BOOK 14 OF 66 · HISTORY · KING JAMES BIBLE

2 Chronicles 3

2 Chronicles book home•Chapter 3 of 36•17 verses

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2 Chronicles 3 Overview

Solomon begins building the temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, at the place associated with David and Ornan’s threshingfloor. The chapter gives dimensions, describes the porch and most holy place, details gold overlay and carved cherubim, and records the two great pillars named Jachin and Boaz. The temple moves from David’s prepared plans to physical reality.

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Before you read 2 Chronicles 3

Coming from

Chapter 2 organized workers, materials, and international craftsmanship for the project.

In this chapter

Construction begins at the divinely identified site, and the chapter concentrates on the temple’s structure and inner sacred space.

Leads into

Chapter 4 describes the major furnishings and vessels that will equip the completed house for priestly worship.

Key understandingExplore deeper

Mount Moriah connects the temple site with earlier biblical history, and Chronicles specifically identifies the location David prepared at Ornan’s threshingfloor. The architectural details are important because the temple is a real covenant sanctuary, but readers should resist inventing symbolic meanings for every measurement, material, and ornament when Scripture does not supply them.

Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper

Truth 1

The temple is built at the site prepared through David’s earlier encounter with God.

Truth 2

The most holy place receives special architectural emphasis.

Truth 3

Beauty, craftsmanship, and costly materials are directed toward Israel’s central sanctuary.

Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper

Connection 1

First Chronicles 21:18-30 records David’s altar at Ornan’s threshingfloor.

Connection 2

Genesis 22:2 places Abraham’s offering of Isaac in the land of Moriah, creating an important geographic association without explaining every detail of the later temple site.

Connection 3

First Kings 6 gives a parallel and more extended architectural account of Solomon’s temple.

What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper

Keep this clear 1

Do not claim more precision about the exact relationship between Abraham’s location and the later temple platform than the text provides.

Keep this clear 2

Do not make every ornament or dimension a hidden prophecy unless Scripture interprets it that way.

Keep this clear 3

The costly building belongs to Israel’s temple covenant setting and is not a universal command that churches must build expensive structures.

Read 2 Chronicles 3 watching for…

The identification of Mount Moriah.

The temple dimensions.

The most holy place and cherubim.

The use of gold and carved decoration.

The two named pillars.

Chapter outline4 sections

1-2Solomon begins building the temple on mount Moriah 3-9The temple dimensions, porch, precious materials, and gold are described 10-14Cherubims and the veil are made for the most holy house 15-17Two great pillars are set before the temple

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.

And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.

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.

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 an hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure gold.

And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.

And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim.

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.

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.

And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.

And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold.

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.

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.

The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward.

And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.

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.

And 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.

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.

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2 Chronicles 3:14

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