps, as it were, so that at each step its extent was smaller; and the measurement of twenty cubits refers only to the lowest scale, while the space at the top, with the hearth, was only twelve cubits square; cf. my Bibl. Archaeol. i. S. 127, with the figure, plate iii. fig. 2.

The brazen sea described as in 1Ki 7:23-26. See the commentary on that passage, and the sketch in my Archaeol. i. plate iii. fig. 1. The differences in substance, such as the occurrence of בּקרים and הבּקר, 2Ch 4:3, instead of פּקעים and הפּקים, and 3000 baths instead of 2000, are probably the result of orthographical errors in the Chronicle. יכיל in 2Ch 4:5 appears superfluous after the preceding מחזיק, and Berth. considers it a gloss which has come from 1 Kings into our text by mistake. But the expression is only pleonastic: "receiving baths, 3000 it held;" and there is no sufficient reason to strike out the words.

The ten lavers which, according to 1Ki 7:38, stood upon ten brazen stands, i.e., chests provided with carriage wheels. These stands, the artistic work on which is circumstantially described in 1Ki 7:27-37, are omitted in the Chronicle, because they are merely subordinate parts of the lavers. The size or capacity of the lavers is not stated, only their position on both sides of the temple porch, and the purpose for which they were designed, "to wash therein, viz., the work of the burnt-offering (the flesh of the burnt-offering which was to be burnt upon the altar) they rinsed therein," being mentioned. For details, see in 1Ki 7:38. and the figure in my Archaol. i. plate iii. fig. 4. Occasion is here taken to mention in a supplementary way the use of the brazen sea.

The golden furniture of the holy place and the courts. These three verses are not found in the parallel narrative 1 Kings 7, where in 1Ki 7:39 the statement as to the position of the brazen sea (2Ch 4:10) follows immediately the statement of the position of the stands with the lavers. The candlesticks and the table of the shew-bread are indeed mentioned in the summary enumeration of the temple furniture, 1Ki 7:48 and 1Ki 7:49, as in the corresponding passage of the Chronicle (2Ch 4:19, 2Ch 4:20) they again occur; and in 1Ki 6:36 and 1Ki 7:12, in the description of the temple building, the inner court is spoken of, but the outer court is not expressly mentioned. No reason can be given for the omission of these verses in 1 Kings 7; but that they have been omitted or have dropped out, may be concluded from the fact that not only do the whole contents of our fourth chapter correspond to the section 1 Kings 7:23-50, but both passages are rounded off by the same concluding verse (2Ch 5:1 and 1Ki 7:51).

He made ten golden candlesticks כּמשׁפּטם, according to their right, i.e., as they should be according to the prescript, or corresponding to the prescript as to the golden candlesticks in the Mosaic sanctuary (Exo 25:31.). משׁפּט is the law established by the Mosaic legislation.

The two courts are not further described. For the court of the priests, see on 1Ki 6:36 and 1Ki 7:12. As to the great or outer court, the only remark made is that it had doors, and its doors, i.e., the folds or leaves of the doors, were overlaid with copper. In 2Ch 4:10 we have a supplementary statement as to the position of the brazen sea, which coincides with 1Ki 7:39; see on the passage. In 2Ch 4:11 the heavier brazen (copper) utensils, belonging to the altar of burnt-offering, are mentioned: סידות, pots for the removal of the ashes; יעים, shovels, to take the ashes out from the altar; and מזרקות, basins to catch and sprinkle the sacrificial blood. This half verse belongs to the preceding, notwithstanding that Huram is mentioned as the maker. This is clear beyond doubt, from the fact that the same utensils are again introduced in the summary catalogue which follows (2Ch 4:16).

Summary catalogue of the temple utensils and furniture. - 2Ch 4:11-18. The brass work wrought by Huram.

The golden furniture of the holy place and the gilded doors of the temple. This section is found also in 1Ki 7:40-50. The enumeration of the things wrought in brass coincides to a word, with the exception of trifling linguistic differences and some defects in the text, with 1Ki 7:40-47. In 2Ch 4:12 והכּתרות הגּלּות is the true reading, and we should so read in 1Ki 7:41 also, since the גּלּות, circumvolutions, are to be distinguished from the כּתרות, crowns; see on 2Ch 3:16. In 2Ch 4:14 the first עשׂה is a mistake for עשׂר, the second for עשׂרה, 1Ki 7:43; for the verb עשׂה is not required nor expected, as the accusative depends upon לעשׂות, 2Ch 4:11, while the number cannot be omitted, since it is always given with the other things. In 2Ch 4:16 מזלנות is an orthographic error for מזרקות; cf. 2Ch 4:11 and 1Ki 7:44. ואת־כּל־כּליחם is surprising, for there is no meaning in speaking of the utensils of the utensils enumerated in 2Ch 4:12-16. According to 1Ki 7:45, we should read האלּה כּל־הכּלים את. As to אביו, see on 2Ch 2:12. מרוּק נחשׁת is accusative of the material, of polished brass; and so also ממרט נח, 1Ki 7:45, with a similar signification. In reference to the rest, see the commentary on 1Ki 7:40.

In the enumeration of the golden furniture of the holy place, our text diverges somewhat more from 1Ki 7:48-50. On the difference in respect to the tables of the shew-bread, see on 1Ki 7:48. In 2Ch 4:20 the number and position of the candlesticks in the holy place are not stated as they are in 1Ki 7:49, both having been already given in 2Ch 4:7. Instead of that, their use is emphasized: to light them, according to the right, before the most holy place (כּמּשׁפּט as in 2Ch 4:7). As to the decorations and subordinate utensils of the candlesticks, see on 1Ki 7:49. To זהב, 2Ch 4:21 (accus. of the material), is added זהב מכלות הוּא, "that is perfect gold." מכלה, which occurs only here, is synonymous with מכלל, perfection. This addition seems superfluous, because before and afterwards it is remarked of these vessels that they were of precious gold (סגוּר זהב), and it is consequently omitted by the lxx, perhaps also because מכלות was not intelligible to them. The words, probably, are meant to indicate that even the decorations and the subordinate utensils of the candlesticks (lamps, snuffers, etc.) were of solid gold, and not merely gilded.