2 Chronicles 5:9
And they drew out the staves of the ark, that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracle; but they were not seen without. And there it is unto this day. And they drew out the staves of the ark, that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracle; but they were not seen without. And there it is unto this day.
The verse belongs to the account of Solomon building and solemnly dedicating the temple of God in the history of his undivided reign. It describes how the carrying poles of the ark were drawn out so that their ends could be seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, yet not from outside, and remained so when the account was written. The ark itself was set in the most holy place beneath the cherubim, holding the stone tablets of the covenant placed there by Moses under God's command. Solomon's temple was a larger and grander but immovable house built on the same plan as the tabernacle of Moses, with two holy places and the same vessels and ministration, patterned after the heavenly temple. Its dedication was marked by singers praising the Lord until His glory filled the house, showing God's care for His people and that His favor rests on faithfulness to His covenant.
Historical Setting and Wording
2 Chronicles 5:9 belongs to the account of Solomon's building of the temple of God and its solemn dedication, following David's purpose to build a house of God, his gathering of material for it, and the establishment of Solomon on the kingdom. It stands in chapters 1 to 9, the first portion of 2 Chronicles, which gives the history of the undivided kingdom under Solomon in chronological order and parallels 1 Kings 1 to 11. It falls within the account of Solomon's reign, before the kingdom was divided. It stands in 2 Chronicles 4 to 6 within the history of Solomon, one of the four divisions of Chronicles alongside genealogies and the histories of David and the remaining kings of Judah.
The verse belongs to the account of the building and furniture of the temple, to be noted especially along with the dedication prayer and sacrifices and the divine answer to Solomon's prayer. It belongs to the first nine chapters describing the glorious rule of Solomon, where six chapters are given to the building of the temple and its services and only three to other matters of the reign.
The verse describes the ark's carrying poles as drawn out and projecting and extending toward the veil, with their ends visible from the holy place before the inner sanctuary, the oracle, but not seen from outside. The ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracle, yet they were not seen without. It adds that they remained so at the time the account was written, that there it is unto this day.
Sanctuary Meaning and Purpose
The verse belongs to the temple dedication when singers praised the Lord and His glory filled the temple. The ark's carrying poles extended toward the veil, with their ends visible from the sanctuary but not from outside, and they remained there at the time the account was written. The ark was placed in the middle of the Most Holy Place from side to side, near the second veil, so that most of the space lay in front of the ministering priest and the poles could rest against the veil.
The verse places the ark in the temple's inner sanctuary, the oracle, beneath the cherubim, in the most holy place. The ark contained the stone tablets of the covenant deposited there by Moses and was kept in the sanctuary under God's command. It was placed in the Most Holy Place of Solomon's temple amid great rejoicing and remained there until Jerusalem was destroyed, and it was later said to have been hidden by Jeremiah. The staves projected into view from the holy place before the inner sanctuary while remaining unseen from outside.
The verse is connected with Solomon's temple receiving both the ark and the tabernacle. Solomon's temple was a larger and grander yet immovable building constructed on the same plan as the tabernacle of Moses, consisting of two holy places with the same kind of sacred vessels and the same ministration. Its arrangement served as a pattern of the heavenly temple which therefore has two holy places.
The verse belongs to the first nine chapters describing the glorious rule of Solomon, where six chapters are given to the building of the temple and its services and only three to other matters of the reign. It shows the religious purpose of the history, that God's care for His people and His purpose to save them is the theme. Divine favor depends on faithfulness of rulers and people to the original covenant and divine punishment is the result of unfaithfulness, and the temple history makes these books the beginning of an ecclesiastical history extending through Ezra and Nehemiah in the line of Judah and David through which the Messiah comes.