1 Kings 6:1-10. Commencement and dimensions of Solomon's Temple (2 Chronicles 3:1-2) 1. _in the four hundred and eightieth year_, &c. It is impossible to discover how this date is arrived at, or to make it fit in with other statements of the Old and New Testament. The LXX. has -the four hundred and... [ Continue Reading ]
_the length thereof was threescore cubits_ In dimension the Temple was twice the size of the Tabernacle. The latter was 30 cubits long, 10 cubits wide and 15 cubits high in the holy place. See Fergusson's _Temples of the Jews_, p. 16. Mr Fergusson, speaking of the length of the cubit says, -we find... [ Continue Reading ]
_the porch_ This extended along the whole face of the building, and projected forward 10 cubits, thus making the whole length of the structure 70 cubits or 105 feet, without allowing for the thickness of outside or party walls. The height of this porch is said (2 Chronicles 3:4) to have been 120 cub... [ Continue Reading ]
_windows of narrow lights_ It is not easy to explain the nature of these windows from the words used to describe them. They were apparently windows made by overlaid woodwork, either in the fashion of sloping louvre boards or fashioned like latticework crosswise. Then the last word indicates that the... [ Continue Reading ]
_And against the wall of the house he built chambers_ The A. V. points out by its margin that the word here translated -chambers" is not the same as that so rendered in the latter part of the verse. For the former it gives -floors" as an alternative, for the latter -ribs." The first seems to embrace... [ Continue Reading ]
_The nethermost chamber_(R.V. STORY) was _five cubits broad_ This is the space between the wall of the Temple and the outer wall of the enclosing structure. The wall of the Temple must have been very thick at the bottom, for at the height of five cubits a ledge was made of one cubit wide on which to... [ Continue Reading ]
_stone made ready_before it was _brought_thither] The R.V. renders MADE READY AT THE QUARRY with a margin on the last three words -when it was brought away." The final Hebrew word מַסָּע on which the various reading is given is from the root of the verb rendered doubly in 1 Kings 6:17 -to hew" or -t... [ Continue Reading ]
_The door for the middle chamber_ R.V. MIDDLE SIDE-CHAMBERS. The LXX. and Targum here give -lowest" instead of -middle;" doubtless because otherwise there is no mode of access to the lower side-chambers specified. The manner of reaching the middle story is sufficiently indicated in the next clause.... [ Continue Reading ]
_So he built the house_ i.e. The Temple building. The next verse speaks of the enclosing framework of chambers. What was now finished was the portion for divine service. _and covered the house_ i.e. Made the roof for it. On this roof, see Fergusson, _Temples of the Jews_, pp. 19 seqq., where the au... [ Continue Reading ]
_And_then _he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high_ Better with R.V. -And he built THE STORIES against all the house, EACH five cubits high." We ought perhaps to make some allowance for the thickness of floors and roofs. So that the whole height to which this three-storied structur... [ Continue Reading ]
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 m... [ Continue Reading ]
_which thou art in building_ It is clear from this that the message came before the completion of the house, and that this is the proper place for its mention, from whatever source the compiler drew it. _I will perform my word_ R.V. -I will ESTABLISH." See above on 1 Kings 2:4. _which I spake unto... [ Continue Reading ]
_and I will dwell among the children of Israel_ This is an expansion of the promise made to David. The same words are used (Exodus 29:45) in connexion with the furnishing and completion of the tabernacle. As God's presence in both Tabernacle and Temple was to point on to the Incarnation, the fitness... [ Continue Reading ]
Particulars of the interior fittings of the holy place, and of the most holy place (2 Chronicles 3:5-9) 14. _So Solomon built the house_ This verse resumes the narrative of 1 Kings 6:9.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he built_ The Hebrew uses the same word for the erection of the stone structure and for the work described in this verse, which was to fit the house with a wainscot of cedar. _both the floor of the house, and the walls of the cieling_ More literally, and better, with R.V., - FROM the floor of... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house_ This rendering does not make very clear what is intended. The word translated -sides" is often used for the innermost part of anything, as of a cave (1 Samuel 24:4), and of the recesses of a forest, as Lebanon (Isaiah 37:24). So here it signifie... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the house_ Here signifying the holy place, which was in front of the oracle. The word which in this verse is rendered -before it" is an adjective, and this form is found only here. It qualifies the noun -Temple," and signifies -that which is in front," viz. of the oracle.