'Then Solomon began to build the house of Hashem at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where Hashem appeared to David his father' — the one verse in the Hebrew Bible that names the Temple mount Moriah, binding Isaac’s mountain, Ornan’s threshing-floor, and the house into a single place. Then the measurements: the porch, the great house ceiled with fir and overlaid with fine gold, the most holy house with its two sculptured cherubim, the veil of blue and purple and crimson, and the two pillars named Jachin and Boaz.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Then Solomon began to build the house of Hashem at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where Hashem appeared to David his father; for which provision had been made in the Place of David, in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
verse value 5099
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 85 letters. The shortest word is "in·mount" (בְּהַר֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·house·of·Hashem" (אֶת־בֵּית־יְהֹוָה֙, 9 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): "Moriah" (הַמּ֣וֹרִיָּ֔ה), "Ornan" (אׇרְנָ֥ן), "the·Jebusite" (הַיְבוּסִֽי). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "in·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 127x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root חלל ("and·he·began") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root מקום ("in·place·of") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·father', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 7 words.
Rashi
on Mount Moriah because the Holy One, blessed be He, appeared to David in the threshing floor of Ornan when the plague stopped, and that is Mount Moriah, David’s place.
Ralbag
In mount Moriah — From this we learn that the place where Isaac was bound [in the Akeidah] is the very place where the Temple stood.
Metzudat David
'Where...appeared' – where the Omnipresent, blessed be He, appeared to David his father; this refers to the descent of the fire upon the altar, as it says, 'and He answered him with fire from heaven' (I Chronicles 21). 'For which provision had been made' – this refers to Solomon: [Scripture] states that he made preparations to build on the site that David had established at the threshing floor, etc.
Metzudat Zion
Began (vayachel) - An expression of commencement.
Malbim
Then Solomon began... where [Hashem] appeared - Hashem appeared there to David, through the fire that came down there from heaven. And it may be that since it is said (Genesis 22:14), “in the mount where Hashem is seen” - meaning that there, in the future, Hashem would be seen and His Presence would be revealed in the Temple, since that was the place where Isaac was bound - therefore it says here “where He appeared to David.” for which provision had been made - That David had made preparation for that place there, for David dug the foundations and hewed out the shitin (the deep pits/channels) and made preparations deep in the ground, as our sages have said. And that place was called from then on “the Place of David,” based on the verse, “until I find a place for Hashem.” And when he found the place, it was called by his name - the place that David found on the threshingfloor of Ornan.
Cross-references: I Chronicles 21:18; I Chronicles 21:26
And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
verse value 3140
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "and·he·began" (וַ֠יָּ֠חֶל, 4 letters) and the longest is "of·his·reign" (לְמַלְכוּתֽוֹ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "in·the·second" (בַּשֵּׁנִ֔י). The root שני appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·year·of" (root שנה, 77x in II Chronicles); "to·build" (root בנה, 60x in II Chronicles); "in·the·month" (root חדש, 23x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root שני ("the·second") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root שנה ("in·year·of") in II Chronicles. Full calculation: וַ֠יָּ֠חֶל [and·he·began] (54) + לִבְנ֞וֹת [to·build] (488) + בַּחֹ֤דֶשׁ [in·the·month] (314) + הַשֵּׁנִי֙ [the·second] (365) + בַּשֵּׁנִ֔י [in·the·second] (362) + בִּשְׁנַ֥ת [in·year·of] (752) + אַרְבַּ֖ע [four] (273) + לְמַלְכוּתֽוֹ [of·his·reign] (532) = 3140.
Rashi
And he commenced to build in the second month This is explained at the beginning of Tractate Rosh Hashanah Yerushalmi (1:1), and the meaning is: the second of Iyar. Since he wished to say, “in the fourth year of his reign,” he had to repeat and say, “in the second.” A similar instance is (Gen. 8: 5): “And the waters continued to diminish until the tenth month, etc.” Another similar instance is (I Kings 6:1): “in the fourth year in the month Ziv, which was the second month of Solomon’s reign, etc.” This refers back to “the fourth year,” and then in the fourth year of his reign he commenced in the second [month], because all the days of the winter he could not [build] because of the cold, and in Nissan he could not [build] because of Passover.
Ralbag
In the second day of the second month — Meaning, on the second day of the second month, which is Iyar.
Metzudat David
'In the second' – on the second day, whether of the week or of the month; and our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded concerning it that it was on Rosh Hashanah.
Malbim
And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign - This explains what is stated in Kings, “in the fourth year... in the second month” of Solomon's reign (I Kings 6:1) - meaning that because the years of the kings of Israel are counted from Nisan, it fell in the fourth year and the second month of his reign, as our sages explained in [tractate] Rosh Hashanah. And so that one not explain “[second month] of Solomon's reign” as referring to the year alone, as the [other] commentators explained, he clarifies: “in the second month” (by the count of the months), “on the second [day],” “in the fourth year of his reign” - by the count of the years and months of the reign.
Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the ancient measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.
verse value 5555
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "and·these" (וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·ancient" (הָרִֽאשׁוֹנָה֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 447: cubits, cubits, cubits. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "was·founded" (הוּסַ֣ד), "in·the·measure" (בַּמִּדָּ֤ה), "and·breadth" (וְרֹ֖חַב). The root אמה appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 202x in II Chronicles); "the·house·of" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "Solomon" (root שלמה, 83x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root אלה ("and·these") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root יסד ("was·founded") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Rashi
the length in cubits, in the first measure And since he interrupted and said “in the first measure,” he says again, “cubits,” i.e., the cubit length of the House was sixty cubits, including the Debir and the Heichal, and the breadth was twenty cubits.
Ralbag
'Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid' — 'Hosad' (laid) is an infinitive form; its meaning is the act of establishing that Solomon performed in laying the foundation on which to build the House of God. 'The length by cubits after the ancient measure' — I think it says 'the first measure' because what is included in this foundation was the primary aim in building the House, since it contained the Holy and the Holy of Holies. But by the second measure — which included the court of the priests, with this House standing in its midst in some fashion — the total was far greater than this. Now here Scripture does not mention the width of the porch, though the Book of Kings states that its width was ten cubits; and the Book of Kings does not mention the height of the porch, while here it states that its height was a hundred and twenty cubits.
