Page:The Books of Chronicles (1916).djvu/249

Rh Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out. And Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon was the shewbread; and the candlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn according to the ordinance before the oracle, of pure gold; and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, of gold, and that perfect gold; and the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the firepans, of pure gold: and as for the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house, to

valley. It is possible, however, that the Heb. is defective and that the true reading is at the ford of Adamah, but on the whole it is best to keep the reading in the text (see Barnes on 1 Kin. vii. 46).

Succoth] Succoth is probably Tell Deir 'Alla, east of Jordan, about one mile north of the Jabbok.

Zeredah] (1 Kin. xi. 26); but in 1 Kin. vii. 46 (R.V.) Zarethan (cp. Josh. iii. 6, R.V.). Its site is not known, beyond the obvious inference that it was near the Jordan and not very far from Succoth. Jos. iii. 16 states that it was near Adam (the modern el Damieh).

18. Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance] In 1 Kin. vii. 47, And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many.

19—V. 1 (= 1 Kin. vii. 48—51).&emsp;

19. the golden altar] This was the altar of incense (cp. 1 Macc. i. 21 ff.), which according to Ex. xxx. 1 ff. stood within the tabernacle and was made of acacia wood (cp. however, Ex. xxxix. 38). Both passages in Exodus are of late, post-exilic, date, and as no mention of this altar is made by Ezekiel, it was probably a feature not of the first but of the second Temple.

the tables whereon was the shewbread] In 1 Kin. vii. 48 (parallel passage), the table (sing.); a reading probably to be accepted here also; cp. note on ver. 8.

20. the oracle] See note on iii. 16.

21. the flowers] These were ornaments on the golden candlesticks; cp. Ex. xxxvii. 19.

22. the firepans] in which fire was carried to and from the altar.

the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple] The "[greater] house" or "temple" is here distinguished from the "most holy place" or "shrine." Cp. iii. 5, 8.