2 Chronicles — Chapter 3

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1Then 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.

10And 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.

1Then Solomon began to build the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem on mount Moriah, where [Jehovah] appeared unto David his father, which he made ready in the place that David had appointed, in the threshing-floor 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 foundations which Solomon laid 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 before [the house], the length of it, according to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the height a hundred and twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold.

5And the greater house he ceiled with fir-wood, which he overlaid with fine gold, and wrought 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 thresholds, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubim on the walls.

8And he made the most holy house: the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house, was 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.

10And in the most holy house he made two cherubim of image work; and they overlaid them with gold.

11And the wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long: the 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 the 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 cherubim spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were toward the house.

14And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubim thereon.

15Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.

16And he made chains in the oracle, and put [them] on the tops of the pillars; and he made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.

17And he set 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.

1Solomon began building the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. This was the place that David prepared at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

2He began building on the second day of the second month of the fourth year of his reign.

3Solomon laid the foundation for God’s temple; its length (determined according to the old standard of measure) was 90 feet, and its width 30 feet.

4The porch in front of the main hall was 30 feet long, corresponding to the width of the temple, and its height was 30 feet. He plated the inside with pure gold.

5He paneled the main hall with boards made from evergreen trees and plated it with fine gold, decorated with palm trees and chains.

6He decorated the temple with precious stones; the gold he used came from Parvaim.

7He overlaid the temple’s rafters, thresholds, walls and doors with gold; he carved decorative cherubim on the walls.

8He made the Most Holy Place; its length was 30 feet, corresponding to the width of the temple, and its width 30 feet. He plated it with 600 talents of fine gold.

9The gold nails weighed 50 shekels; he also plated the upper areas with gold.

10In the Most Holy Place he made two images of cherubim and plated them with gold.

11The combined wing span of the cherubim was 30 feet. One of the first cherub’s wings was 7½ feet long and touched one wall of the temple; its other wing was also 7½ feet long and touched one of the second cherub’s wings.

12Likewise one of the second cherub’s wings was 7½ feet long and touched the other wall of the temple; its other wing was also 7½ feet long and touched one of the first cherub’s wings.

13The combined wingspan of these cherubim was 30 feet. They stood upright, facing inward.

14He made the curtain out of blue, purple, crimson, and white fabrics, and embroidered on it decorative cherubim.

15In front of the temple he made two pillars which had a combined length of 52½ feet, with each having a plated capital 7½ feet high.

16He made ornamental chains and put them on top of the pillars. He also made 100 pomegranate-shaped ornaments and arranged them within the chains.

17He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right side and the other on the left. He named the one on the right Yakin and the one on the left Boaz.

1Then Solomon began to build Yahweh’s house at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where Yahweh appeared to David his father, which he prepared in the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

2He began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.

3Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for the building of God’s house. The length by cubits after the first measure was sixty cubits, and the width twenty cubits.

4The porch that was in front, its length, according to the width of the house, was twenty cubits, and the height one hundred twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold.

5He made the larger room with a ceiling of cypress wood, which he overlaid with fine gold, and ornamented it with palm trees and chains.

6He decorated the house with precious stones for beauty. The gold was gold from Parvaim.

7He also overlaid the house, the beams, the thresholds, its walls, and its doors with gold; and engraved cherubim on the walls.

8He made the most holy place. Its length, according to the width of the house, was twenty cubits, and its width twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.

9The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. He overlaid the upper rooms with gold.

10In the most holy place he made two cherubim by carving; and they overlaid them with gold.

11The wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long: the wing of the one was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing was five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.

12The wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing was five cubits, joining to the wing of the other cherub.

13The wings of these cherubim spread themselves out twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, and their faces were toward the house.

14He made the veil of blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and ornamented it with cherubim.

15Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty-five cubits height, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.

16He made chains in the inner sanctuary, and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.

17He set 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.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

Solomon begins building the Temple on Mount Moriah at the threshing floor of Ornan, constructing the main hall, the Most Holy Place overlaid with gold, and the two great bronze pillars named Jachin and Boaz. The dimensions and adornments reflect the glory befitting God's dwelling.

