2 Chronicles 5 — The Ark and the Cloud of Glory — Hebrew and Greek compared
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Chapter 5 — The Ark and the Cloud of Glory
The ark brought into the house
Verse 5:1 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 5:1] All the work that Solomon made for YHWH’s house was finished. Solomon brought in the things his father David had consecrated—the silver, the gold, and all the vessels—and put them in the treasuries of God’s house.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 5:1] All the work that Solomon made in the Lord’s house was finished. Solomon brought in the holy things of David his father—the silver, the gold, and the vessels—and put them in the treasury of the Lord’s house.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew has plural treasuries and God’s house; Greek has a singular treasury and the Lord’s house. Both distinguish David’s consecrated possessions from Solomon’s completed work.
Verse 5:2 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 5:2] Then Solomon assembled Israel’s elders and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the ancestral houses of Israel’s sons, at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of YHWH’s covenant from David’s city, which is Zion.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 5:2] Then Solomon assembled Israel’s elders and all the rulers of the tribes, the leaders of the ancestral houses of Israel’s sons, at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from David’s city, which is Zion.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: The assemblies and the ark’s point of departure agree; the descriptions of the ancestral leaders use corresponding administrative terms.
Verse 5:3 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 5:3] All the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast, which was in the seventh month.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 5:3] All the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast; this was the seventh month.
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Both place the national assembly at the feast in the seventh month without naming the feast here.
Verse 5:4 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 5:4] All Israel’s elders came, and the Levites carried the ark.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 5:4] All Israel’s elders came, and all the Levites took up the ark.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Greek explicitly says all the Levites; Hebrew applies all only to the elders in this verse.
Verse 5:5 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 5:5] They brought up the ark, the Tent of Meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent. The priests, the Levites, brought them up.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 5:5] They brought up the ark, the Tent of Testimony, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought it up.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew juxtaposes the priests and the Levites without a conjunction, permitting an appositional understanding, the Levitical priests; Greek explicitly coordinates two groups. Hebrew’s final object is plural, Greek’s singular. The tent titles differ as elsewhere.
Verse 5:6 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 5:6] King Solomon and all Israel’s congregation that had assembled to him were before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle that could neither be counted nor numbered because of their multitude.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 5:6] King Solomon and all Israel’s congregation, and those who feared, and their assembled ones, were before the ark, sacrificing calves and sheep that could neither be numbered nor reckoned because of their multitude.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Text: Greek adds those who feared and their assembled ones to its description of the gathering; no object of fearing is supplied. Hebrew simply describes the congregation assembled to Solomon. Greek names calves where Hebrew has cattle, and reverses the animal order.
Verse 5:7 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 5:7] The priests brought the ark of YHWH’s covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, into the Holy of Holies, beneath the cherubim’s wings.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 5:7] The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place, into the dabir of the house, into the Holy of Holies, beneath the cherubim’s wings.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: Greek carries over dabir as a borrowed designation for the inner sanctuary; the ark’s location agrees.
Verse 5:8 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 5:8] The cherubim spread their wings over the ark’s place, and the cherubim covered the ark and its poles from above.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 5:8] The cherubim spread out their wings over the ark’s place, and the cherubim covered the ark and its carrying poles from above.
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Both describe the wings sheltering the ark and the poles above it.
Verse 5:9 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 5:9] The poles extended, and the ends of the poles could be seen from the ark in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside. It has been there to this day.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 5:9] The carrying poles projected, and their ends could be seen from the holy places in front of the dabir, but they could not be seen outside. They have been there to this day.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew specifies from the ark and ends with singular it; Greek specifies from the holy places and ends with plural they. The Hebrew verb can also be understood as they lengthened the poles; the spatial description remains difficult.
Verse 5:10 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 5:10] There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed there at Horeb, where YHWH made a covenant with Israel’s sons when they came out of Egypt.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 5:10] There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed at Choreb, which the Lord covenanted with Israel’s sons when they came out of the land of Egypt.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: Both restrict the contents to the two tablets. Hebrew’s covenant formula literally uses cut; Greek uses covenanted and has an awkward neuter relative after the feminine tablets. Neither column imports other objects into the ark.
Music and the cloud of glory
Verse 5:11 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 5:11] When the priests came out of the holy place—for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without keeping to the divisions—
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 5:11] When the priests came out of the holy places—for all the priests who were found there were sanctified, without being arranged by their courses—
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: Hebrew describes the priests sanctifying themselves; Greek uses a passive form. Both suspend the normal divisions, and the sentence continues through the musicians’ participation.
Verse 5:12 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 5:12] and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, their sons and their brothers, clothed in fine linen, with cymbals, lyres, and harps, stood east of the altar, and with them were a hundred and twenty priests sounding trumpets,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 5:12] and all the Levitical singers belonging to the sons of Asaph, to Heman, and to Idithoun, and their sons and their brothers, clothed in fine-linen robes, with cymbals, nablai, and kinyrai, stood opposite the altar, and with them were a hundred and twenty priests sounding trumpets,
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew names Asaph directly and places the musicians east of the altar; Greek names the sons of Asaph and places them opposite it. Greek preserves borrowed names for the two string instruments. Both give a hundred and twenty trumpeting priests.
Verse 5:13 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 5:13] the trumpeters and singers became as one, making one voice heard in praising and thanking YHWH. As they raised their voice with trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments, praising YHWH, “For He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever,” the house, YHWH’s house, was filled with a cloud.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 5:13] there was one voice in trumpeting, singing psalms, and shouting, to give thanks and praise to the Lord. When they raised their voice with trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments, they said, “Give thanks to the Lord, for it is good, for His mercy endures forever.” The house was filled with a cloud of the Lord’s glory.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Text: Greek adds shouting and an explicit imperative, Give thanks to the Lord. Its good is neuter, rendered it is good; Hebrew predicates goodness of YHWH. Greek already calls the cloud a cloud of the Lord’s glory, while Hebrew names that glory in the next verse.
Verse 5:14 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[BHS 5:14] The priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for YHWH’s glory filled God’s house.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[LXX 5:14] The priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the Lord’s glory filled God’s house.
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Both identify the cloud with divine glory filling God’s house and preventing priestly ministry.