2 Chronicles 4:3 Komentář

We have here a further account of the furniture of God's house. I. Those things that were of brass. The altar for burnt-offerings (Ch2 4:1), the sea and lavers to hold water (Ch2 4:2-6), the plates with which the doors of the court were overlaid (Ch2 4:9), the vessels of the altar, and other things (Ch2 4:10-18). II. Those that were of gold. The candlesticks and tables (Ch2 4:7, Ch2 4:8), the altar of incense (Ch2 4:19), and the appurtenances of each of these (Ch2 4:20-22). All these, except the brazen altar (Ch2 4:1), were accounted for more largely, Kg1 7:23, etc.

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 Kg1 6:1 see the notes there; only here, Ch1 3:1, mention is made of the particular place where it was built, Mount Moriah; of which see the notes on Gen 22:2. The dimensions of the house, as the Targum rightly explains, Ch2 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, Ch1 28:11, though some understand it of the greater cubit: the holy place is called the greater house, Ch2 3:5, being twice as long as the holy of holies; in Ch2 3:6, we are informed what the precious stones were for, which David and his princes gave for the temple, Ch1 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 Peru (h), 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. Bochart (i) takes it to be Taprobane, an island in the Indian sea, as if it was Taph Parvan or Provan, the shore of Parvan. Kircher (k) 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. Waserus (l) thinks Parvaim is the name of a town which is by Pliny (m) corruptly called Parbacia, which was in the land of Havilah, or the kingdom of the Charazenes, where was the best gold, Gen 2:11 though others suppose it to be the same with Ophir, by removing the first letter of the word, to which Pfeiffer (n) inclines, and is as probable as any; and much more probable than what the Jews (o) say, that this gold was so called, because it was red like the blood of "parim", oxen: in Ch2 3:8, the quantity of gold, with which the most holy place was overlaid, is given, six hundred talents: of which See Gill on Kg1 6:21, In Ch2 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 Kg1 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 money (p). Eupolemus, an Heathen writer (q) 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 Ch2 4:1 an account is given of an "altar of brass", made by Solomon, we have not elsewhere, only referred to Kg1 8:64 whether this was only covered with brass, as that made by Moses was, as some (r) think; or whether of massy brass, as Dr. Lightfoot (s) because not to be removed as that was, is not certain; the altar of the second temple was of stones unpolished, according to the Misnah (t), 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 Philo (u): "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 Exo 27:1. Hecataeus (w), 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 Leon (x) 7000 arobas of brass, each aroba containing twenty five pounds. The rest of the chapter agrees with the account in the book of Kings. (h) Erasm. Schmid. de America Orat. ad Calc. Pindar. p. 261. Montani Phaleg. in Calc. Jac. Capellus in loc. (i) Phaleg. l. 2. c. 27. & Canaan, l. 1. c. 46. col. 692. Braunius de Vest. Sacred. Heb. p. 221. (k) Prodrom. Copt. c. 4. p. 119. (l) De Antiqu. Num. Heb. l. 1. c. 6. (m) Nat. Hist l. 6. c. 28. (n) Difficil. Script. Sacr. cent. 3. loc. 16. p. 247. (o) T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 45. 1. Hieros. Yoma, fol. 41. 4. Shemot Rabba, sect. 39. fol. 136. 4. (p) Brerewood de Ponder. &c. c. 5. (q) Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 34. p. 450. (r) Cunaeus de Rep. Heb. l. 2. c. 5. (s) Prospect of the Temple, ch. 34. p. 2029. So Villalpandus. (t) Middot, c. 3. sect. 4. (u) De Victimis, p. 850. (w) Apud Euseb. Evangel. Praepar. l. 9. c. 4. p. 408. (x) Relation of Memorable Things in the Temple, ch. 4. p. 20.

The brazen altar, Ch2 4:1. Molten sea, and its supporters, Ch2 4:2-5. The ten lavers, Ch2 4:6. Ten golden candlesticks, Ch2 4:7. Ten tables, the hundred golden basons, and the priests' court, Ch2 4:8-10. The works which Huram performed, Ch2 4:11-17. Solomon finishes the temple, and its utensils, Ch2 4:18-22.

