2:1-18 Solomon's message to Huram respecting the temple, His treaty with Huram. - Solomon informs Huram of the particular services to be performed in the temple. The mysteries of the true religion, unlike those of the Gentile superstitions, sought not concealment. Solomon endeavoured to possess Huram with great and high thoughts of the God of Israel. We should not be afraid or ashamed to embrace every opportunity to speak of God, and to impress others with a deep sense of the importance of his favour and service. Now that the people of Israel kept close to the law and worship of God, the neighbouring nations were willing to be taught by them in the true religion, as the Israelites had been willing in the days of their apostacy, to be infected with the idolatries and superstitions of their neighbours. A wise and pious king is an evidence of the Lord's special love for his people. How great then was God's love to his believing people, in giving his only-begotten Son to be their Prince and their Saviour.

Verse 4. - In the nine headings contained in this verse we may consider that the leading religious observances and services of the nation are summarized. To dedicate it. The more frequent rendering of the Hebrew word here used is "to hallow," Or "to sanctify."

(1) Sweet incense (see Exodus 30:1, 6-9, 34-38; Exodus 37:25-29; Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8; Revelation 6:9; Revelation 8:3-5). This sweet incense, compounded of the four ingredients stacte, onycha, galbanum, pure frankincense, was to be burnt morning and evening, at the time of the morning and evening sacrifices on the altar made of shittim wood, overlaid with gold, which stood in the holy place facing the ark. with the table of shewbread on the one hand, and the golden candlestick on the other. While the act of atonement was set forth by the offering of the victim on the brazen altar in the outer court, the ascending, acceptable, and accepted prayer and aspiration of the congregation were expressed by the sweet incense-burning.

(2) The continual shew-bread (מַעֲרֶכֶת תָּמִיד). The elementary meaning of the word here rendered "shewbread" is "a ranging in order," whether the "order" might be, e.g., that of an army in battle array (1 Samuel 4:16; 1 Samuel 17:8; 2 Samuel 22:48), or of the lamps of the holy candlestick (Exodus 39:37), or of pilings of wood to be burnt on the altar (Judges 6:26), or of cakes of bread, as presumably 'here and in some parallel passages (Leviticus 24:6). For the table which was to carry these cakes, see Exodus 25:23-30; Exodus 37:10-16; the last verse of the former passage speaking of the shewbread under the name לֶחֶם פָנִים. (For the position of the table, see Exodus 26:35.) The word employed in the text is first used to express the piles of cakes, called in our Authorized Version shewbread in Leviticus 24:6, 7; then 1 Chronicles 9:32; 1 Chronicles 23:29; 1 Chronicles 28:16; as also again in 2 Chronicles 13:11; 2 Chronicles 29:18; and in Nehemiah 10:33. Where in these passages the word לֶחֶם is not expressed, that it is understood may be gathered from the other passages (Numbers 4:7). The bread consisted of twelve large cakes of unleavened dough (Leviticus 24:5-9), ranged in two heaps, and with a golden cup of frankincense (Leviticus 24:7) to each pile. When on every seventh day new cakes were substituted, the old ones belonged to the priests (Leviticus 24:8, 9; Leviticus 8:31; Matthew 12:4; Exodus 29:33, 34). The twelve cakes pointed to the twelve tribes. Their size may be judged from the statement that each cake contained two tenth deals, i.e. two-tenths of an ephah, equal to about six pounds and a quarter. The exact significance of this bread is not stated in Scripture. Part of it lay plainly in the twelve cakes, part, perhaps, in their becoming priest's food, found by the people (Leviticus 24:8), after having been presented seven days before the Lord. Much that is interesting but not finally satisfactory on the question may be found in the article "Shewbread" in Dr. Smith's 'Bible Dictionary,' 3:1271. Our Authorized Version "shewbread' comes from Luther's Schaubrode. Wickliffe, after the Vulgate panes propositionis, designates it "the loaves of proposition." The New Testament has, in Hebrews 9:2, ἡ προθέσις τῶν ἄρτῶν; as also in the Gospels (Matthew 12:4; Luke 6:4); while the Septuagint has ἄρτοι ἐνώπιοι (Exodus 25:30), and ἄρτοι τῆς προσφορᾶς (1 Kings 7:48). The question really turns on the significance of the designation of Exodus 25:30 (לֶחֶם פָּנִים).

(3) The burnt offerings morning and evening. A succinct statement of these offerings, constituting the "daily offering," is given in Numbers 28:3-8, according to its original institution (Exodus 29:38-42), except in the added mention of the "strong wine," or strong drink, spoken of in the latter part of ver. 7, which had probably originated as an incident of the wilderness-journey. The morning and evening offering were alike, viz. a lamb, a meal offering consisting of a tenth of an ephah of flour, mixed with the fourth part of a bin of beaten oil, and a drink offering consisting of the fourth part of a bin of "wine," or of "strong drink."

(4) The burnt offering on the sabbath. The account of this is given in Numbers 28:9, 10; and any previous institution of it is not recorded. The sabbath-day burnt offerings were the double of the daily offerings (Ezekiel 46:4).

(5) The burnt offering on the new moons; see Numbers 27:11-15, where the phrase, of your months," is what is "the beginnings of your months" is what is employed, i.e. the first day of each month (Leviticus 10:10). No previous mention of this burnt offering is found. It consisted of two bullocks, one ram, seven lambs,

(a) with meat offering consisting of three-tenths of an ephah of flour mixed with oil for each bullock; two-tenths of an ephah of flour mixed with oil for the ram; one-tenth of an ephah of flour similarly mixed for each lamb;

(b) with drink offering, of half a hin of wine to each bullock; the third part of a hin to the ram; and the fourth part of a hin to each lamb. A kid of the goats for a sin offering, which in fact was offered before the burnt offering. And all these were to be additional to the continual offering of the day, with its drink offering (see also Isaiah 66:23; Ezekiel 46:3; Amos 8:5).

(6) The burnt offering on the solemn feasts of the Lord. These were the three great festivals of the year - the Passover (Exodus 12:3-20, 27, 43; Leviticus 23:4-8; Deuteronomy 16:1-8); the Feast of Weeks (Exodus 23:16; Exodus 34:22; Leviticus 23. 15-21; Numbers 28:26; Deuteronomy 16:8-12); the Feast of Tabernacles (Exodus 23:16; Leviticus 23:33-44; Numbers 29:13-40; Deuteronomy 16:13-15).

Behold, I build an house to the name of the Lord my God,.... Am about to do it, and determined upon it, see 2 Chronicles 2:1,

to dedicate it to him; to set it apart for sacred service to him:

and to burn before him sweet incense; on the altar of incense:

and for the continual shewbread; the loaves of shewbread, which were continually on the shewbread table; which, and the altar of incense, both were set in the holy place in the tabernacle, and so to be in the temple:

and for the burnt offerings morning and evening; the daily sacrifice: on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the Lord our God: at which seasons, besides the daily sacrifice, additional burnt offerings were offered, and all on the brasen altar in the court: this is an ordinance

for ever unto Israel: to offer the above sacrifices, even for a long time to come, until the Messiah comes; and therefore Solomon suggests, as Jarchi and Kimchi think, that a good strong house ought to be built.

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