Matthew Poole's Commentary And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the LORD, and an house for his kingdom. Solomon appointeth workmen to build the temple: his embassage to king Huram for workmen and materials, promising to furnish him with victuals, 2 Chronicles 2:1-10. Huram’s kindness, 2 Chronicles 2:11-16. Solomon numbereth and divideth the workmen, 2 Chronicles 2:17,18. i.e. A royal palace for himself and his successors. This whole chapter, for the substance of it, is contained in 1 Kings 5, and in the notes there it is explained, and the seeming differences reconciled. And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them. No text from Poole on this verse. And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein, even so deal with me. Which words may be commodiously understood from the nature of the thing, and from the following words, such ellipses being frequent in the Hebrew. Or, without any ellipsis, the sense, being here suspended, is completed 2 Chronicles 2:7, so send me, &c., the 4th, 5th, and 6th verses being inserted by way of parenthesis, to usher in and enforce his following request. Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel. To dedicate it to him, i.e. to his honour and worship. For the continual shew-bread; so called here and Numbers 9:7, because it was to be there continually, by a constant succession of new bread when the old was removed; of which see Exodus 25:30 Leviticus 24:8. And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods. The house which I build is great; for though the temple strictly so called, was but small, yet the buildings belonging to it, both above and under ground, were large and numerous. But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him? The heaven of heavens cannot contain him: when I speak of building a great house for our great God, let none be so foolish to think that I mean to include or comprehend God within it, for he is infinite. To burn sacrifice before him, i.e. to worship him there where he is graciously present. Send me now therefore a man cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide. No text from Poole on this verse. Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants, No text from Poole on this verse. Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great. See Poole "1 Chronicles 2:5". And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil. No text from Poole on this verse. Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because the LORD hath loved his people, he hath made thee king over them. No text from Poole on this verse. Huram said moreover, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that might build an house for the LORD, and an house for his kingdom. No text from Poole on this verse. And now I have sent a cunning man, endued with understanding, of Huram my father's, i.e. Who was my father’s chief workman. Or, Huram Abi, a man so called; the prefix lamed being here only a note of the accusative case. See more on 2 Chronicles 4:16. The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord David thy father. The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan; of which See Poole "1 Kings 7:14". My lord; so he calls David here, and Solomon in the next verse, either out of singular respect to their greatness and true worth; or because he was indeed tributary to them; or, at least, his country was nourished by their country, as it was afterwards, Acts 12:20. Now therefore the wheat, and the barley, the oil, and the wine, which my lord hath spoken of, let him send unto his servants: No text from Poole on this verse. And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need: and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem. No text from Poole on this verse. And Solomon numbered all the strangers that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were found an hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred. Wherewith David his father had numbered them; for David had not only numbered his own people, for which he smarted, 2 Samuel 24; but afterward he numbered the strangers, not out of vanity, but that Solomon might have a true account of them, and employ them about his buildings, as he saw fit. Yet Solomon thought fit to number them again, because death might have made a considerable alteration among them since David’s numbering of them; and it behoved him to have an exact account of them. And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and fourscore thousand to be hewers in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people a work. No text from Poole on this verse. |
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