Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Chronicles 5
Charles Ellicott Commentary
2 Chronicles 5
Charles Ellicott Commentary
2 Chronicles 5
"Thus all the work that Solomon wrought for the house of Jehovah was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, even the silver, and the gold, and all the vessels, and put them in the treasuries of the house of God." — 2 Chronicles 5:1 (ASV)
Thus. — And. This verse is identical with 1 Kings 7:51. (The chronicler has made three slight corrections of the older text.)
Brought in all the things ... dedicated. — Brought in the holy (or hallowed) things of David his father. (Compare to 1 Chronicles 18:11; 1 Chronicles 26:26–28.)
The implements. —Or, vessels. The word all is omitted by some manuscripts, and by the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic. “The holy things of David” are identical with “the silver and the gold and the vessels.”
THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE (2 Chronicles 5:2 to 2 Chronicles 7:22).
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NATIONAL CEREMONY OF THE TRANSFER OF THE ARK INTO THE TEMPLE. (Compare to 1 Kings 8:1–11.)
The chapter is an almost literal duplicate of the parallel text. The desire to explain and abridge accounts for such variations as are not due to the transcribers.
"Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers` [houses] of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David, which is Zion." — 2 Chronicles 5:2 (ASV)
The chief of the fathers. —Rather, the chiefs of the clans (father-houses) . Vulgate, “capita familiarum;” Septuagint, τοὺς ἠγουμένους πατριῶν .
Elders ... heads. —Or, sheikhs ... ameers.
Zion. —Syr. and Arab., Hebron.
In the feast which was in the seventh month. —Heb., in the feast; that (is) the seventh month. The words “in the month of Ethanim” (Kings) have been accidentally omitted before the expression rendered “in the feast.” The Authorised version suggests another mode of emending the text. (Compare to Nehemiah 8:14.)
Syr., “in the month of the fruits (’ebbô) of the feast of Tabernacles; that is the seventh month.” The Septuagint had the present faulty Hebrew.
"And all the elders of Israel came: and the Levites took up the ark;" — 2 Chronicles 5:4 (ASV)
The Levites. —Kings has the priests; and so do the Syriac and Arabic versions here; but the Septuagint and Vulgate have Levites. The latter term, as the tribal name, may of course be used to include the priests or Aaronites, as well as their lower-ranking brethren. 2 Chronicles 5:7 shows that the priests are intended here.
"and they brought up the ark, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent; these did the priests the Levites bring up." — 2 Chronicles 5:5 (ASV)
These did the priests and the Levites bring up. —Hebrew, the priests the Levites (which some explain “the Levitical priests,” as in Joshua 3:3) brought them up. But some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, and Syriac, read “the priests and the Levites;” Arabic, “the Levites and the priests;” and Vulgate, “the priests with the Levites.” Above all, 1 Kings 8:4 has, And the priests and the Levites brought them up. It appears, therefore, that the conjunction is rightly supplied by the Authorised Version.
"And king Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be counted nor numbered for multitude." — 2 Chronicles 5:6 (ASV)
Assembled. — (Nô‘ad, to meet at an appointed time and place,Exodus 25:22). Not the same word as in 2 Chronicles 5:2–3 (qâhal), of which the root meaning is probably to call together.
Before the ark. — By the omission of a single Hebrew word [’ ittô ] before this phrase, the whole form of the sentence is altered from that of Kings. There we read “(were) with him before the Ark sacrificing,” etc.
Sacrificed. — Were sacrificing.
And the priests ... — The verse is wholly identical with 1 Kings 8:6 (see Notes there).
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