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Texts -- 2 Chronicles 5:2--6:42 (NET)

Context
Solomon Moves the Ark into the Temple
5:2 Then Solomon convened Israel’s elders – all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families – in Jerusalem , so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David (that is, Zion ). 5:3 All the men of Israel assembled before the king during the festival in the seventh month . 5:4 When all Israel’s elders had arrived , the Levites lifted the ark . 5:5 The priests and Levites carried the ark , the tent where God appeared to his people , and all the holy items in the tent . 5:6 Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered. 5:7 The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its assigned place in the inner sanctuary of the temple , in the most holy place under the wings of the cherubs . 5:8 The cherubs ’ wings extended over the place where the ark sat ; the cherubs overshadowed the ark and its poles . 5:9 The poles were so long their ends extending out from the ark were visible from in front of the inner sanctuary , but they could not be seen from beyond that point . They have remained there to this very day . 5:10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets Moses had placed there in Horeb . (It was there that the Lord made an agreement with the Israelites after he brought them out of the land of Egypt .) 5:11 The priests left the holy place . All the priests who participated had consecrated themselves, no matter which division they represented . 5:12 All the Levites who were musicians , including Asaph , Heman , Jeduthun , and their sons and relatives , wore linen . They played cymbals and stringed instruments as they stood east of the altar . They were accompanied by 120 priests who blew trumpets . 5:13 The trumpeters and musicians played together , praising and giving thanks to the Lord . Accompanied by trumpets , cymbals , and other instruments , they loudly praised the Lord , singing : “Certainly he is good ; certainly his loyal love endures !” Then a cloud filled the Lord’s temple . 5:14 The priests could not carry out their duties because of the cloud ; the Lord’s splendor filled God’s temple . 6:1 Then Solomon said , “The Lord has said that he lives in thick darkness . 6:2 O Lord, I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live permanently .” 6:3 Then the king turned around and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite assembly as they stood there. 6:4 He said , “The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has fulfilled what he promised my father David . 6:5 He told David, ‘Since the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt , I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which to live . Nor did I choose a man as leader of my people Israel . 6:6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem as a place to live , and I have chosen David to lead my people Israel .’ 6:7 Now my father David had a strong desire to build a temple to honor the Lord God of Israel . 6:8 The Lord told my father David , ‘It is right for you to have a strong desire to build a temple to honor me. 6:9 But you will not build the temple ; your very own son will build the temple for my honor .’ 6:10 The Lord has kept the promise he made . I have taken my father David’s place and have occupied the throne of Israel , as the Lord promised . I have built this temple for the honor of the Lord God of Israel 6:11 and set up in it a place for the ark containing the covenant the Lord made with the Israelites .” 6:12 He stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire assembly of Israel and spread out his hands . 6:13 Solomon had made a bronze platform and had placed it in the middle of the enclosure . It was seven and one-half feet long , seven and one-half feet wide , and four and one-half feet high . He stood on it and then got down on his knees in front of the entire assembly of Israel . He spread out his hands toward the sky , 6:14 and prayed : “O Lord God of Israel , there is no god like you in heaven or on earth ! You maintain covenantal loyalty to your servants who obey you with sincerity . 6:15 You have kept your word to your servant , my father David ; this very day you have fulfilled what you promised . 6:16 Now , O Lord God of Israel , keep the promise you made to your servant , my father David , when you said , ‘You will never fail to have a successor ruling before me on the throne of Israel , provided that your descendants watch their step and obey my law as you have done .’ 6:17 Now , O Lord God of Israel , may the promise you made to your servant David be realized . 6:18 “God does not really live with humankind on the earth ! Look , if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built ! 6:19 But respond favorably to your servant’s prayer and his request for help , O Lord my God . Answer the desperate prayer your servant is presenting to you. 6:20 Night and day may you watch over this temple , the place where you promised you would live . May you answer your servant’s prayer for this place . 6:21 Respond to the requests of your servant and your people Israel for this place . Hear from your heavenly dwelling place and respond favorably and forgive . 6:22 “When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple , 6:23 listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants ’ claims. Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent , and give both of them what they deserve . 6:24 “If your people Israel are defeated by an enemy because they sinned against you, then if they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, and pray for your help before you in this temple , 6:25 then listen from heaven , forgive the sin of your people Israel , and bring them back to the land you gave to them and their ancestors . 6:26 “The time will come when the skies are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place , renew their allegiance to you, and turn away from their sin because you punish them, 6:27 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants , your people Israel . Certainly you will then teach them the right way to live and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess . 6:28 “The time will come when the land suffers from a famine , a plague , blight , and disease , or a locust invasion , or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land , or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs. 6:29 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help , as they acknowledge their intense pain and spread out their hands toward this temple , 6:30 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place , forgive their sin, and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of their motives . (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people .) 6:31 Then they will honor you by obeying you throughout their lifetimes as they live on the land you gave to our ancestors . 6:32 “Foreigners , who do not belong to your people Israel , will come from a distant land because of your great reputation and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds ; they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple . 6:33 Then listen from your heavenly dwelling place and answer all the prayers of the foreigners . Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your reputation , obey you like your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple I built belongs to you. 6:34 “When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies , and they direct their prayers to you toward this chosen city and this temple I built for your honor , 6:35 then listen from heaven to their prayers for help and vindicate them. 6:36 “The time will come when your people will sin against you (for there is no one who is sinless !) and you will be angry at them and deliver them over to their enemies , who will take them as prisoners to their land , whether far away or close by. 6:37 When your people come to their senses in the land where they are held prisoner , they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their imprisonment , admitting , ‘We have sinned and gone astray , we have done evil !’ 6:38 When they return to you with all their heart and being in the land where they are held prisoner and direct their prayers toward the land you gave to their ancestors , your chosen city , and the temple I built for your honor , 6:39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place to their prayers for help , vindicate them, and forgive your sinful people . 6:40 “Now , my God , may you be attentive and responsive to the prayers offered in this place . 6:41 Now ascend , O Lord God , to your resting place , you and the ark of your strength ! May your priests , O Lord God , experience your deliverance ! May your loyal followers rejoice in the prosperity you give! 6:42 O Lord God , do not reject your chosen ones ! Remember the faithful promises you made to your servant David !”

