VII. 4. GOD CONFIRMS THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE (1) BY FIRE FROM HEAVEN; (2) BY SPECIAL REVELATION TO SOLOMON (2 Chronicles 7). The fire from heaven (2 Chronicles 7:1). This section is wanting in l Kings 8:54, _sqq.,_ where we read instead of it an address of Solomon to the people. All that the... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN SOLOMON HAD MADE AN END OF PRAYING. — (1 Kings 8:54, “And it came to pass, _when S. had made an end of praying_ unto Jehovah all this prayer and supplication.”) From this point the divergence between the two accounts begins. There is no objective ground for supposing that the chronicler _invent... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE PRIESTS COULD NOT ENTER INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. — Hardly a different assertion from that of 2 Chronicles 5:14 (“ the priests could not _stand to minister_”); the cause in both instances being the same, and expressed in the same words (1 Kings 8:11). But it is quite plain that the writer... [ Continue Reading ]
UPON THE PAVEMENT. — _Riçpâh;_ rendered by the LXX. τὸ λιθόστρωτον_,_ which is the word used in John 19:13; Vulg., “pavimentum stratum lapide.” (Comp. Ezekiel 40:17; Esther 1:6, a tesselated pavement.) AND PRAISED. — Gave _thanks to Jehovah._ The infinitive is here used for the finite form of the v... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN_._ — And. OFFERED SACRIFICES. — _Were sacrificing a sacrifice._ LXX., θύοντες θύματα. Vulg., “immolabant.”... [ Continue Reading ]
(4-10) THE SACRIFICES AND THE FESTIVAL. (Comp. 1 Kings 8:62.) The two narratives are again mainly coincident.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND KING SOLOMON OFFERED A SACRIFICE OF TWENTY AND TWO THOUSAND OXEN. — Literally, _the sacrifice of the oxen twenty and two thousand._ Kings, “the sacrifice of _the peace offerings which he sacrificed to Jehovah,_ oxen twenty and two thousand.” The italicised words seem to have fallen out of our te... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE PRIESTS. — This verse is added by the chronicler, after his usual fashion of laying stress on the ritual, especially its choral and musical side. (Comp 2 Chronicles 5:11.) WAITED ON THEIR OFFICES. — Literally, _And the priests upon their wards_ (_watches_)_ were standing, i.e.,_ stood at th... [ Continue Reading ]
MOREOVER. — _And._ This verse is slightly modified from 1 Kings 8:64 (see the Notes there). WHICH SOLOMON HAD MADE. — 2 Chronicles 4:1. Kings, _which was before the Lord._ WAS NOT ABLE TO RECEIVE. — An explanation of the phrase of Kings, “was too little to receive.” THE BURNT OFFERINGS... MEAT OF... [ Continue Reading ]
ALSO AT THE SAME TIME. — Literally, _And Solomon made the feast at that time seven days._ “The feast” was the Feast of Tabernacles. (See Leviticus 23:34.) SEVEN DAYS. — The legal time. (See Lev. _50100_) The days were counted from the 15th of the seventh month. (Comp. 1 Kings 8:65.) THE RIVER. — _... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IN THE EIGHTH DAY — That is, on the twenty-second of the seventh month (Ethanim, or Tisri; 2 Chronicles 5:3). THEY MADE A SOLEMN ASSEMBLY. — Comp. Leviticus 23:36. Not mentioned in Kings (1 Kings 8:66 says: “and on the eighth day he dismissed the people,” _i.e.,_ after this final gathering). F... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ON THE THREE AND TWENTIETH DAY OF THE SEVENTH MONTH. — Beginning with the evening of the twenty-second. FOR THE GOODNESS. — Some MSS., Syriac, and Arabic, “for _all_ the goodness,” as in 1 Kings 8:66. DAVID, AND TO SOLOMON. — Kings, “David his servant.” The mention of Solomon was added by the... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD’S RESPONSE TO THE PRAYER OF SOLOMON (2 Chronicles 7:11. Comp. 1 Kings 9:1). The substance and, for the most part, the language of both passages are the same, but the chronicler paraphrases occasionally, and has added a considerable section not extant in Kings (2 Chronicles 7:13). (11) ALL... [ Continue Reading ]
