Preparations for Building the Temple(A)

[a]Solomon gave orders to build a temple(B) for the Name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself.(C) He conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 as foremen over them.(D)

Solomon sent this message to Hiram[b](E) king of Tyre:

“Send me cedar logs(F) as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in. Now I am about to build a temple(G) for the Name of the Lord my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense(H) before him, for setting out the consecrated bread(I) regularly, and for making burnt offerings(J) every morning and evening and on the Sabbaths,(K) at the New Moons(L) and at the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel.

“The temple I am going to build will be great,(M) because our God is greater than all other gods.(N) But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him?(O) Who then am I(P) to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?

“Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers,(Q) whom my father David provided.

“Send me also cedar, juniper and algum[c] logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber there. My servants will work with yours to provide me with plenty of lumber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent. 10 I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty thousand cors[d] of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors[e] of barley, twenty thousand baths[f] of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive oil.(R)

11 Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon:

“Because the Lord loves(S) his people, he has made you their king.”

12 And Hiram added:

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth!(T) He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.

13 “I am sending you Huram-Abi,(U) a man of great skill, 14 whose mother was from Dan(V) and whose father was from Tyre. He is trained(W) to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and blue(X) and crimson yarn and fine linen. He is experienced in all kinds of engraving and can execute any design given to him. He will work with your skilled workers and with those of my lord, David your father.

15 “Now let my lord send his servants the wheat and barley and the olive oil(Y) and wine he promised, 16 and we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them as rafts by sea down to Joppa.(Z) You can then take them up to Jerusalem.”

17 Solomon took a census of all the foreigners(AA) residing in Israel, after the census(AB) his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. 18 He assigned(AC) 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working.

Notas al pie

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:1 In Hebrew texts 2:1 is numbered 1:18, and 2:2-18 is numbered 2:1-17.
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:3 Hebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram; also in verses 11 and 12
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:8 Probably a variant of almug
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:10 That is, probably about 3,600 tons or about 3,200 metric tons of wheat
  5. 2 Chronicles 2:10 That is, probably about 3,000 tons or about 2,700 metric tons of barley
  6. 2 Chronicles 2:10 That is, about 120,000 gallons or about 440,000 liters

Solomon’s Letter to Hiram

[a]Solomon decided to build a temple for the name of Yahweh and a royal palace for himself,(A) [b]so he assigned 70,000 men as porters, 80,000 men as stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 as supervisors over them.(B)

Then Solomon sent word to King Hiram[c](C) of Tyre:(D)

Do for me what you did for my father David. You sent him cedars to build him a house to live in.(E) Now I am building a temple for the name of Yahweh my God in order to dedicate it to Him for burning fragrant incense before Him,(F) for displaying the rows of the bread of the Presence continuously,(G) and for sacrificing burnt offerings for the morning and the evening,(H) the Sabbaths(I) and the New Moons, and the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is ordained for Israel forever. The temple that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than any of the gods.(J) But who is able to build a temple for Him, since even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Him?(K) Who am I then that I should build a temple for Him except as a place to burn incense before Him? Therefore, send me a craftsman who is skilled in engraving to work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with the craftsmen who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem,(L) appointed by my father David.(M) Also, send me cedar, cypress, and algum[d](N) logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut the trees of Lebanon. Note that my servants will be with your servants(O) to prepare logs for me in abundance because the temple I am building will be great and wonderful. 10 I will give your servants, the woodcutters who cut the trees, 100,000 bushels[e] of wheat flour, 100,000 bushels[f] of barley, 110,000 gallons[g] of wine, and 110,000 gallons[h] of oil.

Hiram’s Reply

11 Then King Hiram of Tyre wrote a letter[i] and sent it to Solomon:

Because the Lord loves His people, He set you over them as king.(P)

12 Hiram also said:

May the Lord God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth,(Q) be praised! He gave King David a wise son with insight and understanding,(R) who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.(S) 13 I have now sent Huram-abi,[j] a skillful man who has understanding.(T) 14 He is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan. His father is a man of Tyre. He knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, with purple, blue, crimson yarn, and fine linen. He knows how to do all kinds of engraving and to execute any design that may be given him. I have sent him to be with your craftsmen and the craftsmen of my lord, your father David. 15 Now, let my lord send the wheat, barley, oil, and wine to his servants as promised.(U) 16 We will cut logs from Lebanon, as many as you need, and bring them to you as rafts by sea to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.(V)

Solomon’s Work Force

17 Solomon took a census of all the foreign men in the land of Israel, after the census that his father David had conducted,(W) and the total was 153,600. 18 Solomon made 70,000 of them porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors to make the people work.(X)

Notas al pie

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:1 2Ch 1:18 in Hb
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:2 2Ch 2:1 in Hb
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:3 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Vg; other Hb mss read Huram; 2Sm 5:11; 1Kg 5:1-2
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:8 = almug in 1Kg 10:11-12
  5. 2 Chronicles 2:10 Lit 20,000 cors
  6. 2 Chronicles 2:10 Lit 20,000 cors
  7. 2 Chronicles 2:10 Lit 20,000 baths
  8. 2 Chronicles 2:10 Lit 20,000 baths
  9. 2 Chronicles 2:11 Lit Tyre said in writing
  10. 2 Chronicles 2:13 Lit Huram my father

Preparations for Building the Temple

[a]Solomon decided to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord, and also a royal palace for himself. [b]He enlisted a force of 70,000 laborers, 80,000 men to quarry stone in the hill country, and 3,600 foremen.

