2 Chronicles 3
Introduction
This chapter describes the construction of Solomon's temple in Jerusalem, paralleling the account in 1 Kings 6 but with the Chronicler's distinctive emphases. The opening verse is theologically charged: the temple is built on Mount Moriah, a name that appears nowhere else in the Old Testament outside of Genesis 22:2, where Abraham was commanded to offer Isaac. By naming this site, the Chronicler links Solomon's temple to the foundational moment of Israel's faith -- the place where God provided a substitute and where Abraham declared, "The LORD will provide." The chapter also specifies that this is the threshing floor of Ornan (Araunah) the Jebusite, where David saw the angel of the LORD stay his hand of judgment and where David offered sacrifices that were answered by fire from heaven (1 Chronicles 21:18-26). The temple, then, is built on a site doubly consecrated: by the binding of Isaac and by the staying of divine judgment.
The chapter moves through the temple's physical dimensions and ornamentation with careful attention to gold, precious materials, and the cherubim of the Most Holy Place, before concluding with the veil and the two great pillars, Jachin and Boaz. Throughout, the Chronicler's concern is not merely architectural but theological: every detail of the temple declares the holiness, majesty, and covenantal faithfulness of the God who dwells among his people.
Temple Construction Begins (vv. 1-2)
1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David. This was the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2 Solomon began construction on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.
1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to David his father. It was at the place that David had established, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2 He began building on the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
Notes
The Hebrew verb וַיָּחֶל ("he began") from the root חלל carries a sense of solemn commencement. The same verb is repeated in verse 2, forming a bracket around the theological identification of the site before the practical date is given. The Chronicler wants the reader to know where before knowing when.
The name הַמּוֹרִיָּה ("Moriah") is the most theologically significant detail in the chapter's opening. This is the only reference to "Moriah" outside of Genesis 22:2, where God commands Abraham to offer Isaac "on one of the mountains" in "the land of Moriah." The Chronicler is the only biblical writer to explicitly identify the temple mount with the site of Abraham's near-sacrifice of Isaac. By making this connection, the Chronicler roots the temple in the oldest stratum of Israel's covenant history. The temple is not simply a building project; it stands on the ground where God tested Abraham's faith and then provided a ram as a substitute (Genesis 22:13-14). Abraham named that place יְהוָה יִרְאֶה ("The LORD will provide"), and the Chronicler sees Solomon's temple as the ultimate fulfillment of that provision -- the permanent place where God meets his people and provides atonement.
The second identification -- "the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite" -- connects the site to the more recent events of 1 Chronicles 21:18-26 (parallel 2 Samuel 24:18-25, where the name is spelled "Araunah"). David purchased this threshing floor after the angel of the LORD halted a plague upon Israel. David built an altar there and offered sacrifices, and fire came down from heaven to consume them. The Chronicler has already linked this moment to the temple by noting that David said, "This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel" (1 Chronicles 22:1). The temple, then, is built where judgment was turned to mercy -- a fitting foundation for a house of atonement.
The date in verse 2 -- the second day of the second month in the fourth year of Solomon's reign -- corresponds to approximately May 966 BC. The parallel in 1 Kings 6:1 gives the month (Ziv, the second month) but not the specific day. The Chronicler's addition of the precise day may reflect priestly concern for exact dating, similar to the dating of events in Ezra and Nehemiah.
Dimensions and Interior (vv. 3-7)
3 The foundation that Solomon laid for the house of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide, according to the old standard. 4 The portico at the front, extending across the width of the temple, was twenty cubits long and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold.
5 He paneled the main room with cypress, which he overlaid with fine gold and decorated with palm trees and chains. 6 He adorned the temple with precious stones for beauty, and its gold was from Parvaim. 7 He overlaid its beams, thresholds, walls, and doors with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.
3 These are the measurements Solomon established for building the house of God: the length, by the old standard of measure, was sixty cubits, and the width was twenty cubits. 4 The portico across the front, corresponding to the width of the house, was twenty cubits long and twenty cubits high. He overlaid its interior with pure gold.
5 The main hall he paneled with cypress wood, then overlaid it with fine gold, and decorated it with palm trees and chains. 6 He adorned the house with precious stones for splendor, and the gold was gold from Parvaim. 7 He overlaid the house -- its beams, its thresholds, its walls, and its doors -- with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.
Notes
The phrase בַּמִּדָּה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה ("according to the old standard" or "by the first measure") in verse 3 is a tantalizing detail found only in Chronicles. It suggests that by the Chronicler's day -- the post-exilic period -- the standard cubit had changed. The "old" cubit is generally understood to be the longer "royal cubit" of approximately 52 centimeters (20.5 inches), compared to the shorter common cubit of about 45 centimeters (17.7 inches). Ezekiel also refers to a long cubit, "a cubit and a handbreadth" (Ezekiel 40:5). Using the old standard, the temple's main hall would have been approximately 31 meters (102 feet) long and 10 meters (34 feet) wide -- not enormous by modern standards, but impressive in its era and extravagant in its materials.