Metzudat David
'Now these are the foundations' — These are the measurements of length and breadth according to which he laid the foundation for building [the house of God], etc. 'After the ancient measure' — This refers to the cubit used for the Tabernacle, which was the first cubit-standard used for the building of a sanctuary, and it measured six handbreadths.
Malbim
The length - its measure: the length was sixty cubits. The words “by cubits, after the ancient measure” are parenthetical. The [other] commentators explained that this means literally a cubit of six [handbreadths], for they reckoned it by the building-cubit used in the days of Moses (since an unqualified cubit was smaller, as can be seen from what is stated in Ezekiel 40:5, “by cubits, a cubit and a handbreadth”). But one can also say that David measured out the number of cubits at the time he dug the foundations, and it is telling us that Solomon did not change the original measure that his father had measured.
And the porch that was before the house, the length of it, according to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the height a hundred and twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold.
verse value 4338
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 72 letters. Verse gematria: 4338 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁר֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "breadth·of·the·house" (רֹֽחַב־הַבַּ֙יִת֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 240: upon·the·face·of, upon·the·face·of. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·the·porch" (וְהָאוּלָ֡ם), "and·the·height" (וְהַגֹּ֖בַהּ), "within" (מִפְּנִ֖ימָה). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "upon·the·face·of" (root פנים, 116x in II Chronicles); "hundred" (root מאה, 57x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root אולם ("and·the·porch") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root גבה ("and·the·height") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·twenty', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Rashi
And the vestibule, the length of which was The length of the vestibule, opposite the breadth of the House, was twenty, for the length of the vestibule, which was opposite the breadth of the House, was twenty cubits from north to south, and every larger dimension is called length, and the smaller one is called breadth, and since in the Heichal, its measurement from east to west is larger and from north to south is smaller, it is called the breadth, but in the vestibule, whose measurement from north to south is larger, it is called the length, and its measurement from east to west, which is smaller, is called the breadth, and the breadth of the vestibule was ten cubits, as is delineated in I Kings (6:3): “ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the House.” and the height was one hundred and twenty But in I Kings (6:2), it is written: “and thirty cubits the height thereof.” How so? The height of the [first] floor from the floor of the house to the ceiling of the first upper story was thirty cubits, and from upper story to upper story up to the highest roof was ninety cubits, as is written: (I Chron. 28:11): “And David gave his son Solomon the pattern of the vestibule and its houses and its treasures and its upper stories.” From there it can be deduced that there were upper stories there. and he overlaid it from within with pure gold The inside of the Heichal, which was the greater house, he overlaid with gold, but not the vestibule, and he proceeds and delineates further how he did it. And the greater House He overlaid the entire House with pure gold. he overlaid with juniper wood - Heb. עֲצֵי בְרוֹשִּׁים. [This translation follows Yehuda Feliks, Nature & Man in the Bible, pp.110f.] For the entire House, the Debir and the Heichal, he first overlaid with juniper wood, and afterwards, “he overlaid it with fine gold” over the walls of juniper, and because of the overlaying of gold, with which he wished to overlay the House, he overlaid it first with wood in order that the gold would adhere firmly, for he would reinforce the gold with nails, with the decorations of the wood, for he made decorations in the wood. palm trees - Heb. תִּמּרִים. They are trees like a sort of palm trees and cherubim, and in I Kings (6:32) it is written: “and he carved upon them carvings of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers (וּפְטוּרֵי צִצִּים),” like (Num. 17:23) “and it sprouted fruit (וַיָּצֵץ צִיץ)”. And פְטוּרֵי is like “A man frees (פּוֹטֵר) his wife (entwerfen in Middle High German). (From Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Meshullam of blessed memory.)
Ralbag
'And he overlaid it within with pure gold' — it appears that this refers back to the House of God mentioned earlier, for the porch itself was not overlaid with gold within; rather, everything in it was of bronze, as is clear from the pillars beneath it, which were of bronze. And this was fitting, since everything outside the Holy sanctuary proper was of bronze in the Tabernacle that Moses made, and the same held true in the Temple. Or perhaps the intent of within is that which lies inward beyond the porch, namely the House of God itself. Indeed, Scripture goes on afterward to explain how the House was overlaid within with pure gold, while omitting many of these details here.
Metzudat David
'The length of it, according to the breadth of the house' — Meaning, the dimension of the porch that stood along the breadth of the Hall — that is, its “length” — measured twenty cubits, for of two measurements the smaller one is called “breadth” (the Hall was forty cubits by twenty). The porch itself was ten cubits wide, as stated in I Kings, “and its length was twenty cubits.” So, then, the length of the porch stood along the breadth of the Hall. 'And the height a hundred and twenty' — In I Kings it says thirty. It may be said that there it refers to the House itself, while here it refers to the porch; or it may be said that the [additional] ninety cubits were the upper chambers built one atop another, as it is written, “the pattern of the porch, etc., and its upper chambers” (I Chronicles 28:11). 'He overlaid it within' — [Referring to] the walls within its interior space; and this is said of the House [itself], not of the porch.
Malbim
And the porch that was before the house... the length of it - Here he teaches us a new interpretation of what is stated in Kings, “And the porch before the heichal of the house was twenty cubits, its length, corresponding to the breadth of the house” (I Kings 6:3): that there, the name “heichal” refers to the Devir, which is the innermost part of the house, while the name “bayit” (house) refers to the great house that stands before the Devir. For in the Devir, the length was reckoned from south to north, as it says below (verse 8), “and he made the house of the Holy of Holies, its length corresponding to the breadth of the house”; whereas in the [outer] house, the length was reckoned from west to east. It thus turns out that the length of the porch, which ran from south to north, corresponded to the length of the heichal of the house, not to the length of the house itself. And to what is stated in Kings, “the porch before the heichal,” Ezra added: “corresponding to the length of the heichal of the house, corresponding to the breadth of the house.” And the height a hundred and twenty - In Kings it says its height was thirty cubits. Ezra informs us that this was only up to the inner ceiling, but up to the roof it was a hundred and twenty cubits high. And because the porch had no ceiling, one standing inside the porch would see that its height reached, up to the roof-ceiling, a hundred and twenty; therefore he attributed the height of a hundred and twenty to the porch itself. And I have already explained, throughout this book, that Ezra did not set out to copy everything stated in the earlier holy books, since these were known in his day and available to everyone; rather, he came to explain matters left obscure there, or to add things not mentioned there which he found in other books. So too in the account of the building of the house, he wrote only what was new to him; therefore he skipped everything stated there in Kings from verse 4 through verse 16, concerning the building of the house, the side-chambers, and the vision that [Solomon] saw, since he had nothing new to say about these. And it says, “and he overlaid it within with pure gold” - meaning that he covered the porch, too, with gold, which is not mentioned in Kings.
