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, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.
And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits.
2. the house which king Solomon
built for the Lord—The dimensions are given in cubits, which
are to be reckoned according to the early standard (), or holy cubit (Ezekiel 40:5;
Ezekiel 43:13), a handbreadth longer
than the common or later one. It is probable that the internal
elevation only is here stated.
And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house.
3. the porch—or portico,
extended across the whole front (see on ).
And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.
4. windows of narrow lights—that
is, windows with lattices, capable of being shut and opened at
pleasure, partly to let out the vapor of the lamps, the smoke of the
frankincense, and partly to give light [KEIL].
. THE CHAMBERS
THEREOF.
And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about:
5. against the wall of the house he
built chambers—On three sides, there were chambers in three
stories, each story wider than the one beneath it, as the walls were
narrowed or made thinner as they ascended, by a rebate being made, on
which the beams of the side floor rested, without penetrating the
wall. These chambers were approached from the right-hand side, in the
interior of the under story, by a winding staircase of stone, which
led to the middle and upper stories.
The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad: for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house.
And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.
7. there was neither hammer nor axe
nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was in building—A
subterranean quarry has been very recently discovered near Jerusalem,
where the temple stones are supposed to have been hewn. There is
unequivocal evidence in this quarry that the stones were dressed
there; for there are blocks very similar in size, as well as of the
same kind of stone, as those found in the ancient remains. Thence,
probably, they would be moved on rollers down the Tyropean valley to
the very side of the temple [PORTER,
Tent and Kahn].
The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third.
So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.
9, 10. built the house—The
temple is here distinguished from the wings or chambers attached to
it—and its roofing was of cedar-wood.
And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.
10. chambers . . . five cubits
high—The height of the whole three stories was therefore about
fifteen cubits.
they rested on the house with
timber of cedar—that is, because the beams of the side stones
rested on the ledges of the temple wall. The wing was attached to the
house; it was connected with the temple, without, however,
interfering injuriously with the sanctuary [KEIL].
. GOD'S
PROMISES UNTO IT.
And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying,
11-13. 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 (); 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
favor 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.
. THE CEILING
AND ADORNING OF IT.
Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:
And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.
So Solomon built the house, and finished it.
And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the cieling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir.
15-21. he built the walls of the
house within—The walls were wainscotted with cedar-wood; the
floor, paved with cypress planks; the interior was divided (by a
partition consisting of folding doors, which were opened and shut
with golden chains) into two apartments—the back or inner room,
that is, the most holy place, was twenty cubits long and broad; the
front, or outer room, that is, the holy place, was forty cubits. The
cedar-wood was beautifully embellished with figures in relievo,
representing clusters of foliage, open flowers, cherubims, and palm
trees. The whole interior was overlaid with gold, so that neither
wood nor stone was seen; nothing met the eye but pure gold, either
plain or richly chased.
And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place.
And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long.
And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.
And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD.
And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.
So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold.
And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold.
And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high.
And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.
And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of one measure and one size.
The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub.
And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house.
And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.
And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.
And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.
And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall.
31-35. for the entering of the
oracle—The door of the most holy place was made of solid olive
tree and adorned with figures. The door of the holy place was made of
cypress wood, the sides being of olive wood.
The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.
So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall.
And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.
And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.
And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.
36. the inner court—was for
the priests. Its wall, which had a coping of cedar, is said to have
been so low that the people could see over it.
1 Kings 6:37;
1 Kings 6:38. THE
TIME TAKEN TO BUILD
IT.
In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif:
37. In the fourth year was the
foundation laid—The building was begun in the second month of
the fourth year and completed in the eighth month of the eleventh
year of Solomon's reign, comprising a period of seven and a half
years, which is reckoned here in round numbers. It was not a very
large, but a very splendid building, requiring great care, and
ingenuity, and division of labor. The immense number of workmen
employed, together with the previous preparation of the materials,
serves to account for the short time occupied in the process of
building.
And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.
