2 Chronicles 3

Solomon begins to build the temple
Primary items for it are described including cherubim and pillars
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Verse 2 begins an account parallel to 1 Kings 6 - GO
.1 ¶ Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. 
 2 And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
  Mount Moriah Where Abraham was willing to offer Isaac ge2202, ge2209.
  Threshing floor of Ornan See 2sa2416, 1ch2114. This event is mentioned to imply that it was the appropriate site for the temple. 1ch2201.
  Second day ... began Find more information at 1ki06. This was probably spring of 966 BC.
.3 Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits 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 according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was an hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure gold.
  Cubits after the first [or "old"] measure Were 44.45 cm. or 17.5 in. The long cubit was 1/6 longer ez4005, ez4313.
  Length ... breadth ... twenty cubits See 1ki0602.
  Porch ... height was an hundred and twenty This would have been an unstable tower as high as a eighteen-story building. Several Septuagint manuscripts and the Syriac have it as only twenty cubits.
 5 And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.
 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 posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubims on the walls.
  Greater house A room greater or larger than the porch. This was the "holy place" 40 cubits by 20 1ki0617. The "fir" was probably cypress.
  House Another term for the "holy place."
  Precious stones Collected by David 1ch2902 and shipped from Ophir 1ki1011.
  Parvaim Place unknown. Some say Arabia. The word occurs only here in the Bible.
 8 And he made the most holy 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.
 9 And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
  Most holy house Half the size of the "house."
  Six hundred talents Nearly 20 US tons!
  Nails Or pegs. The weight given was apparently for each nail, a little over a pound.
 10 ¶ And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, 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 inward.
  Cherubims The word is already plural without the "s." See 1ki0629.
  Wings spanned the room.
  Faces inward Instead of bowing over the ark as in the tabernacle, they stood as guards or hosts.
 14 And he made the vail of blue, 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, and the chapiter that was on the top of each of them was five cubits. 
 16 And he made chains, as in the oracle, 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.
  14 Vail Separating the two rooms or houses. Compare 1ki0621.
  Crimson Compared to scarlet for the tabernacle ex2631.
  Pillars See 1ki0715. In the porch apparently supporting the roof of the proch 1ki0721. On the spots before the pillars, see 2ki1114.
  Jachin ... Boaz Probably meaning "He shall establish." and "In it (or 'him') is strength. 
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