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • White

    [ebd] a symbol of purity (2 Chr. 5:12; Ps. 51:7; Isa. 1:18; Rev. 3:18; 7:14). Our Lord, at his transfiguration, appeared in raiment "white as the light" (Matt. 17:2, etc.).

  • Temple, Solomon's

    [ebd] Before his death David had "with all his might" provided materials in great abundance for the building of the temple on the summit of Mount Moriah (1 Chr. 22:14; 29:4; 2 Chr. 3:1), on the east of the city, on the spot where ...

  • Temple

    [nave] TEMPLE. Solomon's Called also Temple of the Lord, 2 Kin. 11:10; Holy Temple, Psa. 79:1; Holy House, 1 Chr. 29:3; House of God, 1 Chr. 29:2; 2 Chr. 23:9; House of the Lord, 2 Chr. 23:5, 12; Jer. 28:5; Father's House, John 2...

  • TEMPLE, A1

    [isbe] TEMPLE, A1 - tem'-p'l (hekhal, "palace"; sometimes, as in 1 Ki 6:3,5, etc.; Ezek 41:1,15 ff, used for "the holy place" only; bayith, "house," thus always in the Revised Version (British and American); hieron, naos): A. STRUC...

  • TABERNACLE, B

    [isbe] TABERNACLE, B - B. IN CRITICISM I. CONSERVATIVE AND CRITICAL VIEWS II. ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT OF THE CRITICAL THEORY EXAMINED 1. Not Stated, That the Temple Was Constructed after the Pattern of the Tabernacle 2. No Trace of th...

  • Solomon

    [ebd] peaceful, (Heb. Shelomoh), David's second son by Bathsheba, i.e., the first after their legal marriage (2 Sam. 12). He was probably born about B.C. 1035 (1 Chr. 22:5; 29:1). He succeeded his father on the throne in early man...
    [nave] SOLOMON Son of David by Bathsheba, 2 Sam. 12:24; 1 Kin. 1:13, 17, 21. Named Jedidiah, by Nathan the prophet, 2 Sam. 12:24, 25. Ancestor of Joseph, Matt. 1:6. Succeeds David to the throne of Israel, 1 Kin. 1:11-48; 2:12; 1...

  • Shechinah

    [ebd] a Chaldee word meaning resting-place, not found in Scripture, but used by the later Jews to designate the visible symbol of God's presence in the tabernacle, and afterwards in Solomon's temple. When the Lord led Israel out o...

  • Religion

    [nave] RELIGION. False Deut. 32:31-33. See: Idolatry; Intolerance; Teachers, False. Family See: Family. National Supported by taxes, Ex. 30:11-16; 38:26. Priests supported by the State, 1 Kin. 18:19; 2 Chr. 11:13-15. Subve...

  • Queen

    [ebd] No explicit mention of queens is made till we read of the "queen of Sheba." The wives of the kings of Israel are not so designated. In Ps. 45:9, the Hebrew for "queen" is not malkah, one actually ruling like the Queen of She...

  • Prayer

    [ebd] is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or formal. It is a "beseeching t...
    [nave] PRAYER. Index of Sub-topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Answer to, Promised; Answered, Instances of Answered; Confession in; Importunity in, Instances of Importunity in; Intercessor...

