וַיִּסְפֹּר שְׁלֹמֹה שִׁבְעִים אֶלֶף אִישׁ סַבָּל וּשְׁמוֹנִים אֶלֶף אִישׁ חֹצֵב בָּהָר וּמְנַצְּחִים עֲלֵיהֶם שְׁלֹשֶׁת   2:1

 אֲלָפִים וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת׃

2Chr. 2:1   So Solomon counted seventy thousand men bearing burden and eighty thousand men cutting wood on the mountain and three thousand six hundred overseers for them.

וַיִּשְׁלַח שְׁלֹמֹה אֶל־חוּרָם מֶלֶךְ־צֹר לֵאמֹר כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ עִם־דָּוִיד אָבִי וַתִּשְׁלַח־לוֹ אֲרָזִים לִבְנוֹת־לוֹ   2:2

 בַיִת לָשֶׁבֶת בּוֹ׃

2Chr. 2:2   And Solomon sent to Huram, king of Tyre, saying, “As you did with David, my father, and sent cedars to him to build a house for him to dwell in it,

Hiram’s name seems to have changed from the time of 1Kings to 2Chronicles.  He is now referred to as Huram.  Also these details of Solomon’s letter to the king of Tyre are not identical to those in 1Kings 5:17ff.

הִנֵּה אֲנִי בוֹנֶה־בַּיִת לְשֵׁם יְהוָה אֱלֹהָי לְהַקְדִּישׁ לוֹ לְהַקְטִיר לְפָנָיו קְטֹרֶת־סַמִּים וּמַעֲרֶכֶת תָּמִיד   2:3

  וְעֹלוֹת לַבֹּקֶר וְלָעֶרֶב לַשַּׁבָּתוֹת וְלֶחֳדָשִׁים וּלְמוֹעֲדֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ לְעוֹלָם זֹאת עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

2Chr. 2:3   behold, I am to be building a house for the name of the Lord, my God, to dedicate to Him, for burning incense of sweet spices before Him, and the continual showbread, and the burnt offerings for the morning and for the evening, for the Sabbaths and for the new moons and for the appointed times of the Lord, our God.  This is upon Israel forever.”

וְהַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִי בוֹנֶה גָּדוֹל כִּי־גָדוֹל אֱלֹהֵינוּ מִכָּל־הָאֱלֹהִים׃   2:4

2Chr. 2:4   “And the house that I am to be building shall be great, for our God is greater than all the gods.”

וּמִי יַעֲצָר־כֹּחַ לִבְנוֹת־לוֹ בַיִת כִּי הַשָּׁמַיִם וּשְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם לֹא יְכַלְכְּלֻהוּ וּמִי אֲנִי אֲשֶׁר אֶבְנֶה־לּוֹ בַיִת כִּי   2:5

 אִם־לְהַקְטִיר לְפָנָיו׃

2Chr. 2:5   “Yet who can retain the strength to build the house for Him, that the heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him?  Then who am I that I should build for Him a house, except to burn sacrifices before Him?”

וְעַתָּה שְׁלַח־לִי אִישׁ־חָכָם לַעֲשׂוֹת בַּזָּהָב וּבַכֶּסֶף וּבַנְּחֹשֶׁת וּבַבַּרְזֶל וּבָאַרְגְּוָן וְכַרְמִיל וּתְכֵלֶת וְיֹדֵעַ   2:6

 לְפַתֵּחַ פִּתּוּחִים עִם־הַחֲכָמִים אֲשֶׁר עִמִּי בִּיהוּדָה וּבִירוּשָׁלִַם אֲשֶׁר הֵכִין דָּוִיד אָבִי׃

2Chr. 2:6   “So now send an expert to me to work with gold, and with silver, and with brass, and with iron, and with purple and crimson and blue, and knows to carve engravings, to be with the wise ones who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem that David, my father, provided.”

וּשְׁלַח־לִי עֲצֵי אֲרָזִים בְּרוֹשִׁים וְאַלְגּוּמִּים מֵהַלְּבָנוֹן כִּי אֲנִי יָדַעְתִּי אֲשֶׁר עֲבָדֶיךָ יוֹדְעִים לִכְרוֹת עֲצֵי   2:7

 לְבָנוֹן וְהִנֵּה עֲבָדַי עִם־עֲבָדֶיךָ׃

2Chr. 2:7   “And send timbers of cedar, of cypress, and of sandalwood to me from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled to cut the trees of Lebanon, and behold, my servants will be with your servants,

וּלְהָכִין לִי עֵצִים לָרֹב כִּי הַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִי בוֹנֶה גָּדוֹל וְהַפְלֵא׃   2:8

2Chr. 2:8   even to prepare timbers for me in abundance, for the house that I will be building shall be great and wonderful.”

וְהִנֵּה לַחֹטְבִים לְכֹרְתֵי הָעֵצִים נָתַתִּי חִטִּים מַכּוֹת לַעֲבָדֶיךָ כֹּרִים עֶשְׂרִים אֶלֶף וּשְׂעֹרִים כֹּרִים עֶשְׂרִים   2:9

 אָלֶף וְיַיִן בַּתִּים עֶשְׂרִים אֶלֶף וְשֶׁמֶן בַּתִּים עֶשְׂרִים אָלֶף׃

2Chr. 2:9   And behold, for the hewing, for the cutting of the trees, I give to your servants twenty thousand measures of threshed wheat and twenty thousand measures of barley and twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand baths of oil.”

