Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary

on the Whole Bible

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Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708)

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S E C O N D   C H R O N I C L E S

CHAP. III.

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It was a much larger and more particular account of the building of the

temple which we had in the book of Kings than is here in this book of

Chronicles. In this chapter we have,

I. The place and time of building the temple,

ver. 1, 2.

II. The dimensions and rich ornaments of it,

ver. 3-9.

III. The cherubim in the most holy place,

ver. 10-13.

IV. The veil,

ver. 14.

V. The two pillars,

ver. 15-17.

Of all this we have already and an account,

1 Kings vi., vii.

The Temple Built.	B. C. 1012.

     

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.

  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 a hundred and twenty: and he

overlaid it within with pure gold.

  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.

  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.

     

Here is,

I. The place where the temple was built. Solomon was neither at liberty

to choose nor at a loss to fix the place. It was before determined

(1 Chron. xxii. 1),

which was an ease to his mind.

1. It must be at Jerusalem; for that was the place where God had chosen

to put his name there. The royal city must be the holy city.

There must be the testimony of Israel; for there are

set the thrones of judgment,
Ps. cxxii. 4, 5.

2. It must be on Mount Moriah, which, some think, was that very place

in the land of Moriah where Abraham offered Isaac,

Gen. xxii. 2.

So the Targum says expressly, adding, But he was delivered by the

word of the Lord, and a ram provided in his place. That was typical

of Christ’s sacrifice of himself; therefore fitly was the temple, which

was likewise a type of him, built there.

3. It must be where the Lord appeared to David, and answered

him by fire,
1 Chron. xxi. 18, 26.

There atonement was made once; and therefore, in remembrance of that,

there atonement must still be made. Where God has met with me it is to

be hoped that he will still manifest himself.

4. It must be in the place which David has prepared, not only which he

had purchased with his money, but which he had purchased with his

money, but which he had pitched upon divine direction. It was Solomon’s

wisdom not to enquire out a more convenient place, but to acquiesce in

the appointment of God, whatever might be objected against it.

5. It must be in the threshold floor of Ornan, which, if (as a

Jebusite) it gives encouragement to the Gentiles, obliges us to look

upon temple-work as that which requires the labour of the mind, no less

than threshing-work does that of the body.

     

II. The time when it was begun; not till the fourth year of Solomon’s

reign,

v. 2.

Not that the first three years were trifled away, or spent in

deliberating whether they should build the temple or no; but they were

employed in the necessary preparations for it, wherein three years

would be soon gone, considering how many hands were to be got together

and set to work. Some conjecture that this was a sabbatical year, or

year of release and rest to the land, when the people, being discharged

from their husbandry, might more easily lend a hand to the beginning of

this work; and then the year in which it was finished would fall out to

be another sabbatical year, when they would likewise have leisure to

attend the solemnity of the dedication of it.

     

III. The dimensions of it, in which Solomon was instructed

(v. 3),

as he was in other things, by his father. This was the

foundation (so it may be read) which Solomon laid for the

building of the house. This was the rule he went by, so many cubits

the length and breadth, after the first measure, that is,

according to the measure first fixed, which there was no reason to make

any alteration of when the work came to be done; for the dimensions

were given by divine wisdom, and what God does shall be for ever;

nothing can be put to it, or taken from it,
Eccl. iii. 14.

His first measure will be the last.

     

IV. The ornaments of the temple. The timber-work was very fine, and

yet, within, it was overlaid with pure gold

(v. 4),

with fine gold

(v. 5),

and that embossed with palm-trees and chains. It was gold of

Parvaim

(v. 6),

the best gold. The beams and posts, the walls and

doors, were overlaid with gold,
v. 7.

The most holy place, which was ten yards square, was all overlaid

with fine gold

(v. 8),

even the upper chambers, or rather the upper floor or

roof–top, bottom, and sides, were all overlaid with gold. Every

nail, or screw, or pin, with which the golden plates were fastened to

the walls that were overlaid with them, weighed fifty shekels, or was

worth so much, workmanship and all. A great many precious stones were

dedicated to God

(1 Chron. xxix. 2, 8),

and these were set here and there, where they would show to the best

advantage. The finest houses now pretend to no better garnishing than

good paint on the roof and walls; but the ornaments of the temple were

most substantially rich. It was set with precious stones,

because it was a type of the new Jerusalem, which has no temple in it

because it is all temple, and the walls, gates, and foundations of

which are said to be of precious stones and pearls,
Rev. xxi. 18, 19, 21.

The Furniture of the Temple.	B. C. 1012.

     

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.

  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 a 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.

     

Here is an account of

1. The two cherubim, which were set up in the

holy of holies. There were two already over the ark, which covered the

mercy-seat with their wings; these were small ones. Now that the most

holy place was enlarged, though these were continued (being

appurtenances to the ark, which was not to be made new, as all the

other utensils of the tabernacle were), yet those two large ones were

added, doubtless by divine appointment, to fill up the holy place,

which otherwise would have looked bare, like a room unfurnished. These

cherubim are said to be of image-work

(v. 10),

designed, it is likely, to represent the angels who attend the divine

Majesty. Each wing extended five cubits, so that the whole was twenty

cubits

(v. 12, 13),

which was just the breadth of the most holy place,

v. 8.

They stood on their feet, as servants, their faces inward toward the

ark

(v. 13),

that it might appear they were not set there to be adored (for then

they would have been made sitting, as on a throne, and their faces

towards their worshippers), but rather as themselves attendants on the

invisible God. We must not worship angels, but we must worship

with angels; for we have come into communion with them

(Heb. xii. 22),

and must do the will of God as the angels do it. The thought that we

are worshipping him before whom the angels cover their faces will help

to inspire us with reverence in all our approaches to God. Compare

1 Cor. xi. 10 with Isa. vi. 2.

2. The veil that parted between the temple and the most holy place,

v. 14.

This denoted the darkness of that dispensation, and the distance which

the worshippers were kept at; but, at the death of Christ, this veil

was rent; for through him we are made nigh, and have boldness not only

to look, but to enter, into the holiest. On this he was wrought

cherubim. Heb. he caused them to ascend, that is, they were made

in raised work, embossed. Or he made them on the wing in an ascending

posture, as the other two that stood on their feet in an attending

posture, to remind the worshippers to lift up their hearts, and to soar

upwards in their devotions.

3. The two pillars which were set up before the temple. Both together

were somewhat above thirty-five cubits in length

(v. 15),

about eighteen cubits high a-piece. See

1 Kings vii. 15,

&c., where we took a view of those

pillars, Jachin and Boaz, establishment and

strength in temple-work and by it.

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Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708)

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