9. the court of the priests, and the great court] The phrases reflect the conditions of the second Temple with which the Chronicler was familiar, when the inner court was confined to the use of the priests, the outer one being for the people. Solomon’s Temple, strictly speaking, had only one court, for in “the other court” stood Solomon’s house (1 Kings vii. 8). This “other court” seems to be called the “middle court” (2 Kings xx. 4, margin), and the “upper court” (Jeremiah xxxvi. 10). The “great court” (1 Kings vii. 12) was perhaps a third court containing not only the king’s house, but all the royal buildings as well. The Hebrew word for “court” in all the above passages is ḥāṣēr, but here the “court (ḥāṣēr) of the priests” is distinguished from a court called the “great court” (Hebrew “great ‘azārāh”). Perhaps the Chronicler wishes to make the same distinction when he says that Solomon’s great prayer was offered (vi. 13) in “the court” (Hebrew ’azārāh). Compare xx. 5 (note).
¹⁰And he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, toward the south.
10. the sea] See verses 2–5. Its position is stated in accordance with 1 Kings vii. 39.
11–18 (= 1 Kings vii. 40–47).
The Works of Huram.
This section is taken from the parallel passage of 1 Kings. The variations are few.
¹¹And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basons. So Huram made an end of doing the work that he wrought for king Solomon in the house of God:
11. Huram] For the form of the name see note on ii. 3.
¹²the two pillars, and the bowls, and the two chapiters which were on the top of the pillars; and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the chapiters that were on the top of the pillars; ¹³and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks; two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters that were upon[¹] the pillars.
[¹] Hebrew upon the face of the pillars.
12. two pillars] See iii. 15–17.