2 Chronicles Chapter 3

The Building of the Temple

A. Where and When the Temple Construction Began

1. Second Chronicles 3:1, The Location of the Temple

Second Chronicles 3:1, KJV
“Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.”

Solomon began the construction of the temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. This site had previously been identified as the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, the place where David built an altar after the judgment recorded in First Chronicles 21:26, KJV, “And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the Lord and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.” Here the Lord answered David, sanctifying the location. The Chronicler now identifies this sacred site as Mount Moriah, a name already charged with deep theological weight.

Mount Moriah is the very place where Abraham was commanded to offer Isaac. Genesis 22:2, KJV says, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah and offer him there.” The typology is unmistakable. Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrifice just as Christ would later carry His cross. Trapp notes that Calvary was either part of this mount or adjacent to it, demonstrating God’s redemptive continuity through the ages. In Genesis 22:14, KJV, Scripture adds, “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh.” On that same range of hills the ultimate provision would come when Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world.

Solomon’s work therefore unfolded on a site already sanctified by God’s prior dealings with Abraham and with David. The temple did not arise in a random location. God chose a hill where substitutionary sacrifice, divine provision, and covenant promise had already been displayed.

The text emphasizes that Solomon actually began to build. David had planned, prepared, gathered materials, and received the pattern from the Lord, yet the work itself awaited Solomon. This distinction holds a spiritual lesson. Many begin with dreams, intentions, and detailed planning, yet never take the first step. Solomon did not remain in preparation forever. He moved from planning to action and honored the command of God by beginning the construction.

2. Second Chronicles 3:2, When the Construction Began

Second Chronicles 3:2, KJV
“And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.”

Solomon began the temple project on the second day of the second month during the fourth year of his reign. Historically this places the beginning of construction around 967 B.C. This date coordinates with First Kings 6:1, KJV, which reads, “And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt.” These chronological markers show how long Israel dwelt in the land before a permanent temple was constructed. The tabernacle served Israel well for more than four centuries. God’s timing, not Israel’s impatience, determined the moment the temple arose.

This timeline does not imply that Solomon delayed obedience. He likely began logistical planning immediately after his coronation. Timber preparation alone often required years. The cedars of Lebanon had to be selected, felled, treated, and transported by sea to Joppa, and then hauled overland to Jerusalem. Historical notes indicate that the timber arrangements with Hiram required approximately three years. Therefore Solomon’s active preparation began early, and the fourth year marks the moment when materials, workforce, and design were finally ready for the laying of the temple’s foundation.

This reinforces a practical truth. Obedience sometimes requires extended preparation, and God’s appointed time may differ from human expectations. Yet when the moment arrived, Solomon was ready, and the construction began in precise accordance with God’s sovereign timetable.

B. A Description of the Temple

1. Second Chronicles 3:3 7, The Building in General

Second Chronicles 3:3 7, KJV
“Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. And the porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was an hundred and twenty, and he overlaid it within with pure gold. And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains. And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was gold of Parvaim. He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold, and graved cherubims on the walls.”

The Chronicler begins by giving the measurements and general description of the temple structure. The foundation Solomon laid for the house of God measured sixty cubits in length and twenty cubits in width. These dimensions correspond to the earlier tabernacle pattern but on a larger and more permanent scale. The temple maintained the essential blueprint God had given Moses while expanding it to reflect the glory of a permanent house of worship. Nothing in the design was arbitrary. It followed the pattern of heavenly realities as indicated in Hebrews 8:5, KJV, “See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.”

The vestibule or porch at the front of the sanctuary measured twenty cubits across the width of the house. The Masoretic Text gives a height of one hundred twenty cubits, but many scholars note that the number likely reflects a textual issue and should read twenty cubits high. Yet the point remains that this structure was grand, imposing, and designed to impress upon the worshiper the majesty of the God whose presence dwelt within. The Chronicler is concerned not merely with architectural precision but with conveying the splendor of the place set apart for the worship of the Lord.

