2 Chronicles 3

King James Version

Full text for 2 Chronicles Chapter 3

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.

2And he began to build in the second [day] of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.

3Now 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.

4And 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.

5And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.

6And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold [was] gold of Parvaim.

7He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubims on the walls.

8And 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.

9And the weight of the nails [was] fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.

10¶ And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold.

11And 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.

12And [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.

13The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces [were] inward.

14And he made the vail [of] blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.

15Also 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.

16And 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.

17And 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.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

King Solomon commenced the construction of the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, at the site previously prepared by David. The temple was built with precise dimensions, extensively overlaid with pure gold, and adorned with precious stones. Key features included a grand porch, a Most Holy House, two large cherubim, and two prominent pillars named Jachin and Boaz.

Medium Summary

In the fourth year of his reign, Solomon began building the temple on Mount Moriah, the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, where the LORD had appeared to David. The main structure measured sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide, with a porch rising one hundred and twenty cubits high, all richly overlaid with gold. The interior was paneled with fir wood and covered in fine gold, featuring engravings of palm trees and chains, and garnished with precious stones. The Most Holy House, a perfect square of twenty cubits, was also completely overlaid with fine gold. Two large cherubim of image work, with wings spanning twenty cubits, were placed within this sacred chamber. Additionally, a veil of blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen with cherubim was made, and two thirty-five cubit high pillars, Jachin and Boaz, were erected before the temple.

Long Summary

King Solomon initiated the construction of the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign. The chosen site was Mount Moriah, specifically the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, where the LORD had appeared to David. The temple's main structure was sixty cubits in length and twenty cubits in breadth. A prominent porch, twenty cubits wide and an impressive one hundred and twenty cubits high, stood at the front and was entirely overlaid with pure gold. The greater house was ceiled with fir wood, which was then overlaid with fine gold and decorated with palm trees and chains. The entire house was further embellished with precious stones, and its beams, posts, walls, and doors were covered in gold, featuring graved cherubim. The Most Holy House, measuring twenty cubits in both length and breadth, was meticulously overlaid with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents, and even its nails weighed fifty shekels of gold. Within this Most Holy House, two large cherubim of image work, also overlaid with gold, were crafted. Their wings, each five cubits long, extended to meet the walls and each other, creating a total span of twenty cubits, and they stood on their feet with faces turned inward. A veil of blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen, intricately woven with cherubim, was also made. Finally, two pillars, thirty-five cubits high with five-cubit chapiters, were erected before the temple, adorned with chains and one hundred pomegranates, and named Jachin (on the right) and Boaz (on the left).

Core Concepts

  • Temple ConstructionThis chapter details the commencement of King Solomon's monumental project to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, specifying the exact date and location of its initiation.
  • Mount MoriahThe chosen site for the temple, Mount Moriah, is identified as the place where the LORD appeared to David and where David had prepared the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
  • Extensive Use of GoldThe temple's construction involved an extraordinary amount of gold, used to overlay the porch, the greater house, the Most Holy House, and all its internal structures, including beams, posts, walls, and doors.
  • The CherubimTwo large cherubim of image work, overlaid with gold and having wings spanning twenty cubits, were fashioned and placed within the Most Holy House, standing on their feet with inward-facing countenances.
  • Temple Dimensions and MaterialsThe chapter provides specific measurements for the temple's length, breadth, and porch height, alongside details about the materials used, such as fir wood, precious stones, and the significant weight of gold.
  • Pillars of the TempleTwo prominent pillars, thirty-five cubits high and adorned with chains and pomegranates, were erected before the temple and given the symbolic names Jachin (on the right) and Boaz (on the left).