And the greater house he covered with cypress-wood, which he overlaid with fine gold, and wrought on it palm-trees and chains.
verse value 4157
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "wood·of" (עֵ֣ץ, 2 letters) and the longest is "cypress" (בְּרוֹשִׁ֔ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 116: and·he·wrought, upon·it. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "wood·of" (עֵ֣ץ), "palm-trees" (תִּמֹרִ֖ים), "and·chains" (וְשַׁרְשְׁרֹֽת). The root חפה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "upon·it" (root על, 111x in II Chronicles); "and·he·wrought" (root עלה, 83x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root חפה ("he·covered") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root טוב ("fine") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'fine', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאֵ֣ת [and] (407) + הַבַּ֣יִת [the·house] (417) + הַגָּד֗וֹל [the·greater] (48) + חִפָּה֙ [he·covered] (93) + עֵ֣ץ [wood·of] (160) + בְּרוֹשִׁ֔ים [cypress] (558) + וַיְחַפֵּ֖הוּ [and·he·overlaid·it] (115) + זָהָ֣ב [gold] (14) + ט֑וֹב [fine] (17) + וַיַּ֧עַל [and·he·wrought] (116) + עָלָ֛יו [upon·it] (116) + תִּמֹרִ֖ים [palm-trees] (690) + וְשַׁרְשְׁרֹֽת [and·chains] (1406) = 4157.
Rashi
and he overlaid it with gold i.e., When he made all the decorations, he overlaid the walls with gold after the decorations, and he reinforced them with nails in the wooden wall, in order that it should not move; which is something that he could not do on a stone wall. For this reason, he overlaid the entire House with juniper wood. and chains He made many decorations, filling it completely, and when he saw that there was any blank space between one decoration and another, he painted a decoration like a sort of chain, with which things are connected, so did he do here between one decoration and another, in order that there should be no blank space in between. Another interpretation is that he made real golden chains and connected the shapes together with them.
Ralbag
'And the greater house he covered with cypress-wood' — meaning the floor of the House, which includes both the Holy and the Holy of Holies. So too it is explained in the Book of Kings, that the floor of the House was overlaid with cypress in the form of ribs (I Kings 6:15); these were not flat planks, but were shaped like ribs and beams, so as to be sturdier. As for wrought on it palm-trees and chains: the palm-trees were shaped like an egg pointed at both ends, and the chains were like the strings of palm branches on which the palm-trees hung. These shapes were engraved into the cypress wood, and afterward, when he overlaid it with gold, these shapes appeared raised in the gold. Perhaps there were also the likeness of open flowers there, as mentioned in the Book of Kings regarding these images, but here it is stated briefly, as it is stated briefly further on as well. 'And graved cherubim on the walls' — and it does not mention carved reliefs or open flowers. Or, one might say that on the floor of the House there were none of these figures, only the palm-trees; whereas on the menorah there were palm-trees and open flowers, these being the almond-shaped cups with their knob and flower, as we explained in the Book of Kings. And on the walls of the House there were, in addition, carved cherubim; the reason for this becomes clear with a little thought, from what we noted on this in the Book of Kings.
Metzudat David
'The greater house' — This is the Hall (Heichal), which was the largest of all [the chambers], forty by twenty [cubits]. 'He covered' — He covered the floor of the House with cypress wood, as is likewise stated in I Kings. 'Which he overlaid' — Over the wood he overlaid gold. 'And wrought on it' — Upon the overlay he fashioned images of palm trees and chains.
Metzudat Zion
He covered (chippah) - An expression of overlaying and covering. And chains (v'sharsherot) - Chains.
Malbim
And the greater house - This explains what is stated in Kings there, verse 15: “and he covered the floor of the house with boards of cypress-wood” - that he covered only the greater house with cypress-wood, not the Devir, for the floor of the Devir was not covered with wood at all, but with gold alone. which he overlaid with fine gold - meaning the floor. This is not stated explicitly in Kings, that he overlaid the cypress-wood of the floor of the heichal with gold; Ezra teaches us this. and wrought on it palm-trees and chains - This refers to [the floor of] the heichal. And here, too, he teaches us something new. For in Kings there (verse 18) it says, “and the cedar within the house was carved with knobs and open flowers,” and there (verse 29), “and all the walls of the house round about he carved with carved figures of cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers, within and without.” Now, besides the fact that verse 18 duplicates verse 29, there is a contradiction: verse 18 does not mention that there were cherubim there. Ezra explains that verse 18 speaks of the covering of the floor, where there were only carved knobs and open flowers - which are the “palm-trees and chains” mentioned here - while cherubim were only on the walls, which is what verse 29 speaks of.
And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty; and the gold was gold of Parvaim.
verse value 2858
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "stone" (אֶ֥בֶן, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·house" (אֶת־הַבַּ֛יִת, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·he·garnished" (וַיְצַ֧ף), "for·beauty" (לְתִפְאָ֑רֶת), "and·the·gold" (וְהַזָּהָ֖ב). The root זהב appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "and·the·gold" (root זהב, 49x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root יקר ("precious") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·beauty', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְצַ֧ף [and·he·garnished] (186) + אֶת־הַבַּ֛יִת [the·house] (818) + אֶ֥בֶן [stone] (53) + יְקָרָ֖ה [precious] (315) + לְתִפְאָ֑רֶת [for·beauty] (1111) + וְהַזָּהָ֖ב [and·the·gold] (25) + זְהַ֥ב [gold·of] (14) + פַּרְוָֽיִם [Parvaim] (336) = 2858.
