The Temple is planned as a partnership: Solomon counts out burden-bearers and hewers, and writes to Huram of Tyre for a craftsman and for cedar. His letter carries the book’s theology of the building itself: 'But who is able to build Him a house, seeing the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? who am I then, that I should build Him a house' — save to offer before Him. Huram answers with blessing, sends 'Huram my master craftsman,' and floats cedar in rafts to Joppa.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And Solomon counted out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand men who were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.
verse value 5491
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "thousand" (אֶ֙לֶף֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "eighty" (וּשְׁמוֹנִ֥ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 311: man, man. The root אלף appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "over·them" (root על, 111x in II Chronicles); "Solomon" (root שלמה, 83x in II Chronicles); "thousand" (root אלף, 62x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root ספר ("and·he·counted") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root שבע ("seventy") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·mountain', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Ralbag
And Solomon counted out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, etc. — We already explained, in our commentary on Kings, that what is written here — “three thousand and six hundred to oversee them” — does not contradict what is written there (I Kings 5:30), “three thousand and three hundred who had authority over the people that did the work.” The reason is that the remaining three hundred were overseers of the three thousand three hundred, with eleven placed under each of them, so that each overseer together with those under him made twelve.
Metzudat David
'And to oversee them' – ruling over and pressing them, so that they would not slacken their hands from the work.
Metzudat Zion
To bear burdens (sevel) - One who carries a load, as in 'and he who bears burdens' (Nehemiah 4). Hewers (chotzev) - This is the term for the cutting of stone. To oversee them (umnatzchim) - An expression of directing and driving [people to work].
Malbim
'And Solomon counted out' — therefore he goes on to count the strangers who were added beyond the number of strangers that David had counted (as will be explained at verse 16). Now, as for the six hundred stated here, in Kings (5:30) it is written as three hundred, and there I explained the matter — see there — for here too Ezra comes to clarify the book of Kings that came before him.
And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying: ‘As you dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build him a house to dwell in, even so deal with me.
verse value 5827
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "my·father" (אָבִ֔י) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "in·it" (בּֽוֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·you·sent·to·him" (וַתִּֽשְׁלַֽח־ל֣וֹ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 780: you·dealt, and·you·sent·to·him. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "to·Huram" (אֶל־חוּרָ֥ם), "and·you·sent·to·him" (וַתִּֽשְׁלַֽח־ל֣וֹ), "to·dwell" (לָשֶׁ֥בֶת). The root שלח appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·of·Tyre" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "as" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "house" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root שלח ("and·he·sent") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root חורם ("to·Huram") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 10 words.
Ralbag
As you dealt with David my father, etc. — This account is told very briefly in the Book of Kings, and so we thought it worthwhile to explain it here: just as you did David a kindness by sending him cedars to build himself a house to dwell in, so too I ask that you do me a kindness.
Metzudat David
'As you dealt,' etc. – as if to say, do the same with me, as he goes on to say at the end of his message.
Malbim
And Solomon sent — The correspondence that Solomon sent to Huram, and Huram to Solomon, is also mentioned in Kings (I Kings 5:15-25), but the content of that correspondence there, as well as Solomon's request and Huram's reply, differs from the correspondence and request here, as I explained there at length. And I already wrote there that Ezra did not record here anything stated in the Book of Kings, but rather related other, new matters. In Kings it is mentioned that Huram sent to Solomon to console him and to strengthen the covenant and friendship with him; then Solomon sent to Huram and asked that Huram send him his servants to do work for him, cutting cedars from the forest of Lebanon on the border of the land of Israel (for they were skilled craftsmen in cutting cedars), and that he would pay their wages. And Huram understood from Solomon's words that in his heart he was asking for more than this, and replied that he would give him more than he had asked, and sent him cedars from the Lebanon on the border of Tyre — this is the account recorded in Kings. Ezra, however, informs us that after Solomon received Huram's reply, in which he volunteered to give him cedars from the portion of Lebanon on Huram's border, it then occurred to him to build a house also for his own kingship, as stated at the end of the preceding chapter (for the cedars found in the land of Israel were not sufficient for two buildings, and so too he then took a census of the resident aliens, because the craftsmen David had prepared were sufficient only for building the House of Hashem alone). It was then that Solomon sent to Huram the letter mentioned here, which is not mentioned in Kings. As you dealt with David my father (with kindness) — For he also sent cedars to David from the border of Tyre (hinting to him as well that he too would build a house of cedars).
Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of Hashem my God, to dedicate it to Him, and to burn before Him incense of sweet spices, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt-offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the appointed seasons of Hashem our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.
verse value 8309
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 120 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·Him" (ל֡וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "incense·of·spices" (קְטֹֽרֶת־סַמִּים֩, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 176: before·Him, for·ever. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "building·house" (בוֹנֶה־בַּ֜יִת), "incense·of·spices" (קְטֹֽרֶת־סַמִּים֩), "and·burnt-offerings" (וְעֹלוֹת֙). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "the·God·of" (root אלהים, 202x in II Chronicles); "to·Israel" (root ישראל, 140x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root הנה ("behold") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root אני ("I") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'our·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 21 and 3 words.
Rashi
to devote to Him for some purpose. to burn before Him incense which is a way of honor[ing Him], and this is repeated further (verse 5): “but to burn incense before Him.” making this permanent over Israel Therefore, I request of you to send to me [material] for a good and strong House, because it is required perpetually for Israel to offer up their sacrifice(s) in this House, which I am building.
Ralbag
Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of Hashem my God — so that the holiness of Hashem may be made known to mankind, and so that there will be a place there to burn incense before Him continually, namely the golden altar, which stands in the Sanctuary; and to arrange there continually the lamps of the Menorah and the showbread on the golden table; and continual burnt-offerings for morning and evening, additional burnt-offerings for the Sabbaths, and for the New Moons the additional offerings [musafin] of the New Moons and of the festivals. This is a perpetual ordinance for Israel, for they have already been commanded regarding it in the Torah.
Metzudat David
'To dedicate it to Him' – [with] votive sacrifices. 'And for the continual showbread' – that is, the showbread (lechem ha-panim). 'And for the burnt-offerings' – to offer up to Him burnt-offerings continually, morning and evening. 'On the sabbaths,' etc. – these are the musaf [additional] offerings. 'This is an ordinance for ever' – this matter is fixed forever upon Israel; as if to say, therefore it is necessary to build a strong and enduring house.
Malbim
Behold, I am about to build — That is to say: if you sent cedars for the honor of a king of flesh and blood, how much more so should you send them for the honor of Hashem. He explains that this is not a temporary structure, both from the standpoint of the ongoing service to be performed in it — to dedicate it, to burn incense, and to arrange the array — all of this will be perpetual, meaning every single day (and the word 'continual' applies also to 'to dedicate' and 'to burn incense,' and likewise to 'the burnt-offerings morning and evening,' etc.), and from the standpoint of its permanence, which is why he said, 'This is an ordinance forever to Israel' — for they were commanded regarding this forever.
And the house which I build is great; for great is our God above all gods.
verse value 1447
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "building" (בוֹנֶ֖ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "above·all·gods" (מִכׇּל־הָאֱלֹהִֽים, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "for·great" (כִּֽי־גָד֥וֹל), "above·all·gods" (מִכׇּל־הָאֱלֹהִֽים). The root גדול appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "our·God" (root אלהים, 202x in II Chronicles); "and·the·house" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "building" (root בנה, 60x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'great', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְהַבַּ֛יִת [and·the·house] (423) + אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִ֥י [that·I] (562) + בוֹנֶ֖ה [building] (63) + גָּד֑וֹל [great] (43) + כִּֽי־גָד֥וֹל [for·great] (73) + אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ [our·God] (102) + מִכׇּל־הָאֱלֹהִֽים [above·all·gods] (181) = 1447.
Rashi
And the House, which I am building, is great Therefore, I require of you to send me of your buildings. Now if you say, “Make the House smaller, so that you will not need other people,” I cannot do so, because our God is greater than all Gods; therefore, I cannot diminish it or make it smaller.
Ralbag
And the house which I build is great; for great is our God above all gods — that is, above all the gods that are in heaven and on earth, for He rules over all of them and they all derive their existence from Him. And in keeping with His greatness, it is fitting that the house built for Him likewise be great and exceedingly glorious, so that it may bear some testimony to His greatness.
Metzudat David
'Great' – I will make it great in construction and in beauty.
Malbim
And the house — And for this reason this house must be great, commensurate with the greatness of Hashem, who is greater than all gods.