וַיֹּאמֶר חוּרָם מֶלֶךְ־צֹר בִּכְתָב וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶל־שְׁלֹמֹה בְּאַהֲבַת יְהוָה אֶת־עַמּוֹ נְתָנְךָ עֲלֵיהֶם מֶלֶךְ׃   2:10

2Chr. 2:10   And Huram, king of Tyre, said in writing, and sent to Solomon, “Because of the Lord loving His people, He has made you king over them.”

Here the details of Huram’s response to Solomon are similar to but also different from those in 1Kings Chapter 5.

וַיֹּאמֶר חוּרָם בָּרוּךְ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לְדָוִיד הַמֶּלֶךְ   2:11

 בֵּן חָכָם יוֹדֵעַ שֵׂכֶל וּבִינָה אֲשֶׁר יִבְנֶה־בַּיִת לַיהוָה וּבַיִת לְמַלְכוּתוֹ׃

2Chr. 2:11   And Huram said, “Blessed is the Lord, God of Israel, Who made the heavens and the earth, Who gave to David, the king, a wise son, knowing, insightful, and understanding, who can build the house for the Lord and a house for his kingdom.”

וְעַתָּה שָׁלַחְתִּי אִישׁ־חָכָם יוֹדֵעַ בִּינָה לְחוּרָם אָבִי׃   2:12

2Chr. 2:12   “And now I send a knowing, understanding expert, in Huram,  my foremost,

So Huram’s expert craftsman is also called Huram.  However, his name changed as well from 1Kings to 2Chronicles.  He was also named Hiram in 1Kings. 

An interesting fact is the way all the popular bibles have translated the last word of this verse, which I translate as my foremost.  Most of them add it to Huram’s name, making it Huram-abi.  Others mistranslate it as my father’s.  But the root word אבּ has far more translations than just father.  Among them is principal, master, chief, important, and more.  The noun foremost seems a good synonym for some of these.

                                                                                                     [Return to 2Chr. 4:16]

בֶּן־אִשָּׁה מִן־בְּנוֹת דָּן וְאָבִיו אִישׁ־צֹרִי יוֹדֵעַ לַעֲשׂוֹת בַּזָּהָב־וּבַכֶּסֶף בַּנְּחֹשֶׁת בַּבַּרְזֶל בָּאֲבָנִים וּבָעֵצִים   2:13

 בָּאַרְגָּמָן בַּתְּכֵלֶת וּבַבּוּץ וּבַכַּרְמִיל וּלְפַתֵּחַ כָּל־פִּתּוּחַ וְלַחְשֹׁב כָּל־מַחֲשָׁבֶת אֲשֶׁר יִנָּתֶן־לוֹ עִם־חֲכָמֶיךָ

וְחַכְמֵי אֲדֹנִי דָּוִיד אָבִיךָ׃

2Chr. 2:13   the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father a man of Tyre, skilled to work with gold and with silver, with brass, with iron, with stone and with wood, with purple, with blue, and with fine white linen, and with crimson, and to carve every kind of engraving, and to concoct any device that may be given to him, with your wise men and the wise men of my lord, David, your father.”

This is considerably more detail about Huram, the craftsman, then is found in 1Kin. 7:13 and 7:14.

וְעַתָּה הַחִטִּים וְהַשְּׂעֹרִים הַשֶּׁמֶן וְהַיַּיִן אֲשֶׁר אָמַר אֲדֹנִי יִשְׁלַח לַעֲבָדָיו׃   2:14

2Chr. 2:14   “So now let him send the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine that my lord had promised to his servants,

וַאֲנַחְנוּ נִכְרֹת עֵצִים מִן־הַלְּבָנוֹן כְּכָל־צָרְכֶּךָ וּנְבִיאֵם לְךָ רַפְסֹדוֹת עַל־יָם יָפוֹ וְאַתָּה תַּעֲלֶה אֹתָם   2:15

 יְרוּשָׁלִָם׃

2Chr. 2:15   and we will cut the timbers from Lebanon according to your every need and rafts will be brought to you by sea to Joppa, and you can bring them up to Jerusalem.”

This verse is reminiscent of 1Kin. 5:23, but the details are more extensive there than here.

וַיִּסְפֹּר שְׁלֹמֹה כָּל־הָאֲנָשִׁים הַגֵּירִים אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַחֲרֵי הַסְּפָר אֲשֶׁר סְפָרָם דָּוִיד אָבִיו   2:16

 וַיִּמָּצְאוּ מֵאָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף וּשְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת׃

2Chr. 2:16   Then Solomon counted all the strangers who were in the land of Israel, besides the number whom David, his father, had counted, and a hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred were found.

וַיַּעַשׂ מֵהֶם שִׁבְעִים אֶלֶף סַבָּל וּשְׁמֹנִים אֶלֶף חֹצֵב בָּהָר וּשְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת מְנַצְּחִים   2:17

 לְהַעֲבִיד אֶת־הָעָם׃

2Chr. 2:17   And he made seventy thousand from them to be a burden bearer, and eighty thousand a cutter on the mount, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to make sure to serve the people.

This verse is a near repeat of v. 2:1 above.  But, more important is what is revealed in v. 2:16, that Solomon enlisted all the strangers in Israel for the menial tasks.  But I have to ask, was it smart to allow other strangers to oversee their work?

 

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2Chronicles 2