1 Kings 6:11

_AND THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO SOLOMON, SAYING,_ The word of the Lord came to Solomon - probably by a prophet. It was very seasonable, being designed, first, To encourage him to go on with the building, by confirming anew the promise made to his father David (2 Samuel 7:1); and secondly, To warn him against the pride and presumption of supposing that, after the erection of so magnificent a temple, he and his people would always be sure of the presence and favour of God. The condition on which that blessing could alone be expected was expressly stated. The dwelling of God among the children of Israel refers to those symbols of His presence in the temple which were the visible tokens of His spiritual relation to that people....

11-14 None employ themselves for God, without having his eye upon them. But God plainly let Solomon know that all the charge for building this temple, would neither excuse from obedience to the law of God, nor shelter from his judgments, in case of disobedience....

Verse 1 Kings 6:11. _THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO SOLOMON_] Some think that this is the same revelation as that mentioned 1 Kings 9:2, c., which took place _after_ the dedication of the temple: but to me it appears different it was a word to encourage him _while_ building; to warn him against apostasy, and to assure him of God's continued protection of him and his family, if they continued faithful to the grace which God had given....

EXPOSITION SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.—The preparations for the building of the Temple having been related in the preceding chapter, the historian now proceeds to describe the edifice. He begins his narrative with a precise statement of the date of its erection (1 Kings 6:1); then follows (1) a description of the shape, size, and arrangement of the exterior (1 Kings 6:2), and (2) a detailed account of its internal fittings and adornments (1 Kings 6:15-11). The promise made to Solomon during its erection finds a place in 1 Kings 6:11; while the vessels,

AND THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO SOLOMON,.... The word of prophecy, as the Targum, foretelling what would be the case of this building, according to the obedience or disobedience of him and the people of Israel; which was brought to him either by an impulse of the Spirit of God upon him; or by the hand of a prophet, as Kimchi thinks; and some of the Jewish writers y, as he particularly, name Ahijah the Shilonite as the prophet that was sent with this message to him: SAYING, as follows. y Seder Olam Rabba, c. 20. p. 53....

CHAPTER 6THE DESCRIPTION OF THE TEMPLE _ 1. The date of the beginning of the building (1 Kings 6:1)_ 2. The house, the porches and side chambers (1 Kings 6:2) 3. The divine charge (1 Kings 6:11) 4. The internal arrangements (1 Kings 6:15) 5. The cherubim (1 Kings 6:23) 6. The doors (1 Kings 6:31) 7. The inner court and the temple finished ...

DESCRIPTION OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE. The Temple area is on the eastern hill of Jerusalem, which overlooks the valley of the Kidron, with the Mount of Olives on the opposite side. It was probably not the Zion captured by David (2 Samuel 5), but the site was purchased by him from Ornan, or Araunah, the Jebusite (2 Samuel 24:18). It is marked by an outcrop of rock, now called the _Sakrah._ The Temple hill is divided from the Upper City on the western hill by a valley called the Tyropœ an (cheese-makers). The Temple was part of a great scheme of building which has been restored by Stade, whose reconstruction is now generally adopted in descriptions of early Jerusalem. To understand aright the difficult account of Solomon's buildings in these Chapter s, Ezekiel's restored Temple (Ezekiel 40-48) and Josephus'sketch of Herod's Temple (_Wars,_...

God's promise to Solomon and to the people of Israel (Not in Chronicles) 11. _And the word of the Lord came_ The LXX. (_Vat._) omits these three verses, as if intending to bring the whole narrative of the building into closer connexion. We are not told by what means this divine communication was made, whether in a vision, or through Nathan the prophet, as the original message came to David (2 Samuel 7:4). It is a message in the genuine prophetic spirit. The Temple has no value of its own, except so far as it is the sign and witness of _obedience_to Jehovah....

C. THE PROMISE TO SOLOMON 6:11-14 TRANSLATION (11) And the word of the LORD came unto Solomon, saying, (12) With regard to this house which you are building, if you continue to walk in My statutes and My judgments you execute, and you keep all My commandments to walk in them, then I will establish My word with you which I spoke unto David your father. (13) And I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel, and I will not forsake My people Israel. (14) So Solomon built the house and finished it. COMMENTS During the course of the building of the Temple the Lord came to Solomon with a gracious promise. While this promise is absent from the Greek or Septuagint version of the Old Testament, there is no substantial reason to question its genuineness. The word of the Lord came to Solomon on this occasion (1 Kings 6:11) probably through a prophetic intermediary (Nathan?)

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE In shape the Temple was a rectangular hall 60 x 20 x 30 cubits (a cubit being about 18 inches). On its E. face it had a porch (forming an entrance) which extended across the whole front and added 10 cubits to the length of the building (1 Kings 6:3). The height of this is given in 2 Chronicles 3:4 as 120 cubits; but such a measurement is out of all proportion to the others, and is probably an error (one of the MSS of the LXX substitutes 20 cubits). On three sides of the house were built a number of chambers (Josephus says 30) in three storeys (1 Kings 6:5; 1 Kings 6:10), intended for the accommodation of