But who is able to build Him a house, seeing the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? who am I then, that I should build Him a house, save only to offer before Him?
verse value 4443
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֧י, 2 letters) and the longest is "except·to·offer" (אִם־לְהַקְטִ֥יר, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 412: house, house. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "he·restrains·strength" (יַֽעֲצׇר־כֹּ֙חַ֙), "they·contain·Him" (יְכַלְכְּלֻ֑הוּ), "I·will·build·to·Him" (אֶבְנֶה־לּ֣וֹ). The root שמים appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "house" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "for" (root כי, 131x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root עצר ("he·restrains·strength") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root שמים ("the·heaven") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·contain·Him', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 8 words.
Rashi
And who can gather up strength to build Him a house Since he said, “And the House which I am building is great,” perhaps [you may think that] this will mean “great enough for His needs,” but this is not so, for “who can gather strength?” For who can compress and gather his strength enough to build a house fit for Him? An example of this appears above (I Chron. 29:14): “that we should gather up strength to donate.” for the heavens and the heavens of the heavens cannot contain Him Therefore, he says, “and who am I, to build Him a House?” And that which I am building Him is nothing more than to burn incense therein before Him.
Ralbag
But who is able to build Him a house, seeing the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? — That is to say, it is not fitting for a person, in building a house for Him, to hold back any effort; rather he is obligated to strive with all his strength to build the house so that it is the greatest and most glorious he is capable of making it. For with all the magnitude and splendor that could be given it, it would still count as nothing next to the greatness of Hashem. This is because the heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot contain the measure of Hashem’s greatness and wisdom: for the things that exist within them, and all their components, belong to the order of intelligible existents that pertain to Hashem, yet their order and rightness are immeasurably distant from the perfection of the intelligible order that exists with Hashem — to the point that there is no comparison to Him whatsoever, as we explained fully in Book Five of the Wars of Hashem. Given that this is so, [Solomon says]: who am I, that I should build Him a house fully befitting His holiness and exaltedness? Indeed, the whole of existence falls short in this regard; rather, this house will serve only to offer [incense and sacrifice] before Him, so as to point to some intimations of the secrets of spiritual existence, as we explained in our commentary on the words of the Torah.
Metzudat David
'But who,' etc. – as if to say: despite all the greatness of the house, do not think that it will be for His dwelling, for who has the strength [to build Him a house], etc. 'And the heaven of heavens' – these are the upper heavens, which are above the visible heavens. 'Cannot,' etc. – cannot contain Him, for He is the place of the world, and the world is not His place. 'Who am I' – although I am a king, who am I compared to Him? Am I not as nothing? 'Save,' etc. – it is made for nothing but to burn incense in it before Him.
Metzudat Zion
Is able (ya'atzor) - An expression of restraint, as in 'strength was held back' (I Chronicles 29). Cannot contain Him (yechalkelehu) - An expression of holding, as in 'it held two thousand baths' (I Kings 7).
Malbim
But who is able — For if He needed a house merely to dwell in, it would have sufficed for the house to be like a dwelling befitting royalty. But since it is impossible to build Him a house for Him to dwell in — for the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him — and the house is only for His honor, to burn incense there before Him, it follows that the honor of the house must be as great as the greatness of the One for whose honor it is built.
Now therefore send me a man skillful to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and who has skill to grave all manner of gravings, to be with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.
verse value 7926
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 115 letters. Notable word values: "my·father" (אָבִֽי) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֤ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "with·the·skillful" (עִם־הַחֲכָמִ֗ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "send·to·me" (שְֽׁלַֽח־לִ֣י), "and·in·the·silver" (וּבַכֶּ֜סֶף), "and·in·the·brass" (וּבַנְּחֹ֣שֶׁת). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "to·work" (root עשה, 159x in II Chronicles); "with·me" (root עם, 149x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root ברזל ("and·in·the·iron") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root כרמיל ("and·crimson") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'engravings', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 9 words.
Rashi
and with purple אַרְגְּוָן. This is synonymous with אַרְגָּמָן. and crimson כַּרְמִיל. This is תוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי. The proof is that תוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי is not mentioned here. and who knows how to make engravings Heb. לְפַתֵּחַ פִּתּוּחִים. An example is (Ex. 28:36) פִּתּוּחֵי חֹתָם, the engravings of a signet; someone who knows how to cut and make forms in stones, graber or greber in Middle German.
