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The Histories · Old Testament

2 Chronicles 2

2 Chronicles 2: Solomon's letter to Huram of Tyre

General context

Solomon determines to build a house for the name of the Lord and a house for his kingdom. He counts out seventy thousand burden bearers, eighty thousand hewers in the mountain and three thousand six hundred overseers. He sends to Huram king of Tyre, recalling the cedars Huram sent David, and explains the house's purpose: incense, continual shewbread, and burnt offerings morning and evening, on sabbaths, new moons and feasts. He says the house is great because God is great above all gods, then asks who can build a house for one whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain. He requests a man skilled in gold, silver, brass, iron, purple, crimson and blue, and cedar, fir and algum trees from Lebanon, offering wheat, barley, wine and oil to the hewers. Huram answers in writing that the Lord has made Solomon king because he loves his people, and blesses the Lord God of Israel for giving David a wise son. He sends a skilled man, the son of a woman of Dan and a father of Tyre, able to work in every material listed. He asks for the promised provisions and undertakes to cut wood in Lebanon and float it by sea to Joppa for Solomon to carry up to Jerusalem. The chapter ends with Solomon numbering the strangers in Israel, one hundred fifty three thousand six hundred, and assigning them as bearers, hewers and overseers.

Cited passages: 2 Chronicles 2:1, 2 Chronicles 2:2, 2 Chronicles 2:3, 2 Chronicles 2:4, 2 Chronicles 2:5, 2 Chronicles 2:6, 2 Chronicles 2:7, 2 Chronicles 2:8, 2 Chronicles 2:10, 2 Chronicles 2:11, 2 Chronicles 2:12, 2 Chronicles 2:13, 2 Chronicles 2:14, 2 Chronicles 2:15, 2 Chronicles 2:16, 2 Chronicles 2:17, 2 Chronicles 2:18

2 Chronicles 2 (KJV)

1And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the Lord, and an house for his kingdom.

2And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.

3And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein, even so deal with me.

4Behold, I build an house to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.

5And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods.

6But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?

7Send me now therefore a man cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.

8Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants,

9Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great.

10And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.

11Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because the Lord hath loved his people, he hath made thee king over them.

12Huram said moreover, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that might build an house for the Lord, and an house for his kingdom.

13And now I have sent a cunning man, endued with understanding, of Huram my father’s,

14The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord David thy father.

15Now therefore the wheat, and the barley, the oil, and the wine, which my lord hath spoken of, let him send unto his servants:

16And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need: and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem.

17And Solomon numbered all the strangers that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were found an hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred.

18And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and fourscore thousand to be hewers in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people a work.

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Historical context

Most of the chapter is quoted speech. Solomon's message runs from the appeal to Huram's dealings with David through the offer of provisions; Huram's answer is expressly a written one. The narrator frames both with the workforce count. The name Huram belongs to the king of Tyre, and the craftsman Huram sends is described as of Huram my father's; the chapter does not explain whether my father there is a title or a personal name, and it does not give the craftsman a name of his own. His parentage is stated: a mother of the daughters of Dan and a father who was a man of Tyre. The labour figures given at the start (seventy thousand, eighty thousand, three thousand six hundred) recur at the end, where the narrator says they were drawn from the strangers in the land of Israel, counted after the numbering David had made. Solomon's letter also mentions skilled men in Judah and Jerusalem whom David provided. The chapter does not date the exchange or say how long the correspondence took; the timber route, by sea to Joppa and then up to Jerusalem, is Huram's stated plan, not yet narrated as carried out.

Cited passages: 2 Chronicles 2:3, 2 Chronicles 2:11, 2 Chronicles 2:13, 2 Chronicles 2:14, 2 Chronicles 2:2, 2 Chronicles 2:17, 2 Chronicles 2:18, 2 Chronicles 2:7, 2 Chronicles 2:16

Literary context

The chapter is a letter and a reply, enclosed by two workforce counts that give the same three figures. Solomon's letter moves from precedent (as thou didst deal with David my father) to purpose (the list of offerings) to a stated tension, that the house is great because God is great, yet no house can hold him, so it exists only to burn sacrifice before him. Only then come the requests and the payment. Huram's reply answers in the same order: first the Lord's love for his people and a blessing on the Lord God of Israel, then the man, then terms, with the roles set out plainly, we cut, we float, thou shalt carry. The list of materials appears twice, and Huram's version is longer than Solomon's, adding stone, timber and fine linen. Solomon's question, who is able to build him an house, returns in his dedication prayer, where he says heaven cannot contain God and asks how much less this house. The chapter therefore states the limit of the building before a single measurement is given.

Cited passages: 2 Chronicles 2:2, 2 Chronicles 2:18, 2 Chronicles 2:3, 2 Chronicles 2:5, 2 Chronicles 2:6, 2 Chronicles 2:11, 2 Chronicles 2:16, 2 Chronicles 2:7, 2 Chronicles 2:14, 2 Chronicles 6:18

Key moments

  1. Two houses resolved on (2 Chronicles 2:1). Solomon determines to build a house for the Lord's name and a house for his kingdom.
  2. The workforce counted (2 Chronicles 2:2). Solomon counts out bearers, hewers and overseers for the work.
  3. Who is able to build (2 Chronicles 2:6). Solomon tells Huram that the heaven of heavens cannot contain God, so the house is only for sacrifice.
  4. A craftsman requested (2 Chronicles 2:7). Solomon asks Huram for a man skilled in metals, dyed cloth and engraving.
  5. Huram answers in writing (2 Chronicles 2:11). Huram replies that the Lord made Solomon king because he loves his people.
  6. The craftsman's parentage (2 Chronicles 2:14). Huram describes the man he sends as the son of a Danite woman and a man of Tyre.
  7. Timber by sea to Joppa (2 Chronicles 2:16). Huram undertakes to float the timber to Joppa for Solomon to carry up to Jerusalem.

For reflection

Solomon says the house he builds is great because God is great, and in the next sentence asks who could build a house for one the heavens cannot contain. How does holding both statements together change the way a reader takes the measurements and gold of the chapters that follow?

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