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the cedar of the house within_ Better more literally, with R.V. -And THERE WAS CEDAR UPON the house within." He is now describing the wainscot of the holy place. _carved with knops_ There is a feminine form of the word here rendered -knops," which in 2 Kings 4:39 is used of -wild gourds." Henc... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the oracle_, &c. Read, -And he prepared AN oracle." _to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord_ Which was at present in the city of David. See 1 Kings 3:15 note.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the oracle in the fore-part_ The two words thus rendered would, if they stood alone, be rendered -before the oracle." In this verse, however, this cannot be the meaning. But in standing before such a room as is here described, it is in front of you, and you see the interior. In this way -before the... [ Continue Reading ]
_with pure gold_ The adjective, or rather participle, as it is in Hebrew, signifies -closed," -shut up." The traditional rendering is that of the text, supported by the Chaldee, the Vulgate and Kimchi; but it is not clear how the sense comes, unless we may take it, as the notes of the Synod of Dort,... [ Continue Reading ]
_the whole altar that_was _by the oracle_ The preposition is not significant of position, but of possession. Read -the whole altar that BELONGED TO the oracle." The priest who offered incense continually on this altar in the holy place could not enter the most holy place, but the altar on which the... [ Continue Reading ]
Of the Cherubim within the oracle (2 Chronicles 3:10-12) 23. _And within the oracle he made two cherubims_ As the Hebrew word is already in the plural form, write CHERUBIM. These cherubim were winged figures intended to represent some holy and heavenly form. They are first mentioned in Genesis 3:24,... [ Continue Reading ]
_one size_ Rather -one FORM." The size is implied in the previous word.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims_ Which is the frequent Hebrew form of expressing THE CHERUBIM STRETCHED FORTH THEIR WINGS. So R.V. On the way in which these cherubim were placed see below on 1 Kings 8:6. It would seem as if in Solomon's Temple the cherubim did not face one anoth... [ Continue Reading ]
_within and without_ Both here and in the next verse these words can only refer to the inner and outer rooms, the most holy place and the holy place.... [ Continue Reading ]
The doors for the oracle and for the Temple. The building of the inner court (Not in Chronicles) 31. _the lintel_and _side posts_ There is no conjunction between these words, and the former seems from other places in O. T. to apply to the whole framework in which the doors were fixed, the latter is... [ Continue Reading ]
_The two doors also_were] As there is nothing to make the noun here definite, it is better to understand the verb -he made." Render -so _he made_two doors of olive-wood." _and spread gold_ Better, and made necessary by the text, -and HE spread THE gold." Here a different process is described. The w... [ Continue Reading ]
_for the door of the temple_ The word translated -door" is the same which is rendered ENTERING in 1 Kings 6:31. (So R.V.) The entering here meant is that from the porch into the holy place. _posts of olive tree_ The word is that used for side-posts in 31. There is no mention here of the whole frame... [ Continue Reading ]
_and the two doors_were _of fir tree_ As in 32 the expression is not definite. It is therefore simpler to put a light punctuation at the end of 1 Kings 6:33 and render -and two doors of fir wood." _the two leaves of the one door_were _folding_ That is, could be doubled back upon one another. The do... [ Continue Reading ]
_and covered_them _with gold fitted upon the carved work_ Here we have a definite statement of what was done, and the same is no doubt meant in 1 Kings 6:32. The first verb is that which has been rendered OVERLAID all through the narrative. So consistency requires the same rendering here. In 2 Chron... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he built the inner court_ This inner court is that which in Jeremiah 36:10 is called -the higher court" and must be that intended (2 Chronicles 4:9) by the -court of the priests" in contradistinction to -the great court," which must have enclosed the inner one. There is some doubt as to how the... [ Continue Reading ]
Completion of Solomon's Temple (Not in Chronicles) 37. _In the fourth year_ i.e. Of king Solomon's reign. See 1 Kings 6:1. The LXX. (both _Vat._and _Alex._) omits these two verses, adding at the end of 36 καὶ ᾠκοδόμησε τὸ καταπέτασμα τῆς αὐλῆς τοῦ αἰλὰμ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ ναοῦ.... [ Continue Reading ]
_in the month Bul_ This month is only mentioned here. The name is derived from the same root as _mabbul_= the deluge, and intimates that the character of the month was rainy. The later name of the month was Marchesvan. It was between the new moon of November and December, and this being the eighth m... [ Continue Reading ]