The portico height in verse 4 presents a well-known textual difficulty. The Hebrew Masoretic Text reads "one hundred and twenty cubits" (מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים), which would make the porch approximately 62 meters (204 feet) tall -- a tower vastly disproportionate to the rest of the building and architecturally implausible. The Septuagint and Syriac read "twenty cubits," which is consistent with the building's proportions and with the parallel in Kings. Most scholars believe the number 120 in the Hebrew text is a scribal error, perhaps arising from a dittography or from the influence of the round number 120 elsewhere in Chronicles. The reading "twenty cubits" is almost certainly original, and my translation follows the Masoretic Text while noting this issue.
The main hall (הַבַּיִת הַגָּדוֹל, "the great house") in verse 5 refers to the nave or holy place, as distinct from the inner sanctuary (the Most Holy Place). It was paneled with בְּרוֹשִׁים, a word traditionally translated "cypress" (or sometimes "juniper" or "fir"). This fine wood was overlaid with gold and then decorated with palm trees and chains. The palm tree motif (תִּמֹרִים) appears frequently in temple decoration (1 Kings 6:29, Ezekiel 40:16) and symbolizes flourishing life and beauty -- the temple as a restored Eden, a place where heaven and earth meet.
פַּרְוָיִם in verse 6 is an unknown location. It appears only here in the Bible. Proposals have included Yemen (associated with Arabian gold), Farwa in Arabia, or a location in India (related to Sanskrit words for gold). Whatever its location, the point is clear: the gold used in the temple was of the finest quality and from distant, exotic sources -- the best the world had to offer, dedicated to the glory of God.
Verse 7 summarizes the comprehensive gold overlay: beams, thresholds, walls, and doors were all covered. The verb חִפָּה ("overlaid") is used repeatedly throughout this chapter, emphasizing the thoroughness of the gold work. The carved cherubim on the walls echo the tabernacle's curtains (Exodus 26:1) and anticipate the free-standing cherubim in the Most Holy Place described next.
The Most Holy Place and Cherubim (vv. 8-13)
8 Then he made the Most Holy Place; its length corresponded to the width of the temple -- twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. And he overlaid the inside with six hundred talents of fine gold. 9 The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. He also overlaid the upper rooms with gold.
10 In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim of sculptured work, and he overlaid them with gold. 11 The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long and touched the wall of the temple, and its other wing was five cubits long and touched the wing of the other cherub. 12 The wing of the second cherub also measured five cubits and touched the wall of the temple, while its other wing measured five cubits and touched the wing of the first cherub. 13 So the total wingspan of these cherubim was twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the main room.
8 Then he made the Most Holy Place. Its length, corresponding to the width of the house, was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits. He overlaid it with fine gold totaling six hundred talents. 9 The weight of the gold nails was fifty shekels. He also overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
10 In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim, the work of sculptors, and they overlaid them with gold. 11 The wings of the cherubim together spanned twenty cubits: one wing of the first cherub was five cubits long and touched the wall of the house, and its other wing was five cubits long and touched the wing of the second cherub. 12 And one wing of the second cherub was five cubits long and touched the wall of the house, and its other wing was five cubits long and joined the wing of the first cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubim spread out twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, with their faces toward the main hall.
Notes
The בֵּית קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים ("the house of the Holy of Holies") was the innermost sanctuary, a perfect cube of twenty cubits in each dimension. Its cubic shape -- matching width, length, and height -- is a deliberate architectural symbol of perfection and completeness. The only other cubic sacred space in Scripture is the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:16, whose length, breadth, and height are equal. The Most Holy Place contained the ark of the covenant and was entered only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, by the high priest alone (Leviticus 16).
Six hundred talents of fine gold is a staggering quantity. A talent weighed approximately 34 kilograms (75 pounds), making this roughly 20,400 kilograms (45,000 pounds) of gold -- over 20 metric tons. Even allowing for some ancient exaggeration or the use of gold leaf rather than solid gold overlay, this represents extraordinary wealth dedicated to the most sacred space. The Chronicler consistently emphasizes the lavishness of the temple to underscore the honor due to God.
The detail about gold nails weighing fifty shekels (verse 9) -- approximately 570 grams (1.25 pounds) -- is unique to Chronicles and shows the Chronicler's interest in precise measurements, down to the fasteners. Even the nails were gold.
The two cherubim in the Most Holy Place (vv. 10-13) were massive sculptured figures, described as מַעֲשֵׂה צַעֲצֻעִים -- "the work of sculptors" or "carved work." The word צַעֲצֻעִים is rare and occurs only here; it appears to denote elaborate sculptural craftsmanship. These cherubim were distinct from the two golden cherubim on the mercy seat of the ark (Exodus 25:18-20), which were much smaller. Solomon's cherubim were free-standing figures whose combined wingspan filled the entire width of the room (twenty cubits). Each cherub had a wingspan of ten cubits: one wing touching the wall, the other meeting the wing of its companion in the center of the room. The ark of the covenant would have rested beneath their outstretched wings.