Ralbag
And in purple — Meaning purple dye, for the sake of the curtain [the parochet]. And crimson — This is scarlet, [dyed with] the crimson worm. And who has skill to grave all manner of gravings — This means making carved designs in wood, stone, or metal, done so that they are either raised in relief or sunk in, according to the pattern intended for them.
Metzudat David
'With the skillful men' – to work at the craft together with the skillful men who are with me.
Metzudat Zion
And in purple (uv'argavan) - This is 'argaman' (purple), and so the Targum renders it. And crimson (v'charmil) - This is scarlet dye. To grave all manner of gravings (lifte'ach pituchim) - An expression of carving shapes into stones, as in 'the engravings of a signet' (Exodus 28).
Malbim
Now therefore — On this basis he went on to ask for three further things: first, that Huram send him a skillful man to work in gold and silver, which he had not asked for in his first request mentioned in Kings; second, that he send him cedar timber from the province of Tyre, whereas at first he had asked only for craftsmen to cut cedars in the land of Israel; third, he asked for algum wood, which he had not asked for at first.
Send me also cedar-trees, cypress-trees, and sandal-wood, out of Lebanon; for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with your servants,
verse value 4353
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 87 letters. Notable word values: "my·servants" (עֲבָדַ֖י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·sandal-wood" (וְאַלְגּוּמִּים֮, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 170: trees·of, timber·of. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·send·to·me" (וּֽשְׁלַֽח־לִי֩), "and·sandal-wood" (וְאַלְגּוּמִּים֮), "from·Lebanon" (מֵֽהַלְּבָנוֹן֒). The root עבד appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "for" (root כי, 131x in II Chronicles); "your·servants" (root עבד, 54x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root עץ ("trees·of") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root אלמגים ("and·sandal-wood") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Lebanon', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 3 words.
Ralbag
And sandal-wood, from Lebanon — The words “from Lebanon” refer back to the cedar-trees and cypress-trees, for the sandal-wood is taken from the sea, since it is a wood that grows on the sea floor — “coral” in the vernacular.
Metzudat David
'Out of Lebanon' – which is in your land. 'Have skill to cut,' etc. – according to the measure required for the work of construction. 'With your servants' – [my servants] will be with your servants, to assist them.
Metzudat Zion
And sandal-wood (v'algumim) - This is a transposition of 'almugim,' mentioned in the Book of Kings; it is a precious and valuable kind of wood.
even to prepare me timber in abundance; for the house which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.
verse value 1840
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·prepare" (וּלְהָכִ֥ין, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·to·prepare" (וּלְהָכִ֥ין), "and·wonderful" (וְהַפְלֵֽא). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "for" (root כי, 131x in II Chronicles); "building" (root בנה, 60x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root לי ("to·me") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·abundance', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּלְהָכִ֥ין [and·to·prepare] (121) + לִ֛י [to·me] (40) + עֵצִ֖ים [timber] (210) + לָרֹ֑ב [in·abundance] (232) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + הַבַּ֛יִת [the·house] (417) + אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִ֥י [that·I] (562) + בוֹנֶ֖ה [building] (63) + גָּד֥וֹל [great] (43) + וְהַפְלֵֽא [and·wonderful] (122) = 1840.
Ralbag
Great and wonderful — Meaning, wondrous in its greatness.
Metzudat David
'Even to prepare' – he commanded that timber be prepared for me, etc. 'And wonderful' – in great magnitude, and therefore much timber is needed.
Malbim
even to prepare — He further added that they should prepare timber for him in abundance, more than was needed for the House of Hashem, so that he would have enough also for building his own house — for the house which I am about to build — (that is, the royal palace he would build for himself) — shall be great and wonderful — greater than the house Huram built for David. This must be the meaning, referring here to his royal palace, since he had already said in verse 4, 'the house which I build is great' — why else would he repeat himself? This is also borne out by Huram's reply in verse 11.
And, behold, I will give to your servants, the hewers who 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.’
verse value 8035
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 100 letters. The shortest word is "thousand" (אֶ֔לֶף, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·the·hewers" (לַֽחֹטְבִ֣ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 620: twenty, twenty, twenty, twenty. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "to·the·hewers" (לַֽחֹטְבִ֣ים), "to·cutters·of" (לְֽכֹרְתֵ֣י), "the·timber" (הָעֵצִ֡ים). The root עשרים appears 4 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·will·give" (root נתן, 116x in II Chronicles); "thousand" (root אלף, 62x in II Chronicles); "to·your·servants" (root עבד, 54x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root חטה ("wheat") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root מכה ("beaten") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'thousand', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 8 words.
