2 Chronicles 5

1 So all [every single aspect] the work [labor, employment, occupation] that Solomon [a king of Israel] had performed [completed, finished] for the house [dwelling place, temple] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] was completed [finished, brought to an end]. Then Solomon [the king] brought in [gathered, collected] the items [articles, utensils] his father [ancestor, progenitor] David [the youngest son of Jesse] had dedicated [set apart, consecrated]—the silver [precious metal, wealth], the gold [valuable metal, treasure], and all [every] the furnishings [vessels, utensils]—and he placed [put, set] them in the treasuries [storehouses, repositories] of the house [temple, dwelling place] of God [Elohim, the supreme Deity]. word study 2 At that time [then, in a past era] Solomon [a king of Israel] assembled [gathered, brought together] in Jerusalem [the city of peace] the elders [old, experienced leaders] of Israel [the descendants of Jacob]—all [every single one] the tribal [family, clan] heads [chiefs, leaders] and family [fatherly, ancestral] leaders [princes, authorities] of the Israelites [the children of Israel]—to bring up [to ascend, to lift] the ark [a chest, a box] of the covenant [a promise, an agreement] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] from Zion [a mountain, a holy place], the City [a town, a settlement] of David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel]. word study 3 So all [every single one] the men [individuals, males] of Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] came together [assembled, gathered] to [towards, in the direction of] the king [the ruler, monarch] at [during, in the time of] the feast [festival, celebration] [a time of harvest] in [occurred during, took place in] the seventh month [a period of time, a lunar cycle]. word study 4 When all [every single one, the entirety of] the elders [responsible men, leaders] of Israel [Jacob’s descendants, God’s chosen people] had arrived [come, gathered], the Levites [descendants of Levi, priests] took up [lifted, raised] the ark [the Sacred Chest], word study 5 and they brought up [to a higher place, ascended] the ark [a sacred chest, the Ark of the Covenant] and the Tent of Meeting [the tabernacle, a place of divine encounter] with all [everything, the entirety of] its sacred [holy, set apart] furnishings [utensils, vessels]. The Levitical [descended from Levi, a tribe of priests] priests [spiritual leaders, mediators] carried [bore, lifted up] them up [to a higher place, with reverence]. word study 6 There, before the ark [the sacred chest], King Solomon [the peaceful ruler, successor of David] and the whole congregation [assembly, gathering] of Israel [God’s chosen people] who had assembled [come together, convened] with him sacrificed [offered, slaughtered] so many sheep [flocks, herds] and oxen [cattle, domesticated animals] that they could not be counted [recounted, numbered] or numbered [tallied, weighed]. word study 7 Then the priests [ministers of God, spiritual leaders] brought the ark [a chest or box] of the covenant [a promise or agreement, a sacred bond] of the LORD [Yehovah, the self-existent God] to its place [a designated location, a sacred space] in the inner sanctuary [the most holy place, the divine dwelling] of the temple [the house of God, a place of worship], the Most Holy Place [the innermost sanctum, the holy of holies], beneath [under, in a position of humility] the wings [the edges or extremities] of the cherubim [angelic beings, guardians of God’s throne]. word study 8 For the cherubim [angelic beings, guardians of God’s throne] spread their wings [outstretched, covering] over the place [location, sacred area] of the ark [the covenant box, chest of God’s presence] and overshadowed [covered, protected] the ark and its poles [staves, carrying bars]. word study 9 The poles [long rods, staves] of the ark [a chest, the Ark of the Covenant] extended far enough that their ends [tips, heads] were visible [seen, perceived] from in front of the inner [most holy] sanctuary [the Holy of Holies, the debir], but not from outside [beyond, without] the Holy Place [the temple area]; and they are there [remain, stay] to this day [until now, continually]. word study 10 There was nothing [nothing whatsoever, no other contents] in the ark [a sacred chest, the Ark of the Covenant] except the two [a pair of, dual] tablets [polished stone or wooden slabs] that Moses [the Israelite leader, prophet] had placed [given, set] in it at Horeb [Mount Sinai, the mountain of God], where the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] had made [covenanted, cut a covenant] a covenant [an agreement, a binding promise] with the Israelites [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] after they had come out [departed, escaped] of Egypt [the land of the Nile, a place of bondage]. word study 11 Now all [every single one, the entire group] the priests [spiritual leaders, those who serve God] who were present [gathered, assembled] had consecrated [set apart, made holy] themselves [their lives, their actions] regardless of their divisions [groups, sections, courses] [without following their usual orders]. And when the priests [those who minister to God] came out [went out, emerged] of the Holy Place [the sacred area, the sanctuary], word study 12 all the Levitical [descendants of Levi, from the tribe of Levi] singers—Asaph [gatherer, a Levite], Heman [faithful, a leader], Jeduthun [praising, a chief musician], and their sons [descendants, offspring] and relatives [brothers, kin]—stood [in a strong sense, firmly] on the east [direction of the sunrise] side of the altar [place of sacrifice], dressed [clothed, arrayed] in fine linen [luxurious, white clothing] and playing [making music with] cymbals [tinkling instruments], harps [stringed instruments, lyres], and lyres [musical instruments], accompanied [together with, in unity] by 120 priests [spiritual leaders, mediators] sounding [blowing, trumpeting] trumpets [loud, clear instruments]. word study 13 The trumpeters [blowing horns, sounding a clear note] and singers joined together to praise [give thanks, extol] and thank [express gratitude, acknowledge] the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] with one voice [united, in harmony]. They lifted up their voices, accompanied by trumpets [sounding a loud note], cymbals [double tinklers, making music], and musical instruments [various utensils, tools for music], in praise [worship, adoration] to the LORD: “For He is good [beneficial, pleasing]; His loving devotion [kindness, mercy] endures forever [always, eternally].” And the temple [the house of worship, the dwelling place], the house of the LORD [the place of God’s presence], was filled [made full, completed] with a cloud word study 14 so that the priests [the spiritual leaders, ministers of God] could not stand [remain, endure] there to minister [serve, worship] because of the cloud [the divine presence, heavenly glory]; for the glory [honor, splendor, majesty] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] filled [completed, made full] the house [temple, dwelling place] of God [the Almighty, Creator]. word study