Rashi
And he overlaid the House with precious stone He set and inlaid precious stones in gold in the walls of the House for glory and for beauty. and the gold that he refers to: “and he overlaid it with fine gold,” was of the gold of Parvaim. Parvaim is the name of a place, and our Sages explained that it resembles the blood of bulls in its high quality and its redness.
Ralbag
'And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty; and the gold was gold of Parvaim' — it appears that this, too, refers to the floor of the House, since it says and the gold, meaning the gold mentioned just before, where it says and overlaid it with pure gold. Or it may refer to the roofing of the House: for of the thirty cubits that was its height, the roofing itself occupied twenty cubits, as mentioned in the Book of Kings; and it appears that this roofing was overlaid with gold of Parvaim, and had precious stones on it for beauty and splendor. This explanation is more correct, in my view. Now, Scripture first mentions the overlaying of the floor, then the corresponding overlaying of the roofing of the House, and then the overlaying of the walls.
Metzudat David
'And he garnished the house, etc.' — In the walls of the House he set precious stones into gold settings, for ornament and splendor.
Metzudat Zion
Parvaim - The name of a place; and our Sages, of blessed memory, said that [the gold] resembled the blood of bulls (parim) (Yoma 45).
Malbim
And he garnished the house with precious stones — This reveals to us something quite remarkable, and it helps us understand the verses in Kings. There (I Kings 6:16) it says, ‘And he built twenty cubits at the rear of the house with cedar boards, from the floor to the walls’; and there (I Kings 6:20), ‘And before the Sanctuary, twenty [cubits]… and its height was twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with pure gold.’ The early commentators already wondered at this: was the height of the Sanctuary not supposed to equal the height of the main hall, which was thirty cubits? We explained there that this means: the inner wooden structure, with the gold overlay upon it, rose only to a height of twenty cubits (and that is why, regarding the Sanctuary, Scripture does not say ‘up to the ceiling walls,’ the way it does regarding the main hall in verse 15 there — see there). But we did not know with what the remaining ten cubits of height, up to the ceiling walls, were covered. Now we learn from Ezra that it was overlaid with precious stone for beauty — for what is stated here, ‘and he garnished the house,’ refers to the smaller house (since the preceding verse called the main hall ‘the greater house’). And we already explained there that this is why it says there (I Kings 6:18), ‘and cedar within the house, no stone was seen’ — which comes to exclude the smaller house, the Sanctuary, where there were precious stones on the covering, in the upper third. and the gold — Here too he teaches us something new: that the gold with which the smaller house (that is, the Sanctuary) was overlaid was gold of Parvaim, a very precious gold — something not stated in Kings.
He overlaid also the house, the beams, the thresholds, and its walls, and its doors, with gold; and graved cherubim on the walls.
verse value 5035
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "gold" (זָהָ֑ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·its·walls" (וְקִירוֹתָ֥יו, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·he·overlaid" (וַיְחַ֨ף), "the·beams" (הַקֹּר֧וֹת), "and·its·walls" (וְקִירוֹתָ֥יו). The root קיר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "gold" (root זהב, 49x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root סף ("the·thresholds") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root קיר ("and·its·walls") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'gold', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְחַ֨ף [and·he·overlaid] (104) + אֶת־הַבַּ֜יִת [the·house] (818) + הַקֹּר֧וֹת [the·beams] (711) + הַסִּפִּ֛ים [the·thresholds] (195) + וְקִירוֹתָ֥יו [and·its·walls] (738) + וְדַלְתוֹתָ֖יו [and·its·doors] (862) + זָהָ֑ב [gold] (14) + וּפִתַּ֥ח [and·he·graved] (494) + כְּרוּבִ֖ים [cherubim] (278) + עַל־הַקִּירֽוֹת [upon·the·walls] (821) = 5035.
Rashi
And he overlaid - Heb. וַיְחַף like וַיְצַף, and he explains what he overlaid in the Housethe walls and the sideposts. and its walls [i.e., the walls] of the sideposts of the House, which were [made] of stones, and he explains: “its walls and its doors with gold.” In I Kings (6:15) it says: “until the walls of the ceiling (קִירוֹת הַסִּפֻּן).” Now this is why he calls the roof קִירוֹת הַסִּפֻּן, because the roof was like an inverted ship (סְפִינָה) or boat, for it is customary to make the ceiling round, like a ship.
Ralbag
'The beams, the thresholds' — the beams are the cedar boards with which he covered the walls of the House, and the thresholds are the doorposts in which the doors were set, or the sills below and above the doors, or both of these together, which is more correct. And its walls refers to what remained visible of the thickness of the wall at the place of the doors; that thickness, too, was overlaid with gold, so that nothing but gold could be seen there. As for graved cherubim on the walls: here it is stated briefly, omitting mention of the palm-trees and open flowers.
Metzudat David
'The beams' — The beams of the ceiling. 'The thresholds' — The doorposts of the doors. 'And its walls' — The walls [themselves]. 'And graved [cherubim]' — He carved images of cherubim into the walls.
Metzudat Zion
Overlaid (vayachaf) - An expression of overlaying. Cherubim (keruvim) - The Aramaic Targum renders 'na'ar' (a youth) as 'ravya' (a child), for they had the face of a child.
Malbim
he overlaid also — This clarifies what is stated there (I Kings 6:21), ‘And Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold,’ and there (I Kings 6:23), ‘and the whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished’ — statements that would otherwise seem redundant. He explains that verse 23 there speaks of the overlaying of the beams, the thresholds, and the doors. and graved cherubim on the walls — As stated in verse 5, the cherubim were only on the walls, not on the floor; and this too Ezra teaches us here, by way of explaining the verses in Kings.