Rashi
Abundant wheat - Heb. מַכּוֹת, in Middle High German vollauff, in abundance, and some say that מַכּוֹת means crushed to extract the wheat kernels from the ear. and wine twenty thousand baths The expression of bath refers to a liquid measure, and kor is a dry measure.
Ralbag
Beaten wheat — Meaning ground wheat; that is, crushed wheat. Twenty thousand baths — A bath is three se’ahs, the same as an eifah. Now, the Book of Kings does not mention what Solomon gave to Huram’s servants year by year; rather, it mentions what Solomon gave to Huram for the food of his household, in return for his help with this work.
Metzudat David
'The hewers' – and for further clarification it adds, 'who cut timber.' 'I will give' – [the past-tense 'natati'] is used like the future 'etein' ('I will give'). 'Beaten [wheat]' – crushed and ground; or it is from the root 'nakhat,' which is the Targum's rendering of 'neshekh' [bite/gnaw], meaning to bite it with the teeth and eat it; and it would then be like what is written elsewhere (I Kings), 'macholet,' which is like 'ma'akholet' [food, sustenance].
Metzudat Zion
Measures (korim) - The name of a unit equal to thirty se'ahs. Baths (batim) - A 'bat' is a liquid measure holding three se'ahs.
Malbim
And, behold, to the hewers — In Kings it is mentioned that Solomon gave Huram twenty thousand kor of wheat as food for his household, and twenty kor of beaten oil, and this was an ongoing yearly arrangement; Ezra did not copy this, since we already know it from there. Rather, Ezra added what he gave the hewers as their wages: he gave them twenty thousand kor of wheat — beaten — that is, wheat crushed in a mortar so as to make flour from it; and to the craftsmen he also gave barley and wine, which he did not give to Huram. But what is mentioned in Kings was given to Huram himself, and he would give him this every single year, as is stated there; and to him he gave only wheat and oil, not wine and barley.
Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon: ‘Because Hashem loves His people, He has made you king over them.’
verse value 3793
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 55 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "king" (מֶֽלֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Solomon" (אֶל־שְׁלֹמֹ֑ה, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "he·gave·you" (נְתָנְךָ֥). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "king·of·Tyre" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 184x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root כתב ("in·writing") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Solomon', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֨אמֶר [and·he·said] (257) + חוּרָ֤ם [Huram] (254) + מֶלֶךְ־צֹר֙ [king·of·Tyre] (380) + בִּכְתָ֔ב [in·writing] (424) + וַיִּשְׁלַ֖ח [and·he·sent] (354) + אֶל־שְׁלֹמֹ֑ה [to·Solomon] (406) + בְּאַהֲבַ֤ת [in·love·of] (410) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + אֶת־עַמּ֔וֹ [his·people] (517) + נְתָנְךָ֥ [he·gave·you] (520) + עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם [over·them] (155) + מֶֽלֶךְ [king] (90) = 3793.
Metzudat David
'Because...loves' – since Hashem loves His people, He therefore set you as king over them, to be for them a glory and a help.
Malbim
Then Huram answered — He said to him: that his being made king by Hashem was due to Hashem's love for His people, and on this basis he blessed Hashem, who had given David a wise son. For Solomon had not stated explicitly that he would build a house for his own kingship, but had only hinted at it through the way he prolonged his language and repeated, 'for the house which I build is great' (as above, verse 8), since he did not wish to state explicitly that this concerned the building of his own house, given that his opening request had been about the House of Hashem; and Huram made clear to him that he understood what was in his heart — that he wished to build a house also for his own kingship.
Huram said moreover: ‘Blessed be Hashem, the God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who has given to David the king a wise son, endued with discretion and understanding, who should build a house for Hashem, and a house for his kingdom.
verse value 7496
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 104 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "son" (בֵּ֣ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·heaven" (אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that, that. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "the·heaven" (אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם), "and·the·earth" (וְאֶת־הָאָ֑רֶץ), "wise" (חָכָ֗ם). The root אשר appears 3 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "the·king" (root מלך, 344x in II Chronicles); "son" (root בן, 225x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root ברך ("blessed") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root שכל ("discretion") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·earth', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 14 words.
Ralbag
Who should build a house for Hashem, and a house for his kingdom — It appears that Solomon had also told him of his wish to build a palace for his own kingdom.