Authorship & Background

Author: Traditionally attributed to Ezra the scribe. Originally one book with 1 Chronicles. Written post-exile (approximately 450-400 BC). 2 Chronicles covers Solomon's reign through the Babylonian exile and Cyrus's decree of return (approximately 970-538 BC). The Chronicler focuses exclusively on Judah (ignoring the northern kingdom) and emphasizes Temple worship, reform movements, and the principle of 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people... shall humble themselves, and pray... then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Historical Context: Chapter 3 records the beginning of Temple construction, linking it to one of Scripture's most theologically rich locations: Mount Moriah. This is the only passage outside Genesis that identifies the Temple site with Moriah — the mountain where Abraham offered Isaac (Genesis 22:2). The Chronicler also connects it to David's purchase of Ornan's (Araunah's) threshing floor, where the destroying angel was stopped (1 Chronicles 21:18-28). Thus the Temple stands where substitutionary sacrifice has been demonstrated twice: the ram for Isaac, and David's offering to stop the plague. The site itself preaches atonement.
Construction began in Solomon's fourth year (approximately 966 BC), in the second month (Ziv/Iyyar). The dimensions reflect the Tabernacle pattern doubled: 60 cubits long by 20 cubits wide (roughly 90 x 30 feet). The "cubits after the first measure" (v.3 KJV) indicates the older, longer cubit was used — approximately 20.4 inches rather than the later shorter standard. The building was divided into the nave (greater house) and the Most Holy Place (a perfect 20-cubit cube). The Most Holy Place was overlaid with 600 talents of gold (approximately 23 tons) — a staggering quantity. Even the nails were gold (50 shekels — about 1.25 pounds). Every surface — beams, posts, walls, doors — was covered in gold with carved cherubim. The two great cherubim in the Most Holy Place, with wings spanning the entire 20-cubit width, stood as guardians of God's presence. The veil (v.14) separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy — the same veil that would be torn at Christ's death (Matthew 27:51). The two pillars, Jachin ("He establishes") and Boaz ("In Him is strength"), stood as theological statements at the Temple entrance: God establishes His people and provides strength. For the post-exilic community with their modest Second Temple, this chapter recalled the glory of what once was — and what faithful worship might again become.

Map & Geography

  • Parallels 1-2 Kings but focuses exclusively on Judah (the southern kingdom). Jerusalem and the Temple are the theological center throughout.
  • Key locations include various battle sites, reform locations, and high places destroyed or rebuilt by successive kings.
  • The book ends with exile to Babylon (586 BC) and Cyrus's decree permitting return — the geographic arc moves from Jerusalem to Babylon and back.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes the significance of Mount Moriah as the location connecting Abraham's sacrifice, David's altar, and Solomon's Temple — creating a continuous narrative of substitutionary atonement on a single site. He also notes that the gold-covered interior represented God's glory and holiness permeating every detail.
  • Charles Spurgeon: "Mount Moriah — where Abraham bound Isaac and God provided the ram; where David's altar stopped the plague; where Solomon builds the house of sacrifice. What a mountain! What a history! All roads of redemption meet at this summit. The place where God provided a substitute for Isaac is the very place where thousands of lambs would be offered, each one pointing to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jachin and Boaz — 'He establishes' and 'In Him is strength' — stand as bronze sentinels declaring God's sufficiency to every trembling worshiper who approaches. You need no strength of your own; His strength is yours. You need no standing of your own; He establishes you."

Reflection

  • 1. God writes theology into geography (v.1). Mount Moriah is where God provided a ram for Isaac and stopped the plague through David's altar. When Solomon builds the Temple there, the location itself preaches substitutionary atonement. God's history with you also tells a story — look back at the "locations" of His faithfulness and see the pattern of grace.
  • 2. Every detail matters when approaching God (vv.5-9). Gold on the beams, gold on the walls, gold on the nails — nothing was overlooked. God notices and honors attention to detail in worship and service. This is not about wealth but about care — treating nothing related to God's house as beneath careful attention.
  • 3. The veil reminds us of our need for a mediator (v.14). The beautiful curtain was simultaneously art and barrier — gorgeous to behold, yet declaring "you cannot come further." Before Christ, access to God's presence was radically limited. Thank God that the veil is torn. You have access that priests and kings once could not imagine — through Christ's blood, not your worthiness.
  • 4. "He establishes" and "In Him is strength" (v.17). These two pillars declared God's character to every worshiper. You do not establish yourself — He establishes you. You do not need your own strength — His strength is available. Enter worship remembering: your standing before God depends on His establishing work, and your ability to serve depends on His enabling power.
  • 5. The Temple was built on a place of pain redeemed (v.1). A threshing floor where plague struck becomes the place of God's dwelling. A mountain of near-death becomes the place of life. God builds His greatest works on sites of your greatest pain — if you offer those places to Him as David offered the threshing floor.