And he made the most holy place; its length, according to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and its breadth twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.
verse value 7025
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 81 letters. The shortest word is "six" (שֵׁ֥שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "house·of·holy·of" (אֶת־בֵּֽית־קֹ֣דֶשׁ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 620: twenty, twenty. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "house·of·holy·of" (אֶת־בֵּֽית־קֹ֣דֶשׁ), "and·its·breadth" (וְרׇחְבּ֖וֹ), "to·talents" (לְכִכָּרִ֖ים). The root רחב appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "house·of·holy·of" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "and·he·made" (root עשה, 159x in II Chronicles); "upon·the·face·of" (root פנים, 116x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root ככר ("to·talents") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'twenty', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Rashi
And he made the House of, etc. This is what he should have said: “And he made the house of the Holy of Holies twenty by twenty,” [since neither side was longer] but because he said above (verse 4): “And the vestibule, etc. opposite the breadth of the House, was twenty cubits, etc.,” he words it similarly here. and he overlaid it with fine gold Also in the Holy of Holies, he first built walls of wood, and upon it he overlaid gold, and the reason he does not mention any wood here in the Holy of Holies is due to the greatness of the Temple; i.e., all the walls of the House of the Ark were of gold, and there was no wood in them, and that was honor for the Holy of Holies, and this is proven in Kings (ad loc.). The proof that because of the honor of the House he does not mention any wood is that it is written (verse 6): “And he overlaid the House with precious stone,” whereas in Kings, it is not written: “precious stone.” Why not? Because in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah he lets you know that Solomon’s intention was for the honor of the House.
Metzudat David
'Its length, according to the breadth of the house' — Just as this phrase was used for the porch, which was twenty by ten, so too it is used here regarding the Holy of Holies, even though it was [actually] twenty by twenty. 'Twenty cubits' — Meaning, it too measured twenty cubits [in breadth]. 'Amounting to...talents' — It came, in talents, to six hundred.
Malbim
its length — Since the cherubim stood from north to south, from wall to wall, this direction is counted as the ‘length’; and the ark stood on the west side, in the middle of that length, so this dimension is called the ‘length’ — just as was stated above as well, at verse 4, as mentioned there. and he overlaid it — Above (verse 6) it spoke of the overlaying of the walls, and here it speaks of the overlaying of the floor, which was not covered with wood; and it is impossible to overlay gold onto bare stone unless the gold is thick enough to stand on its own. That is why it says the gold amounted to six hundred talents: covering one square cubit of the floor required a talent and a half of gold, so that he laid down thick sheets of gold, and with them paved the floor.
And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
verse value 2808
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 39 letters. Verse gematria: 2808 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "gold" (זָהָ֑ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "of·nails" (לְמִסְמְר֥וֹת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 14: gold, gold. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·weight" (וּמִשְׁקָ֛ל), "of·nails" (לְמִסְמְר֥וֹת), "in·shekels" (לִשְׁקָלִ֖ים). The root זהב appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "gold" (root זהב, 49x in II Chronicles); "fifty" (root חמש, 37x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root משקל ("and·weight") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'gold', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּמִשְׁקָ֛ל [and·weight] (476) + לְמִסְמְר֥וֹת [of·nails] (776) + לִשְׁקָלִ֖ים [in·shekels] (510) + חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים [fifty] (398) + זָהָ֑ב [gold] (14) + וְהָעֲלִיּ֖וֹת [and·the·upper-chambers] (527) + חִפָּ֥ה [he·overlaid] (93) + זָהָֽב [gold] (14) = 2808.
Rashi
And the weight of the nails to reinforce with them the gold on the wooden walls. in shekels in the weight of shekels, fifty shekels of gold.
Ralbag
'And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold' — meaning the upper chambers above the Holy and above the Holy of Holies, for there were upper chambers there about ten cubits high, being what remained of the height of the House up to the roof.
Metzudat David
'The nails' — These are the pegs by which he fastened the gold overlay to the wood. 'And the upper chambers' — [Referring to] the walls of the structure of the upper chambers.
Malbim
And the weight [of the nails] — This refers back to what was just said: since the floor could not be overlaid with gold directly onto the stones, but only by laying down thick sheets of gold, he attached these sheets to the floor by means of nails, and each nail weighed fifty shekels. And he overlaid the upper chambers — either the upper chambers above the most holy place, or all the upper chambers [of the building]. This too is not mentioned in Kings, so that everything stated up to this point is a new detail that Ezra introduced, which we would not have known from the Book of Kings.
And in the most holy place he made two cherubim of image work; and they overlaid them with gold.
verse value 3773
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "them" (אֹתָ֖ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·house·of·holy·of" (בְּבֵֽית־קֹ֤דֶשׁ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "in·house·of·holy·of" (בְּבֵֽית־קֹ֤דֶשׁ), "images" (צַעֲצֻעִ֑ים), "and·they·overlaid" (וַיְצַפּ֥וּ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·house·of·holy·of" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "and·he·made" (root עשה, 159x in II Chronicles); "the·holy·things" (root קדש, 49x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root מעשה ("work·of") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'images', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֜עַשׂ [and·he·made] (386) + בְּבֵֽית־קֹ֤דֶשׁ [in·house·of·holy·of] (818) + הַקֳּדָשִׁים֙ [the·holy·things] (459) + כְּרוּבִ֣ים [cherubim] (278) + שְׁנַ֔יִם [two] (400) + מַעֲשֵׂ֖ה [work·of] (415) + צַעֲצֻעִ֑ים [images] (370) + וַיְצַפּ֥וּ [and·they·overlaid] (192) + אֹתָ֖ם [them] (441) + זָהָֽב [gold] (14) = 3773.
Rashi
with the appearance of children - Heb. צַעֲצֻעִים. A similar instance is (Isa. 22:24): הַצֶּאֱצָאִים וְהַצְּפִעוֹת, which is translated by the Targum as: the children, etc. He made the form of boys and girls for cherubim, [based on the Aramaic] כְּרַבְיָא, [meaning like children,] and they were of wood, which he afterwards overlaid with gold, and in I Kings (6:23): “And he made in the Debir two cherubim of olive wood,” but all that was within of wood he does not wish to mention in this Book because of its honor.
Ralbag
'Of image work' — some have explained this to mean shaped like young children, but if so the matter would be redundant, since cherubim itself also means the image of children, related to the word ravya, meaning a child. It seems to me, rather, that the intent is an act of spreading, that is, that they spread out with their wings, related to the word in sackcloth and ashes was spread for many (Esther 4:3), even though the two are of different roots. The cherubim stood on their feet on the two sides of the ark, their backs attached to the western wall of the Holy of Holies, and their faces turned toward the House.
Metzudat David
'And...he made, etc.' — These cherubim stood upon the floor, and they were made of wood overlaid with gold.