Metzudat David
'Who should build' – who would be the builder of the house of Hashem and of a house fitting for the kingship of Israel; as if to say, if he is the builder, then it will be of the utmost splendor and beauty.
And now I have sent a skillful man, endued with understanding, even Huram my master craftsman,
verse value 2062
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. Notable word values: "my·father" (אָבִֽי) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "my·father" (אָבִֽי, 3 letters) and the longest is "man·skillful" (אִישׁ־חָכָ֛ם, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "understanding" (בִּינָ֖ה), "Huram" (לְחוּרָ֥ם). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·father" (root אב, 114x in II Chronicles); "man·skillful" (root איש, 53x in II Chronicles); "I·have·sent" (root שלח, 39x in II Chronicles). Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֗ה [and·now] (481) + שָׁלַ֧חְתִּי [I·have·sent] (748) + אִישׁ־חָכָ֛ם [man·skillful] (379) + יוֹדֵ֥עַ [knowing] (90) + בִּינָ֖ה [understanding] (67) + לְחוּרָ֥ם [Huram] (284) + אָבִֽי [my·father] (13) = 2062.
Rashi
endowed with understanding, of my father Huram He was my father’s ingenious craftsman, and he is also mine.
Ralbag
I have sent a skillful man — He was the son of a woman of Israel, and his father was of the people of Tyre.
Metzudat David
'And now,' etc. – this too is part of the letter that Huram sent to Solomon; and since he had begun it by saying 'because [Hashem] loves,' etc., Scripture breaks in here to attach what he had said at that time to those standing before him – 'Blessed be Hashem,' etc. – and then returns to the words of the letter. 'Even Huram my master craftsman' – [understood] as though it read 'to Huram, and to my father,' meaning: a man of understanding and my own expert craftsman, who had also formerly been my father's expert craftsman. Or, the letter lamed stands in place of the word 'et' [the object-marker], and the whole phrase refers to the craftsman alone – for his name was also Hiram, as stated elsewhere (I Kings), and [Huram, king of Tyre] called him 'avi' ('my father') as a term of esteem for his great wisdom, for 'av' [father] denotes a person of rank and importance.
Malbim
And now I have sent you Huram my master craftsman, the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan — I have already explained in my commentary on Kings (I Kings 7:13) that the man mentioned here is not the same one mentioned there in Kings, whom Solomon sent for after he had completed the entire building of the House. For the one mentioned here — his mother was of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre — was sent by the king at the beginning of the building; he knew how to work in gold and silver and performed all the plasterwork of the buildings, and after seven years he died (he is not mentioned in Kings, because there Scripture does not mention the second letter that Solomon sent, in which he asked Huram to send him a skillful man to work in gold and silver). After he died, Solomon sent and took the son of this first Huram (who came through Solomon's sending for him, not by the command of the king of Tyre); this son was the child of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, as it is written in Kings, that Huram his father, who had died, had had a wife of the tribe of Naphtali, from whom he had fathered this second Huram; and this one knew how to work only in brass, as is mentioned there in Kings.
the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skillful 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 devise any device; to do whatever may be set before him, with your skillful men, and with the skillful men of my lord David your father.
verse value 9237
Insights
Verse structure: 27 words, 143 letters. The shortest word is "Dan" (דָּ֗ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·the·gold·and·in·the·silver" (בַּזָּֽהָב־וּ֠בַכֶּ֠סֶף, 9 letters). 21 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "son·of·woman" (בֶּן־אִשָּׁ֞ה), "from·daughters·of" (מִן־בְּנ֣וֹת), "Dan" (דָּ֗ן). The root אב appears 2 times in this verse. 24 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·woman" (root בן, 225x in II Chronicles); "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "to·do" (root עשה, 159x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root דן ("Dan") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root בוץ ("and·in·the·fine·linen") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·device', dividing the verse into phrases of 20 and 7 words.