Under it was the similitude of oxen - In Kg1 7:24, instead of oxen, בקרים bekarim, we have knops, פקעים pekaim; and this last is supposed by able critics to be the reading which ought to be received here. What we call knops may signify grapes, mushrooms, apples, or some such ornaments placed round about under the turned over lip or brim of this caldron. It is possible that בקרים bekarim, oxen, may be a corruption of פקעים pekaim, grapes, as the פ pe might be mistaken for a ב beth, to which in ancient MSS. it has often a great resemblance, the dot under the top being often faint and indistinct; and the ע ain, on the same account might be mistaken for a ר resh. Thus grapes might be turned into oxen. Houbigant contends that the words in both places are right; but that בקר bakar does not signify ox here, but al large kind of grape, according to its meaning in Arabic: and thus both places will agree. But I do not find that bakar, or bakarat, has any such meaning in Arabic. He was probably misled by the following, in the Arabic Lexicon, Camus, inserted under bakara, both by Giggeius and Golius, aino albikri, ox-eye, which is interpreted Genus uvae nigrae ac praeprandis, incredibilis dulcedinis. In Palaestina autem pro prunis absolute usurpatur. "A species of black grape, very large, and of incredible sweetness. It is used in Palestine for prune or plum." What is called the Damascene plum is doubtless meant; but בקרים bekarim, in the text, can never have this meaning, unless indeed we found it associated with עין ayin, eye, and then עיני בקרים eyney bekarim might, according to the Arabic, be translated plums, grapes, sloes, or such like, especially those of the largest kind, which in size resemble the eye of an ox. But the criticism of this great man is not solid. The likeliest method of reconciling the two places is supposing a change in the letters, as specified above. The reader will at once see that what are called the oxen, Ch2 4:3, said to be round about the brim, are widely different from those Ch2 4:4, by which this molten sea was supported.

ALTAR OF BRASS. (Ch2 4:1) he made an altar of brass--Steps must have been necessary for ascending so elevated an altar, but the use of these could be no longer forbidden (Exo 20:26) after the introduction of an official costume for the priests (Exo 28:42). It measured thirty-five feet by thirty-five, and in height seventeen and a half feet. The thickness of the metal used for this altar is nowhere given; but supposing it to have been three inches, the whole weight of the metal would not be under two hundred tons [NAPIER].

Two rows of oxen were cast, when it was cast--The meaning is, that the circular basin and the brazen oxen which supported it were all of one piece, being cast in one and the same mould. There is a difference in the accounts given of the capacity of this basin, for while in Kg1 7:26 it is said that two thousand baths of water could be contained in it, in this passage no less than three thousand are stated. It has been suggested that there is here a statement not merely of the quantity of water which the basin held, but that also which was necessary to work it, to keep it flowing as a fountain; that which was required to fill both it and its accompaniments. In support of this view, it may be remarked that different words are employed: the one in Kg1 7:26 rendered contained; the two here rendered, received and held. There was a difference between receiving and holding. When the basin played as a fountain, and all its parts were filled for that purpose, the latter, together with the sea itself, received three thousand baths; but the sea exclusively held only two thousand baths, when its contents were restricted to those of the circular basin. It received and held three thousand baths [CALMET, Fragments].

Ch2 4:1-6. The copper furniture of the court. Ch2 4:1. The altar of burnt-offering. Its preparation is passed over in 1 Kings 6 and 7, so that there it is only mentioned incidentally in connection with the consecration of the temple, Kg1 8:22, Kg1 8:54, and Kg1 9:25. It was twenty cubits square (long and broad) and ten cubits high, and constructed on the model of the Mosaic altar of burnt-offering, and probably of brass plates, which enclosed the inner core, consisting of earth and unhewn stones; and if we may judge from Ezekiel's description, Eze 43:13-17, it rose in steps, as it were, so that at each step its extent was smaller; and the measurement of twenty cubits refers only to the lowest scale, while the space at the top, with the hearth, was only twelve cubits square; cf. my Bibl. Archaeol. i. S. 127, with the figure, plate iii. fig. 2.