Metzudat Zion
Of image work (tza'atzu'im) - Related to the word 'tze'etza'im' (offspring), spelled with an aleph, a term meaning 'offspring and issue' (Isaiah 22), which the Targum renders 'children and children's children.' Even though the verse already said 'cherubim,' it adds this for further clarification — that they were made in the form of children.
Malbim
and he made — In Kings (I Kings 6:23) it is written ‘shenei keruvim’ [two cherubim, in the paired form], implying that the two were identical to one another; but Ezra teaches us that they were two of unlike kind — one in the image of a male and the other of a female, one bestowing influence and the other receiving it, as our sages taught. So too in the Torah: in the command (Exodus 25:18) it is written ‘shenayim keruvim’ [in the standalone form], while in the account of its execution (Exodus 37:7) it is written ‘shenei keruvim’ [the paired form] — for this same reason, as I wrote in my work HaTorah VeHaMitzvah, parashat Acharei Mot. We further learn that they were ‘image work’ (ma’aseh tza’atzu’im); it appears the meaning is that they looked as though in flight, since their wings were made like the wings of a bird, fashioned to spread out and draw in (the root is tzadi-ayin-heh, denoting a kind of inward motion, as in Isaiah 51, ‘he that is bowed down shall speedily be set free,’ a word related to ‘zo’ah’ and ‘so’ah’ — see there; with the first and second root letters doubled, as in the words ‘sha’ashu’im’ and ‘ta’atu’im’). and they overlaid them with gold — Since in Kings this measurement [of their wingspan] is mentioned before the overlaying (there the overlaying is mentioned only at the end), Ezra teaches us that the essential measurement was in fact the one taken after the overlaying.
And the wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long: the wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.
verse value 6360
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 86 letters. Notable word values: "the·one" (הָאֶחָ֜ד) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "wing·of" (כְּנַ֨ף, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·cherubim" (הַכְּרוּבִ֔ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 447: cubits, cubits. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·wings·of" (וְכַנְפֵי֙), "their·length" (אׇרְכָּ֖ם), "wing·of" (כְּנַ֨ף). The root כנף appears 4 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "the·other" (root אחר, 40x in II Chronicles); "five" (root חמש, 37x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root כנף ("and·wings·of") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root אחד ("the·one") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'twenty', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 15 words.
Rashi
And the wings of the cherubim - their length was twenty cubits How so? The wing of one was five cubits, and the end of the five reached the wall of the House to the south, and the other wing reached the wing of the other cherub, which was at its side, totaling ten cubits for one cherub, and so for the other one. It is found that the wing of one cherub reached the north, and the wing of one cherub reached the south. It follows that they were as long as the entire western wall, which was twenty cubits [long]. And concerning their bodies, our Sages said, (Yoma 21a), that they stood miraculously, [i.e., they did not occupy space]. But according to the simple explanation of the matter, it appears to me that their bodies protruded from them like a bird which spreads its wings, that its body protrudes outside its wings, (See B.B. 99a) and their height is delineated in I Kings (6:26): “The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the second cherub.”
Malbim
the wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long — Since there [in Kings] it is written only that the wingspan was ten cubits, from the tip of its wings to the tip of its wings, one might have thought that the two cherubim stood one behind the other, as is discussed in Bava Batra (99a) — but if so, the cherubim would not have been standing there through a miracle [as the tradition holds]. Ezra therefore clarifies that they stood side by side, so that their combined span was twenty cubits, which proves that they stood there through a miracle, as our sages taught; or alternatively, that their two rear wings were joined to one another, side by side, as the commentators explain. And lest you think that they stood face to face, in which case one might read the twenty cubits as exclusive of the cherubim’s own bodies, Scripture states that ‘their faces were inward.’ And lest you think that one stood upon its feet while the other crouched beneath it — in which case their wings might be understood to touch one another, one above the other, allowing them to fit within a length of twenty cubits together with their bodies — Scripture states that ‘they were standing upon their feet.’ And according to the plain sense as well, ‘their faces were one to another’ describes the cherubim that were upon the Ark [in the days of Moses], whereas the cherubim that Solomon made had their faces inward. Regarding this our sages taught homiletically that when Israel does not do the will of the Omnipresent, their faces are inward — meaning: the cherubim of Moses, which stood upon the Ark, alluded to the time when Israel does the will of the Omnipresent, when the divine flow descends from the Ark of the Covenant, where their faces were toward one another, receiving and being influenced by Hashem directly, without an intermediary. But the cherubim that Solomon added came to allude to the fact that even at a time when Israel does not do the will of the Omnipresent and merely stands before the Ark, they still receive that influence, but through an intermediary — and so their faces were inward, not receiving directly, one from the other.
And the wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub.
verse value 4390
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "the·other" (הָאֶחָד֙) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "five" (חָמֵ֔שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·cherub" (הַכְּר֤וּב, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 447: cubits, cubits. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·wing·of" (וּכְנַ֨ף), "joining" (דְּבֵקָ֕ה). The root כנף appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "the·other" (root אחר, 40x in II Chronicles); "five" (root חמש, 37x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
The wings of these cherubim spread themselves forth twenty cubits; and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward.
verse value 3417
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "and·they" (וְהֵ֛ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "on·their·feet" (עַל־רַגְלֵיהֶ֖ם, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "on·their·feet" (עַל־רַגְלֵיהֶ֖ם), "and·their·faces" (וּפְנֵיהֶ֥ם). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·house" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "and·their·faces" (root פנים, 116x in II Chronicles); "standing" (root עמד, 54x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root עמד ("standing") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root רגל ("on·their·feet") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'twenty', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: כַּנְפֵי֙ [wings·of] (160) + הַכְּרוּבִ֣ים [the·cherubim] (283) + הָאֵ֔לֶּה [these] (41) + פֹּרְשִׂ֖ים [spreading] (630) + אַמּ֣וֹת [cubits] (447) + עֶשְׂרִ֑ים [twenty] (620) + וְהֵ֛ם [and·they] (51) + עֹמְדִ֥ים [standing] (164) + עַל־רַגְלֵיהֶ֖ם [on·their·feet] (388) + וּפְנֵיהֶ֥ם [and·their·faces] (191) + לַבָּֽיִת [to·the·house] (442) = 3417.