Rashi
the son of a woman She was a widow. of the daughters of Dan of the tribe of Dan. and his father was a Tyrian man He was a Jew who lived in Tyre, on the model of (II Sam. 6:10): “Obed-Edom the Gittite,” who lived in Gath, and who was a Levite. In I Kings (7:14), it is written: “He was a widow’s son, of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a Tyrian man.” His mother was from Dan, and his father was from Naphtali. Now why was it necessary to trace his genealogy, from which tribe his father and mother were? This is what is written (Gen. 30:6): “God judged me,” and also (ibid. 8): “I have fought a divine struggle, etc.” Rachel said, “I twisted cords; I went through contortions until I was able to compare to my sister Leah. If Leah will boast of her descendant Bezalel, who will make the Tabernacle, he will require one of the sons of Dan to participate in his work, as it is written (38: 23): ‘And with him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan.’ Now if Solomon, the descendant of my sister, will build the Temple, some of the sons of Dan and Naphtali will have to participate with him.” and his father was a Tyrian man [This comes] to teach you that even if his mother is a widow, a person must adopt his father’s trade and sustain his mother. (So I heard from Rabbi Solomon the son of Levi of Monteuille, the son of Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan’s sister.)
Metzudat David
'A man of Tyre' – meaning, he had long resided in Tyre. 'And to devise' – to originate precious works that come from the design of the mind; so too 'the work of a designer' (Exodus 26:1) is said of woven work whose pattern differs from one side to the other. 'To do whatever may be set before him' – to make these things together with your skillful men.
Now therefore the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, which my lord has spoken of, let him send to his servants;
verse value 2937
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·barley" (וְהַשְּׂעֹרִ֜ים, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "the·wheat" (הַחִטִּ֨ים), "the·oil" (הַשֶּׁ֤מֶן), "and·the·wine" (וְהַיַּ֙יִן֙). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "he·said" (root אמר, 184x in II Chronicles); "to·his·servants" (root עבד, 54x in II Chronicles). Full calculation: וְ֠עַתָּ֠ה [and·now] (481) + הַחִטִּ֨ים [the·wheat] (72) + וְהַשְּׂעֹרִ֜ים [and·the·barley] (631) + הַשֶּׁ֤מֶן [the·oil] (395) + וְהַיַּ֙יִן֙ [and·the·wine] (81) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + אָמַ֣ר [he·said] (241) + אֲדֹנִ֔י [my·lord] (65) + יִשְׁלַ֖ח [let·him·send] (348) + לַעֲבָדָֽיו [to·his·servants] (122) = 2937.
Malbim
Now therefore the wheat and the barley — This is what he had promised, in the latter letter mentioned here, to give to the timber-cutters. For what he promised to Huram himself was already mentioned in the first letter to Huram, in Kings there (verse 23): 'and you shall accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household' — and that Solomon gave it to him (as stated there, verse 25).
and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as you shall need; and we will bring it to you in floats by sea to Joppa; and you shall carry it up to Jerusalem.’
verse value 4733
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֛, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·the·Lebanon" (מִן־הַלְּבָנוֹן֙, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "we·will·cut" (נִכְרֹ֨ת), "from·the·Lebanon" (מִן־הַלְּבָנוֹן֙), "all·need" (כְּכׇל־צׇרְכֶּ֔ךָ). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·we·will·bring·them" (root בוא, 159x in II Chronicles); "Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 127x in II Chronicles); "you·shall·carry·up" (root עלה, 83x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root אנחנו ("and·we") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root ים ("by·sea") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Joppa', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַ֠אֲנַ֠חְנוּ [and·we] (121) + נִכְרֹ֨ת [we·will·cut] (670) + עֵצִ֤ים [wood] (210) + מִן־הַלְּבָנוֹן֙ [from·the·Lebanon] (233) + כְּכׇל־צׇרְכֶּ֔ךָ [all·need] (400) + וּנְבִיאֵ֥ם [and·we·will·bring·them] (109) + לְךָ֛ [to·you] (50) + רַפְסֹד֖וֹת [floats] (750) + עַל־יָ֣ם [by·sea] (150) + יָפ֑וֹ [Joppa] (96) + וְאַתָּ֛ה [and·you] (412) + תַּעֲלֶ֥ה [you·shall·carry·up] (505) + אֹתָ֖ם [them] (441) + יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם [Jerusalem] (586) = 4733.
Rashi
as rafts - Heb. רַפְסדוֹת, and in I Kings (5:23) it is written: דבְרוֹת, in Middle High German vloeze, rafts, (in modern German flüsse). on the sea of Joppa meaning on the seacoast, like (Jonah 1:3): “and he went down to Joppa.”
Ralbag
In floats — “raft” in the vernacular.
