1 Kings 9:25

_AND THREE TIMES IN A YEAR DID SOLOMON OFFER BURNT OFFERINGS AND PEACE OFFERINGS UPON THE ALTAR WHICH HE BUILT UNTO THE LORD, AND HE BURNT INCENSE UPON THE ALTAR THAT WAS BEFORE THE LORD. SO HE FINISHED THE HOUSE._ Three times in a year - namely, at the Passover, Pentecost, and feast of tabernacles (2 Chronicles 8:13; 2 Chronicles 31:3). DID SOLOMON OFFER BURNT OFFERINGS, AND PEACE OFFERINGS ... AND HE BURNT INCENSE UPON THE ALTAR, х_ WªHE`ªLAAH_ (H5927) _ `OLOWT_ (H5930), he caused to ascend; _ WªHAQTEEYR_ (H6999) (Hiphil), and he burnt incense] - i:e., not personally, but through the official instrumentality of

15-28 Here is a further account of Solomon's greatness. He began at the right end, for he built God's house first, and finished that before he began his own; then God blessed him, and he prospered in all his other buildings. Let piety begin, and profit follow; leave pleasure to the last. Whatever pains we take for the glory of God, and to profit others, we are likely to have the advantage. Canaan, the holy land, the glory of all lands, had no gold in it; which shows that the best produce is that which is for the present support of life, our own and others; such things did Canaan produce. Solomon got much by his merchandise, and yet has directed us to a better trade, within reach of the poorest. Wisdom is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold, Proverbs 3:14....

Verse 1 Kings 9:25. _THREE TIMES IN A YEAR DID SOLOMON OFFER_] These three times were: 1. The _passover_. 2. The feast of _pentecost_. 3. The feast of _tabernacles_....

THREE TIMES - i. e., (see the marginal reference) the three solemn Feasts - the Feast of unleavened bread, the Feast of weeks, and the Feast of tabernacles. DID SOLOMON OFFER ... AND HE BURNT INCENSE - Not with his own hand, but by his priests 1Ki 8:6; 2 Chronicles 5:7. In sacred, as in ordinary, history, men are said to do that which they cause to be done....

EXPOSITION SOLOMON'S BUILDINGS AND UNDERTAKINGS.—So far the historian has spoken exclusively of the two greatest works of Solomon's reign, the Temple and the Palace, and principally of the former. Even the message just related was, as we have seen, the response to the prayer offered when the temple was consecrated. But he now proceeds to mention other proofs of Solomon's greatness, and of the prosperity of his reign—doubtless because the glory of Israel then reached its climax, and the author would be tempted to linger over these details because of the dark contrast which his own time supplied—and this leads him to speak of the means by which all these enterprises were accomplished. The particulars here given are but fragmentary, and are grouped together in a somewhat irregular manner. It would seem as if both this account and that of the chronicler had been compiled from much more copio...

AND THREE TIMES IN A YEAR DID SOLOMON OFFER BURNT OFFERINGS AND PEACE OFFERINGS UPON THE ALTAR WHICH HE BUILT UNTO THE LORD,.... The brasen altar, the altar of burnt offering, which stood in the court of the priests, and by whom he offered. The three times were the feasts of passover, pentecost, and tabernacles, as explained in 2 Chronicles 8:13, not that these were the only offerings, or these the only times he offered; for he offered all other sacrifices, and at all other times commanded in the law of Moses, as on sabbaths and new moons, as expressed in the above place: AND HE BURNT INCENSE UPON THE ALTAR THAT WAS BEFORE THE LORD; the altar of incense, which stood in the holy place, right beside the most holy, in which was the ark, the symbol of the divine Presence; not that Solomon burnt incense in person, but by the priests, whom he furnished with incense; fo

5. JEHOVAH APPEARS UNTO SOLOMON AND THE GREATNESS OF THE KING CHAPTER 9 _ 1. The second appearance of the LORD to Solomon (1 Kings 9:1)_ 2. Transactions with Hiram (1 Kings 9:10) 3. The levy of the king (1 Kings 9:15) 4. Pharaoh's daughter occupies the house (1 Kings 9:24) 5. The king's offerings (1 Kings 9:25) 6. Solomon's navy (1 Kings 9:26) Jehovah's righteous government in the midst of His people Israel had

SOLOMON'S DEALINGS WITH HIRAM. THE LEVY. The source of this section seems to be the Acts of Solomon (see above). After Solomon had completed his buildings he was obliged to give Hiram cities in Galilee (1 Kings 9:11). The Chronicler, regarding this as unworthy of the great king, makes Hiram give the cities to Solomon (2 Chronicles 8:2). Galilee (pp. 28- 30) is mentioned in Joshua 20:7; Joshua 21:32; 1 Chronicles 6:76, and in 2 Kings 15:29, nearly always

_three times in a year did Solomon offer_ Most likely this means at the three great feasts, the Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. This may be understood in the sense -qui facit per alium, facit per se". But some have contended that Solomon himself performed these priestly acts and that consequently the privileges of the Levitical caste were of later origin. _and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the Lord_ The marginal note of A.V. -upon it" for -upon the altar" shews where the difficulty in this verse is. The R.V. prefers, instead of -upon it" to render -with it," i.e. THEREWITH, and this is supported by the Hebrew punctuation. The translation then becomes -And he burnt incense therewith, _upon the altar_that was before the Lord," the italics being added to complete the sense. But the text can hardly be correct to need such an addition. _So he finished the house_ It is...

B. SOLOMON AND THE _CORVÉE_ 9:15-25 The second means by which Solomon was able to construct so many buildings was the compulsory labor force. The use of forced labor (Heb. _hammas)_ was mentioned in connection with the building of the Temple (1 Kings 5:13-18). Here it is mentioned again in connection with Solomon's other building projects. The object of the forced labor was the building of public works, the Temple, palace, fortifications and strategic points in the provinces. This section lists the various construction projects of the corvée (1 Kings 9:15-19), discusses the composition of the corvée (1 Kings 9:20-23), and concludes with two brief notes pointing to the completion of Solomon'