Barnes' Notes Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. Where the Lord appeared unto David - The marginal rendering, or "which was shown to David," is preferred by some; and the expression is understood to point out to David the proper site for the temple by the appearance of the Angels and the command to build an altar 2 Samuel 24:17-25; 1 Chronicles 21:16-26.In the place that David had prepared - This seems to be the true meaning of the passage, though the order of the words in the original has been accidentally deranged.
And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. The marginal "founded" gives a clue to another meaning of this passage, which may be translated: "Now this is the ground-plan of Solomon for the building, etc."Cubits after the first measure - i. e., cubits according to the ancient standard. The Jews, it is probable, adopted the Babylonian measures during the captivity, and carried them back into their own country. The writer notes that the cubit of which he here speaks is the old (Mosaic) cubit.
And the porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was an hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure gold. The height was an hundred and twenty cubits - This height, which so much exceeds that of the main building 1 Kings 6:2, is probably to be corrected by the reading of the Arabic Version and the Alexandrian Septuagint, "twenty cubits." But see 2 Chronicles 3:9.
And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains. The greater house - i. e., the holy place, or main chamber of the temple, intervening between the porch and the holy of holies (so in 2 Chronicles 3:7).He cieled with fir tree - Rather, "he covered," or "lined." The reference is not to the ceiling, which was entirely of wood, but to the walls and floor, which were of stone, with a covering of planks (marginal reference). The word translated "fir" bears probably in this place, not the narrow meaning which it has in 2 Chronicles 2:8, where it is opposed to cedar, but a wider one, in which cedar is included. Palm trees and chains - See 1 Kings 6:29. The "chains" are supposed to be garlands or festoons.
And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim. Precious stones for beauty - Not marbles but gems (compare 1 Chronicles 29:2). The phrase translated "for beauty" means "for its beautification," "to beautify it."Parvaim is probably the name of a place, but what is quite uncertain.
He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubims on the walls.
And he made the most holy house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits: and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents. The most holy house - i. e., the sanctuary, or holy of holies. On the probable value of the gold, see 1 Kings 10:14 note.
And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold. The upper chambers - Compare 1 Chronicles 28:11. Their position is uncertain. Some place them above the holy of holies, which was ten cubits, or fifteen feet lower than the main building (compare 1 Kings 6:2, 1 Kings 6:20); others, accepting the height of the porch 120 cubits 2 Chronicles 3:4, regard the "upper chambers" or "chamber" ὑπερῷον huperōon, Septuagint), as having been a lofty building erected over the entrance to the temple; others suggest that the chambers intended are simply the uppermost of the three sets of chambers which on three sides surrounded the temple (see 1 Kings 6:5-10). This would seem to be the simplest and best explanation, though we cannot see any reason for the rich ornamentation of these apartments, or for David's special directions concerning them.
And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold. The word translated "image work," or, in the margin, "moveable work," occurs only in this passage, and has not even a Hebrew derivation. Modern Hebraists find an Arabic derivation, and explain the word to mean "carved work."
And the wings of the cherubims were twenty cubits long: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub. The wings of the cherubims - Compare 1 Kings 6:24-27.
And one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub.
The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward. Their faces were inward - literally, as in the margin. Instead of looking toward one another, with heads bent downward over the mercy Seat, like the cherubim of Moses Exodus 37:9, these of Solomon looked out from the sanctuary into the great chamber ("the house"). The cherubim thus stood upright on either side of the ark, like two sentinels guarding it.
And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon. This is an important addition to the description in Kings, where the veil is not mentioned. It was made of exactly the same colors as the veil of the tabernacle Exodus 26:31.
Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the chapiter that was on the top of each of them was five cubits. Of thirty and five cubits - See 1 Kings 7:15 note. Some suppose that there has been a corruption of the number in the present passage.
And he made chains, as in the oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars; and made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains. As in the oracle - This passage is probably corrupt. Our translators supposing that a single letter had fallen out at the beginning of the word translated "in the oracle," supplied "as." But we have no reason to suppose there were any "chains" or "festoons" in the "oracle" or most holy place.
And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz. |
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