2 Chronicles 2 Study Notes: Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple
Solomon plans a temple for the LORD’s worship and asks Hiram, Tyre’s king, for cedar and a skilled craftsman. He confesses that God is above all gods and that no building could hold Him. Hiram praises Israel’s God and sends Huram-abi, and Solomon sets the foreigners in Israel to work.
General
In his letter, what reason did Tyre’s king Hiram give for Solomon becoming king (2 Chronicles 2:11)?
Answer: The LORD loved His people and placed Solomon over them
Remarkably, a foreign king explained Solomon’s rule in terms of God’s love. Hiram wrote that the LORD had placed Solomon over Israel because He loved His people (2:11). A good king was God’s gift to a people He cared for. Later the queen of Sheba said much the same: God set Solomon on the throne because He loved Israel (2 Chronicles 9:8). Moses had taught that the LORD’s choice of Israel came from His love and His promise to their fathers, not from their size or greatness (Deuteronomy 7:7-8).
- 2 Chronicles 2:11 (BSB)“Then Hiram king of Tyre wrote a letter in reply to Solomon: “Because the LORD loves His people, He has set you over them as king.””Hiram’s letter traces Solomon’s kingship to the LORD’s love for His people.
- 2 Chronicles 9:8 (BSB)“Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God. Because your God loved Israel enough to establish them forever, He has made you king over them to carry out justice and righteousness.””The queen of Sheba later gives the same reason for Solomon’s throne.
- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”Israel’s privileges rested on the LORD’s love and His oath, not on their size or merit.
Theological
To what did Hiram attribute Solomon’s kingship (2 Chronicles 2:11)?
Answer: The LORD loved His people and placed Solomon over them
Hiram, a Gentile king, traces Solomon’s kingship to the LORD’s love for His people (2:11). The king is a gift of covenant love to Israel. The queen of Sheba later echoes this (2 Chronicles 9:8), and both statements reflect Deuteronomy 7:7-8, where the LORD’s election of Israel rests on His sovereign love and oath to the fathers rather than on anything in Israel itself.
- 2 Chronicles 2:11 (BSB)“Then Hiram king of Tyre wrote a letter in reply to Solomon: “Because the LORD loves His people, He has set you over them as king.””Hiram’s letter traces Solomon’s kingship to the LORD’s love for His people.
- 2 Chronicles 9:8 (BSB)“Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God. Because your God loved Israel enough to establish them forever, He has made you king over them to carry out justice and righteousness.””The queen of Sheba later gives the same reason for Solomon’s throne.
- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”Israel’s privileges rested on the LORD’s love and His oath, not on their size or merit.
General
Whom did Solomon put to work as carriers, stonecutters and supervisors for the building (2 Chronicles 2:17-18)?
Answer: The foreigners who were living in Israel
The chapter closes with the labor force. Solomon took a count of the foreigners living among the Israelites, following the census David had earlier taken, and assigned them to carry loads, cut stone in the hill country and oversee the work (2:17-18). This continued what David had begun, when he had brought together the foreign residents and set some of them to shaping stones for God’s house (1 Chronicles 22:2). Later the book adds that Solomon conscripted the descendants of the peoples left in the land for forced labor, but did not make the Israelites slaves (2 Chronicles 8:8-9).
- 2 Chronicles 2:17-18 (BSB)“Solomon numbered all the foreign men in the land of Israel following the census his father David had conducted, and there were found to be 153,600 in all. Solomon made 70,000 of them porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors.”Solomon counts the foreigners in Israel and assigns them to carrying, stonecutting and supervising.
- 1 Chronicles 22:2 (BSB)“So David gave orders to gather the foreigners in the land of Israel, from whom he appointed stonecutters to prepare finished stones for building the house of God.”David had already gathered the foreigners in the land and appointed stonecutters among them for God’s house.
- 2 Chronicles 8:8-9 (BSB)“their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites had not destroyed—Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day. But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slave labor, because they were his men of war, the leaders of his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry.”Solomon conscripted the remaining peoples of the land for labor but did not enslave the Israelites.
Theological
According to 2 Chronicles 2:17-18, from whom did Solomon draw the carriers, stonecutters and overseers for the temple work?
Answer: The foreigners who were living in Israel
Solomon counts the foreign residents of Israel, building on David’s earlier census, and assigns them as carriers, stonecutters in the hills and overseers (2:17-18). He carries forward David’s preparations, since David had already brought together the foreign residents and appointed stonecutters among them for God’s house (1 Chronicles 22:2). The book later records that Solomon conscripted the remaining peoples of the land for forced labor while not reducing Israelites to slavery (2 Chronicles 8:8-9).
- 2 Chronicles 2:17-18 (BSB)“Solomon numbered all the foreign men in the land of Israel following the census his father David had conducted, and there were found to be 153,600 in all. Solomon made 70,000 of them porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors.”Solomon counts the foreigners in Israel and assigns them to carrying, stonecutting and supervising.
