INTRODUCTION TO FIRST KINGS 6 This chapter gives an account of the building of the temple, for which preparations were before made and begins with the time of its building, 1 Kings 6:1; gives the dimensions of it and the porch before it, 1 Kings 6:2; observes the windows in it and chambers about it... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTIETH YEAR AFTER THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WERE COME OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT,.... The Tyrian writers k make it five hundred sixty years from hence; but this no doubt is tightest, which Junius reckons thus; forty years Israel were in the wilderness, seven... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE HOUSE WHICH KING SOLOMON BUILT FOR THE LORD,.... For his worship, honour, and glory: THE LENGTH THEREOF [WAS] THREESCORE CUBITS; sixty cubits from east to west, including the holy place and the most holy place; the holy place was forty cubits, and the most holy place twenty; the same measur... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE PORCH BEFORE THE TEMPLE OF THE HOUSE,.... Which stood at the east end of it: TWENTY CUBITS [WAS] THE LENGTH THEREOF, ACCORDING TO THE BREADTH OF THE HOUSE; which was from north to south, and of the same dimension, so that they exactly answered each other: [AND] TEN CUBITS [WAS] THE BREADTH... [ Continue Reading ]
AND FOR THE HOUSE HE MADE WINDOWS OF NARROW LIGHTS. Or "open, shut" o, which could be both, having shutters to them, to open or shut at pleasure; windows which they could open, and look through at them, or shut when they pleased; the Targum is, "open within, and shut without;'' or, as others under... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AGAINST THE WALL OF THE HOUSE HE BUILT CHAMBERS ROUND ABOUT,.... Or near it, as Jarchi interprets it, for the beams of them were not fastened in in it, 1 Kings 6:6; or rather "upon" it p; and when they are said to be round about the house, it must be understood of the two sides, north and south,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE NETHERMOST CHAMBER [WAS] FIVE CUBITS BROAD,.... The nethermost row of them, which were upon the first floor: AND THE MIDDLE [WAS] SIX CUBITS BROAD, AND THE THIRD [WAS] SEVEN CUBITS BROAD; so that the middlemost was a cubit larger than the lowest, and the highest a cubit larger than that: th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE HOUSE, WHEN IT WAS IN BUILDING,.... And all the while it was building: WAS BUILT OF STONE MADE READY BEFORE IT WAS BROUGHT THITHER; being hewn or squared by the builders and stonesquarers of Solomon and Hiram, 1 Kings 5:18; wherefore the builders had nothing more to do than to lay them in t... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DOOR OF THE MIDDLE CHAMBER [WAS] IN THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE HOUSE,.... The south side of it: AND THEY WENT UP WITH WINDING STAIRS INTO THE MIDDLE [CHAMBER]; which were outside the chambers, and which winded about for the sake of taking up less room, and which led up to the door of the middle cham... [ Continue Reading ]
SO HE BUILT THE HOUSE, AND FINISHED IT,.... The body of it, the walls of the holy and most holy place, with the chambers on the sides of them, and the porch at the end that led into them: AND COVERED THE HOUSE WITH BEAMS AND BOARDS OF CEDAR; with hollow boards, as the Targum, which formed an arch c... [ Continue Reading ]
AND [THEN] HE BUILT CHAMBERS AGAINST ALL THE HOUSE FIVE CUBITS HIGH,.... Which some understand of the same chambers in 1 Kings 6:5; here made mention of again for the sake of giving the height of them, not before given; but they were built against, or upon the wall of the house, these against, or ra... [ Continue Reading ]
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 h... [ Continue Reading ]
[CONCERNING] THIS HOUSE WHICH THOU ART IN BUILDING,.... Or with respect to that, these things are to be said as from the Lord: IF THOU WILT WALK IN MY STATUTES, AND EXECUTE MY JUDGMENTS, AND KEEP ALL MY COMMANDMENTS TO WALK IN THEM; even all the laws of God, moral, ceremonial, and judicial; and thi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I WILL DWELL AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL,.... In this house now building, and which was in the middle of the land, and where he would meet with them, and accept their sacrifices, not only of slain beasts, but of prayer and praise: AND WILL NOT FORSAKE MY PEOPLE ISRAEL; and leave them to the me... [ Continue Reading ]
