17. David his father] See 1 Chronicles xxii. 2.
¹⁸And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people awork.
18. As the separate numbers given in this verse equal the total (150,000) given in verse 17, evidently the Chronicler thought that all the aliens in the land were forced to take part in the work!
three thousand and six hundred overseers] In 1 Kings v. 16, three thousand and three hundred. Three in Hebrew (which may be represented in English by the letters SLS) is easily corrupted into six (= SS in English letters). Compare also viii. 10 (= 1 Kings ix. 23).
awork] i.e. on work, to work.
Chapter III.
1, 2.
The Temple Begun.
Verse 1 has no parallel in Kings; for verse 2 compare 1 Kings vi. 1.
¹Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, which he made ready[¹] in the place that David[²] had appointed, in the threshing-floor of Ornan[³] the Jebusite.