And the house which I build is great ,.... Not so very large, though that, with all apartments and courts belonging to it, he intended to build, was so; but because magnificent in its structure and decorations: for great is our God above all gods ; and therefore ought to have a temple to exceed all others, as the temple at Jerusalem did. read more
A great project: the building of a temple. I. THE PROJECT CONCEIVED . ( 2 Chronicles 2:1 .) A project: 1 . Not new, but old. Not taken up by Solomon for the first time, but one his father David had years before meditated, though not permitted to execute it, because he had been "a man of war, and had shed blood '( 1 Chronicles 28:3 ). 2 . Not self-devised, but delegated, Not assumed out of vanity or from purely political motives, but handed down to him in circumstances... read more
This chapter, in a homiletic point of view, invites attention to Those methods (or some of them) of religious enterprise which go to ensure success and to issue in real usefulness. For we may notice here— I. THE REPEATED RECORD , ON THE PART OF SOLOMON , OF HIS RESOLUTION OR DETERMINATION . "Solomon determined." The enterprise "of building a house to the Name of the Lord" had been set before him. He knew it had been in his father's mind. He had heard it in... read more
Human labour. Concerning the work in which we are engaged as men of action and production, we have here four suggestions. I. THE AMPLITUDE OF MATERIAL WITH WHICH GOD HAS SUPPLIED US . We have mention made ( 2 Chronicles 2:7 ) of different metals—gold, silver, brass, iron; and this enumeration is far from being exhaustive. We have reference ( 2 Chronicles 2:8 ) to different trees; and these are only a reminder of all the kinds of timber to be had in the forests... read more
The acceptableness of the imperfect. The letter which Solomon wrote to Hiram was one that contained more than a business proposal; it was something beyond the opening of a negotiation; it included some valuable truth which not only may have benefited the then King of Tyro, but may be of real value to us at this date and this distance. For it intimated— I. THE INESTIMABLE ADVANTAGE OF THE REVEALED RELIGION OVER CONTEMPORARY FAITHS . "Great is our God above all gods"... read more
The contents of these verses beg some special observation, in the first place, as having been judged by the writer of Chronicles matter desirable to be retained and put in his work. To find a place for this subject amid his careful selection, and rejection in many cases, of the matter at his command, is certainly a decision in harmony with his general design in this work. Then, again, they may be remarked on as spoken to another king, who, whether it were to be expected or no, was, it is... read more
See 1 Kings 6:2 note. In Jewish eyes, at the time that the temple was built, it may have been “great,” that is to say, it may have exceeded the dimensions of any single separate building existing in Palestine up to the time of its erection.Great is our God ... - This may seem inappropriate as addressed to a pagan king. But it appears 2 Chronicles 2:11-12 that Hiram acknowledged Yahweh as the supreme deity, probably identifying Him with his own Melkarth. read more
2 Chronicles 2:5. The house which I build is great Though the temple, strictly so called, was small, yet the buildings belonging to it were large and numerous. For great is our God above all gods Above all idols, above all princes. Idols are nothing, princes are little, and both are under the control of the God of Israel. Therefore the house must be great; not indeed in proportion to the greatness of that God to whom it is to be dedicated, for between finite and infinite there can be no... read more
Construction of the temple (2:1-7:22)With the help of King Hiram of Tyre, Solomon prepared materials and arranged a workforce to build the planned temple (2:1-18; see notes on 1 Kings 5:1-18). Construction went on for seven years, until the temple, its furniture, its courtyard, and all other articles and decorations connected with it were completed according to plan (3:1-5:1; see notes on 1 Kings 6:1-7:51). The temple was then dedicated to God (5:2-7:22; see notes on 1 Kings 8:1-9:9). read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Chronicles 2:1-10
Solomon's wisdom was given him, not merely for speculation, to entertain himself (though it is indeed a princely entertainment), nor merely for conversation, to entertain his friends, but for action; and therefore to action he immediately applies himself. Observe, I. His resolution within himself concerning his business (2 Chron. 2:1): He determined to build, in the first place, a house for the name of the Lord. It is fit that he who is the first should be served?first a temple and then a... read more