Solomon paneled the larger room, the holy place, with cypress wood and overlaid it with fine gold. He carved palm trees and chainwork into the panels, echoing themes of paradise and divine beauty. Palm trees were common symbols of life and flourishing, pointing back to Eden. The chainwork added geometric harmony to the aesthetic design. These elements remind the worshiper of the perfection and order of God’s dwelling. Every detail reflected intentional theological meaning.

Solomon decorated the house with precious stones for beauty. The Chronicler emphasizes this repeatedly to show that Solomon spared no expense. Gold from Parvaim, a region known for exceptionally pure and brilliant gold, covered beams, doorposts, walls, and doors. The overlaying of gold throughout the structure created a visual environment of unmatched brilliance. As Payne notes, the precious stones may suggest mosaic inlays set into the floor, contributing to the splendor and symbolism of the space.

Finally Solomon carved cherubim on the walls. This followed the pattern of the tabernacle where cherubim were woven into the inner curtains according to Exodus 26:1, KJV, “with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them.” When one entered the holy place he was surrounded by representations of these heavenly beings. In Scripture cherubim are closely associated with the throne of God, as seen in Psalm 80:1, KJV, “Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth,” and in Isaiah 37:16, KJV, “Thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth.” Ezekiel likewise describes cherubim surrounding and supporting the throne of God. Their presence in the temple imagery symbolized heaven’s reality brought near to earth.

The worshiper did not worship angels, but he worshiped in their presence and in harmony with the heavenly court. This visual theology reminded Israel that their worship was part of the larger worship of God taking place continually in heaven.

2. Second Chronicles 3:8–14, The Most Holy Place

Second Chronicles 3:8–14, KJV
“And he made the most holy house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents. And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold. And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold. And the wings of the cherubims were twenty cubits long. One 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. And one 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. The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits, and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward. And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.”

a. And he made the Most Holy Place

The Most Holy Place was constructed as a perfect cube, twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. This mirrored the dimensions of the tabernacle’s inner sanctuary but now rendered permanent in stone, cedar, and massive amounts of gold. The cube imagery communicates perfection, completeness, and heavenly order. In the book of Revelation the New Jerusalem is also presented as a cube, showing the connection between the earthly sanctuary and the heavenly reality that it foreshadowed. The Chronicler draws our attention to this sacred chamber because it represented the very dwelling place of God among His covenant people.

Two massive carved cherubim, each rising to approximately fifteen feet in height, stood within this chamber. They were overlaid with gold and positioned with their wings spread so that the wings of each touched the opposite wall, while their inner wings touched each other. They stood facing inward, toward the center, guarding symbolically the mercy seat, reminding Israel of the heavenly throne room imagery where cherubim continually surround and proclaim the holiness of God.

b. He overlaid it with six hundred talents of fine gold

The amount of gold used was staggering. Six hundred talents equals tens of thousands of pounds of gold. Even the nails were made of gold and weighed fifty shekels. The floors were covered with gold according to First Kings 6:30, KJV, “And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.” The walls were covered with gold as First Kings 6:20–22, KJV states, “And he overlaid the whole house with gold, until he had finished all the house.” Even the carved woodwork on the doors was hammered gold according to First Kings 6:32, KJV, “He covered them with gold.”

This overwhelming display of gold was symbolic rather than merely luxurious. Trapp draws the parallel that Christ’s inward nature is full of divine glory. Colossians 2:9, KJV declares, “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” Isaiah foretold His outward humility, Isaiah 53:2, KJV, “He hath no form nor comeliness.” Though Christ’s glory was veiled in His first coming, inwardly He was perfect deity. Likewise, the Church’s beauty is inward as Psalm 45:13, KJV says, “The king’s daughter is all glorious within.” And First Peter 3:4, KJV emphasizes the hidden person of the heart, “even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit.”