Metzudat David
'And we' – meaning, my servants. 'By sea to Joppa' – [Lebanon] was close to [Joppa], and on that sea they would float the timber. 'And you' – meaning, your servants will bring them up out of the water, to carry them to Jerusalem.
Metzudat Zion
In floats (rafsedot) - These are the 'dovrot' (rafts) mentioned in the Book of Kings — beams tied together so as to be floated on the water to their intended destination. The word 'rafsodot' is also mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud (Berachot, chapter 4).
Malbim
Floats - When a great deal of wood is bound together to be carried on the sea, it is called an “asda,” as is stated in tractate Berachot (28b), “he was sitting in a wagon or on an asda.” In the wording of the verse (I Kings 5:23) they are called “dovrot,” because they are driven along on the sea; they are also called “rafsodot” (floats). And in the Jerusalem Talmud, Berachot, chapter 4 (halachah 5): an asda is the same as rafsodot.
And Solomon numbered all the strangers who were in the land of Israel, after the numbering with which David his father had numbered them; and they were found a hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred.
verse value 7242
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 93 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁר֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·men" (כׇּל־הָאֲנָשִׁ֤ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "all·the·men" (כׇּל־הָאֲנָשִׁ֤ים), "the·strangers" (הַגֵּירִים֙), "he·numbered·them" (סְפָרָ֖ם). The root ספר appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "Israel" (root ישראל, 140x in II Chronicles); "his·father" (root אב, 114x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root מצא ("and·they·were·found") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·father', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 8 words.
Rashi
And Solomon counted all the strangers who were in the land of Israel - Heb. הַגֵּירִים. This is written with the plene spelling, two yuds. In the beginning, when David counted them (I Chron 22:2), they were called הַגֵּרִים with one yud, but Solomon counted them at the time of the deed, when he built; therefore, it is written with the plene spelling. A similar instance: “then you shall bring up my bones from this place.” “With you” is missing in the portion of וַיְחִי (Gen. 50:25), but at the time of the deed (in the portion of בְּשַׁלַּח, Ex. 13:19), when he took them, it is written: “with you.” And Solomon counted, etc., after the census above (I Chron. 22:2), as it is written: “And David ordered to gather the strangers.”
Ralbag
After the numbering with which David his father had numbered them — Meaning, following the census by which David his father had counted them. And it appears from this passage that it was when David gathered the strangers [resident aliens] to build the Temple that he counted them.
Metzudat David
'The strangers' – these are the Gibeonites.
Malbim
And Solomon numbered - Now he comes to explain what was stated at the beginning of the passage (which he copied from the book of Kings), that he counted seventy thousand porters, and so on. He clarifies here that this count was taken after the census that David his father had taken - meaning, aside from the strangers whom David had counted and set apart for the building of the Temple. I have already explained (I Kings 9:23) that in David's days there were twenty-five thousand of them, and that count was separate from Solomon's own. The rest of the details are explained in Kings (5:29; 9:23).
And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to be hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people at work.
verse value 5085
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "from·them" (מֵהֶ֜ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·eighty" (וּשְׁמֹנִ֥ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 111: thousand, thousand. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·eighty" (וּשְׁמֹנִ֥ים), "overseers" (מְנַצְּחִ֖ים), "to·work" (לְהַעֲבִ֥יד). The root אלף appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·made" (root עשה, 159x in II Chronicles); "the·people" (root עם, 149x in II Chronicles); "thousand" (root אלף, 62x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root הם ("from·them") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·mountain', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Rashi
And he made of them seventy thousand, etc. The reason he mentions them again and mentions the number is that he interrupted the topic; therefore, he had to repeat it again now. And he did not stop until he finished the entire [account of the] building, and he says immediately (3:1): “And Solomon commenced to build, etc.” Now, even with one verse, it is customary to interrupt the topic and [then] to begin [again] with the previous statement, e.g., (Num. 16:6): “Do this: take yourself, etc.” And the morrow, it says (ibid. 16f.): “And Moses said to Korah: You and all your band, etc.,” and he repeats and says, “and let each man take his censer and place, etc.” Since he interrupted with many verses, it was necessary to rewrite it, and how much more so here.
Metzudat David
'And he set...of them,' etc. – although this was already stated above, [Scripture] repeats it here in order to attach it to the account of the building. 'Overseers' – ruling over and pressing the people to do the work, so that they would not slacken their hands from the labor.
Metzudat Zion
Overseers (menatzchim) - An expression of directing, empowering, and driving [people to work].
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim