2 Crônicas 2

2 Crônicas 2

Guzik: We might think that the greatest thing about Solomon was his wisdom, his riches, his proverbs or his writings. Clearly, for the Chronicler the most important thing about Solomon was the temple he built. This was most important because it was most relevant to a community of returning exiles who struggled to build a new temple and to make a place for Israel among the nations ag RON DANIEL: Review As we began our study of 2Chronicles, we saw that young King Solomon led the leaders of Israel to offer sacrifices on the altar in Gibeon. That night, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and asked him what he wanted. Solomon only asked for wisdom to lead God's people. God granted him not only that wisdom, but wealth and honor as well. Solomon began to use this wisdom for godly purposes, but used some of his wealth in less-than-godly pursuits. This was the first time we were exposed to Solomon's dual nature, and certainly won't be the last. 2Chr 2:1-2 Solomon Decided - Solomon's father, King David, had charged him to build a house for the Lord (1Chon. 22:6). Now that his dad is gone, it is up to Solomon to obey or not. He decided he would. But we also see that he made another decision: to build a house for himself as well. King David's house was not old. It was built brand new for him, a gift from King Hiram of Tyre (1Chron. 14:1). It was made of cedar and cut stones (2Sam. 5:11), a house fit for a king. But Solomon wanted a different house, a new house, a royal palace. Once again, there is the dual nature - a desire to please God and a desire to please himself. How very much like us Solomon was! A House for the Name of the Lord Behold, I rise to fulfill the decree, To build a house for God's majesty. The words once spoken to David of old, Now unfold as promises foretold. To my father, the Lord gave a vow, "Your son will build what I allow. A house for My Name, a dwelling divine, A temple of glory, eternal, and fine." Not walls of stone nor pillars of might, But a beacon of faith in the world’s sight. A place where prayers and praises ascend, Where heaven and earth together blend. In wisdom and strength, the task begins, For the God of Israel, who forgives sins. His Name Alone shall dwell in this place, A testament to His mercy and grace. Oh, Lord, let this house reflect Your light, Shining through shadows, dispelling night. May all who enter, with hearts contrite, Find peace in Your presence, holy and right. The throne is Yours, the plan is clear, Through Solomon's hand, Your glory draws near. As the cedar and gold take their form, Your covenant stands through every storm. Forever this house shall declare Your fame, A home for the One with the holiest Name. For generations to come, its story will be, The temple of God, for eternity. Matthew Henry Notes: Chapter: 2 Solomon's trading, which we read of in the close of the foregoing chapter, and the encouragement he gave both to merchandise and manufacturers, were very commendable. But building was the work he was designed for, and to that business he is here applying himself. Here is, I. Solomon's determination to build the temple and a royal palace, and his appointing labourers to be employed herein (2Chr 2:1, 2, 17, 18). II. His request to Huram king of Tyre to furnish him both with artists and materials (2Chr 2:3-10). III. Huram's obliging answer to, and compliance with, his request (2Chr 2:11-16). 2Chr 2:1-10 Solomon's wisdom was given him, not merely for speculation, to entertain himself (though it is indeed a princely entertainment), nor merely for conversation, to entertain his friends, but for action; and therefore to action he immediately applies himself. Observe, I. His resolution within himself concerning his business (2Chr 2:1): He determined to build, in the first place, a house for the name of the Lord. It is fit that he who is the first should be served-first a temple and then a palace, a house not so much for himself, or his own convenience and magnitude, as for the kingdom, for the honour of it among its neighbours and for the decent reception of the people whenever they had occasion to apply to their prince; so that in both he aimed at the public good. Those are the wisest men that lay out themselves most for the honour of the name of the Lord and the welfare of communities. We are not born for ourselves, but for God and our country. II. His embassy to Huram, king of Tyre, to engage his assistance in the prosecution of his designs. The purport of his errand to him is much the same here as we had it 1 Ki. 5:2, etc., only here it is more largely set forth. 