* Footnote * 2_Paralipomenon 5 : 2
And after this he gathered together the ancients of Israel and all the princes of the tribes, and the heads of the families, of the children of Israel to Jerusalem, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Sion.*H And all Israel assembled themselves to king Solomon, on the festival day, in the month of Ethanim, the same is the seventh month.
Ver. 2. Ethanim was afterwards called Tisri. H. — Usher places the dedication on Friday, 30th October, the 8th of the seventh month. The people continued at Jerusalem till the 23rd. The feast of expiation fell on the 10th, (H.) during the octave of the dedication. After this, the feast of tabernacles commenced on the 15th, for other seven days. This was the year of jubilee; and Solomon had waited on purpose, that the people might have more leisure to attend on such a solemn occasion. C. — But on this we cannot rely. There might be other reasons for the delay; (See C. vi. 38.) and one of the chief might be, a desire to perform this ceremony in the seventh or sabbatical month, which was honoured with more festivals than any other. It had just elapsed, before the temple was finished, in the preceding year. H.
*H And all the ancients of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark,
Ver. 3. Priests, who were also Levites, as it is expressed in 2 Par. v. 4. Perhaps the ark was uncovered, (C.) as the Caathites carried it when folded up. H.
*H And carried the ark of the Lord, and the tabernacle of the covenant, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, that were in the tabernacle: and the priests and the Levites carried them.
Ver. 4. Ark, from the city of David, along with the tabernacle, (Salien) which had been made for it in the palace, v. 1. They also (H.) brought the Mosaic tabernacle from Gaboan, (C. Josephus, &c.) and reposited both (H.) in the treasury of the temple, as they were now of no other service. Jeremias was authorized to take the ark, the tabernacle, and the altar of incense, in order to prevent their falling into the hands of the Chaldees. He placed them in a cave, where they have never, perhaps, been discovered. 2 Mac. ii. 4.
*H And king Solomon, and all the multitude of Israel, that were assembled unto him, went with him before the ark, and they sacrificed sheep and oxen, that could not be counted or numbered.
Ver. 5. Sacrificed, by the hands of the priests, (M.) or at least (H.) gave them the blood to offer upon the altars, which were placed at six paces from one another, in imitation of David. 2 K. vi. 13. C. — Could not. See C. vii. 47.
*H And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord into its place, into the oracle of the temple, into the holy of holies, under the wings of the cherubims.
Ver. 6. Wings. These covered the smaller cherubim, upon the ark. H. C. vi. 23. 27. — They formed a sort of throne, with their wings extended, from one side of the building to the other, (C.) twenty cubits long. H.
*H And whereas the staves stood out, the ends of them were seen without, in the sanctuary before the oracle, but were not seen farther out, and there they have been unto this day.
Ver. 8. Out. In the days of Moses, these staves had touched the veil of the tabernacle: but now, as the place for the ark was twice as large, they were no longer perceived; though they remained in the holes prepared for them by Moses, till the author wrote; which must have been before the captivity. Unless we thus distinguish the times, the Heb. contains a palpable contradiction. C. — "They drew out (or lengthened) the staves, and the heads...were seen out in the holy place...and they were not seen out." H. — To a person standing at a small distance, they were not visible, though they rather touched the veil. 2 Par. v. 9. M.
*H Now in the ark there was nothing else but the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
Ver. 9. Nothing else, &c. There was nothing else but the tables of the law within the ark. But on the outside of the ark, or near the ark, were also the rod of Aaron, and a golden urn with manna. Heb. ix. 4. Ch. W. — These might have been in the ark while it was not fixed: but after the temple was built, all but the tables were placed in the treasury; where, we find, the book of the law was discovered, under Joas. Deut. xxxi. 26. 2 Par. xxxiv. 14. Others think that, in the days of S. Paul, the rod, &c. might have been reposited in the ark, though they had not been admitted at the time when this book was written. Bellar. &c. — But we have no assurance that the ark was ever placed in the second temple; and Josephus informs us, that when the Romans destroyed the temple, "there was nothing at all" in the sanctuary. C. — In area might easily signify ad, or juxta arcam, "near the ark." Salien.
* Footnote * Exodus 34 : 27
And the Lord said to Moses: Write thee these words, by which I have made a covenant both with thee and with Israel.* Footnote * Hebrews 9 : 4
Having a golden censer and the ark of the testament covered about on every part with gold, in which was a golden pot that had manna and the rod of Aaron that had blossomed and the tables of the testament.*H Then Solomon said: The Lord said that he would dwell in a cloud.
Ver. 12. Cloud. He alludes to Lev. xvi. 2. M. — God had so frequently appeared in this manner, that Solomon was authorized to consider it as the symbol of his presence. Ex. xiv. 19. xxiv. 16. and xl. 32. Ps. xvii. 12. This luminous cloud filled the whole temple, to convince all that the Lord was pleased with the devotion of the king, and of his people. C.
* Footnote * 2_Paralipomenon 6 : 1
Then Solomon said: The Lord promised that he would dwell in a cloud.*H Building, I have built a house for thy dwelling, to be thy most firm throne for ever.
Ver. 13. Ever. He seems to contrast this solid and glittering fabric with the cloud, (M.) as, in some sort, more worthy of God's presence. H.
*H And the king turned his face, and blessed all the assembly of Israel: for all the assembly of Israel stood.
Ver. 14. Stood. It is pretended that the king alone was allowed to sit. C. — But here Solomon stood, upon an eminence made of brass. 2 Par. vi. 13. H. — He pronounced the blessing, (part of which is given, v. 15-22) with his face turned towards the people, as he was also in the court of Israel. Then turning himself to the altar (C.) of holocausts, (M.) with his hands uplifted, he began to pray, v. 23, to 54. See Ex. xxxix. 43. 2 K. vi. 18, where Moses and David blessed the people, on similar occasions. C. — Thus the priests of the Catholic Church turn to the people, when they bless or speak to them; and look towards the altar, when they pour forth their supplications for them to God. Sectaries would always behold the face of the preacher. H. — Blessed. Princes bless their subjects, as parents do their children. W.
*H And Solomon said: Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, who spoke with his mouth to David, my father, and with his own hands hath accomplished it, saying:
Ver. 15. Own hands, or almighty power, (M.) hath fulfilled his promise. H.
* Footnote * 2_Kings 7 : 5
Go, and say to my servant David: Thus saith the Lord: Shalt thou build me a house to dwell in?*H And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord, in the sight of the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands towards heaven,
Ver. 22. Heaven, falling on his knees, v. 54. 2 Par. vi. 13. This is the first instance we find of people praying on their knees, which was common afterwards. 1 Esd. ix. 5. Isai. xlv. 24. Dan. vi. 10. Acts ix. 40. and xx. 36. The Christian church generally adopts this custom. So did the pagans, (Et genibus pronus, supplex, similisque roganti. Metam. iii.) as they also stretched for their hands. Sustulit exutas vinclis ad sidera palmas, says Virgil. Æn. ii. 153. This practice was very general. Ps. xxvii. 2. 1 Tim. ii. 8.
*H Now, therefore, O Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David, my father, what thou hast spoken to him, saying: There shall not be taken away of thee a man in my sight, to sit on the throne of Israel: yet so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked in my sight.
Ver. 25. Sight. Solomon was aware of the conditions on which he held his crown and the divine favour, so that his fall is the more inexcusable. H. — His posterity lost a great part of the kingdom, though they had the right to rule over Juda, till the coming of Christ. W.
* Footnote * 2_Kings 7 : 12
And when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of the bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.*H Is it then to be thought that God should indeed dwell upon earth? for if heaven, and the heavens of heavens, cannot contain thee, how much less this house which I have built?
