1 And he maketh an altar of brass, twenty cubits its length, and twenty cubits its breadth, and ten cubits its height.
2 And he maketh the molten sea; ten by the cubit, from its edge unto its edge, round in compass, and five by the cubit its height, and a line of thirty by the cubit doth compass it, round about.
3 And the likeness of oxen `is' under it, all round about encompassing it, ten in the cubit, compassing the sea round about; two rows of oxen are cast in its being cast.
4 It is standing on twelve oxen, three facing the north, and three facing the west, and three facing the south, and three facing the east, and the sea `is' upon them above, and all their hinder parts `are' within.
5 And its thickness `is' a handbreadth, and its lip as the work of the lip of a cup flowered with lilies; taking hold -- baths three thousand it containeth.
6 And he maketh ten lavers, and putteth five on the right, and five on the left, to wash with them; the work of the burnt-offering they purge with them; and the sea `is' for priests to wash with.
7 And he maketh the ten candlesticks of gold, according to their ordinance, and placeth in the temple, five on the right, and five on the left.
8 And he maketh ten tables, and placeth in the temple, five on the right, and five on the left; and he maketh bowls of gold a hundred.
9 And he maketh the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and their doors he hath overlaid with brass.
10 And the sea he hath placed on the right shoulder eastward, over-against the south.
11 And Huram maketh the pots, and the shovels, and the bowls, and Huram finisheth to make the work that he made for king Solomon in the house of God;
12 two pillars, and the bowls, and the crowns on the heads of the two pillars, and the two wreaths to cover the two bowls of the crowns that `are' on the heads of the pillars;
13 and the pomegranates four hundred to the two wreaths, two rows of pomegranates to the one wreath, to cover the two bowls of the crowns that `are' on the front of the pillars.
14 And the bases he hath made; and the lavers he hath made on the bases;
15 the one sea, and the twelve oxen under it,
16 and the pots, and the shovels, and the forks, and all their vessels, hath Huram his father made for king Solomon, for the house of Jehovah, of brass purified.
17 In the circuit of the Jordan hath the king cast them, in the thick soil of the ground, between Succoth and Zeredathah.
18 And Solomon maketh all these vessels in great abundance, that the weight of the brass hath not been searched out.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » John Gill's Exposition of the Bible » Commentary on 2 Chronicles 4
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 4 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 3 & 4
These two chapters give an account of the building of the temple, of the materials, parts, and form of it, and of things belonging to it, and which agrees with 1 Kings 6:1 see the notes there; only here, 1 Chronicles 3:1, mention is made of the particular place where it was built, Mount Moriah; of which see the notes on Genesis 22:2. The dimensions of the house, as the Targum rightly explains, 2 Chronicles 3:3, are said to be after the first measure, either of that of the tabernacle by Moses, or rather of that of the pattern David gave to Solomon, 1 Chronicles 28:11, though some understand it of the greater cubit: the holy place is called the greater house, 2 Chronicles 3:5, being twice as long as the holy of holies; in 2 Chronicles 3:6, we are informed what the precious stones were for, which David and his princes gave for the temple, 1 Chronicles 29:2, that they were to decorate the house; and also what sort of gold was used in overlaying it, gold of Parvaim, which some interpret of PeruF8 , in America; but it is a question whether that was then known, or, if it was, must go by another name, since Peru is a late name given by the Spaniards, at their conquest of it. BochartF9 takes it to be Taprobane, an island in the Indian sea, as if it was Taph Parvan or Provan, the shore of Parvan. KircherF11 is of opinion it is the same with Javaim, the isles of Java in the same sea, from whence was gold, which is not very likely. WaserusF12 thinks Parvaim is the name of a town which is by PlinyF13 corruptly called Parbacia, which was in the land of Havilah, or the kingdom of the Charazenes, where was the best gold, Genesis 2:11 though others suppose it to be the same with Ophir, by removing the first letter of the word, to which PfeifferF14 inclines, and is as probable as any; and much more probable than what the JewsF15 say, that this gold was so called, because it was red like the blood of "parim", oxen: in 2 Chronicles 3:8, the quantity of gold, with which the most holy place was overlaid, is given, six hundred talents: of which See Gill on 1 Kings 6:21, In 2 Chronicles 3:9 we read of the nails with which the plates of gold were fastened to the boards, nowhere else mentioned, except in the Vulgate Latin version of 1 Kings 6:21, "he fastened the plates with golden nails"; which version perhaps is most correct; the weight of which were fifty shekels of gold; that is, according to the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions, each nail weighed so much, which amounted to seventy five pounds of our moneyF16 . Eupolemus, an Heathen writerF17 speaks of these nails, which he makes to be silver ones; and says they were of the weight of a talent, in the form of a woman's breast, and in number four, with which the plates of gold were fastened, which were of five cubits; I suppose he means there were four of these nails in every plate of five cubits: in 2 Chronicles 4:1 an account is given of an "altar of brass", made by Solomon, we have not elsewhere, only referred to 1 Kings 8:64 whether this was only covered with brass, as that made by Moses was, as someF18 think; or whether of massy brass, as Dr. LightfootF19 because not to be removed as that was, is not certain; the altar of the second temple was of stones unpolished, according to the MisnahF20 , with which agrees"46 And laid up the stones in the mountain of the temple in a convenient place, until there should come a prophet to shew what should be done with them. 47 Then they took whole stones according to the law, and built a new altar according to the former;' (1 Maccabees 4)and so PhiloF21 : "twenty cubits was the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof"; it was four times as big in its square as that of Moses, and three times higher, and a cubit over, See Gill on Exodus 27:1. HecataeusF23 , an Heathen writer, speaks of this altar as four square, and made of whole and unpolished stones, each side of which was twenty cubits, but the height of it he makes to be twelve cubits, in which he mistakes. It weighed, according to Jacob LeonF24 7000 arobas of brass, each aroba containing twenty five pounds. The rest of the chapter agrees with the account in the book of Kings.F8 Erasm. Schmid. de America Orat. ad Calc. Pindar. p. 261. Montani Phaleg. in Calc. Jac. Capellus in loc.F9 Phaleg. l. 2. c. 27. & Canaan, l. 1. c. 46. col. 692. Braunius de Vest. Sacred. Heb. p. 221.F11 Prodrom. Copt. c. 4. p. 119.F12 De Antiqu. Num. Heb. l. 1. c. 6.F13 Nat. Hist l. 6. c. 28.F14 Difficil. Script. Sacr. cent. 3. loc. 16. p. 247.F15 T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 45. 1. Hieros. Yoma, fol. 41. 4. Shemot Rabba, sect. 39. fol. 136. 4.F16 Brerewood de Ponder. &c. c. 5.F17 Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 34. p. 450.F18 Cunaeus de Rep. Heb. l. 2. c. 5.F19 Prospect of the Temple, ch. 34. p. 2029. So Villalpandus.F20 Middot, c. 3. sect. 4.F21 De Victimis, p. 850.F23 Apud Euseb. Evangel. Praepar. l. 9. c. 4. p. 408.F24 Relation of Memorable Things in the Temple, ch. 4. p. 20.
See Introduction to Chapter 4