1. The reasons why he makes this application to Huram are here more fully represented, for information to Huram as well as for inducement. (1.) He pleads his father's interest in Huram, and the kindness he had received from him (2Chr 2:3): As thou didst deal with David, so deal with me. As we must show kindness to, so we may expect kindness from, our fathers' friends, and with them should cultivate a correspondence. (2.) He represents his design in building the temple: he intended it for a place of religious worship (2Chr 2:4), that all the offerings which God had appointed for the honour of his name might be offered up there. The house was built that it might be dedicated to God and used in his service. This we should aim at in all our business, that our havings and doings may be all to the glory of God. He mentions various particular services that were there to be performed, for the instruction of Huram. The mysteries of the true religion, unlike those of the Gentile superstition, coveted not concealment. (3.) He endeavors to inspire Huram with very great and high thoughts of the God of Israel, by expressing the mighty veneration he had for his holy name: Great is our God above all gods, above all idols, above all princes. Idols are nothing, princes are little, and both under the control of the God of Israel; and therefore, {1.} "The house must be great; not in proportion to the greatness of that God to whom it is to be dedicated (for between finite and infinite there can be no proportion), but in some proportion to the great value and esteem we have for this God.'' {2.} "Yet, be it ever so great, it cannot be a habitation for the great God. Let not Huram think that the God of Israel, like the gods of the nations, dwells in temples made with hands, Acts 17:24. No, the heaven of heavens cannot contain him. It is intended only for the convenience of his priests and worshippers, that they may have a fit place wherein to burn sacrifice before him.'' {3.} He looked upon himself, though a mighty prince, as unworthy the honour of being employed in this great work: Who am I that I should build him a house? It becomes us to go about every work for God with a due sense of our utter insufficiency for it and our incapacity to do any thing adequate to the divine perfections. It is part of the wisdom wherein we ought to walk towards those that are without carefully to guard against all misapprehension which any thing we say or do may occasion concerning God; so Solomon does here in his treaty with Huram. 2. The requests he makes to him are more particularly set down here. (1.) He desired Huram would furnish him with a good hand to work (2Chr 2:7): Send me a man. He had cunning men with him in Jerusalem and Judah, whom David provided, 1 Chr. 22:15. Let them not think but that Jews had some among them that were artists. But "send me a man to direct them. There are ingenious men in Jerusalem, but not such engravers as are in Tyre; and therefore, since temple-work must be the best in its kind, let me have the best workmen that can be got.'' (2.) With good materials to work on (2Chr 2:8), cedar and other timber in abundance (2Chr 2:8, 9); for the house must be wonderfully great, that is, very stately and magnificent, no cost must be spared, nor any contrivance wanting in it. 3. Here is Solomon's engagement to maintain the workmen (2Chr 2:10), to give them so much wheat and barley, so much wine and oil. He did not feed his workmen with bread and water, but with plenty, and every thing of the best. Those that employ labourers ought to take care they be not only well paid, but well provided for with sufficient of that which is wholesome and fit for them. Let the rich masters do for their poor workmen as they would be done by if the tables were turned. Related: Who was Solomon in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org What happened at the dedication of Solomon’s temple? How many temples were there? | GotQuestions.org Was it God’s desire for Israel to worship Him in a temple in Jerusalem? | GotQuestions.org What was Solomon’s temple / the first temple? How many temples were there? | GotQuestions.org 2 Chronicles 2:2 So Solomon assigned 70,000 men to carry loads and 80,000 men to quarry stone in the mountains and 3,600 to supervise them. told out threescore (KJV): 2Ch 2:18 1Ki 5:15,16 Related Passages: 2 Chronicles 2:18 He appointed 70,000 of them to carry loads and 80,000 to quarry stones in the mountains and 3,600 supervisors to make the people work. 1 Kings 5:13-18 Now King Solomon levied forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered 30,000 men. 14 He sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in relays; they were in Lebanon a month and two months at home. And Adoniram was over the forced laborers. 15 Now Solomon had 70,000 transporters, and 80,000 hewers of stone in the mountains, 16 besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies who were over the project and who ruled over the people who were doing the work. 17 Then the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones. 18 So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites cut them, and prepared the timbers and the stones to build the house. COMMENT - Under the supervision of Adoniram, the work force on Israelite citizens was sent in shifts of 10,000 to Lebanon (one month in Lebanon two months at home) to assist in the harvesting of materials. 