Solomon also sent this message to King Hiram[c] at Tyre:

“Send me cedar logs as you did for my father, David, when he was building his palace. I am about to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord my God. It will be a place set apart to burn fragrant incense before him, to display the special sacrificial bread, and to sacrifice burnt offerings each morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, at new moon celebrations, and at the other appointed festivals of the Lord our God. He has commanded Israel to do these things forever.

“This must be a magnificent Temple because our God is greater than all other gods. But who can really build him a worthy home? Not even the highest heavens can contain him! So who am I to consider building a Temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices to him?

“So send me a master craftsman who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as with purple, scarlet, and blue cloth. He must be a skilled engraver who can work with the craftsmen of Judah and Jerusalem who were selected by my father, David.

“Also send me cedar, cypress, and red sandalwood[d] logs from Lebanon, for I know that your men are without equal at cutting timber in Lebanon. I will send my men to help them. An immense amount of timber will be needed, for the Temple I am going to build will be very large and magnificent. 10 In payment for your woodcutters, I will send 100,000 bushels of crushed wheat, 100,000 bushels of barley,[e] 110,000 gallons of wine, and 110,000 gallons of olive oil.[f]

11 King Hiram sent this letter of reply to Solomon:

“It is because the Lord loves his people that he has made you their king! 12 Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth! He has given King David a wise son, gifted with skill and understanding, who will build a Temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.

13 “I am sending you a master craftsman named Huram-abi, who is extremely talented. 14 His mother is from the tribe of Dan in Israel, and his father is from Tyre. He is skillful at making things from gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and he also works with stone and wood. He can work with purple, blue, and scarlet cloth and fine linen. He is also an engraver and can follow any design given to him. He will work with your craftsmen and those appointed by my lord David, your father.

15 “Send along the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine that my lord has mentioned. 16 We will cut whatever timber you need from the Lebanon mountains and will float the logs in rafts down the coast of the Mediterranean Sea[g] to Joppa. From there you can transport the logs up to Jerusalem.”

17 Solomon took a census of all foreigners in the land of Israel, like the census his father had taken, and he counted 153,600. 18 He assigned 70,000 of them as common laborers, 80,000 as quarry workers in the hill country, and 3,600 as foremen.

Notas al pie

  1. 2:1 Verse 2:1 is numbered 1:18 in Hebrew text.
  2. 2:2 Verses 2:2-18 are numbered 2:1-17 in Hebrew text.
  3. 2:3 Hebrew Huram, a variant spelling of Hiram; also in 2:11.
  4. 2:8 Or juniper; Hebrew reads algum, perhaps a variant spelling of almug; compare 9:10-11 and parallel text at 1 Kgs 10:11-12.
  5. 2:10a Hebrew 20,000 cors [4,400 kiloliters] of crushed wheat, 20,000 cors of barley.
  6. 2:10b Hebrew 20,000 baths [420 kiloliters] of wine, and 20,000 baths of olive oil.
  7. 2:16 Hebrew the sea.

Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple(A)

Then Solomon (B)determined to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal house for himself. (C)Solomon selected seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.

Then Solomon sent to [a]Hiram king of Tyre, saying:

(D)As you have dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. Behold, (E)I am building a temple for the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to Him, (F)to burn before Him [b]sweet incense, for (G)the continual showbread, for (H)the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the (I)Sabbaths, on the New Moons, and on the [c]set feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.

And the temple which I build will be great, for (J)our God is greater than all gods. (K)But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?

Therefore send me at once a man skillful to work in gold and silver, in bronze and iron, in purple and crimson and blue, who has skill to engrave with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, (L)whom David my father provided. (M)Also send me cedar and cypress and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and indeed my servants will be with your servants, to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the [d]temple which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.

10 (N)And indeed I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, twenty thousand kors of ground wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.

11 Then Hiram king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon:

(O)Because the Lord loves His people, He has made you king over them.

12 [e]Hiram also said:

(P)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, (Q)who made heaven and earth, for He has given King David a wise son, endowed with prudence and understanding, who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal house for himself!

13 And now I have sent a skillful man, endowed with understanding, [f]Huram my [g]master craftsman 14 (R)(the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre), skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple and blue, fine linen and crimson, and to make any engraving and to accomplish any plan which may be given to him, with your skillful men and with the skillful men of my lord David your father.

15 Now therefore, the wheat, the barley, the oil, and the wine which (S)my lord has spoken of, let him send to his servants. 16 (T)And we will cut wood from Lebanon, as much as you need; we will bring it to you in rafts by sea to [h]Joppa, and you will carry it up to Jerusalem.

17 (U)Then Solomon numbered all the aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census in which (V)David his father had numbered them; and there were found to be one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred. 18 And he made (W)seventy thousand of them bearers of burdens, eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.

Notas al pie

  1. 2 Chronicles 2:3 Heb. Huram; cf. 1 Kin. 5:1
  2. 2 Chronicles 2:4 Lit. incense of spices
  3. 2 Chronicles 2:4 appointed
  4. 2 Chronicles 2:9 Lit. house
  5. 2 Chronicles 2:12 Heb. Huram; cf. 1 Kin. 5:1
  6. 2 Chronicles 2:13 Hiram, 1 Kin. 7:13
  7. 2 Chronicles 2:13 Lit. father, 1 Kin. 7:13, 14
  8. 2 Chronicles 2:16 Heb. Japho