- 1 Chronicles 22:2 (BSB)“So David gave orders to gather the foreigners in the land of Israel, from whom he appointed stonecutters to prepare finished stones for building the house of God.”David had already gathered the foreigners in the land and appointed stonecutters among them for God’s house.
- 2 Chronicles 8:8-9 (BSB)“their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites had not destroyed—Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day. But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slave labor, because they were his men of war, the leaders of his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry.”Solomon conscripted the remaining peoples of the land for labor but did not enslave the Israelites.
General
Why did Solomon say the house he was building would be great (2 Chronicles 2:5)?
Answer: Because his God stands above every other god
Solomon did not say the temple would be great because Israel was rich or because he wanted to impress anyone. He said it would be great because Israel’s God stands far above all the so-called gods of the nations (2:5). In a message to a foreign king, Solomon openly confessed that the LORD stands above them all. The psalms say the same: the LORD stands above every god in greatness (Psalm 135:5; Psalm 95:3), and David’s song when the ark came to Jerusalem praised the LORD as worthy of awe beyond every god (1 Chronicles 16:25).
- 2 Chronicles 2:5 (BSB)“The house that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.”Solomon ties the greatness of the house to the greatness of Israel’s God.
- Psalm 135:5 (BSB)“For I know that the LORD is great; our Lord is above all gods.”The psalmist confesses that the LORD is great and above all gods.
- Psalm 95:3 (BSB)“For the LORD is a great God, a great King above all gods.”The LORD is called a great King above all gods.
- 1 Chronicles 16:25 (BSB)“For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.”David’s psalm at the ark’s arrival praised the LORD as great and to be feared above all gods.
Theological
On what basis did Solomon say the house would be great (2 Chronicles 2:5)?
Answer: Because his God stands above every other god
The temple’s greatness is grounded in the incomparability of Israel’s God: the house will be great because He surpasses every so-called god (2:5). Spoken to the king of Tyre, this is a confession of the LORD’s supremacy over the gods of the nations. The psalms repeat it (Psalm 135:5; Psalm 95:3), as did David’s song at the ark’s arrival, which declared the LORD worthy of fear beyond every god (1 Chronicles 16:25). The building reflects the One it honors.
- 2 Chronicles 2:5 (BSB)“The house that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.”Solomon ties the greatness of the house to the greatness of Israel’s God.
- Psalm 135:5 (BSB)“For I know that the LORD is great; our Lord is above all gods.”The psalmist confesses that the LORD is great and above all gods.
- Psalm 95:3 (BSB)“For the LORD is a great God, a great King above all gods.”The LORD is called a great King above all gods.
- 1 Chronicles 16:25 (BSB)“For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.”David’s psalm at the ark’s arrival praised the LORD as great and to be feared above all gods.
General
Right after saying the house would be great, what did Solomon admit about building it (2 Chronicles 2:6)?
Answer: No house can hold God, so it is only a place to worship Him
Solomon immediately humbled himself. Even the vast heavens are too small to hold God, so no one can build a house that truly contains Him. Solomon even asked who he was to build Him a house at all, other than to provide a spot for offering sacrifices to Him (2:6). The temple would not be a box for God but a place where His people could meet Him in worship. Solomon said the same thing at the temple’s dedication (2 Chronicles 6:18). In the New Testament, Stephen quotes the prophet to show that God Most High is not housed in buildings that people construct (Acts 7:48-49), and Paul tells the people of Athens the same (Acts 17:24).
- 2 Chronicles 2:6 (BSB)“But who is able to build a house for Him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain Him? Who then am I, that I should build a house for Him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before Him?”Solomon confesses that no house can contain God and asks who he is to build one.
- 2 Chronicles 6:18 (BSB)“But will God indeed dwell with man upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.”At the dedication Solomon repeats that the heavens cannot contain God, much less the temple.
- Acts 7:48-49 (BSB)“However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or where will My place of repose be?”Stephen quotes the prophet to show that the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands.
- Acts 17:24 (BSB)“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.”Paul tells Athens that the Lord of heaven and earth does not live in temples people build.
Theological
What did Solomon confess about God and the house he planned (2 Chronicles 2:6)?
Answer: No house can hold God, so it is only a place to worship Him
Solomon pairs the temple’s grandeur with a confession of God’s transcendence: since even the vast heavens cannot hold Him, no builder can house Him, and Solomon asks who he is to attempt it, except to provide a place for sacrifice before Him (2:6). The temple is a place of meeting and worship, not a container for deity. Solomon repeats the confession at the dedication (2 Chronicles 6:18), and the New Testament draws on the same truth through Stephen (Acts 7:48-49) and Paul (Acts 17:24).