1 Kings 9:15-23 Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon levied to build the house of the LORD, his own house, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16 For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and had given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. 17So Solomon rebuilt Gezer and the lower Beth-horon 18 and Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Judah, 19 and all the storage cities which Solomon had, even the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and all that it pleased Solomon to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land under his rule. 20 As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, who were not of the sons of Israel, 21 their descendants who were left after them in the land whom the sons of Israel were unable to destroy utterly, from them Solomon levied forced laborers, even to this day. 22 But Solomon did not make slaves of the sons of Israel; for they were men of war, his servants, his princes, his captains, his chariot commanders, and his horsemen. 23 These were the chief officers who were over Solomon’s work, five hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people doing the work. 2 Chronicles 8:7-10 All of the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, 8 namely, from their descendants who were left after them in the land whom the sons of Israel had not destroyed, them Solomon raised as forced laborers to this day. 9 But Solomon did not make slaves for his work from the sons of Israel; they were men of war, his chief captains and commanders of his chariots and his horsemen. 10 These were the chief officers of King Solomon, two hundred and fifty who ruled over the people. So Solomon assigned 70,000 men to carry loads and 80,000 men to quarry stone in the mountains and 3,600 to supervise them - Solomon also drafted forced laborers (see note below) from among the 12 tribes of Israel some 30,000 strong (1Ki 5:13) The Believer's Study Bible - "According to the accounts in 1Ki 5:16 and 1Ki 9:23, the number of overseers was 3,300 plus 550, making a total of 3,850. According to 2Ch 8:10, another 250 "chief officers" are added to the 3,600 "overseers" mentioned here. Thus, the totals are the same, and the apparent discrepancy can be attributed to different methods of reckoning the "chiefs" and "overseers," rather than to ignorance on the part of the chronicler." Wiersbe gives some helpful background on the labor force used to build the temple and most of this information is from the account in Kings - David's incomplete census had revealed that there were 1,300,000 able-bodied men in the land (2Sa 24:9) and Solomon conscripted only 30,000 to labor on the temple, about 2.3 percent of the total available labor force. Ten thousand of the men spent one month each quarter in Lebanon assisting Hiram's men in their work, and then they had two months at home. These men were Jewish citizens and were not treated like slaves (1Ki 9:22; see Lev. 25:39-43). Solomon also took a census of the non-Israelite aliens in the land and drafted 150,000 of them to cut and transport stones for the temple (1Ki 5:15-18; 1Ki 9:15-23; 2Ch 2:17-18; 8:7-10). Of this group, 70,000 carried burdens and 80,000 cut limestone blocks from the hills. In charge of this group were 3,000 overseers and 300 supervisors who were aliens, and over the entire group were 250 Jewish officers. The stone blocks had to be cut carefully so they would fit together perfectly when assembled at the temple site (1Ki 6:7), and that would demand careful planning and expert supervision. Even though the conscription involved a very small portion of the male citizens, the Jewish people resented Solomon taking 30,000 of their men to work in Lebanon four months out of the year (see note on forced laborers below). This critical attitude helped to strengthen the people's revolt against Rehoboam and to precipitate the division of the nation after Solomon's death (1Ki 12:1-21). Indeed, when it came to labor and taxes, Solomon did indeed put a heavy yoke on the people. (ED: INTERESTING FACT GIVEN THIS MAN WAS GRANTED GREAT WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE!) (OT Commentary) FORCED LABORERS - NOTE OF HEBREW WORD "MAS" (04522) TRANSLATED "FORCED" (1Ki 5:14, 2Ch 8:8, et al) - "MAS" refers to labor forced on someone or service demanded. The noun is used seven times to refer to the reduction of the former inhabitants of the Promised Land to forced laborers by the invading Israelites (Josh. 16:10; 17:13; Judg. 1:30, 33, 35; 1 Kings 9:21; 2 Chr. 8:8). All citizens were subject to the levy for forced labor for public works (1 Kings 9:15) as well as the Canaanite classes who were consigned to this status in perpetuity. TWOT adds "During Solomon's reign, mas was extended to include Israelites as well as foreigners and war prisoners (1 Kings 5:13-14] and the parallels in Chr; but cf. 1 Kings 9:22) in the labor force necessary to carry out Solomon's extensive building programs (1 Kings 9:15). This unpopular measure, and Rehoboam's refusal to moderate it, was the immediate cause of the secession of the ten tribes and the establishment of the northern kingdom." Frederick Mabie: An ongoing challenge in the construction of large building projects in the biblical world was the supply of skilled and unskilled workers. Given this challenge, manpower requirements for such projects were commonly extracted from slaves, prisoners of war, and lower sectors of the society. In the case of larger empires the acquisition of human resources was a motivating factor for military excursions along with the perennial goal of obtaining financial assets such as gold and silver. In the aftermath of such military operations, both skilled and unskilled laborers would become part of an indentured workforce. In military annals from the biblical world, the number of individuals seized for work projects was listed together with other plunder obtained in battle. (See The Expositor's Bible Commentary: 1 Chronicles-Job - Page 167) August Konkel: The commissioners are likely to be broken down to 3,000 supervisors over labor and 600 officers in the higher echelons of government. Each supervisor would be responsible for about 50 men. The levy is recruited from the alien population, non-Israelites living within Israelite society. Apparently the census was in part necessary because of Israelite hegemony expanded over the new areas that David had brought under his control (Rainey 1970: 201–2). These non-Israelites would now be participants within Israelite society, but they would not have had the same status as those from native Israelite families. The Chronicler will return to the question of conscripted labor when he concludes the account of Solomon (2Ch 8:7–10). A second kind of forced labor is introduced there, which apparently was also conscripted from nonnative peoples living among Israel. Ginzberg relates some of the legends surrounding the building of the temple. “During the seven years it took to build the Temple, not a single workman died who was employed about it, nor even did a single one fall sick. And as the workmen were sound and robust from first to last, so the perfection of their tools remained unimpaired until the building stood complete. Thus the work suffered no sort of interruption.” Walton - stonecutters. The parallel passage in 1 Kings 5:15–18 indicates the need for quarriers who wrenched the stone from the cliffs as well as more highly trained Phoenician Gebalites (from Byblos) who dressed the stone for use in the construction of the temple. The work at the quarry was accomplished by cutting trenches (about two feet wide all around) to isolate the stone that was to be used. Then wooden wedges were driven in at the bottom and drenched with water. The resulting expansion of the wood freed the bottom of the stone. Though this took no great skill on the part of the laborers, a supervisor with training would be needed to determine where the trenches should be cut so as to procure the best pieces of stone. The next stage was rough shaping. After this the true masons took over as they dressed the stone surfaces and gave it the proportions needed. The work was done with such precision that no mortar was needed. The Egyptian “satire on the trades” describes the cramped back and thighs of the stonecutter who destroys his arms fashioning “costly stones” for buildings. The work of stonecutters is depicted on some of the wall panels decorating Sennacherib’s palace in Nineveh. Donald Cantrell - —2 Chronicles 2; 3; 4, & 5 Solomon was wise enough to enlist the best builders of his age to come and craft all of the intricate designs of the temple. The King of Tyre was friends of King David and now with King Solomon and he was willing to send one of his most qualified men. The man’s name was Huram-Abi and he was a cunning craftsman with many skills. Huram-Abi was the son of a widow from the tribes of Dan and Naphtali and his father was from Tyre. This craftsman was skilled in working with gold, silver, brass, iron, stone, fine linings, and was excellent in the field of engraving. The Lord at times places specific skills upon some people and they are able to perform wondrous achievements. Point to Ponder In reading our devotionals we previously read how God would give certain men specific skills and they were to use those skills for the Lord. Each one of us has things that the Lord can use. I also am of the belief that if we seriously seek the Lord pertaining to a specific skill or gift that there is a possibility he could give us our hearts desire. The Lord did not make Solomon a wise man until he was reigning as king over Israel. He was not a child but was a full grown man when God gave him this wondrous gift and I think God can do the same for us, if we are serious and we are willing to ask him. I. -The Chosen Men (2 Chronicles 2) II. -The Costly Materials (2 Chronicles 3 & 4) III.-The Cherished Moment (2 Chronicles 5) Point to Ponder The Bible tells us that Solomon was so rich that there was so much silver and gold inside the city of Jerusalem that it was viewed as no different as stones. He planted so many cedar trees that they were as plenteous as the sycamore trees. The King did not ask for riches but God gave them to him abundantly. Point to Ponder It took seven years for the house of God to be fully completed. The site was located at the threshing floor of Oman and upon completion the ark of God is placed upon in its proper location and as everyone looked the temple, they saw the cloud of God settle upon the temple showing that he had accepted the work that had been done. This was a landmark day in the history of the nation. 2 Chronicles 2:3 Then Solomon sent word to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, “As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedars to build him a house to dwell in, so do for me. Huram (KJV): 1Ki 5:1, Hiram, As thou didst. 2Sa 5:11 1Ch 14:1 SOLOMON'S LETTER TO KING HURAM/HIRAM Then Solomon sent word to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, “As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedars to build him a house to dwell in, so do for me. Raymond Dillard: According to Josephus (Ag.Ap. 1.117) Hiram ascended the throne after the death of his father Abibaal ca. 970 B.C.; he was nineteen years old at his accession and reigned for thirty-four years. Josephus is the main source of chronological information on the Phoenician kings, though estimates of the worth of his data vary; see the discussion in Katzenstein, Tyre, 80–84. The Chronicler consistently writes the name “Huram,” a variant of the form used in Kings, “Hiram.” Both are shortened forms of the name ʾAhȋrām (Harris, Grammar of the Phoenician Language [New Haven: American Oriental Society, 1936] 75). John Olley -Tyre was the major Phoenician port and trading center, around 50 miles (80 km) north of Jerusalem. The main center was on an island and thus easily protected; Tyre had its own fleet (cf. 2Ch 8:18). The movement of goods through the port to and from the Mediterranean coasts and inland saw Tyre’s prosperity and influence grow under Hiram. (Four hundred years after Solomon, Ezekiel 27 describes her prosperous trade and false security; a similar description is used of “Babylon” in Rev. 18:9–20.) He provides two reasons to support his request: Hiram’s past relationship with David (a parity treaty) and, more importantly, the greatness of God and the diversity of offerings to be presented to him. (See ESV Expository Commentary: 1 Samuel–2 Chronicles) RON DANIEL: 2Ch 2:3-10 Solomon's Request Of Huram - Solomon sent a letter to the king of Tyre, the man who'd sent the gift to his father. In the letter, he requested that a talented craftsman be sent to help the men that Solomon would have working on the temple. He also asked for supplies of wood from Lebanon, the best in the known world. Dilday - “According to Josephus, copies of such a letter along with Hiram’s reply were preserved in both Hebrew and Tyrian archives and were extant in his day (Josephus Antiquities 8.2.8).” QUESTION - Who was Huram / Hiram in the Bible?x ANSWER - Three people in the Bible were named Hiram, and two of them were associated with Tyre, the ancient Phoenician city-state on the Mediterranean coast. In some cases, Huram is a variant used for the name Hiram. Hiram in Hebrew and its variant Huram both mean “brother of the exalted.” The first Hiram was the king of Tyre who reigned during the time of King David and his son King Solomon. The earliest mention of King Hiram in the Bible is after David conquered Jerusalem and established his capital there. Hiram sent timber, carpenters, and other skilled laborers for David to employ in the building of his palace: “Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David” (2 Samuel 5:11). In the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles, he is called Huram (1 Chronicles 14:1; 2 Chronicles 2:3). During Hiram’s reign, Tyre grew into a dominant and thriving commercial center and the most important port city in the Mediterranean. Hiram engaged in extensive building projects and colonized several Mediterranean islands such as Cyprus and Sicily. He also pursued commercial maritime endeavors. In the writings of the first-century historian Josephus, we learn that Hiram ruled in Tyre for 34 years and died at age 53. Throughout his lifetime, King Hiram remained David’s friend and ally. His long affection for David passed down to King Solomon, with whom he continued friendly relations: “Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram always loved David” (1 Kings 5:1, ESV). When Solomon built the temple, Hiram sent timber, gold, and craftsmen to help with the construction and assemble the furnishings. In return, Solomon gave grain and oil to Hiram to supply his household. The two kings developed a commercial trading alliance. Solomon also gave Hiram twenty cities in the territory of Galilee, but, when King Hiram surveyed these cities, he was not pleased with them and called the area “the Land of Kabul,” which roughly translates into “the Good-for-nothing Land” (1 Kings 9:10–14; 26–28). Another man named Hiram