Rashi
standing on their feet on the floor of the House to the west. with their faces to the House To the inside, for their heads were not erect, so that they should appear as though looking outward, but their heads were bent and looking before them, as it is written (Exod. 25:20): “and their faces [shall be] one toward the other,” but here it says. “with their faces to the House,” but rather their heads were facing each other, and their heads were also bent toward the House, toward the inside, and the Ark was standing in the place of the wing spread of the two cherubim, and the wings of the cherubim were inclined from the wall and shielded the Ark cover and the Ark with their wings. Aside from these cherubim were the cherubim that Moses had made from the Ark cover, still attached and clinging to the Ark cover and standing upon it. Do not be surprised about this, because likewise, Solomon made ten tables and ten candelabra, besides those of Moses.
Metzudat David
'Spread themselves forth' — [Describing] their wings when spread out across the width of the Holy of Holies. '[Toward] the house' — Facing the interior space of the House, and not facing one another.
And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubim on it.
verse value 3562
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 45 letters. Verse gematria: 3562 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·he·made" (וַיַּ֙עַשׂ֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·veil" (אֶת־הַפָּרֹ֔כֶת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 116: and·he·brought·up, on·it. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "the·veil" (אֶת־הַפָּרֹ֔כֶת), "blue" (תְּכֵ֥לֶת), "and·purple" (וְאַרְגָּמָ֖ן). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·made" (root עשה, 159x in II Chronicles); "on·it" (root על, 111x in II Chronicles); "and·he·brought·up" (root עלה, 83x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·fine·linen', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֙עַשׂ֙ [and·he·made] (386) + אֶת־הַפָּרֹ֔כֶת [the·veil] (1106) + תְּכֵ֥לֶת [blue] (850) + וְאַרְגָּמָ֖ן [and·purple] (300) + וְכַרְמִ֣יל [and·crimson] (306) + וּב֑וּץ [and·fine·linen] (104) + וַיַּ֥עַל [and·he·brought·up] (116) + עָלָ֖יו [on·it] (116) + כְּרוּבִֽים [cherubim] (278) = 3562.
Rashi
And he made the dividing curtain of blue, purple and he hung it on the door that was in the cubit between the two partitions, through which they would enter the Holy of Holies. Although it had doors, he hung it upon it as further (4:22): “And the entrance to the House, its inner doors to the Holy of Holies, etc.” and he wrought cherubim into it pictures of cherubim.
Metzudat David
'He made the veil' — [Positioned] opposite the entrance of the Holy of Holies, even though there were also doors there, as stated further below and in I Kings. 'And wrought' — He fashioned images of cherubim on it in embroidered work.
Malbim
And he made the veil — This is not mentioned in Kings; Ezra added it. The veil hung before the entrance to the most holy place.
Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty-five cubits high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.
verse value 5729
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "length" (אֹ֑רֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·on·its·top" (אֲשֶׁר־עַל־רֹאשׁ֖וֹ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 447: cubits, cubits. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "length" (אֹ֑רֶךְ), "and·the·capital" (וְהַצֶּ֥פֶת), "that·on·its·top" (אֲשֶׁר־עַל־רֹאשׁ֖וֹ). The root אמה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house" (root בית, 191x in II Chronicles); "and·he·made" (root עשה, 159x in II Chronicles); "before" (root פנים, 116x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root עמוד ("pillars") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root שלש ("thirty") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'length', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֜עַשׂ [and·he·made] (386) + לִפְנֵ֤י [before] (170) + הַבַּ֙יִת֙ [the·house] (417) + עַמּוּדִ֣ים [pillars] (170) + שְׁנַ֔יִם [two] (400) + אַמּ֕וֹת [cubits] (447) + שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים [thirty] (680) + וְחָמֵ֖שׁ [and·five] (354) + אֹ֑רֶךְ [length] (221) + וְהַצֶּ֥פֶת [and·the·capital] (581) + אֲשֶׁר־עַל־רֹאשׁ֖וֹ [that·on·its·top] (1108) + אַמּ֥וֹת [cubits] (447) + חָמֵֽשׁ [five] (348) = 5729.
Rashi
thirty-five cubits long i.e., the height. And in I Kings (7:15): “And he cast the two pillars of copper, eighteen cubits, etc.” Rabbi Solomon (Rashi to Kings) explained that he cast them both together and subsequently divided them in two, and the missing cubit is not counted because it is unlike the work of the rest of the pillar, as is written there in the section (7:22): “And upon the top of the pillars was lily work.” Rabbi Joseph [Kara] also explained it in this manner, but it is not acceptable to me, for what is the meaning of its height being eighteen, but this is how I heard it, that he surely cast them both together, and then divided them in two; so we find that each one was seventeen and a half cubits, and the capital, which was the chapiter, as is stated there, its thickness was half a cubit, making each one eighteen cubits. and the capital - Heb. וְהַצֶּפֶת. That is the overlay (צִפּוּי) like (verse 10): “and he (sic) overlaid them (וַיְצַפֶּה) with gold.” I.e., it was made like a sort of hollow (conical) hat, whose thickness was half of a cubit from below, and when it is inverted and placed on the pillar, it is found to be eighteen cubits: in I Kings (7:16-20), it is called chapiters (כֹּתָרוֹת), an expression of a crown (כֶּתֶר), as it is written: “And two chapiters (כּתָרוֹת), etc.”
Ralbag
'Of thirty-five cubits high' — meaning the combined height of the two pillars together; so the height of each pillar was seventeen and a half cubits. Yet the Book of Kings states that the height of each pillar was eighteen cubits, without being precise about the half-cubit, or perhaps half a cubit was covered by the capital. 'And the capital that was on the top of each of them' — this is the capital that was on the top of the pillar, as mentioned in the Book of Kings; it was made up of two capitals joined to one another, each shaped like a basin, as we explained there.
Metzudat David
'Before the house' — In the interior space of the porch. 'Thirty-five cubits...high' — This is the combined length of both [pillars] together [not the height of each one individually]. 'And the capital' — This is what is called the “kotteret” in I Kings; it is called “tzefet” [covering] here because it was a covering set atop the pillar.