Thus the gold of the Most Holy Place pointed forward to the greater glory of the true dwelling place of God in Christ and the redeemed.

c. Two cherubim, fashioned by carving, and overlaid them with gold

These monumental sculptures were positioned within the Most Holy Place facing the entrance. When the High Priest entered once per year on the Day of Atonement, the first sight he encountered was the towering golden cherubim. They symbolized guardianship of sacred space just as cherubim guarded Eden after the fall. Their inward posture showed reverence toward the center where the ark and mercy seat once stood.

Although the cherubim were image work, they do not justify idolatrous images. Trapp notes that cherubim could bear youthful human like features according to common interpretations, yet God Himself commanded their construction for the sanctuary. This does not contradict the second commandment because God appointed them for a specific symbolic and theological function. Their purpose was not to be worshiped. The High Priest worshiped God in their presence, not the angels themselves.

d. And he made the veil

The veil separated the holy place from the Most Holy Place. It was woven in blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen with embroidered cherubim, representing heavenly reality. This barrier signified that access to God was restricted. Only the High Priest could enter, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement. For the average Israelite the Most Holy Place remained unseen and inaccessible. Selman notes rightly that to most Israelites the inner sanctuary functioned as an unseen world. God had drawn near to them, yet strict boundaries reminded them of His holiness.

The New Testament explains the spiritual meaning of this veil. Hebrews 9:12, KJV states, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Christ entered the true heavenly sanctuary once for all on the basis of His shed blood.

At the moment of His death, the temple veil was torn from top to bottom. Matthew 27:51, KJV, “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.” This tearing was divine and not human, symbolizing that God Himself opened the way into His presence.

Now believers have full access to God. Hebrews 10:19–20, KJV declares,
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.”

The veil represented Christ’s body. His crucifixion opened the way into the Most Holy Place so that all believers may approach God directly. The earthly pattern gave way to the heavenly fulfillment.

3. Second Chronicles 3:15–17, The Pillars of the Temple

Second Chronicles 3:15–17, KJV
“Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the chapiter that was on the top of each of them was five cubits. And he made chains, as in the oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars, and made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains. And he reared 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.”

a. In front of the temple two pillars thirty-five cubits high

The two pillars stood at the entrance of the temple, towering thirty five cubits in height with capitals of five cubits on top. First Kings 7:15, KJV, confirms their construction material, “For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece.” These were colossal bronze pillars, cast with great skill and placed strategically before the porch of the house of the Lord. They were not structural supports, for the temple did not rest on them. They were monumental symbols, standing sentry at the threshold between the earthly world and the sacred presence of God.

Solomon decorated the capitals with chainwork similar to the ornamentation in the inner sanctuary and adorned them with one hundred pomegranates. The pomegranate was a symbol of fruitfulness and covenant blessing. These elements communicated that entrance into the presence of God was marked by the abundance of His favor and the holiness He required.

b. He called the name of the one on the right hand Jachin, and the name of the one on the left Boaz

The pillars were so significant that they were given names. The right pillar was called Jachin, meaning “He shall establish.” The left pillar was called Boaz, meaning “In Him is strength.” Their names proclaimed theological truth at the very entrance of the house of God. They declared that what God establishes, no man can overthrow, and that strength for every believer comes from the Lord alone.

In the days of Solomon the worshipers who gathered morning and evening would see these enormous bronze columns behind the Levites. Their presence spoke silently but powerfully. The worshiper approaching the temple would be reminded, “He shall establish” and “In Him is strength.” These were not mere decorations. They were declarations of the character of God and of the security He gives His people.

One may say the entire temple stood as a testimony of these two truths. God established the temple through His covenant with David. God strengthened Solomon to build it. And God met His people within it to establish them in truth and strengthen them in worship. The pillars embodied the theological message that the spiritual life must be rooted in the God who establishes His people and grants them strength.

The entire community was to draw its encouragement from this imagery. The house of God was the place where men were stabilized in their walk with the Lord and empowered by His presence. Jachin and Boaz served as an open call to the nation, saying, “Come here to be established. Come here to receive strength from the Lord.” Even today these names remind the believer that all stability and all spiritual strength come from God alone.