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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.comKeil and Delitzsch Commentary - 1 Chronicles 28:11 - 28:11
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The sketches and plans of the sacred buildings and vessels. - The enumeration begins in 1Ch 28:11 with the temple house, progressing from outside to inside, and in 1Ch 28:12 goes on to the courts and the buildings in them, and in 1Ch 28:13. to the vessels, etc. תַּבְנִית, model, pattern; cf. Exo 25:9; here the sketches and drawings of the individual things. וְאֶת־בָּתָּיו is a contraction for בָּתָּיו וְעֶת־תַּבְנִית, and the suffix refers, as the succeeding words show, not to הָעוּלָם, but to הַבַּיִת, which may be easily supplied from the context (1Ch 28:10). In the porch there were no houses. The בָּתִּים are the buildings of the temple house, viz., the holy place and the most holy, with the three-storeyed side-building, which are specified in the following words. גַּנְזַכָּיו occurs only here, but is related to גִּנְזִים, Est 3:9; Est 4:7; Eze 27:24, and to the Chald. גִּנְזִין, Ezr 7:20, and signifies store and treasure chambers, for which the chambers of the three-storeyed side-building served. עֲלִיֹּות are the upper chambers over the most holy place, 2Ch 3:9; הַפְּנִימִים חֲדָרָיו are the inner rooms of the porch and of the holy place, since הַכַּפִּרֶת בֵּית, the house of the ark with the mercy-seat, i.e., the most holy place, is mentioned immediately after.
1Ch 28:12
And the pattern, i.e., the description of all that was in the spirit with him, i.e., what his spirit had designed, לְחַצְרֹות, as to the courts. סָבִיב לְכָל־הַלְּשָׁכֹות, in reference to all the chambers round about, i.e., to all the rooms on the four sides of the courts. לְאֹצְרֹות, for the treasures of the house of God; see on 1Ch 26:20.
1Ch 28:13-16
הך וּלְמַחְלְקֹות (continuation of לְאֹצְרֹות), “and for the divisions of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of the service, and for all vessels,” - for for all these purposes, viz., for the sojourn of the priests and Levites in the service, as well as for the performance of the necessary works, e.g., preparation of the shew-bread, cooking of the sacrificial flesh, holding of the sacrificial meals, and for the storing of the vessels necessary for these purposes, the cells and building of the courts were set apart. - With 1Ch 28:14 begins the enumeration of the vessels. לַזָּהָב is co-ordinate with לְכָל־הַלְּשָׁכֹות...לְחַצְרֹות, 1Ch 28:12 : he gave him the description of that which he had in mind “with regard to the golden (i.e., to the golden vessels, cf. 1Ch 29:2), according to the weight of the golden, for all vessels of every service,” in regard to all silver vessels according to the weight. - With 1Ch 28:15 the construction hitherto employed is dropped. According to the usual supposition, the verb וַיִּתֵּן is to be supplied from 1Ch 28:11 after וּמִשְׁקָל: “and gave him the weight for the golden candlesticks and their golden lamps,” זָהָב being in a state of free subordination to the word וְנֵרֹתֵיהֶם (J. H. Mich., Berth., and others). But apart from the fact that no analogous case can be found for such a subordination (for in 2Ch 9:15, which Berth. cites as such, there is no subordination, for there the first שָׁחוּט זָהָב is the accusative of the material dependent upon וַיַּעַשׂ), the supplying of וַיִּתֵּן gives no suitable sense; for David here does not give Solomon the metal for the vessels, but, according to 1Ch 28:11, 1Ch 28:12, 1Ch 28:19, only a תַּבְנִית, pattern or model for them. If וַיִּתֵּן be supplied, נָתַן must be “he appointed,” and so have a different sense here from that which it has in 1Ch 28:11. This appears very questionable, and it is simpler to take מִשְׁקָל without the article, as an accusative of nearer definition, and to connect the verse thus: “and (what he had in mind) as weight for the golden candlesticks and their lamps, in gold, according to the weight of each candlestick and its lamps, and for the silver candlesticks, in weight - כַּעֲבֹודַת, according to the service of each candlestick” (as it corresponded to the service of each). - In 1Ch 28:16 the enumeration is continued in very loose connection: “And as to the gold (אֵת, quoad; cf. Ew. §277, d) by weight (מִשְׁקָל, acc. of free subordination) for the tables of the spreading out, i.e., of the shew-bread (מַעֲרֶכֶת = לֶחֶם מַעֲרֶכֶת, 2Ch 13:11); see on Lev 24:6), for each table, and silver for the silver tables.” Silver tables, i.e., tables overlaid with silver-lamin, and silver candlesticks (1Ch 28:15), are not elsewhere expressly mentioned among the temple vessels, since the whole of the vessels are nowhere individually registered even in the description of the building of the temple. Yet, when the temple was repaired under Joash, 2Ki 12:14; 2Ch 24:14, and when it was destroyed by the Chaldeans, 2Ki 25:15, vessels of gold and silver are spoken of. The silver candlesticks were probably, as Kimchi has conjectured, intended for the priests engaged in the service, and the tables for reception of the sacrificial flesh after it had been prepared for burning upon the altar.
