Preparing to Build the Temple

2 Chronicles 2

1 Then Solomon a determined to build a temple for the name of the LORD, and a royal house for himself. 2 b Solomon selected seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them. 3 Then Solomon sent to 1 Hiram king of Tyre, saying:
c As you have dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. 4 Behold, d I am building a temple for the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to Him, e to burn before Him 2 sweet incense, for f the continual showbread, for g the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the h Sabbaths, on the New Moons, and on the 3 set feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel. 5 And the temple which I build will be great, for i our God is greater than all gods. 6 j But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him? 7 Therefore send me at once a man skillful to work in gold and silver, in bronze and iron, in purple and crimson and blue, who has skill to engrave with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, k whom David my father provided. 8 l Also send me cedar and cypress and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and indeed my servants will be with your servants, 9 to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the 4 temple which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful. 10 m And indeed I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, twenty thousand kors of ground wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.

11 Then Hiram king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon:
n Because the LORD loves His people, He has made you king over them. 12 5 Hiram also said:
o Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, p who made heaven and earth, for He has given King David a wise son, endowed with prudence and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal house for himself!

13 And now I have sent a skillful man, endowed with understanding, 6 Huram my 7 master craftsman 14 q (the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre), skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple and blue, fine linen and crimson, and to make any engraving and to accomplish any plan which may be given to him, with your skillful men and with the skillful men of my lord David your father. 15 Now therefore, the wheat, the barley, the oil, and the wine which r my lord has spoken of, let him send to his servants. 16 s And we will cut wood from Lebanon, as much as you need; we will bring it to you in rafts by sea to 8 Joppa, and you will carry it up to Jerusalem.

17 t Then Solomon numbered all the aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census in which u David his father had numbered them; and there were found to be one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred. 18 And he made v seventy thousand of them bearers of burdens, eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.

  1. Cross References
    1 Kings 5:5
    And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke to my father David, saying, "Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My name.
  2. Cross References
    1 Kings 5:15
    Solomon had seventy thousand who carried burdens, and eighty thousand who quarried stone in the mountains.
    1 Kings 5:16
    Besides three thousand three hundred from the chiefs of Solomon's deputies, who supervised the people who labored in the work.
    2 Chronicles 2:18
    And he made seventy thousand of them bearers of burdens, eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.
  3. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 14:1
    Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, with masons and carpenters, to build him a house.
  4. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 2:1
    Then Solomon determined to build a temple for the name of the LORD, and a royal house for himself.
  5. Cross References
    Exodus 30:7
    Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it.
  6. Cross References
    Exodus 25:30
    And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always.
    Leviticus 24:8
    Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.
  7. Cross References
    Exodus 29:38 - 42
    Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs of the first year, day by day continually.
  8. Cross References
    Numbers 28:3
    And you shall say to them, 'This is the offering made by fire which you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs in their first year without blemish, day by day, as a regular burnt offering.
    Numbers 28:9 - 11
    And on the Sabbath day two lambs in their first year, without blemish, and two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with oil, with its drink offering -
  9. Cross References
    Psalms 135:5
    For I know that the LORD is great, And our Lord is above all gods.
    1 Corinthians 8:5
    For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords).
    1 Corinthians 8:6
    Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
  10. Cross References
    1 Kings 8:27
    But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!
    2 Chronicles 6:18
    But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!
    Isaiah 66:1
    Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?
  11. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 22:15
    Moreover there are workmen with you in abundance: woodsmen and stonecutters, and all types of skillful men for every kind of work.
  12. Cross References
    1 Kings 5:6
    Now therefore, command that they cut down cedars for me from Lebanon; and my servants will be with your servants, and I will pay you wages for your servants according to whatever you say. For you know there is none among us who has skill to cut timber like the Sidonians.
  13. Cross References
    1 Kings 5:11
    And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand kors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty kors of pressed oil. Thus Solomon gave to Hiram year by year.
  14. Cross References
    1 Kings 10:9
    "Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness."
    2 Chronicles 9:8
    "Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God! Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness."
  15. Cross References
    1 Kings 5:7
    So it was, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, for He has given David a wise son over this great people!
  16. Cross References
    Genesis 1:1
    In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
    Genesis 2:1
    Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.
    Acts 4:24
    So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: "Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them.
    Acts 14:15
    And saying, "Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them.
    Revelation 10:6
    And swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer.
  17. Cross References
    1 Kings 7:13
    Now King Solomon sent and brought Huram from Tyre.
    1 Kings 7:14
    He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker; he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all his work.
  18. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 2:10
    And indeed I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, twenty thousand kors of ground wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
  19. Cross References
    1 Kings 5:8
    Then Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: I have considered the message which you sent me, and I will do all you desire concerning the cedar and cypress logs.
    1 Kings 5:9
    My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; I will float them in rafts by sea to the place you indicate to me, and will have them broken apart there; then you can take them away. And you shall fulfill my desire by giving food for my household.
  20. Cross References
    1 Kings 5:13
    Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men.
    2 Chronicles 8:7
    All the people who were left of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of Israel -
    2 Chronicles 8:8
    That is, their descendants who were left in the land after them, whom the children of Israel did not destroy - from these Solomon raised forced labor, as it is to this day.
  21. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 22:2
    So David commanded to gather the aliens who were in the land of Israel; and he appointed masons to cut hewn stones to build the house of God.
  22. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 2:2
    Solomon selected seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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