  • OATH

    [ebd] a solemn appeal to God, permitted on fitting occasions (Deut. 6:13; Jer. 4:2), in various forms (Gen. 16:5; 2 Sam. 12:5; Ruth 1:17; Hos. 4:15; Rom. 1:9), and taken in different ways (Gen. 14:22; 24:2; 2 Chr. 6:22). God is re...
    [smith] The principle on which an oath is held to be binding is incidentally laid down in (Hebrews 6:16) viz. as an ultimate appeal to divine authority to ratify an assertion. On the same principle, that oath has always been held mos...

  • LEVITICUS, 2

    [isbe] LEVITICUS, 2 - III. Origin. 1. Against the Wellhausen Hypothesis: As in the article ATONEMENT, DAY OF, sec. I, 2, (2), we took a stand against the modern attempts at splitting up the text, and in III, 1 against theory of the...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...

  • Dedication, Feast of the

    [ebd] (John 10:22, 42), i.e., the feast of the renewing. It was instituted B.C. 164 to commemorate the purging of the temple after its pollution by Antiochus Epiphanes (B.C. 167), and the rebuilding of the altar after the Syrian i...

  • Courses

    [ebd] When David was not permitted to build the temple, he proceeded, among the last acts of his life, with the assistance of Zadok and Ahimelech, to organize the priestly and musical services to be conducted in the house of God. ...

  • CLOUD

    [ebd] The Hebrew so rendered means "a covering," because clouds cover the sky. The word is used as a symbol of the Divine presence, as indicating the splendour of that glory which it conceals (Ex. 16:10; 33:9; Num. 11:25; 12:5; Jo...
    [smith] The shelter given, and refreshment of rain promised, by clouds give them their peculiar prominence in Oriental imagery. When a cloud appears rain is ordinarily apprehended, and thus the "cloud without rain" becomes a proverb ...

  • CHERUBIM (1)

    [isbe] CHERUBIM (1) - cher'-u-bim, cher'-oo-bim (kerubhim, plural of cherub, kerubh): Through the influence of the Septuagint, "cherubim" was used in the earlier English versions, also as a singular, hence, the plural was made to s...

  • CATERPILLAR

    [ebd] the consumer. Used in the Old Testament (1 Kings 8:37; 2 Chr. 6:28; Ps. 78:46; Isa. 33:4) as the translation of a word (hasil) the root of which means "to devour" or "consume," and which is used also with reference to the lo...
    [smith] The representative in the Authorized Version of the Hebrew word chasil and yelek . Chasil occurs in (1 Kings 8:37; 2 Chronicles 6:28; Psalms 78:46; Isaiah 33:4; Joel 1:4) and seems to be applied to a locust, perhaps in...

  • Azariah

    [ebd] whom Jehovah helps. (1.) Son of Ethan, of the tribe of Judah (1 Chr. 2:8). (2.) Son of Ahimaaz, who succeeded his grandfather Zadok as high priest (1 Chr. 6:9; 1 Kings 4:2) in the days of Solomon. He officiated at the consec...

  • ARK OF THE COVENANT

    [isbe] ARK OF THE COVENANT - kuv'-e-nant ('aron ha-berith): I. The Statements of the Old Testament Concerning the Ark of the Covenant. 1. Pentateuch: In Ex 25:10 ff, Moses receives the command to build an ark of acacia wood. Within...

Arts

Hymns

(Note: In "active" or "on" condition, the hymns music will be played automatically when mouse hover on a hymns title)
  • [2Ch 6:21] When The Weary, Seeking Rest
  • [2Ch 6:27] God Of Pity, God Of Grace
  • [2Ch 6:35] Now To Heaven Our Prayer Ascending
  • [2Ch 6:40] Heavenly Father, We Beseech Thee

