K L 3:1,2. Commencement.
M N 3:3-17. The house.
O 4:1-8. Its furniture.
M N 4:9. The courts.
O 4:10,11-. Their furniture.
L 4:-11-5:1. Completion.
917 B.C.
2 Chronicles 3)
1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, (not mentioned since Gen. 22:2, nor ever again. Moriah = Vision of Yah. Refers here to "where Yahaveh appeared") where the Lord appeared to David his father, (cp. 1 Chron. 22:1) in the place that David had prepared in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. (Cp. 1 Chron. 22:14; 2 Chron. 2:7)
2 And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
N f 3. The house.
g 4. Its porch.
f 5-14. The house.
g 15-17. Its pillars.
3 Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. (hā-'ēlohīm, the [true or triune] God) The length by cubits (ranging between 18 and 25 inches. Depends on who king was because it went by his measurement from elbow to fingertips) after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.
4 And the porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was in front of the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was twenty cubits: and he overlaid it within with pure gold.
5 And the greater house (i.e. the holy of holies) he covered with cypress tree, which he overlaid with pure gold, and set thereon palm trees (i.e. artificial) and wreathen work. (Only found in connection with Tabernacle and Temple)
6 And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim.
7 He overlaid also the house, the beams, the thresholds, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubims on the walls.
8 And he made the holy holies house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits: and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents. (1 talent = 158 lb. Troy.)
9 And the weight of the nails (these small and simple things not excluded. They held all together; and though out of sight, are remembered and named by God) was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
10 And in the holy holies place he made two cherubims of carved work, (this was no breach of the 2nd commandment, for it was by the Divine Lawgiver's own direction) and overlaid them with gold.
11 And the wings of the cherubims were twenty cubits long: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.
12 And one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub.
13 The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were toward the Ark.
14 And he made the veil of blue, (not mentioned in 1 Kings 6) and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.
15 Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, (in 1 Kings 7:15 = 18 cubits. But there it is "apiece"; here they are reckoned together) and the chapiter that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.
16 And he made wreathen work, as in the oracle, (see 2 Sam.16:3) and put them on the heads of the pillars; and made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.
17 And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz. (See 1 Kings 7:21)