2 Chronicles 2:5

THE MESSAGE

"The house I am building has to be the best, for our God is the best, far better than competing gods. But who is capable of building such a structure? Why, the skies—the entire cosmos!—can't begin to contain him. And me, who am I to think I can build a house adequate for God—burning incense to him is about all I'm good for! I need your help: Send me a master artisan in gold, silver, bronze, iron, textiles of purple, crimson, and violet, and who knows the craft of engraving; he will supervise the trained craftsmen in Judah and Jerusalem that my father provided. Also send cedar, cypress, and algum logs from Lebanon; I know you have lumberjacks experienced in the Lebanon forests. I'll send workers to join your crews to cut plenty of timber—I'm going to need a lot, for this house I'm building is going to be absolutely stunning—a showcase temple! I'll provide all the food necessary for your crew of lumberjacks and loggers: 130,000 bushels of wheat, 120,000 gallons of wine, and 120,000 gallons of olive oil."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The temple that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than any of the gods.

Hebrew Names Version
The house which I build is great; for great is our God above all gods.

King James Version
And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods.

English Standard Version
The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.

New Century Version
"The temple I build will be great, because our God is greater than all gods.

New English Translation
I will build a great temple, for our God is greater than all gods.

Amplified Bible
"The house I am going to build will be great, for our God is greater than all the gods.

New American Standard Bible
"The house which I am about to build will be great, for our God is greater than all the gods.

World English Bible
The house which I build is great; for great is our God above all gods.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the house which I buylde, is great: for great is our God aboue all gods.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now the house which I am about to build will be great, for greater is our God than all the gods.

Berean Standard Bible
The house that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.

Contemporary English Version
This will be a great temple, because our God is greater than all other gods.

Complete Jewish Bible
But who is equal to building him a house? Why, heaven itself, even the heaven of heavens, cannot contain him; so who am I to build him a house, except to offer sacrifices before him?

Darby Translation
And the house that I will build is great; for great is our God above all gods.

Easy-to-Read Version
"I will build a great temple because our God is greater than all the other gods.

George Lamsa Translation
And the house which I am about to build is very great, for our God is greater than all kings.

Good News Translation
I intend to build a great temple, because our God is greater than any other god.

Lexham English Bible
And the house that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.

Literal Translation
And the house which I am building shall be great, for our God is greater than all gods.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the house that I wyl buylde, shal be greate: for oure God is greater then all goddes.

American Standard Version
And the house which I build is great; for great is our God above all gods.

Bible in Basic English
And the house which I am building is to be great, for our God is greater than all gods.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the house which I buylde shalbe great: for great is our God aboue all gods.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But who is able to build Him a house, seeing the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? who am I then, that I should build Him a house, save only to offer before Him?

King James Version (1611)
And the house which I build, is great: for great is our God aboue all gods.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the house which I am building is to be great: for the Lord our God is great beyond all gods.

English Revised Version
And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For the hows which Y coueyte to bilde is greet; for `oure Lord God is greet ouer alle goddis.

Update Bible Version
And the house which I build is great; for great is our God above all gods.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the house which I build [is] great: for great [is] our God above all gods.

New King James Version
And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.

New Living Translation
"This must be a magnificent Temple because our God is greater than all other gods.

New Life Bible
The house I am about to build will be great. For our God is greater than all the gods.

New Revised Standard
The house that I am about to build will be great, for our God is greater than other gods.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, the house which I am about to build, must be great, - for great is our God, above all gods.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For the house which I desire to build, is great: for our God is great above all gods.

Revised Standard Version
The house which I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.

Young's Literal Translation
`And the house that I am building [is] great, for greater [is] our God than all gods;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"The house which I am about to build will be great, for greater is our God than all the gods.

Contextual Overview

¹ Solomon gave orders to begin construction on the house of worship in honor of God and a palace for himself. ² Solomon assigned seventy thousand common laborers, eighty thousand to work the quarries in the mountains, and thirty-six hundred foremen to manage the workforce. ³Then Solomon sent this message to King Hiram of Tyre: "Send me cedar logs, the same kind you sent David my father for building his palace. I'm about to build a house of worship in honor of God , a holy place for burning perfumed incense, for setting out holy bread, for making Whole-Burnt-Offerings at morning and evening worship, and for Sabbath, New Moon, and Holy Day services of worship—the acts of worship required of Israel. ⁵"The house I am building has to be the best, for our God is the best, far better than competing gods. But who is capable of building such a structure? Why, the skies—the entire cosmos!—can't begin to contain him. And me, who am I to think I can build a house adequate for God—burning incense to him is about all I'm good for! I need your help: Send me a master artisan in gold, silver, bronze, iron, textiles of purple, crimson, and violet, and who knows the craft of engraving; he will supervise the trained craftsmen in Judah and Jerusalem that my father provided. Also send cedar, cypress, and algum logs from Lebanon; I know you have lumberjacks experienced in the Lebanon forests. I'll send workers to join your crews to cut plenty of timber—I'm going to need a lot, for this house I'm building is going to be absolutely stunning—a showcase temple! I'll provide all the food necessary for your crew of lumberjacks and loggers: 130,000 bushels of wheat, 120,000 gallons of wine, and 120,000 gallons of olive oil."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

great: 2 Chronicles 2:9, 1 Kings 9:8, 1 Chronicles 29:1, Ezekiel 7:20

great is our God: Exodus 15:11, 1 Chronicles 16:25, Psalms 86:8, Psalms 86:9, Psalms 135:5, Psalms 145:3, Jeremiah 10:6, 1 Timothy 6:15

Reciprocal: Exodus 18:11 - the Lord 2 Samuel 7:22 - Wherefore 1 Kings 5:5 - behold 1 Chronicles 22:5 - exceeding Psalms 68:29 - Because Psalms 76:1 - his Psalms 136:2 - the God Jeremiah 17:12 - General Daniel 4:30 - that Acts 7:48 - dwelleth

Cross-References

Genesis 3:23
So God expelled them from the Garden of Eden and sent them to work the ground, the same dirt out of which they'd been made. He threw them out of the garden and stationed angel-cherubim and a revolving sword of fire east of it, guarding the path to the Tree-of-Life.

Genesis 4:2
Then she had another baby, Abel. Abel was a herdsman and Cain a farmer.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the house which I build is great,.... Not so very large, though that, with all apartments and courts belonging to it, he intended to build, was so; but because magnificent in its structure and decorations:

for great is our God above all gods; and therefore ought to have a temple to exceed all others, as the temple at Jerusalem did.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See 1 Kings 6:2 note. In Jewish eyes, at the time that the temple was built, it may have been “great,” that is to say, it may have exceeded the dimensions of any single separate building existing in Palestine up to the time of its erection.

Great is our God ... - This may seem inappropriate as addressed to a pagan king. But it appears 2 Chronicles 2:11-12 that Hiram acknowledged Yahweh as the supreme deity, probably identifying Him with his own Melkarth.