2 Chronicles 4:8

2Ch 4:8 He made also ten tables, and placed [them] in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. And he made an hundred basons of gold.

Ver. 8. He made also ten tables.] Lyra holdeth that all these were for shewbread, each of them having twelve loaves weekly set thereon, one hundred thirty-two in all. In our heavenly "Father’s house is bread enough."

He made a hundred basons of gold.] To receive the blood of the sacrifices. The blood of Christ is most precious, and must not be trampled on.

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.

Ten tables. These tables also (the use of which is given in ver. 19) are not mentioned, so far as their making is concerned, in the parallel, except in its summary, ver. 48, (cf. 1Ki 7) where furthermore only one table, called "the table", (Exo_25:23) is specified, with which agreeszmi, 2Ch_29:18. It is hard to explain this variation of statement. It is at least an arbitrary and forced explanation to suppose that ten tables constituted the furniture in question, while only one was used at a time. Keil and Bertheau think that the analogy of the ten candlesticks points to the existence of ten tables. The question, however, is, where is the call for, or where are the indications of any analogy? A hundred basins of gold. The Hebrew word employed here, and translated "basins," is yqer) as also vers. 11, 22, infra; and 1Ki_7:40, 1Ki_7:45, 1Ki_7:50; Exo_27:3; Num_4:14; but it is represented as well by the English translation "bowls" in 1Ch_28:17; 2Ki_25:15; Num_7:13, Num_7:19, etc. The "pots," however, of our vers. 11, 16 has for its Hebrew twOrySih. It were well if, in names such as these, at any rate, an absolute uniformity of version were observed in the translation, for the benefit of the English reader, to say nothing of the saving of wasted time for the student and scholar. These basins, or bowls, were to receive and hold the blood of the slain victims, about to be sprinkled for purification Exo_24:6-8, where the word Ga is used; 29:12, 10, 20, 21; Lev_1:5, and passion; (Heb_9:18-20; see also Num_4:14) The Hebrew word qrzmi, whether appearing in our version as "basin" or "bowl," occurs thirty-two times, sixteen in association exactly similar with the present (viz. Exo_27:3 Exo_38:3; Num_4:14; 1Ki_7:40, 1Ki_7:45, 1Ki_7:50; 2Ki_12:13 2Ki_25:15; 1Ch_28:17; 2Ch_4:8, 2Ch_4:11, 2Ch_4:22; Neh_7:70; Jer_52:18, Jer_52:19; Zec_14:20) fourteen as silver bowls in the time of the tabernacle for the meat offering of "fine flour mingled with oil" (viz., Num_7:13, Num_7:19, Num_7:25, Num_7:31, Num_7:37, Num_7:43, Num_7:49, 55, 61, 67, 73, 79, 84, 85) and the remaining two in an entirely general application. (Zec_9:15) It is evident, therefore, that the qr; zmi was not the only vessel used for holding the blood of purification, nor was it exclusively reserved to this use.

God"s bounty and our response.

The significance of the table of shew-bread (of which Solomon, in his desire for fulness and richness of provision, now made ten) depends on its position and on the objects it was to sustain. The table stood in the "holy place," very near to the inner sanctuary, where the presence of God was symbolized; and it bore upon it the shewbread, or "bread of presence;" this was so called because it was "the shewbread before me always", (Exo_25:30) continually in the presence of God. There were also some vessels (Exo_25:29) which were probably intended to receive wine ("to pour out withal"), which was the ordinary accompaniment of bread, as the source of daily sustenance. The whole arrangement pointed to

I A CONTINUAL RECOGNITION OF DIVINE BOUNTY. The bread and wine which largely constituted and adequately represented the provision for the nation"s need were placed in the near presence of God, as the One from whom they came. It was well that the Israelites should be continually acknowledging that the fruit of the field was of Divine origin. They were very mindful and very proud of the great gift of the manna, which was a palpable and very remarkable provision from above a clear produce of the power and goodness of God. They would be in danger of thinking that there was less of the Divine in the annual harvest; for this was, in part, the result of their own labour, and came gradually, by ordinary and gradual processes of nature. But Divine goodness and power were as truly in the latter as in the former. From God himself came the soil, the seed, the sunshine, the rain, the airs and winds of heaven; from him came the power that made all these work together for the germination, growth, and ripening of the grain; from him also came the knowledge and the skill which enabled the farmer to cultivate his ground and to secure his harvest; it was also of God"s goodness that he required of his children the putting forth of these powers, both of body and mind, on the exercise of which so largely depended their health and character. The shewbread and the wine, standing where they stood, were a perpetual acknowledgment that all things which sustained and strengthened the nation came from the Lord their God.

II A SOLEMN DEDICATION OF HUMAN STRENGTH TO THE SERVICE OF GOD. It was significant enough that "pure frankincense was to be placed on each row" of the loaves or cakes. (Lev_24:7) "The offering of incense was embodied prayer, and the placing of a vessel of incense upon this bread was like sending it up to God on the wings of devotion" (Fairbairn"s "Typology"). It was, therefore, "a kind of sacrifice," and is spoken of (Lev_24:7) as "an offering unto the Lord." To present to God those things which are the recognized sources of sustenance and strength, is to acknowledge that our power and our resources belong to him and should be paid to him; it is, indeed, solemnly to dedicate them to his service in formal worship. We do the same thing now in our harvest thanksgiving services, and when we sing in the sanctuary hymns ascribing all our comforts and all our well-being to the good hand of our God. We only "perform our vows" when we dedicate to God, in daily life, the strength and the possessions with which he has enriched us; when we live in grateful remembrance of his love, in cheerful obedience to his will. in active and earnest endeavour to serve his children and extend his kingdom. C.

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

Verse 8. A hundred basons of gold] These were doubtless a sort of paterae or sacrificial spoons, with which they made libations.

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

(8) He made also ten tables.—Perhaps the golden candelabra stood upon them. (Comp. 1Ch_28:16; and 2Ch_4:19, infra.)

Side.—Not in the Hebrew.

An hundred basons.—Bowls for pouring libations (Amo_6:6; same word, mizrâqîm). The Syriac and Arabic make the number of these vessels a hundred and twenty.

The ten tables are not mentioned in the parallel narrative, which speaks of one table only, viz., the table of shewbread (1Ki_7:48).

“Basons,” or bowls, are spoken of in 1Ki_7:45; 1Ki_7:50 (mizrâqôth), but their number is not given.

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

8. The Tables and Basons

8. ten tables] In 2Ch_4:19 “the tables (plural) whereon the shewbread was set” are mentioned (cp. 1Ch_28:16), but the parallel place (1Ki_7:48) has “the table” (sing.), and elsewhere both in Chronicles and in the rest of the O.T. one table only is assigned to the shewbread (2Ch_13:11; 2Ch_29:18). Probably therefore the ten tables here mentioned were not for the shewbread.

basons] These were used for dashing the blood of the sacrifices against the altar.

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.

The number of the tables (see 2Ch 4:19) and of the basins, is additional to the information contained in Kings.

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

Ten tables; of which see 1Ki 7:48.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ten tables - Whereon the shew-bread was set, ver. 19. Perhaps each of these had twelve loaves on it. As the house was enlarged, so was the provision.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

from the left of the table in the north.

and he made a hundred golden basins with which to sprinkle the blood on the altar.

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.