Malbim
thirty-five [cubits] — In Kings (I Kings 7:15) each pillar is said to have been eighteen cubits high. Ezra teaches us that at the time the two of them were cast together, they measured thirty-five cubits [combined], and afterward each one was struck with a mallet and so was lengthened by half a cubit, as I explained in my commentary there. and the capital — this is the same as the ‘kotteret’ [crown-piece] (from the language of ‘tzanif,’ a wound headdress, or because it stands atop like something looking out from above); and since it consisted of two parts, both together are called by this name.
And he made chains in the Sanctuary, and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.
verse value 5898
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "hundred" (מֵאָ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·the·chains" (בַּֽשַּׁרְשְׁרֽוֹת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 466: and·he·put, and·he·put. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "chains" (שַׁרְשְׁרוֹת֙), "in·the·sanctuary" (בַּדְּבִ֔יר), "in·the·chains" (בַּֽשַּׁרְשְׁרֽוֹת). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·made" (root עשה, 159x in II Chronicles); "and·he·put" (root נתן, 116x in II Chronicles); "hundred" (root מאה, 57x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root דביר ("in·the·sanctuary") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root רמון ("pomegranates") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·pillars', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֤עַשׂ [and·he·made] (386) + שַׁרְשְׁרוֹת֙ [chains] (1406) + בַּדְּבִ֔יר [in·the·sanctuary] (218) + וַיִּתֵּ֖ן [and·he·put] (466) + עַל־רֹ֣אשׁ [on·top·of] (601) + הָעַמֻּדִ֑ים [the·pillars] (169) + וַיַּ֤עַשׂ [and·he·made] (386) + רִמּוֹנִים֙ [pomegranates] (346) + מֵאָ֔ה [hundred] (46) + וַיִּתֵּ֖ן [and·he·put] (466) + בַּֽשַּׁרְשְׁרֽוֹת [in·the·chains] (1408) = 5898.
Rashi
and placed them in the chains He made chains at the top of the capital under it, and within the chains he set forms of pomegranates in order to cover the hollow of the capital, as it is written (ibid. verse 41): “to cover the two bowls (גֻלּוֹת) of the chapiters,” and because of its hollow, he calls them גֻלּוֹת. And concerning the net-work (שְׂבָכָה) written there, these are the chains, an expression of (Job 18:8): “and he shall walk on the nets (שְׂבָכָה),” an expression of branches, like (Gen. 22:13): “caught in the hedge (בַּסְּבַךְ) by its horns.” Some interpret it as coif, and Rabbi Eliezer interprets it as branches.
Metzudat David
'And he made chains' — This is what is stated in I Kings, “and he drew chains of gold across, etc.” — meaning, he made bars out of gold chains before the partition between the Hall and the Holy of Holies. 'In the Sanctuary' — That partition itself is called “the Sanctuary” [devir], just like the Holy of Holies itself. 'And put them on the tops of the pillars' — He placed chains on the tops of the pillars, and on them the pomegranates were strung. Since the word “chains” had already been mentioned at the start of the verse, Scripture omits it here and relies on the reader to understand — even though these are not the same chains [as those mentioned before]. 'A hundred' — Each row had a hundred, and each pillar had two rows, as stated in I Kings.
Malbim
And he made chains in the Sanctuary - He does not mention here the network (which he will mention below, 4:12); but we learn from this that the chains were fastened at their tops within the network, and that the pomegranates hung from their lower ends. Scripture calls the underside of the network by the name “Sanctuary” (devir), the inner, enclosed chamber, because it appeared as though [the chains and pomegranates] were set within a sanctuary - a chamber within a chamber. And he made a hundred pomegranates - That is, on each chain hung a hundred pomegranates. This is what is stated in Kings (I Kings 7:20), “and the pomegranates were two hundred” - meaning two rows, each row of a hundred pomegranates, as is also stated at the end of Jeremiah. I have already explained this matter fully in my commentary on Kings there; see it there.
And he set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.
verse value 3444
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֥ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "one" (אֶחָ֥ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·pillars" (אֶת־הָֽעַמּוּדִים֙, 9 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "the·pillars" (אֶת־הָֽעַמּוּדִים֙), "the·temple" (הַהֵיכָ֔ל), "and·one" (וְאֶחָ֣ד). The root אחד appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "before·the·face·of" (root פנים, 116x in II Chronicles); "and·name·of" (root שם, 63x in II Chronicles); "one" (root אחד, 27x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root קום ("and·he·set·up") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root היכל ("the·temple") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·the·left', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
before the Heichal At the entrance of the Heichal on the outside, in the vestibule, as is proven in I Kings (7:19): “And the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the vestibule.” one from the right of the entrance. and one from the left of the entrance. Jachin, etc. Boaz Jachin because of the kingdom of the house of David, which was compared to the moon, as it is written (Ps. 89:38): “Like the moon, which is established (יִכּוֹן) forever.” Boaz, corresponding to the sun, [which emerges with might and strength (עֹז) (Yesod Veshoresh Haavodah)], as it is written (ibid. 19: 6): “it rejoices like a mighty man, running,” (Midrassh Tadshe, ch. 2). The “beth” of בֹּעַז is like the “mem” in (Gen. 5:29) נֹחַ יְנַחֲמֵנוּ and in (I Sam 1:20) שְּׁמוּאֵל כִּי מֵה' שְׁאִלְתִּיו. and he named the right one Jachin although the moon is smaller than the sun, i.e., that it shou ld help him like an established moon, but not like a diminishing moon. Said Solomon, “If the Holy One, blessed be He, compares my kingdom to the sun and the moon, I too shall make an established and enduring thing, namely, large copper pillars.” Another explanation: Huram, who was one of the sons of Dan, made the pillars. He called one Jachin after his father Samson, about whom Scripture states (Jud. 16:29): “And Samson grasped the two pillars of the center, etc.” And Solomon called the second one Boaz after his grandfather, Boaz. A similar instance is (Gen. 31:47): “And Laban called it Yegar Sahadutha.”
Ralbag
'And he made chains in the Devir' — I think he means that he made chains on the inner capital, which is the lower one, for the capital-piece consists of two capitals joined to one another, each shaped like a basin. Now just as the inner chamber of the House is called Devir, so too he called the inner capital Devir.
Metzudat David
'Jachin' — As a good omen, that the House would be established [yakhin] forever. 'Boaz' — This is a compound word, [combining] “bo” [in it] and “oz” [strength] — meaning, in this House Israel would find strength and might.
Rashi
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim