2 Tawarikh 2:1-2

Solomon Gathers Building Materials for the Temple

2:1 (1:18) ¹  Solomon ordered a temple to be built to honor the Lord, as well as a royal palace for himself. ²  2:2 (2:1) Solomon had ³  70,000 common laborers ⁴  and 80,000 stonecutters ⁵  in the hills, in addition to 3,600 supervisors. ⁶ 

2 Tawarikh 2:17-18

2:17 Solomon took a census ⁷  of all the male resident foreigners in the land of Israel, after the census his father David had taken. There were 153,600 in all. 2:18 He designated ⁸  70,000 as common laborers, ⁹  80,000 as stonecutters ¹⁰  in the hills, and 3,600 as supervisors to make sure the people completed the work. ¹¹ 

[2:1]  ¹ sn Beginning with 2:1, the verse numbers through 2:18 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 2:1 ET = 1:18 HT, 2:2 ET = 2:1 HT, 2:3 ET = 2:2 HT, etc., through 2:18 ET = 2:17 HT. Beginning with 3:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.

[2:1]  ² tn Heb “and Solomon said to build a house for the name of the Lord and house for his kingship.”

[2:2]  ³ tn Heb “counted,” perhaps “conscripted” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[2:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “carriers of loads.”

[2:2]  ⁵ tn Or “quarry workers”; Heb “cutters” (probably referring to stonecutters).

[2:2]  ⁶ tc The parallel text of MT in 1 Kgs 5:16 has “thirty-six hundred,” but some Greek mss there read “thirty-six hundred” in agreement with 2 Chr 2:2, 18.

[2:2]  tn Heb “and 3,600 supervisors over them.”

[2:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “counted.”

[2:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “made.”

[2:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “carriers of loads.”

[2:18]  ¹⁰ tn Or “quarry workers”; Heb “cutters” (probably referring to stonecutters).

[2:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and thirty-six hundred [as] supervisors to compel the people to work.”