2 Chronicles 2:1–18 (September 16, 2025)

Preparing to Build the Temple

2:1 [a] Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal palace for himself. 2 [b] And Solomon assigned 70,000 men to bear burdens and 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 to oversee them. 3 And Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre: “As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. 4 Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel. 5 The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. 6 But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? 7 So now send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. 8 Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And my servants will be with your servants, 9 to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house I am to build will be great and wonderful. 10 I will give for your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, 20,000 cors[c] of crushed wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 baths[d] of wine, and 20,000 baths of oil.”

11 Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you king over them.” 12 Hiram also said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, who has discretion and understanding, who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.

13 “Now I have sent a skilled man, who has understanding, Huram-abi, 14 the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He is trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may be assigned him, with your craftsmen, the craftsmen of my lord, David your father. 15 Now therefore the wheat and barley, oil and wine, of which my lord has spoken, let him send to his servants. 16 And we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem.”

17 Then Solomon counted all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census of them that David his father had taken, and there were found 153,600. 18 Seventy thousand of them he assigned to bear burdens, 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 as overseers to make the people work.

Footnotes

2 Chronicles 2:1 Ch 1:18 in Hebrew

2 Chronicles 2:2 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew

2 Chronicles 2:10 A cor was about 6 bushels or 220 liters

2 Chronicles 2:10 A bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters

Summary

Solomon sets out to build a house for the name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself (v. 1). Recognizing the magnitude of this task, he seeks help from Hiram king of Tyre, asking for skilled craftsmen and materials—cedar, juniper, and algum timber from Lebanon (vv. 2–10). Solomon explains that the temple will be “a house for the name of the Lord” where sacrifices, offerings, and festivals will be observed as God commanded Israel (vv. 4–6). Yet he acknowledges that “heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain him,” so even the temple he builds cannot house God (v. 6).

Hiram replies with goodwill, praising the Lord who gave David such a wise son, and agrees to supply the materials and skilled workers (vv. 11–16).

The chapter closes by noting that foreigners living in Israel were conscripted as laborers for the work, numbering 153,600 men (vv. 17–18).

Who is God?

God is infinitely great, beyond the limits of human structures, and yet He graciously allows His people to build a house for His name. Solomon rightly declares,

At the same time, he confesses that no house can contain Him (v. 6).

This tension shows us God’s transcendence and His condescension. He is not confined to temples, yet He chooses to meet His people there. This humbles us. Our worship is never about building something grand for God as if He needed it, but about honoring the God who chooses to dwell with His people.

What is our guilt?

Our guilt is that we often reverse Solomon’s priorities. He begins with a house for the Lord and only then mentions his own palace (v. 1). But in our lives, we are prone to build for ourselves first and offer to God what remains. We often risk turning worship into a monument of our pride. We often make worship something that displays our skill, wealth, or effort, rather than a testimony to God’s greatness. Solomon himself gathered forced laborers from among foreigners (vv. 17–18), a hint of how easily worship can be mingled with human exploitation. This passage confronts us with how quickly our worship can become about ourselves, convenience, or cultural display rather than about God’s glory.

How does grace shine?

The temple Solomon built points to Christ, who is Himself the true temple (John 2:19–21). In Him, the infinite God took on flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Where Solomon required cedar, gold, and vast labor to make a house for God’s name, Jesus by His own body and blood has made the true meeting place between God and man. Now, by grace, believers are joined to Christ as living stones, being built into a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5). We no longer worship in a temple building made with hands, but in Christ, who is our temple, priest, and sacrifice. To seek God’s presence today is not to build with cedar and stone, but to abide in Christ.

Prayer

O Lord, you are greater than all gods, and the highest heaven cannot contain you. Yet in your grace, you have chosen to dwell with your people. We confess that we often build our lives around ourselves and give you only what is left. Forgive us for turning worship into an expression of pride rather than humility.

Thank you for giving us Jesus Christ, the true temple, where you meet us and cleanse us by His blood. Build us up as your living temple, that our worship and our work may honor your great name. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.