Verse 13 adds a detail not found in the Kings parallel: the cherubim "stood on their feet, facing the main hall." In the tabernacle, the cherubim on the mercy seat faced each other, looking down at the atonement cover (Exodus 25:20). Solomon's cherubim faced outward, toward the nave, as if guarding the Most Holy Place. This posture recalls the cherubim placed at the entrance to the Garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24). The cherubim are guardians of the divine presence, and their orientation emphasizes that the Most Holy Place is the threshold between heaven and earth.
The Veil and Pillars (vv. 14-17)
14 He made the veil of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim woven into it.
15 In front of the temple he made two pillars, which together were thirty-five cubits high, each with a capital on top measuring five cubits. 16 He made interwoven chains and put them on top of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegranates and fastened them into the chainwork. 17 Then he set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south and one on the north. The pillar on the south he named Jachin, and the pillar on the north he named Boaz.
14 He made the veil of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, and he worked cherubim into it.
15 In front of the house he made two pillars, thirty-five cubits in combined height, with a capital of five cubits on the top of each. 16 He made chains like those in the inner sanctuary and placed them on top of the pillars, and he made a hundred pomegranates and set them in the chains. 17 He erected the pillars in front of the temple, one to the south and one to the north. He called the name of the one on the south Jachin, and the name of the one on the north Boaz.
Notes
The פָּרֹכֶת ("veil") in verse 14 is one of the most theologically significant details unique to the Chronicler's account. The parallel in 1 Kings 6 does not mention a veil at all. The Chronicler's inclusion of it draws a direct line from the tabernacle to the temple: the tabernacle had a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen, with cherubim worked into it (Exodus 26:31-33), separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. By describing the temple's veil in nearly identical terms, the Chronicler presents the temple as the permanent successor to Moses' tabernacle, maintaining the same sacred architecture of graduated holiness.
The veil's theological significance extends into the New Testament. When Jesus died on the cross, "the veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom" (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). The author of Hebrews interprets this as the opening of a "new and living way" into God's presence through the body of Christ (Hebrews 10:19-20). The Chronicler, of course, did not know this future fulfillment, but his care in recording the veil's existence ensured that the later theological interpretation had its Old Testament foundation.
The word כַרְמִיל ("crimson") in verse 14 is distinctive. The parallel tabernacle texts in Exodus use תּוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי ("scarlet yarn," literally "worm of scarlet"). The Chronicler uses כַרְמִיל, a word that appears only in Chronicles (here and in 2 Chronicles 2:7, 2 Chronicles 2:14). It may be a late Hebrew or Aramaic loanword for the same crimson dye. The three colors -- blue (the color of heaven), purple (the color of royalty), and crimson (the color of blood and sacrifice) -- together symbolize the convergence of the heavenly, the kingly, and the sacrificial in the temple.
The two pillars (vv. 15-17) are described more briefly here than in the parallel account of 1 Kings 7:15-22. The height given -- thirty-five cubits combined, or seventeen and a half cubits each -- differs from Kings, which gives eighteen cubits per pillar. This minor discrepancy may reflect different measurement points (with or without the base or capital) or variant textual traditions.
The Hebrew text in verse 16 says Solomon made chains בַּדְּבִיר ("in the inner sanctuary"), which seems out of place in a description of the pillars. The BSB renders this as "interwoven chains," smoothing the difficulty. The phrase may mean chains "like those in the inner sanctuary" -- that is, resembling the chainwork decorations inside the temple -- or it may be a textual corruption. The Septuagint reads differently here, and the exact sense remains uncertain.
The names of the pillars are deeply symbolic. יָכִין means "He will establish" or "He establishes," and בֹּעַז means "in Him is strength" or "by His strength." Read together, they form a confession: "He establishes; in Him is strength." Every person entering the temple would pass between these two pillars and, in effect, walk through a theological declaration about the character of God. Some scholars suggest the names are the opening words of royal oracles or dynastic promises -- perhaps "He [the LORD] will establish [the throne of David]" and "In him [the LORD] is [the king's] strength." This would connect the pillars to the Davidic covenant of 2 Samuel 7:12-16, where God promises to establish David's throne forever.
Interpretations
The pillars Jachin and Boaz have generated considerable discussion. Some interpreters in the Reformed tradition see them as visible reminders of God's covenant faithfulness -- permanent monuments to the promise that God would establish David's house and that Israel's strength was in the LORD alone. Others, particularly those influenced by ancient Near Eastern studies, note that free-standing pillars flanking temple entrances were common in Phoenician and Syrian architecture and may have served as fire altars or incense stands. The biblical text, however, gives no such function; it focuses entirely on their names and placement, suggesting that their significance was theological and symbolic rather than liturgical.