Ver. 27. Earth. Full of admiration, he breaks out into this pathetic exclamation, wondering that God should deign to accept of what he had done; and that, by the symbol of his presence, he should engage to honour this temple in a more particular manner, and to shower down his graces with a more liberal hand on those who should there present themselves before him. This wise prince was not ignorant that God's immensity fills all places. — Heavens. We know not how many haveans the Jews admitted. We find, 1. the air, 2. the region of the stars, 3. the residence of God, thus specified; and this last is here denoted as the most excellent of all. S. Paul styles it the third heaven. 2 Cor. xii. 2. The Basilidians counted as many heavens as there are days in the year. S. Iræn. i. 23.
*H That thy eyes may be open upon this house, night and day: upon the house of which thou hast said: My name shall be there: that thou mayst hearken to the prayer which thy servant prayeth, in this place to thee:
Ver. 29. My name. It shall be called the house of God. H. — There people shall come to do homage to the Lord. C.
* Footnote * Deuteronomy 12 : 11
In the place, which the Lord your God shall choose, that his name may be therein. Thither shall you bring all the things that I command you, holocausts, and victims, and tithes, and the firstfruits of your hands: and whatsoever is the choicest in the gifts which you shall vow to the Lord.*H If any man trespass against his neighbour, and have an oath upon him, wherewith he is bound, and come, because of the oath, before thy altar, to thy house,
Ver. 31. Oath. In certain cases, an oath would clear a person. Ex. xxii. 11. Solomon prays that perjury may be disclosed. — Altar. It was customary to touch the altar, when a person took an oath, as Hannibal did. K. Latinus says;
*H Then hear thou in heaven: and do and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, and bringing his way upon his own head, and justifying the just, and rewarding him according to his justice.
Ver. 32. Justice. A reward is clearly promised to good works. W.
*H Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them back to the land which thou gavest to their fathers.
Ver. 34. Fathers. In the place of their captivity they might turn, like Daniel, towards the temple. C. — God had threatened that he would punish his people by the hand of their enemies, &c. if they transgressed. Lev. xxvi. 17. M.
*H If a famine arise in the land, or a pestilence, or corrupt air, or blasting, or locust, or mildew; if their enemy afflict them, besieging the gates, whatsoever plague, whatsoever infirmity,
Ver. 37. Mildew. Heb. also, "a bruchus," or a young locust. Prot. "caterpillar."
*H Whatsoever curse or imprecation shall happen to any man of thy people Israel: when a man shall know the wound of his own heart, and shall spread forth his hands in this house;
Ver. 38. Heart: his offence. Sept. αφην, "touching, or compunction." H. — Let a man go to the source of the evil, and be sorry for his sins. C.
*H Then hear thou in heaven, in the place of thy dwelling, and forgive, and do so as to give to every one according to his ways, as thou shalt see his heart (for thou only knowest the heart of all the children of men)
Ver. 39. Men. God cannot be imposed upon. If our heart be not moved with sorrow for our offences, including a degree of love, in vain shall we stretch forth our hands in prayer. C.
*H Moreover also the stranger, who is not of thy people Israel, when he shall come out of a far country for thy name's sake, (for they shall hear every where of thy great name, and thy mighty hand,
Ver. 41. Stranger. God watches over all mankind; and oblations were received from all sorts of people, even from idolaters. The kings of Persia and Egypt, the Roman emperors, &c. made great presents. 1 Esd. iii. 7. and vii. 21. Joseph. xi. and xii. 2. It seems the court of the Gentiles was only made after the captivity. Some of these adored the true God, like Cornelius, &c. Acts viii. 27. and x. 1. Some were drawn by curiosity; others desired to be converted. To thee, kings shall offer presents, Ps. lxxi. 10. C. — Unbelievers are still invited to attend the chapels of the true God, that they may receive information, and deserve to obtain the blessing of faith. H.