- 2 Chronicles 2:6 (BSB)“But who is able to build a house for Him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain Him? Who then am I, that I should build a house for Him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before Him?”Solomon confesses that no house can contain God and asks who he is to build one.
- 2 Chronicles 6:18 (BSB)“But will God indeed dwell with man upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.”At the dedication Solomon repeats that the heavens cannot contain God, much less the temple.
- Acts 7:48-49 (BSB)“However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or where will My place of repose be?”Stephen quotes the prophet to show that the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands.
- Acts 17:24 (BSB)“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.”Paul tells Athens that the Lord of heaven and earth does not live in temples people build.
General
True or False: Hiram blessed Israel’s God as the One who created heaven and earth (2 Chronicles 2:12).
Answer: True
This is true. Hiram, the king of Tyre, praised Israel’s God as Creator and thanked Him for giving David a son full of wisdom and understanding to build the temple (2:12). It is striking to hear this praise from a foreign ruler. The wisdom Hiram noticed was exactly what God had promised Solomon at Gibeon (2 Chronicles 1:12). The psalms praise Israel’s God as the Maker of everything who stays faithful forever (Psalm 146:5-6), and they call all nations to praise Him (Psalm 117:1).
- 2 Chronicles 2:12 (BSB)“And Hiram added: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth! He has given King David a wise son with insight and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.”Hiram blesses the God of Israel as Creator and thanks Him for giving David a wise son.
- 2 Chronicles 1:12 (BSB)“therefore wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will also give you riches and wealth and honor unlike anything given to the kings before you or after you.””God had promised Solomon wisdom and knowledge at Gibeon, which Hiram now recognizes.
- Psalm 146:5-6 (BSB)“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He remains faithful forever.”Israel’s God is praised as the Maker of heaven and earth who remains faithful forever.
- Psalm 117:1 (BSB)“Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol Him, all you peoples!”The psalm calls all nations to praise the LORD, as a foreign king does here.
Theological
True or False: In his reply, Hiram blessed Israel’s God as the One who created heaven and earth (2 Chronicles 2:12).
Answer: True
This is true. Hiram blesses Israel’s God as Creator and credits Him with giving David a son endowed with wisdom and discernment (2:12), recognizing the very gift promised at Gibeon (2 Chronicles 1:12). A Gentile king confesses the LORD as Maker of all (Psalm 146:5-6), a foretaste of the nations’ praise the psalms call for (Psalm 117:1).
- 2 Chronicles 2:12 (BSB)“And Hiram added: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth! He has given King David a wise son with insight and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.”Hiram blesses the God of Israel as Creator and thanks Him for giving David a wise son.
- 2 Chronicles 1:12 (BSB)“therefore wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will also give you riches and wealth and honor unlike anything given to the kings before you or after you.””God had promised Solomon wisdom and knowledge at Gibeon, which Hiram now recognizes.
- Psalm 146:5-6 (BSB)“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He remains faithful forever.”Israel’s God is praised as the Maker of heaven and earth who remains faithful forever.
- Psalm 117:1 (BSB)“Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol Him, all you peoples!”The psalm calls all nations to praise the LORD, as a foreign king does here.
General
In his message to Tyre’s king Hiram, what did Solomon say the house he was building would be used for (2 Chronicles 2:4)?
Answer: Incense, the showbread and regular offerings to God
Solomon described the house as dedicated to the LORD’s Name, meaning God Himself as He had made Himself known to Israel. It would be a place for the worship God had commanded: burning sweet incense, setting out the showbread (the sacred loaves kept before God), and offering burnt offerings morning and evening and at Sabbaths, monthly New Moon days and Israel’s set festivals (2:4). None of this was Solomon’s invention. The Law had commanded incense before the LORD (Exodus 30:7-8), bread set before Him at all times (Exodus 25:30), and a daily burnt offering at morning and twilight (Numbers 28:3-4). The temple was built to carry on that God-given worship.
- 2 Chronicles 2:4 (BSB)“Behold, I am about to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God to dedicate to Him for burning fragrant incense before Him, for displaying the showbread continuously, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening as well as on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts of the LORD our God. This is ordained for Israel forever.”Solomon tells Hiram the house is dedicated to the LORD for the worship the Law ordained.
- Exodus 30:7-8 (BSB)“And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps. When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn the incense perpetually before the LORD for the generations to come.”The Law commanded fragrant incense to be burned before the LORD morning and evening.
- Exodus 25:30 (BSB)“And place the Bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.”The Law commanded bread to be set before the LORD at all times.
- Numbers 28:3-4 (BSB)“And tell them that this is the food offering you are to present to the LORD as a regular burnt offering each day: two unblemished year-old male lambs. Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight,”The Law commanded a burnt offering every morning and at twilight.
