Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Chronicles 3

SITE AND DATE (2 Chronicles 3:1–2).

At Jerusalem in mount Moriah. —Nowhere else in the Old Testament is the Temple site so specified. (Compare “the land of Moriah,” the place appointed for the sacrifice of Isaac, Genesis 22:2.)

Where the Lord appeared to David his father. —So the Septuagint; rather, who appeared to David his father. This is the meaning according to the common use of words. There is clearly an allusion to the etymology of MORIAH, which is assumed to signify “appearance of Jah.” (Compare Genesis 22:14.) Translate: “in the mount of the Appearance of Jah, who appeared to David his father.”

The Vulgate reads: “in Monte Moria qui demonstratus fuerat David patri ejus;” but nir’ah never means to be shown or pointed out. The Syriac, misunderstanding the Septuagint (Ἀμωρία), renders “in the hill of the Amorites.”

In the place that David had prepared. —This is no doubt correct, as the versions indicate. The Hebrew has suffered an accidental transposition.

In the threshingfloor of Ornan. —1 Chronicles 21:28; 1 Chronicles 22:1.

In the second day of the second month. —Hebrew: in the second month in the second. The versions omit the repetition, which is probably a scribe’s error. “On the second day” would be expressed in Hebrew differently. Read simply: And he began to build in the second month, i.e., in Zif (or April—May). See 1 Kings 6:1.

(b) DIMENSIONS OF THE TEMPLE; THE PORCH AND THE HOLY PLACE, OR NAVE (2 Chronicles 3:3–7).

Now these are the things in which Solomon was instructed. —Rather, And this is the foundation (or ground-plan) of Solomon. The plural pronoun ‘çllè, “these,” is used as a neuter singular, “this” (compare 1 Chronicles 24:19), and the hophal infinitive hûsad, “to be founded,” is used substantively, as in Ezra 3:11. So Vulgate, “Et haec sunt fundamenta quae jecit Solomon.”

After the first measure. —Rather, in the ancient measure, an explanation not found in the parallel passage, 1 Kings 6:2. The ancient or Mosaic cubit was one hand-breadth longer than the cubit of later times (Ezekiel 40:5; Ezekiel 43:13). The chronicler has omitted the height, which was thirty cubits (1 Kings 6:2).

And the porch ... twenty cubits. —Hebrew, and the porch that was before the length (that is, that lay in front of the oblong main building), before the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits (that is, the porch was as long as the house was broad). This curious statement corresponds to what we read in 1 Kings 6:3: “And the porch before the hall of the house, twenty cubits was its length, before the breadth of the house.”

But the Hebrew is too unusual to pass without challenge, and a comparison of the versions suggests that we should read here: “And the porch which was before it (Syriac), or before the house (Septuagint), its length before the breadth of the house was twenty cubits.” This would involve only a slight alteration of the Hebrew text. (Compare 2 Chronicles 3:8).

And the height was one hundred and twenty. This would make the porch four times the height of the main building, which was thirty cubits. The Alexandrine manuscript of the Septuagint, and the Arabic version, read “twenty cubits;” the Syriac omits the whole clause, which has no parallel in Kings, and is further suspicious as lacking the word “cubits,” usually expressed after the number (see 2 Chronicles 3:3). The Hebrew may be a corruption of the clause, “and its breadth ten cubits.” (Compare 1 Kings 6:3).

And he overlaid it within with pure gold. —See 1 Kings 6:21.

The greater house. —Or, the great chamber, i.e., the Holy Place, or nave. (Compare 1 Chronicles 28:11.)

He cieled with fir tree. — He covered with planks of fir; or, panelled with fir. To ciel, or rather seel (from syle or cyll, a canopy: Skeat, Etymol. Dict. s.v.) a room, meant in old English to wainscot or panel it. (Compare 1 Kings 6:15–16.)

Which he overlaid with fine gold. — And covered it (the chamber) with good gold. The cypress wainscoting was plated with gold.

And set on it palm trees and chains. —Brought up on it (i.e., carved upon it) palms and chain-work (1 Kings 7:17). (For the palms, see 1 Kings 6:29; Ezekiel 41:18.)

The chain-work must have consisted of garland-like carvings on the fir panels. 1 Kings 6:18 omits mention of it; the Septuagint, “carved on it palms and chains”; the Syriac, “figured on it the likeness of palms and lilies”; the Vulgate, “engraved on it palms and like chainlets intertwining.”