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2 Paralipomenon ii.
Notes & Commentary:
Ver. 1. Himself,
worthy of his great empire. He deemed that which David had built too mean, though that pious king had been ashamed to dwell
in such a magnificent palace, while the ark of God was under skins, 2 Kings vii. 2. (Calmet)
Ver. 2. Numbered,
of the proselytes, ver. 17. (Tirinus) --- Hew. The stones were made ready for use, as well as the wood, before it was
brought to the temple, 3 Kings vi. 7. --- Six. Only three are mentioned [in] 3 Kings v. 16. (Calmet) --- But
three hundred overseers of higher order are here included. (Tirinus)
Ver. 6. Before
him. For this purpose do I design to build. (Menochius) --- Temples are more for our use than for God's, as none can be
worthy of him. (Calmet)
Ver. 7. Purple.
Hebrew argevan, (Haydock) a Chaldean word, of the same import as argueman, in Exodus. --- Scarlet and
blue were also species of purple. The finest sort was found between Tyre and Carmel. See Vitruvius vii. 13.
Ver. 8. Pine.
Hebrew algum, which rather denotes a species of fir, than the juniper-tree; though the domestic kind was tall, and
used in edifices. (Calmet) --- Arceuthina, "juniper," is taken from the Septuagint. (Du Hamel)
Ver. 9. Exceedingly.
Hebrew, "wonderfully great." (Haydock)
Ver. 10. Wheat.
Hebrew adds, "beaten." --- Barley and wine are not specified [in] 3 Kings v. 11. (Calmet) --- Measures,
like the Roman amphora, contained 960 ozs. (Cornelius a Lapide) --- Hebrew has, "batim," in both places; but [in] 3 Kings
we find, "twenty cores of oil." The satum, "measure," was only one-third of the bath or epha. (Calmet)
Ver. 13. Father.
Hebrew Abi, is considered by some as the surname of Hiram. (Pagnin, &c.) --- But he might have that title in consideration
of his great skill, as Solomon gives it him, chap. iv. 16. We use master in the same sense. Septuagint have, "servant," (Greek:
paida) except the Roman edition, which agrees with the Hebrew and reads, Greek: patera. (Calmet) --- Protestants,
"of Huram, my father's;" (Haydock) supply servant, or architect. (Tirinus)
Ver. 14. Dan,
the city, as the widow as of the tribe of Nephthali. (Du Hamel) --- Whose. Hebrew, "and his father," (Haydock) or "this
Abi." (Calmet) See 3 Kings vii. 14. --- Silk. Hebrew, "byssus," which is the silk extracted from a fish, and not the
fine linen of Egypt, or cotton which as sometimes this appellation, 1 Paralipomenon xv. 27. --- My lord, a term of
civility.
Ver. 16. Floats.
So the Septuagint well express the Hebrew raphsodoth, which seems to be borrowed from the Greek Rapsodia, which
denotes a collection of verses (Calmet) and was applied to Homer's poems, before they were collected. (Ælian xiii. 14.) Joppe
was a port much used, (Calmet) though dangerous. (Josephus, Jewish Wars iii. 15.)
Ver. 17. Had
made, at the commencement of Solomon's reign, when David put such immense treasures into his hands. The second list was
taken when the temple was begun. The proselytes were the remnants of the nations of the natives of Chanaan. The Jews
foolishly pretend, (Calmet) that no strangers were allowed to embrace the law of Moses, under David and Solomon, for fear
lest they might be influenced by self-interest rather than by the love of religion. (Seldon, Syn. iii. 2, 5.)
Ver. 18. Six.
We read three, 3 Kings v. 16.: people who where strangers, as the Israelites were not forced to work, chap. viii.
9. (Calmet)
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Bible Text & Cross-references:
Solomon's embassage to Hiram, who sends him a skilful
workman and timber.
1 And Solomon determined to build a house to the name of the Lord, and
a palace for himself.
2 And he numbered out seventy thousand men to bear burdens, and eighty
thousand to hew stones in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.
3 *He sent also to Hiram, king of Tyre, saying: As thou didst with David,
my father, and didst send him cedars, to build him a house, in which he dwelt:
4 So do with me, that I may build a house to the name of the Lord, my
God, to dedicate it to burn incense before him, and to perfume with aromatical spices, and for the continual setting forth
of bread, and for the holocausts, morning and evening, and on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and the solemnities of the
Lord, our God, for ever, which are commanded for Israel.
5 For the house which I desire to build, is great: for our God is great
above all gods.
6 Who then can be able to build him a worthy house? if heaven, and the
heavens of heavens cannot contain him: who am I, that I should be able to build him a house? but to this end only, that incense
may be burnt before him.
7 Send me, therefore, a skilful man, that knoweth how to work in gold,
and in silver, in brass, and in iron, in purple, in scarlet, and in blue, and that hath skill in engraving, with the artificers,
which I have with me in Judea and Jerusalem, whom David, my father, provided.
8 Send me also cedars, and fir-trees, and pine-trees from Libanus: for
I know that thy servants are skilful in cutting timber in Libanus, and my servants shall be with thy servants,
9 To provide me timber in abundance. For the house which I desire to
build, is to be exceedingly great, and glorious.
10 And I will give thy servants, the workmen that are to cut down the
trees, for their food twenty thousand cores of wheat, and as many cores of barley, and twenty thousand measures of wine, and
twenty thousand measures of oil.
11 And Hiram, king of Tyre, sent a letter to Solomon, saying: Because
the Lord hath loved his people, therefore he hath made thee king over them.
12 And he added, saying: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who
made heaven and earth, who hath given to king David a wise and knowing son, endued with understanding and prudence, to build
a house to the Lord, and a palace for himself.
13 I therefore have sent thee my father, Hiram, a wise and most skilful
man,
14 The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, whose father was a Tyrian,
who knoweth how to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, and in iron, and in marble, and in timber, in purple also, and violet,
and silk, and scarlet: and who knoweth to grave all sort of graving, and to devise ingeniously all that there may be need
of in the work with thy artificers, and with the artificers of my lord, David, thy father.
15 The wheat, therefore, and the barley, and the oil, and the wine, which
thou, my lord, hast promised, send to thy servants.
16 And we will cut down as many trees out of Libanus, as thou shalt want,
and will convey them in floats by sea to Joppe: and it will be thy part to bring them thence to Jerusalem.
17 And Solomon numbered all the proselytes in the land of Israel, after
the numbering which David, his father, had made; and they were found a hundred and fifty-three thousand and six hundred.
18 And he set seventy thousand of them to carry burdens on their shoulders,
and eighty thousand to hew stones in the mountains: and three thousand and six hundred to be overseers of the work of the
people.
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*
3: 3 Kings v. 2.
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