worked on Solomon’s temple as a metalsmith. He was from Tyre, as was his father, and his mother was from the tribe of Naphtali: “King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram, whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was from Tyre and a skilled craftsman in bronze. Huram was filled with wisdom, with understanding and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all the work assigned to him” (1 Kings 7:13–14). Hiram the metalsmith is referred to as Huram in 2 Chronicles 4:11 but called Huram-abi in 2 Chronicles 2:13 and 4:16. Abi means “master.” A third man mentioned in the Bible with the name Huram was a grandson of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:3–5). Scholars believe he may have been the same as Hupham, the Benjamite listed in Numbers 26:39. GotQuestions.org WIKIPEDIA - Hiram I (Phoenician: 𐤇𐤓𐤌 Ḥirōm "my brother is exalted"; Hebrew: חִירָם‎ Ḥīrām, Modern Arabic: حيرام, also called Hirom or Huram)[1] was the Phoenician king of Tyre according to the Hebrew Bible. His regnal years have been calculated by some as 980 to 947 BC, in succession to his father, Abibaal. Hiram was succeeded as king of Tyre by his son Baal-Eser I.[2] Hiram is also mentioned in the writings of Menander of Ephesus (early 2nd century BC), as preserved in Josephus's Against Apion, which adds to the biblical account. According to Josephus, Hiram lived for 53 years and reigned 34. Reign During Hiram's reign, Tyre grew from a satellite of Sidon into the most important of Phoenician cities, and the holder of a large trading empire. He suppressed the rebellion of the first Tyrean colony at Utica, near the later site of Carthage (Against Apion i:18). The Hebrew Bible says that he allied himself with David, king of the United Kingdom of Israel and his artisans built David's palace in Jerusalem after his capture of the city.[3][4][5] The palace was built using Lebanon Cedar. After David's death, Hiram maintained his alliance with David's son and successor Solomon, again as an equal ("אחי", meaning "my brother")[6][7][8] Through the alliance with Solomon, Hiram ensured himself access to the major trade routes to Egypt, Arabia and Mesopotamia. The two kings also jointly opened a trade route over the Red Sea, connecting the Israelite harbour of Ezion-Geber with a land called Ophir.[9] Some schools of thought suggest that this land of Ophir was in the port city of Sopara near modern Mumbai (Bombay), India.[10] According to the Bible, both kings grew rich through this trade, and Hiram sent Solomon architects, workmen, cedar wood, and gold to build the First Temple in Jerusalem. Josephus says that he also extended the Tyrean harbour, enlarged the city by joining the two islands on which it was built, and constructed a royal palace and a temple for Melqart (Against Apion i:17). Modern archaeology, however, has found no evidence for these expansions.[11]nsions Hypotheses regarding chronology of reign[edit] The Baal Lebanon inscription is thought to mention Hiram. The beginning date of Hiram's reign is derived from a statement by Josephus by citing both Tyrian court records and the writings of Menander,[12] relating that 143 years passed between the start of construction of Solomon's Temple until the founding of Carthage (or until Dido's flight that led to its founding). Josephus also related that Hiram's reign began 155 years and 8 months before that event and that construction of Solomon's Temple began in the twelfth year of Hiram's reign, which would be 143 years before the building of Carthage. As pointed out by William Barnes (1801–1886), the date for the start of Temple construction using the Tyrian data is derived "wholly independently" of the way that date is derived by using the Scriptural data.[13] "Tomb of Hiram" Main article: Hiram's Tomb The "Tomb of Hiram", as seen in 2009 The "Tomb of Hiram" (Qabr Hiram) dates from the Persian period, four to six centuries after the presumed time of Hiram.[14] It is built 6 km southeast of Tyre, near the village of Hanaouay, on the road to Qana[14] and has the form of a colossal limestone sarcophagus on a pedestal.[14] 2 Chronicles 2:4 “Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, dedicating it to Him, to burn fragrant incense before Him and to set out the showbread continually, and to offer burnt offerings morning and evening, on sabbaths and on new moons and on the appointed feasts of the LORD our God, this being required forever in Israel. build (KJV): 2Ch 2:1 1Ki 8:18 to dedicate (KJV): 1Ki 8:63 to burn (KJV): Ex 30:7 sweet incense (KJV): Heb. incense of spices the continual (KJV): Ex 25:30 Lev 24:5-9 the burnt (KJV): Ex 29:38-42 Nu 28:3,4,9-11 the solemn feasts (KJV): Lev 23:1-17 Nu 28:1-29:40 “Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, dedicating it to Him, to burn fragrant incense before Him and to set out the showbread continually, and to offer burnt offerings morning and evening, on sabbaths and on new moons and on the appointed feasts of the LORD our God, this being required forever in Israel.