2 Chronicles 4:17

2Ch 4:17 In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredathah.

Ver. 17. In the clay ground.] In holes digged in the earth, without moulds did he cast them, say some.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 17. In the clay ground ] See on 1Kg 7:46. Some suppose that he did not actually cast those instruments at those places, but that he brought the clay from that quarter, as being the most proper for making moulds to cast in.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(17) In the clay ground.—Heb., in the thickness of the ground—i.e., in the stiff or clayey soil. Vulg., “in argillosa terra.” For ‘ãbî, “thickness,” see Job_15:26. Kings has ma‘ãbeh, which occurs nowhere else.

Zeredathah.—Kings, Zârĕthân (Jos_3:16). Zĕrçdâthâh means towards Zĕrĕthâh (1Ki_11:26). The two names denote the same place.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. in the clay ground] G. A. Smith (Historical Geography, p. 488) speaks of traces of old brick-fields found by Sir C. Warren in the Jordan valley. Succoth is perhaps Tell Deir ‘Alla, east of Jordan, north of the Jabbok.

Zeredathah] R.V. Zeredah (1Ki_11:26); but in 1Ki_7:46 (R.V.) Zarethan (cp. Jos_3:16, R.V.). It was not far from Scythopolis (Bethshan), but its exact position is unknown.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Zeredathah - Or, Zarthan (marginal reference). The writer of Chronicles probably uses the name which the place bore in his own day.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

CHAPTER IV.

Saredatha, or Sarthan, (3 Kings vii. 46.) not far from Bethsan, 3 Kings iv. 12. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

In the plain in the clay; i.e. in the Ciccar (or round, equivalent to the New Testament "region round about") of Jordan, a distinctive designation of the Jordan valley (Conder"s Handbook to the Bible," p. 213). The region here intended lies east of the river, in what became the division of Gad. Succoth lay a little to the north of the river Jabbok, which flows almost east to west into the Jordan. Zeredathah; i.q. Zarthan of 1Ki_7:46; and this latter is in the Hebrew also the same in characters and all with the Zaretan of Jos_3:16. Very possibly theplace is the same as Zererath. (Jud_1:7:22) The exact sites of these places are not known, though the range within which they all lay is clear (see Grove"s article in Smith"s "Bible Dictionary," 3:1817). The clay ground; that is," the clay of the ground "(Hebrew). The radical idea of the word here translated "clay" is "thickness," which should not be rendered, as in margin, "thicknesses." The word (b;) occurs in all thirty.five times, and is rendered a large proportion of these times "clouds" or "thick clouds" (e.g. , Exo_19:9) clouds being presumably thicknesses in air; but if the subject-matter in question be in wood, or growing timber, or the ground, the word is rendered conformably "thick planks" (1Ki_7:6; Eze_41:25, Eze_41:26) or "thickets", (Jer_4:29) or "clay" (as here), to distinguish from other lighter or more friable soil.

An ancient manufactory.

I To WHOM IT BELONGED. To Solomon the king.

II WHERE IT WAS SITUATED. In the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredathah, both of which were in the plain of Jordan.

III BY WHOM IT WAS MANAGED. By Hiram the artist.

IV THE FABRICS IT PRODUCED. The articles above described, all the vessels for the house of God. W.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The king had cast them ... Solomon made

The readers should understand that Solomon probably commanded other people to do the actual work. AT: "The king commanded his workers to cast them ... Solomon's workers made" (See: Metonymy)

Zarethan

This is the name of a city. (See: How to Translate Names)

the weight of the bronze could not be known

This can be stated in active form. Possible meanings are 1) there was so much bronze no one tried to weigh it. AT: "no one even tried to weigh the bronze" or 2) this is a hyperbole that emphasizes the great amount of bronze. AT: "no one could even determine how much all the bronze weighed" (See: Active or Passive and Hyperbole and Generalization)

translationWords

Jordan River

Succoth

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

in the thickness of the ground The Targum renders: clay, ardille in Old French.

between Succoth and Zeredathah In I Kings (7: 46) it says Zarethan. Zeredathah was the place of Jeroboam, (11: 26): “And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow.” Since a corpse conveys ritual contamination in a tent, and a mezora likewise, and so it is with an idol, as we learned at the end of the third chapter of Abodah Zarah (Mishnah 8). “A widow” means that he widowed [isolated] Israel from its God. “From Zeredah” means that he narrowed the Torah and did not broaden it; i.e., מִן הַצְרֵדָתָה, means הֵצַר דַּת אֱלֹהֵינוּ he narrowed the law of our God. My uncle of blessed memory explained it to me in this manner.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.