Theological
What purpose did Solomon state for the house in his message to Hiram (2 Chronicles 2:4)?
Answer: Incense, the showbread and regular offerings to God
Solomon dedicates the house to the LORD’s Name for the worship already prescribed in the Law: incense, the showbread, and burnt offerings morning and evening and at Sabbaths, New Moon days and the set festivals (2:4), which he calls a lasting ordinance for Israel. Each element traces to Mosaic command: the incense (Exodus 30:7-8), the sacred bread (Exodus 25:30), and the daily burnt offering (Numbers 28:3-4). The temple is a house for ordered, God-appointed worship, not a monument to the king.
- 2 Chronicles 2:4 (BSB)“Behold, I am about to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God to dedicate to Him for burning fragrant incense before Him, for displaying the showbread continuously, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening as well as on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts of the LORD our God. This is ordained for Israel forever.”Solomon tells Hiram the house is dedicated to the LORD for the worship the Law ordained.
- Exodus 30:7-8 (BSB)“And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps. When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn the incense perpetually before the LORD for the generations to come.”The Law commanded fragrant incense to be burned before the LORD morning and evening.
- Exodus 25:30 (BSB)“And place the Bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.”The Law commanded bread to be set before the LORD at all times.
- Numbers 28:3-4 (BSB)“And tell them that this is the food offering you are to present to the LORD as a regular burnt offering each day: two unblemished year-old male lambs. Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight,”The Law commanded a burnt offering every morning and at twilight.
General
Along with timber, whom did Hiram send to help Solomon build (2 Chronicles 2:13-14)?
Answer: A gifted craftsman skilled in metal, wood, stone and cloth
Solomon had asked Hiram for a craftsman able to work in metals and fine colored yarns alongside the skilled men David had provided (2:7). Hiram sent Huram-abi, a man of great skill and creativity, able to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, wood and fine cloth, and to carry out any design given to him (2:13-14). God’s house was built by gifted hands, as the tabernacle had been. God had filled Bezalel with skill for all sorts of craftsmanship (Exodus 31:2-5) and given the tabernacle workers skill as engravers and weavers (Exodus 35:35), and David had already gathered many skilled workers for the temple (1 Chronicles 22:15-16).
- 2 Chronicles 2:13-14 (BSB)“So now I am sending you Huram-abi, a skillful man endowed with creativity. He is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father is a man of Tyre. He is skilled in work with gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple, blue, and crimson yarn, and fine linen. He is experienced in every kind of engraving and can execute any design that is given him. He will work with your craftsmen and with those of my lord, your father David.”Hiram sends Huram-abi, a craftsman skilled in every material and kind of design.
- Exodus 31:2-5 (BSB)““See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship, to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut gemstones for settings, and to carve wood, so that he may be a master of every craft.”God had filled Bezalel with skill for every craft needed to make the tabernacle.
- Exodus 35:35 (BSB)“He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and as weavers—as artistic designers of every kind of craft.”God had given the tabernacle’s workers skill as engravers, designers and weavers.
- 1 Chronicles 22:15-16 (BSB)“You also have many workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and men skilled in every kind of work— in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and may the LORD be with you.””David had already gathered many skilled workers for the temple.
Theological
What help did Hiram send Solomon besides timber (2 Chronicles 2:13-14)?
Answer: A gifted craftsman skilled in metal, wood, stone and cloth
In answer to Solomon’s request (2:7), Hiram sends Huram-abi, a master craftsman able to work in every material and to execute any design (2:13-14). The temple, like the tabernacle, is built through skill that Scripture elsewhere traces to God’s gifting: Bezalel was filled with skill for every craft (Exodus 31:2-5), the tabernacle workers were given skill as engravers and weavers (Exodus 35:35), and David had already assembled skilled craftsmen for the work (1 Chronicles 22:15-16).
- 2 Chronicles 2:13-14 (BSB)“So now I am sending you Huram-abi, a skillful man endowed with creativity. He is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father is a man of Tyre. He is skilled in work with gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple, blue, and crimson yarn, and fine linen. He is experienced in every kind of engraving and can execute any design that is given him. He will work with your craftsmen and with those of my lord, your father David.”Hiram sends Huram-abi, a craftsman skilled in every material and kind of design.
- Exodus 31:2-5 (BSB)““See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship, to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut gemstones for settings, and to carve wood, so that he may be a master of every craft.”God had filled Bezalel with skill for every craft needed to make the tabernacle.
- Exodus 35:35 (BSB)“He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and as weavers—as artistic designers of every kind of craft.”God had given the tabernacle’s workers skill as engravers, designers and weavers.
- 1 Chronicles 22:15-16 (BSB)“You also have many workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and men skilled in every kind of work— in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and may the LORD be with you.””David had already gathered many skilled workers for the temple.