2 Chronicles 3:1-9

2. The temple proper 3:1-9

The mention of Mount Moriah as the site of the temple (2 Chronicles 3:1) recalls God’s provision of a substitute sacrifice for Isaac on that very spot (Genesis 22:2; Genesis 22:14). [Note: See Asher Kaufman, "Where the Ancient Temple of Jerusalem Stood," Biblical Archaeology Review 9:2 (March-April 1983):40-59.] The temple would later stand there, and the high priest would offer a substitute sacrifice for Israel on the Day of Atonement each year there.

The glory of the temple was not so much its size as its quality and appearance. The writer stressed the gold that overlaid it and its general magnificence. Its significance was that it represented the glory of Yahweh, the greatest of all "gods" (2 Chronicles 2:5). In the ancient Near East a god’s house (temple) represented the god.