EasyEnglish Bible 2018
2 Chronicles 2:6
6I know that nobody can really build a house for our God. The whole sky, or even heaven itself, is not big enough to contain him. So I certainly cannot build a place for him to live in, but it will be a place where we can offer sacrifices to him.
2 Chronicles 2:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?
- New International Version (NIV)But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?
- English Standard Version (ESV)But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him?
- New King James Version (NKJV)But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?
Context of 2 Chronicles 2:6
4I am ready to build a temple to give honour to the Lord my God. It will be a holy place that belongs to him. We Israelites will burn sweet incense for him there. We will put special bread there every day. We will burn sacrifices to the Lord our God every morning and every evening. We will also do that on Sabbath days, on New Moon festival days and on other special days that God has chosen. He has told us to do this for all time. 5The house that I will build for our God will be a great temple, because he is greater than all gods. I know that nobody can really build a house for our God. The whole sky, or even heaven itself, is not big enough to contain him. So I certainly cannot build a place for him to live in, but it will be a place where we can offer sacrifices to him. 7Please send me a man who has special skills to work with gold, silver, bronze and iron, as well as with valuable red, purple and blue materials. He must also know how to cut pictures on metal. He will help my own workers here in Judah and in Jerusalem. They are workers with special skills that my father David chose to do this work. 8Please send me wood from cedar trees, cypress trees and other strong trees from Lebanon. I know that your men have good skills to cut down trees in Lebanon. My own men will help your men with the work.
Read all of 2 Chronicles 22 Chronicles 2:6 word by word
וּמִ֤י יַעֲצָר־כֹּ֙חַ֙ לִבְנֽוֹת־ל֣וֹ בַ֔יִת כִּ֧י הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם וּשְׁמֵ֥י הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם לֹ֣א יְכַלְכְּלֻ֑הוּ וּמִ֤י אֲנִי֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶבְנֶה־לּ֣וֹ בַ֔יִת כִּ֖י אִם־לְהַקְטִ֥יר לְפָנָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- But who is ableכֹּחַkôach kôach · strengthH3581
- But who is ableעָצַר‛âtsar · to restrainH6113
- to buildבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
- him an houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
- seeing the heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- cannot containכּוּלkûl · to sustainH3557
- save only[כִּי] אם'im · if: exceptH518
- to burn sacrificeקָטַרqâţar · to offer: offerH6999
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
Cross-references for 2 Chronicles 2:6
- 2 Chronicles 6:18But surely God, you do not live on the earth with people! The whole sky, or even heaven itself, is too small to contain you! So how can you live in this temple that I have built?
- 1 Kings 8:27But surely God, you do not live on the earth! The whole sky, or even heaven itself, is too small to contain you! So how can you live in this temple that I have built?
- Isaiah 66:1This is what the Lord says: ‘Heaven is my throne. The earth is the place where I put my feet. So you could not build a house for me to live in. Where would I lie down to rest?
- Acts 7:48But we know that God does not live in a house that people have made. He is the powerful God who is over all. God's prophet Isaiah spoke these words:
- 2 Chronicles 1:10So please give me wisdom and knowledge, so that I can be a good leader of these people. I will only be able to rule this great nation of your people if you do that for me.’
- Exodus 3:11But Moses said to God, ‘I am not an important person. I cannot go to Pharaoh. I cannot lead the Israelites out of Egypt!’
- 2 Samuel 7:18Then King David went into the Lord's tent. He sat down and he prayed to the Lord. He said, ‘Almighty Lord, I am not a special person and my family is not special. You have helped me very much and I do not deserve it.
- 1 Chronicles 29:14But I and my people are like nothing. How are we able to give all these gifts to help your work? Everything that we have comes from you. So we are giving back to you things that already belong to you.
- 2 Corinthians 2:16For the people who are dying, we are like a bad smell that brings a message of death. But for the people that God is saving, we are like a lovely smell that brings a message of new life. Nobody is really good enough to tell such an important message!
- Ephesians 3:8I am the least important of all God's people. But God has given this special work to me because he is so kind. He has sent me to tell his good news to the Gentiles. Then they know about the many valuable things that Christ has prepared for us.
- Deuteronomy 12:5The Lord will choose one place from the land where all your tribes live. That is the place where people must go to worship him. That is his special home.
Commentaries on 2 Chronicles 2:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens - "For the lower heavens, the middle heavens, and the upper heavens cannot contain him, seeing he sustains all things by the arm of his power. Heaven is the throne of his glory, the earth his footstool; the deep, and the whole world, are sustained by the spirit of his Word, [מימריה ברוח beruach meqmereih ]. Who am I, then, that I should build him a house?" - Targum. Save only to burn sacrifice - It is not under the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Save only to burn sacrifice before him - Solomon seems to mean that to build the temple can only be justified on the human - not on the divine - side. “God dwelleth not in temples made with hands;” He cannot be confined to them; He does in no sort need them. The sole reason for building a temple lies in the needs of man: his worship must he local; the sacrifices commanded in the Law had of necessity to be offered somewhere.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5-6The house...will be great: The temple's greatness and God's greatness are different. Even the highest heavens cannot contain God.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-63-6. Solomon sent to Huram--The correspondence was probably conducted on both sides in writing (2Ch 2:11; also see on 1Ki 5:8). As thou didst deal with David my father--This would seem decisive of the question whether the Huram then reigning in Tyre was David's friend (see on 1Ki 5:1-6). In opening the business, Solomon grounded his request for Tyrian aid on two reasons: 1. The temple he proposed to build must be a solid and permanent building because the…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Chronicles 2:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Chronicles 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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