2 Chronicles 5

2 Chronicles 1–9 covers the reign of Solomon. Chapters 2–4 describe the building of the temple and the making of its furnishings, and this chapter tells of the Ark of the Covenant being brought into the Most Holy Place of the temple. Solomon's prayer of dedication follows in chapter 6. The chapter parallels 1 Kings 8:1–11.

Outline

• Verse 1 Solomon finishes the work on the temple and places the silver, the gold, and the vessels that his father David had dedicated in the treasuries of the temple.
• Verses 2–6 At the feast of the seventh month, Solomon assembles the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, and the chief of the fathers in Jerusalem. The Levites and priests carry the ark, the tabernacle of the congregation, and the holy vessels up from the city of David, which is Zion. The king and the congregation sacrifice sheep and oxen in numbers too great to be recorded or counted.
• Verses 7–10 The priests place the ark in the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. The ends of the ark's staves can be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary but not from outside. Nothing is in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb.
• Verses 11–14 All the priests have sanctified themselves, regardless of their courses (the rotating divisions by which they took turns in service). The Levite singers Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, with their sons and brethren, together with 120 priests sounding trumpets, praise the LORD in unison. At that moment a cloud fills the temple, so that the priests cannot stand to minister.

Key Verses

• 2 Chronicles 5:10 "There was nothing in the ark save the two tables" — shows that what stood at the center of the temple was the word of the covenant given at Sinai.
• 2 Chronicles 5:13 "For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever" — a refrain of praise repeated throughout Chronicles and the Psalms.
• 2 Chronicles 5:14 "The glory of the LORD had filled the house of God" — read as a sign that God accepted the temple as His dwelling place.

People and Places

• Solomon: The king who completed the temple and presided over its dedication.
• David: Solomon's father, who had prepared silver, gold, and vessels for the temple.
• Moses: Mentioned as the one who placed the two tablets of stone in the ark at Horeb.
• Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun: Heads of the Levitical families in charge of temple music in David's time.
• The Levites and the priests: They carried the ark and the vessels and were responsible for the singing and the trumpets.
• Jerusalem and Zion: The ark is moved from the city of David (Zion) to the temple.
• The Most Holy Place: The innermost sanctuary of the temple, where the Ark of the Covenant is placed under the wings of the cherubim.
• Horeb: Another name for Mount Sinai.

Points for Reflection

• Differences from 1 Kings: 1 Kings 8:3 identifies those who carried the ark as the priests, whereas verse 4 of this chapter identifies them as the Levites. The detailed description of the Levite singers and the trumpet-sounding priests in verses 11–13 is also found only in Chronicles. These features are commonly explained as reflecting the Chronicler's interest in the Levites and in temple music.
• The feast of the seventh month: The text does not name the feast, but it is commonly identified as the Feast of Tabernacles.
• The contents of the ark: Hebrews 9:4 states that the ark also contained the golden pot of manna and Aaron's rod that budded. One proposed explanation is that the ark's contents differed at different times.
• "There it is unto this day" (verse 9): Chronicles was written after the Exile, so many scholars regard this phrase as carried over directly from the text of Kings. Scripture does not say what later became of the ark. A tradition that Jeremiah hid the ark is recorded in 2 Maccabees 2, a book that the Catholic Church regards as canonical and that Protestants classify as apocryphal.
• The cloud and the glory: The scene parallels Exodus 40:34–35, where the cloud covered the tent of the congregation at the dedication of the tabernacle. Some also read it in connection with the New Testament passage John 1:14, where the Word was made flesh and "dwelt among us," and with 1 Corinthians 3:16–17, which calls believers the temple of God.

In the Korean Church

Verses 13–14 are frequently cited as a passage linking praise with the presence of God. They are often used as the sermon text for consecration services held by the choir or worship team, as well as for church dedication services and services marking the move into a new sanctuary. The refrain "For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever" is known, together with Psalm 136, as a classic expression of thanksgiving praise.