BY NIGHT. — This is _implied_ in Kings, which has, “as He had appeared unto him in Gibeon.” I HAVE HEARD THY PRAYER. — From this point begins the chronicler’s addition to the prayer as extant in the older text. Judging by the style, the added section must have formed an integral part of the origina... [ Continue Reading ]
IF I SHUT UP HEAVEN THAT THERE BE NO RAIN. — Deuteronomy 11:17; 2 Chronicles 6:26. IF. — _Hçn,_ as in Jeremiah 3:1; Isaiah 54:15. THE LOCUSTS. — _Hâgâb,_ a winged and edible species (Leviticus 11:22). In 2 Chronicles 6:28, two other kinds, the _’arbeh_ and _hâsîl,_ were mentioned. IF I SEND PESTIL... [ Continue Reading ]
MY PEOPLE, WHICH ARE CALLED BY MY NAME. — See margin; 2 Chronicles 6:33; Amos 9:12; Jeremiah 14:9. The sense is: which are dedicated to me. HUMBLE THEMSELVES. — Leviticus 26:41, in a similar context. SEEK MY FACE. — Psalms 24:6; Psalms 27:8. TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS. — Hosea 6:1;... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW MINE EYES SHALL BE OPEN. — Comp. 2 Chronicles 6:40, and Notes.... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVE I CHOSEN. — 2 Chronicles 6:6, and 2 Chronicles 7:12, _supr._ SANCTIFIED THIS HOUSE. — 1 Kings 9:3. The two accounts are again parallel. PERPETUALLY. — _All the days. _... [ Continue Reading ]
WALKED. — Kings adds, “in perfectness of heart, and in uprightness.” So Syriac and Arabic. AND DO. — So LXX., Vulg., and Arabic. The Heb. is _wĕ-la‘asôth, “_and to do,” a construction which the chronicler sometimes uses in continuation of a future (imperfect tense). But Kings has “to do,” an infini... [ Continue Reading ]
AS I HAVE COVENANTED WITH. — Heb. _kârattî lĕ,_ “Icut (a covenant) for.” The word _bĕrîth,_ “covenant,” is omitted, as in 2 Chronicles 5:10. So LXX., ὡς διεθέμην Δαυιδ τῷ πατρί σου. Syriac, “As I sware to David.” Kings: “As I spake concerning David” (_kârattî_ may be an ancient misreading of _dibbar... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT. — _And._ Kings omits, but emphasises the verb, “If ye _will_ turn,” or, “if turn ye will.” The order of words in the Heb. implies that _û-bnêkem, “_and your children,” has fallen out of the text: “And if ye turn, ye and your children.” So Kings, and Syriac and Arabic here. Kings adds, “From af... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN WILL I PLUCK THEM UP BY THE ROOTS — i.e., _your children_ (see last verse). (Comp. Deuteronomy 29:27.) Vulg. rightly, “evellam vos de terra mea.” The opposite idea is that of _planting_ a nation in a land (Jeremiah 24:6). Kings, “Then will I cut off Israel from upon the face of the land.” The c... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THIS HOUSE, WHICH IS HIGH. — A correction of Kings: “and this house _shall be high,”_ which appears meaningless in the context. But the Syriac (and Arabic) here and in Kings has, “And this house shall be laid waste” (_nehwê hreb_); and the Targum of Kings combines both readings thus: “And this h... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT SHALL BE ANSWERED. — _And men shall say._ HATH HE BROUGHT. — Kings, “hath Jehovah brought.” (So the Syriac and Arabic here.)... [ Continue Reading ]