*H If thy people go out to war against their enemies, by what way soever thou shalt send them, they shall pray to thee towards the way of the city, which thou hast chosen, and towards the house, which I have built to thy name:
Ver. 44. Name. It was the practice of the religious Jews, to pray with their eyes turned towards the holy place, v. 48. The primitive Christians looked towards the east, in prayer, to remind them of the ascension of our Saviour, (C.) from Mount Olivet, in that quarter. H. Ps. lxvii. 34. S. Just. q. 118. Tert. apol. xvi. S. Epip. hær. xix. C.
* Footnote * 2_Paralipomenon 6 : 36
And if they sin against thee (for there is no man that sinneth not) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them up to their enemies, and they lead them away captive to a land either afar off, or near at hand,* Footnote * 1_John 1 : 8
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.*H Then if they do penance in their heart, in the place of captivity, and being converted, make supplication to thee in their captivity, saying: We have sinned, we have done unjustly, we have committed wickedness:
Ver. 47. Heart. Without this, external repentance will not suffice. W.
*H For they are thy people, and thy inheritance, whom thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron.
Ver. 51. Iron. This expression is often used to denote the rigour of the Egyptian bondage. Deut. iv. 20. Thus Homer says, that Mars was shut up for thirteen months in a barrel (or prison) of brass. Iliad Ε. par
*H And let these my words, wherewith I have prayed before the Lord, be nigh unto the Lord our God day and night, that he may do judgment for his servant, and for his people Israel, day by day:
Ver. 59. Judgment, granting his just request, and defending him against all his enemies. C.
*H And Solomon slew victims of peace offerings, which he sacrificed to the Lord, two and twenty thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep so the king, and all the children of Israel, dedicated the temple of the Lord.
Ver. 63. Sheep, and other small beasts, during the seven days, without counting the oblations of individuals. The law had not prescribed any particular rites for the dedication of places. But common sense dictated that sacred things should be distinguished from such as were common. Moses and David had set a pattern, which was followed by the Jews after the captivity, and by the Machabees. Ex. xl. 9. 1 K. vi. 17. 1 Esd. iii. 10. 1 Mac. iv. 56. C. — The festival of the dedication was observed by our Saviour. Jo. x. 22. H. — Even private houses received a sort of dedication. Deut. xx. 5. The pagans observed the like practice, with regard to statues and temples, lands and public places. Dan. iii. 1. Among the Romans, such ceremonies were performed by a general or consul, with his head covered, reciting some ancient prayers, at the suggestion of the pontiff, before a fire and an assembly of the people, called on purpose, while some person played upon the flute. Cic. pro Domo. Alex. Genial. vi. 14.
*H In that day the king sanctified the middle of the court, that was before the house of the Lord for there he offered the holocaust, and sacrifice, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the brazen altar that was before the Lord, was too little to receive the holocaust, and sacrifice, and the fat of the peace offerings.
Ver. 64. Court of the priests. An altar was there erected, in haste. Fire from heaven came to consume the victims. 2 Par. vii. 1. C.
*H And Solomon made at the same time a solemn feast, and all Israel with him, a great multitude, from the entrance of Emath to the river of Egypt, before the Lord our God, seven days and seven days, that is, fourteen days.
Ver. 65. Egypt. Rhinocolura, (M.) or rather the branch of the Nile nearest to Arabia,. Jos. xiii. 3. Num. xiii. 22. C. — Seven, for each festival, v. 1.
*H And on the eighth day, he sent away the people: and they blessed the king, and went to their dwellings, rejoicing, and glad in heart, for all the good things that the Lord had done for David, his servant, and for Israel, his people.
Ver. 66. Eighth day, at the conclusion of the second octave. H. — Blessed the king, as he had done them before. The most honourable performs this office. Heb. vii. 7. C. — The king and people wished all sorts of happiness to each other. — David. The glory of his son reflected honour on him. H.