1Ch 28:17
Before וגו וְהַמִּזְלָגֹות we should probably supply from 1Ch 28:11 : “he gave him the pattern of the forks...וְלִכְפֹורֵי, and for the golden tankards, according to the weight of each tankard.” For מִזְלָנֹות and מִזְרָקֹות, see on 2Ch 4:22. קְשָׂוֹה, σπονδεῖα, cups for the libations, occur only in Exo 25:29; Exo 37:16, and Num 4:7. טָהֹור זָהָב, in free subordination: of pure gold. כְּפֹורִים from כָּפַר, to cover, are vessels provided with covers, tankards; only mentioned here and in Ezr 1:10; Ezr 8:27.
1Ch 28:18
And (the pattern) for the altar of incense of pure gold by weight. In the second member of the verse, at the close of the enumeration, תַּבְנִית, from 1Ch 28:11, 1Ch 28:12, is again taken up, but with לְ, which Berth. rightly takes to be nota accus.: and (gave him) “the model of the chariot of the cherubim of gold, as spreading out (wings), and sheltering over the ark of the covenant of Jahve.” הַכְּרוּבִים is not subordinated in the genitive to הַמֶּרְכָּבָה, but is in explanatory apposition to it. The cherubim, not the ark, are the chariot upon which God enters or is throned; cf. Psa 18:11; Psa 99:1; Exo 25:22. The conception of the cherubim set upon the golden cover of the ark as מֶרְכָּבָה is derived from the idea עַל־כְּרוּב יִרְכַּב, Psa 18:11. Ezekiel, it is true, saw wheels on the throne of God under the cherubim (Eze 1:15., 26), and in accordance with this the lxx and Vulg. have made a cherubim-chariot out of the words (ἅρμα τῶν Χερουβίμ, quadriga cherubim); but as against this Berth. rightly remarks, that the idea of a chariot of the cherubim does not at all appear in the two sculptured cherubim upon the ark, nor yet in our passage. לְפֹרְשִׂים (without the article, and with לְ) Berth. thinks quite unintelligible, and would alter the text, reading וְהַסֹּכְכִים הַפֹּרְשִׂים, because the two participles should be in apposition to הַכְּרוּבִים. But this is an error; for neither by the meaning of the words, nor by the passages, 2Ch 5:8; Exo 25:20; 1Ki 8:7, are we compelled to make this alteration. The two first-mentioned passages prove the opposite, viz., that these participles state for what purpose the cherubim are to serve. וְסֹכְכִים לְפֹרְשִׂים have the signification of כְּנָפַיִם פֹּרְשֵׂי הַכְּרוּבִים וְהָיוּ, “that the cherubim might be spreading wings and protecting” (Exo 25:20), as J. H. Mich. has rightly seen. This use of לְ, where in לְ even without a verb the idea of “becoming something” lies, but which Berth. does not understand, has been already discussed, Ew. §217, d, and illustrated by passages, among which 1Ch 28:18 is one. The reference to Exo 25:20 explains also the use of פָּרַשׂ without כְּנָפַיִם, the author of the Chronicle not thinking it necessary to give the object of פָּרַשׂ, as he might assume that that passage would be known to readers of his book.
1Ch 28:19
In giving over to Solomon the model of all the parts and vessels of the temple enumerated in 1Ch 28:11-18, David said: “All this, viz., all the works of the pattern, has He taught by writing from the hand of Jahve which came upon me.” הַכֹּל is more closely defined by the apposition הת מַלְאֲכֹות כֹּל . That the verse contains words of David is clear from עָלַי. The subject of הִשְׂכִּיל is Jahve, which is easily supplied from יהוה מִיַּד. It is, however, a question with what we should connect עָלַי. Its position before the verb, and the circumstance that הִשְׂכִּיל construed with עַל pers. does not elsewhere, occur, are against its being taken with הִשְׂכִּיל; and there remains, therefore, only the choice between connecting it with יהוה מִיַּד and with בִּכְתָב. In favour of the last, Psa 40:8, עָלַי כָּתוּב, prescribed to me, may be compared; and according to that, עָלַי כְּתָב can only mean, “what is prescribed to me;” cf. for the use of כְּתָב for written prescription, the command in 2Ch 35:4. Bertheau accordingly translates עָלַי יהוה מִיַּד בִּכְתָב, “by a writing given to me for a rule from Jahve's hand,” and understands the law of Moses to be meant, because the description of the holy things in Exo 25:1. is manifestly the basis of that in our verses. But had David wished to say nothing further than that he had taken the law in the Scriptures for the basis of his pattern for the holy things, the expression which he employs would be exceedingly forced and wilfully obscure. And, moreover, the position of the words would scarcely allow us to connect בִּכְתָב with עָלַי, for in that case we should rather have expected יהוה מִיַּד עָלַי בִּכְתָב. We must there take עָלַי along with יהוה מִיַּד: “writing from the hand of Jahve came upon me,” i.e., according to the analogy of the phrase עָלַי יהוה יַד הָיְתָה (2Ki 3:15; Eze 1:3; Eze 3:14, etc.), a writing coming by divine revelation, or a writing composed in consequence of divine revelation, and founded upon divine inspiration. David therefore says that he had been instructed by a writing resting upon divine inspiration as to all the works of the pattern of the temple. This need not, however, be understood to mean that David had received exemplar vel ideam templi et vasorum sacrorum immediately from Jahve, either by a prophet or by vision, as the model of the tabernacle was shown to Moses on the mount (Exo 25:40; Exo 27:8); for it signifies only that he had not himself invented the pattern which he had committed to writings, i.e., the sketches and descriptions of the temple and its furniture and vessels, but had drawn them up under the influence of divine inspiration.