2 Chronicles 2
Solomon Gathers Building Materials for the Temple
1[Heb. 1:18] ▼ Solomon ordered a temple to be built to honor the Lord, as well as a royal palace for himself. ▼▼ Heb “and Solomon said to build a house for the name of the Lord and house for his kingship.”
2[Heb. 2:1] Solomon had ▼▼ Heb “counted,” perhaps “conscripted” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
70,000 common laborers ▼▼ Heb “carriers of loads.”
and 80,000 stonecutters ▼▼ Or “quarry workers”; Heb “cutters” (probably referring to stonecutters).
in the hills, in addition to 3,600 supervisors. ▼▼ The parallel text of MT in 1 Kgs 5:16 has “thirty-six hundred,” but some Greek mss there read “thirty-six hundred” in agreement with 2 Chr 2:2, 18.
▼▼ Heb “and 3,600 supervisors over them.”
3 Solomon sent a message to King Huram ▼
▼ Heb “Huram.” Some medieval Hebrew mss, along with the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate spell the name “Hiram,” agreeing with 1 Chr 14:1. “Huram” is a variant spelling referring to the same individual.
of Tyre: ▼ “Help me ▼
▼ The words “help me” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
as you did my father David, when you sent him cedar logs ▼▼ Heb “cedars.” The word “logs” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
for the construction of his palace. ▼▼ Heb “to build for him a house to live in it.”
4Look, I am ready to build a temple to honor ▼▼ Heb “for the name of.”
the Lord my God and to dedicate it to him in order to burn fragrant incense before him, to set out the bread that is regularly displayed, ▼▼ Heb “and the regular display.”
and to offer burnt sacrifices each morning and evening, and on Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and at other times appointed by the Lord our God. This is something Israel must do on a permanent basis. ▼▼ Heb “permanently [is] this upon Israel.”
5I will build a great temple, for our God is greater than all gods. 6Of course, who can really build a temple for him, since the sky ▼ and the highest heavens cannot contain him? Who am I that I should build him a temple! It will really be only a place to offer sacrifices before him. ▼▼ Heb “Who retains strength to build for him a house, for the heavens and the heavens of heavens do not contain him? And who am I that I should build for him a house, except to sacrifice before him?”
7 “Now send me a man who is skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as purple, crimson, and violet colored fabrics, and who knows how to engrave. He will work with my skilled craftsmen here in Jerusalem ▼
▼ For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; Journey of Paul map 1-F4; Journey of Paul map 2-F4; Journey of Paul map 3-F4; Journey of Paul map 4-F4.
and Judah, whom my father David provided. 8Send me cedars, evergreens, and algum ▼
▼ This is probably a variant name for almug trees; see 9:10–11 and the parallel passage in 1 Kgs 10:11–12; cf. NLT. One or the other probably arose through metathesis of letters.
trees from Lebanon, for I know your servants are adept ▼▼ Heb “know.”
at cutting down trees in Lebanon. My servants will work with your servants 9to supply me with large quantities of timber, for I am building a great, magnificent temple. 10Look, I will pay your servants who cut the timber 20,000 kors ▼▼ As a unit of dry measure a kor was roughly equivalent to six bushels (about 220 liters).
of ground wheat, 20,000 kors of barley, 120,000 gallons ▼▼ Heb “20,000 baths” (also a second time later in this verse). A bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons (about 22 liters), so this was a quantity of about 120,000 gallons (440,000 liters).
of wine, and 120,000 gallons of olive oil.” 11 King Huram ▼
▼ Heb “Huram” (also in v. 12). Some medieval Hebrew mss, along with the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate spell the name “Hiram,” agreeing with 1 Chr 14:1. “Huram” is a variant spelling referring to the same individual.
of Tyre sent this letter to Solomon: “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king.” 12Huram also said, “Worthy of praise is the Lord God of Israel, who made the sky and the earth! He has given David a wise son who has discernment and insight and will build a temple for the Lord, as well as a royal palace for himself. ▼▼ Heb “who has given to David a wise son [who] knows discernment and insight, who will build a house for the Lord and house for his kingship.”
13Now I am sending you Huram Abi, ▼▼ The name Huram Abi means “Huram [is] my father.”
a skilled and capable man, 14whose mother is a Danite and whose father is a Tyrian. ▼▼ Heb “a son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father a man of Tyre.”
He knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stones, and wood, as well as purple, violet, white, and crimson fabrics. He knows how to do all kinds of engraving and understands any design given to him. He will work with your skilled craftsmen and the skilled craftsmen of my lord David your father. 15Now let my lord send to his servants the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine he has promised; 16we will get all the timber you need from Lebanon ▼▼ Heb “and we will cut down trees from Lebanon according to all your need.”
and bring it ▼▼ Heb “to you,” but this phrase has not been translated for stylistic reasons – it is somewhat redundant.
in raft-like bundles ▼ by sea to Joppa. You can then haul it on up to Jerusalem.” 17 Solomon took a census ▼
▼ Heb “counted.”
of all the male resident foreigners in the land of Israel, after the census his father David had taken. There were 153,600 in all. 18He designated ▼▼ Heb “made.”
70,000 as common laborers, ▼▼ Heb “carriers of loads.”
80,000 as stonecutters ▼▼ Or “quarry workers”; Heb “cutters” (probably referring to stonecutters).
in the hills, and 3,600 as supervisors to make sure the people completed the work. ▼▼ Heb “and thirty-six hundred [as] supervisors to compel the people to work.”
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