Questions

  • I've heard and read the same statement a number of times, but have never troubled myself to look up each passage. I'm not surprised that looking up "heaven" and "hell" in a concordance would give you contradictory results. T...
  • They were descendants of Ishmael, Abraham's son, and were divided into twelve tribes (Gen. 25:16; Gen. 16:15,16). They were also called Hagarites, Hagarenes and Arabians (I Chron. 5:10; Psa. 83:6; Isa. 13:20). They were gover...
  • The primary Greek word for "confess" is homologeo which basically means "to say the same thing" and then "agree, admit, acknowledge." The context must determine the precise nature, emphasis, and meaning of the word. Thus, it ...
  • In Jerusalem, the Jews always turned their faces toward the "holy hill" of the temple while praying (see Dan. 6:10; II Chron. 6:34). The Samaritans, on the contrary, faced Mt. Gerizim. In the court of the temple, the Jews in ...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • God ordered that priests should announce His movement of the people by blowing two silver trumpets because the Israelites would not watch the cloud continuously. The blasts from the trumpets would reach the farthest tents in ...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • Nebuzaradan, Nebuchadnezzar's commander-in-chief, returned to destroy Jerusalem more thoroughly and to preclude any successful national uprising in Judah.His burning of Yahweh's house (v. 9) was a statement that the Babylonia...
  • Chronicles covers a broader period of history than any other Old Testament book. It begins with Adam and ends with Anani who lived eight generations after King Jehoiachin (1 Chron. 3:24). If we allow 25 years for each generat...
  • This list obviously parallels to some extent David's genealogy (chs. 1-3). Saul came from the tribe of Benjamin, not from the tribe of Judah that God had promised leadership of the nation. One reason the writer had an interes...
  • The dominating theme in 1 Chronicles is the Davidic Covenant, the receiving of which was the most important event in David's life. God promised to give him an eternal kingdom, and He formalized that promise by making a covena...
  • Even though 1 and 2 Chronicles give one continuous story the emphasis in 2 Chronicles is different from that in 1 Chronicles. In 1 Chronicles the emphasis is the importance of the temple in national life. However in 2 Chronic...
  • (Continued from notes on 1 Chronicles)III. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-9A. Solomon's wisdom and prosperity ch. 1B. The building of the temple 2:1-5:11. Preparations for building the temple ch. 22. The temple proper 3:1-93. Th...
  • Solomon dedicated the temple during the feast of Tabernacles (v. 3). The priests brought the ark and the other utensils that had been in the tent David had pitched for the ark into the temple. The temple site was north of and...
  • Solomon repeated some of the promises in the Davidic Covenant publicly. His completion of the temple fulfilled part of what God had promised. Complete fulfillment required Solomon's continued faithfulness to God (1 Chron. 28:...
  • In his prayer Solomon explained the significance of God's coming to indwell His temple. God had come to empower, to have fellowship, and to judge if necessary. God was present among His people, and He would hear their prayers...
  • This celebration consisted of the seven-day dedication of the bronze altar followed by the seven-day feast of Tabernacles. The very large number of sacrifices Solomon offered seems incredible, but there are records of other l...
  • This chapter does not appear in Kings. It illustrates well that "the Lord will rule (judge),"the meaning of Jehoshaphat's name and the truth that characterized his reign. The motif of retribution is very strong here. God gave...
  • The Chronicler did not have much interest in Athaliah because she was not of the Davidic line. She was the daughter of Ahab. His concern in this chapter was with the events that brought the next Davidic king to the throne, Jo...
  • Joash's life, as the writer narrated it, proves again the principles that Chronicles stresses. God was faithful to His promise to provide rulers over His people from David's descendants. Each king's success depended on his su...
  • These two verses determine the whole mood of Chronicles. Rather than ending with the failure of man the writer concluded by focusing our attention on the faithfulness of God (cf. Lam. 3:22-23). God was in control of the Persi...
  • The priests presented the evening offering (v. 5) between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. in Jesus' day.130Ezra's prayer contains four primary characteristics: solidarity, confession, readiness to change, and faith in God's mercy.131In hi...
  • The texts of the individual psalms do not usually indicate who wrote them.1However some of the titles of the individual psalms do contain information about the writers.2This is the only really reliable information we have as ...
  • 132:11-12 God promised David that He would raise up a dynasty of David's descendents that would follow him on Israel's throne (2 Sam. 7:12-16). If they were faithful to the Lord, He would give them an unbroken succession. Of ...
  • 43:1-2 Ezekiel's guide next led him to the east gate in the outer wall. This was the wall of the millennial temple that he had been seeing and continued to see, not the wall of the Solomonic temple. There the prophet saw the ...
  • 6:10 The new decree did not deter Daniel from continuing to pray for the welfare of the city where God had sent them into exile and for the Jews' return from exile. That this was the subject of his praying, among other things...
  • This is the first of four oracles that appear within the visions that Zechariah saw. These were messages that the prophet was to deliver along with the revelation of the vision."The vision had lifted the veil which hides the ...
  • There are several connections between this section and the preceding ones that provide continuity. One is the continuation of water as a symbol (cf. 2:6; 3:5; 4:10-15). Another is the continuation of conversation in which Jes...
  • "In this paragraph Paul continues his instructions on prayers' begun in verse 1. But now the concern is for proper demeanor on the part of the pray-ers.' But whythese concerns, and why in this way? And why the inordinate amou...
  • 15:5 "After these things I looked"(Gr. meta tauta eidon) indicates a transition to a new vision and a new subject: the bowl judgments. These are in a category of their own. John saw the heavenly temple opened. This gave the s...
  • 21:11 This city obviously appeared extremely impressive to John. The first and most important characteristic that John noted was its radiant glow. It shone with the splendor of God Himself because He was in it (cf. Exod. 40:3...
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