SO SOLOMON BUILT THE HOUSE, AND FINISHED IT. He went on with it until he had completed it, animated and encouraged by the promise of the divine Presence in it, provided a proper regard was had to the will and ways of God. Abarbinel thinks the above message was sent him in the midst of his work, to s... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE BUILT THE WALLS OF THE HOUSE WITHIN WITH BOARDS OF CEDAR,.... For as yet he had only built the stone walls of it without, but now he wainscotted it with cedar boards: and not only them, but BOTH THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE, AND THE WALLS OF THE CEILING; or from "the floor of the house unto the wa... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE BUILT TWENTY CUBITS ON THE SIDES OF THE HOUSE,.... At the end or extremity of it, as the Targum; that is, he built the most holy place, which was twenty two cubits long, at the end of the holy place, which he wainscotted as the other: BOTH THE FLOOR AND THE WALLS WITH BOARDS OF CEDAR; or fro... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE HOUSE, THAT [IS], THE TEMPLE BEFORE IT,.... The holy place, which was before the of holies: WAS FORTY CUBITS [LONG]; and which, with the most holy place, being twenty cubits, as in the preceding verse, made the length of the whole house sixty cubits, as in 1 Kings 6:2.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE CEDAR OF THE HOUSE WITHIN,.... With which the inside of the place was lined: [WAS] CARVED WITH KNOPS; of an oval form; so the Targum says, they had the appearance of eggs; and Ben Gersom likewise, that they were in the form of eggs: AND OPEN FLOWERS; not in the figure of buds, but flowers... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE ORACLE HE PREPARED IN THE HOUSE WITHIN,.... In the innermost part of the house he fitted up the oracle, or speaking place, from whence the Lord spake and gave answer, to receive what was to be put into it: particularly TO SET THERE THE ARK OF THE COVENANT OF THE LORD; even the very same tha... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE ORACLE IN THE FOREPART,.... Which stood in the forepart of the temple, before a man's face as he entered into it, and went on; or the forepart of the holy of holies, next to the holy place, was of the dimensions as follows, when the back part of it might be higher at least, and be equal to t... [ Continue Reading ]
SO SOLOMON OVERLAID THE HOUSE WITHIN WITH PURE GOLD,.... The inside of the holy of holies with fine gold, which gold amounted to six hundred talents, 2 Chronicles 3:8; and these to 7,332,000 ducats of gold, or 3,045,000 pounds sterling: AND HE MADE A PARTITION BY THE CHAINS OF GOLD BEFORE THE ORACL... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE WHOLE HOUSE HE OVERLAID WITH GOLD,.... Both the holy place, and the most holy place: UNTIL HE HAD FINISHED ALL THE HOUSE; in this splendid and glorious manner: ALSO THE WHOLE ALTAR THAT [WAS] BY THE ORACLE; the altar of incense, which stood just before the entrance into the oracle, or most... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WITHIN THE ORACLE HE MADE TWO CHERUBIM [OF] OLIVE TREE,.... Or of the oil tree, as in Isaiah 41:19; see Ne 8:15; for there are other trees besides olives, out of which oil is pressed, as pine trees, cypress trees, c. and which some think are here meant though the Targum interprets it of the oliv... [ Continue Reading ]
AND FIVE CUBITS [WAS] THE ONE WING OF THE CHERUB,.... When stretched out on one side: AND FIVE CUBITS THE OTHER WING OF THE CHERUB; on the other side him: FROM THE UTTERMOST PART OF THE ONE WING, TO THE UTTERMOST PART OF THE OTHER WING, [WERE] TEN CUBITS; half the breadth of the house.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE OTHER CHERUB [WAS] TEN CUBITS,.... That is, its wings stretched out measured so many cubits, as did those of the other: BOTH THE CHERUBIM [WERE] OF ONE MEASURE, AND OF ONE SIZE; of the same height and stature, of the same breadth of their wings, and of the same bulk of their bodies; they we... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HEIGHT OF THE ONE CHERUB [WAS] TEN CUBITS, AND SO [WAS IT] OF THE OTHER CHERUB. Which is repeated from 1 Kings 6:23; that it might be observed, being of an extraordinary size.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SET THE CHERUBIM WITHIN THE INNER HOUSE,.... The holy of holies: AND THEY STRETCHED FORTH THE WINGS OF THE CHERUBIMS; the carvers that framed them, they wrought them in that form; or impersonally, the wings of the cherubim were stretched out; this was the position of them, they overshadowed... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE OVERLAID THE CHERUBIM WITH GOLD. Which may denote the purity and excellency of angels; or the precious gifts and graces of the Spirit, with which the witnesses of Christ are adorned.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE CARVED ALL THE WALLS OF THE HOUSE ABOUT WITH CARVED FIGURES OF CHERUBIM, AND PALM TREES, AND OPEN FLOWERS,.... That is, of palm trees, those in full blow: if the cherubim are an emblem of angels, the palm trees fitly enough represent just and upright men, who both appear in the church of God... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE HE OVERLAID WITH GOLD WITHIN AND WITHOUT. Both the floor of the holy place, and of the holy of holies; so the street of the new Jerusalem is said to be pure gold, Revelation 21:21; this expresses the purity and magnificence of it, particularly the holy conversation of them... [ Continue Reading ]
AND FOR THE ENTERING OF THE ORACLE HE MADE DOORS [OF] OLIVE TREE,.... The door of the holy of holies was a two leaved or folding door, made of olive wood; typical of Christ, the door into the church above and below, the way to heaven and eternal life, the true olive tree: THE LINTEL [AND] SIDE POST... [ Continue Reading ]
THE TWO DOORS ALSO [WERE OF] OLIVE TREE,.... The two leaves of the door, as before observed, repeated for the sake of the ornament of them, as follows: AND HE CARVED UPON THEM CARVINGS OF CHERUBIMS, AND PALM TREES, AND OPEN FLOWERS; as upon the walls, 1 Kings 6:29; AND OVERLAID [THEM] WITH GOLD; t... [ Continue Reading ]
SO ALSO MADE HE FOR THE DOOR OF THE TEMPLE,.... The holy place: POSTS [OF] OLIVE TREE, A FOURTH PART [OF THE WALL]; which was five cubits, its breadth being twenty, 1 Kings 6:20; this door was a cubit wider than that into the most holy place, 1 Kings 6:31, more entering into the one than into the o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE TWO DOORS [WERE OF] FIR TREE,.... the posts were of olive, but the doors of fir, and they were both folding doors, as appears by what follows: THE TWO LEAVES OF THE ONE DOOR [WERE] FOLDING, AND THE TWO LEAVES OF THE OTHER DOOR [WERE] FOLDING; which, taking up less room, made the passage wid... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE CARVED [THEREON] CHERUBIMS, AND PALM TREES, AND OPEN FLOWERS,.... As upon the doors of the most holy place, 1 Kings 6:32; see Ezekiel 41:25; AND COVERED [THEM] WITH GOLD, FITTED UPON THE CARVED WORK; plates of gold were fitted, as to the dimensions of them, to the cherubim, palm trees, and o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE BUILT THE INNER COURT,.... The court of the priests, 2 Chronicles 4:9; so called to distinguish it from the outer court, where the people assembled: this was built WITH THREE ROWS OF HEWED STONE, AND A ROW OF CEDAR BEAMS; the rows of stones were one upon another, topped with a row of cedar b... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE FOURTH YEAR WAS THE FOUNDATION OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD LAID,.... The fourth year of Solomon's reign: IN THE MONTH ZIF; 1 Kings 6:1.... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE ELEVENTH YEAR,.... That is, of the reign of Solomon: IN THE MONTH BUL, [WHICH IS] THE EIGHTH MONTH; from the month Abib or Nisan; this month answers to part of our October, and part of November; it is the same month sometimes called Marchesvan; it had the name of Bul, because of the rains wh... [ Continue Reading ]