1 Kings 6:19 Komentář

Great and long preparation had been making for the building of the temple, and here, at length, comes an account of the building of it; a noble piece of work it was, one of the wonders of the world, and taking in its spiritual significancy, one of the glories of the church. Here is, I. The time when it was built (Kg1 6:1), and how long it was in the building (Kg1 6:37, Kg1 6:38). II. The silence with which it was build (Kg1 6:7). III. The dimensions of it (Kg1 6:2, Kg1 6:3). IV. The message God sent to Solomon, when it was in the building (Kg1 6:11-13). V. The particulars: windows (Kg1 6:4), chambers (Kg1 6:5, Kg1 6:6, Kg1 6:8-10), the walls and flooring (Kg1 6:15-18), the oracle (Kg1 6:19-22), the cherubim (Kg1 6:23-30), the doors (Kg1 6:31-35), and the inner court (Kg1 6:36). Many learned men have well bestowed their pains in expounding the description here given of the temple according to the rules of architecture, and solving the difficulties which, upon search, they find in it; but in that matter, having nothing new to offer, we will not be particular or curious; it was then well understood, and every man's eyes that saw this glorious structure furnished him with the best critical exposition of this chapter.

INTRODUCTION TO 1 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, Kg1 6:1; gives the dimensions of it and the porch before it, Kg1 6:2; observes the windows in it and chambers about it, Kg1 6:4; and while it was building, Solomon had a word from the Lord relative to it, Kg1 6:11; and then the account goes on concerning the walls of the house, and the flooring of it, Kg1 6:15; and the oracle in it, and the cherubim in that, Kg1 6:19; and the doors into it, and the carved work of them, Kg1 6:31; and the chapter is concluded with observing the time when it was begun and finished Kg1 6:37.

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 the holy place, even thirty feet; the forepart being lower, and left open to let in the light of the candlesticks, and the smoke of the incense, out of the holy place: this was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and was a perfect square, and as the most holy place may be an emblem of the church triumphant, it may denote the perfection of its heavenly state; so the new Jerusalem is a foursquare, Rev 21:16; and he overlaid it with pure gold; make it rich, glorious, and magnificent, and may denote the glory of the heavenly state, Rev 21:21; and so Florus (z), the Roman historian, calls it the golden heaven, as it were, into which Pompey went, and saw the great secret of the Jewish nation, the ark: and so covered the altar which was of cedar; the altar of incense, which is here mentioned, because it was near the most holy place, Kg1 6:22; this altar by Moses was made of shittim wood, but Solomon's was of cedar it seems; unless, as the words will bear to be rendered, "he covered the altar with cedar" (a); though made of shittim wood, it had a covering of cedar over it; or if of stone, such a covering was on it, that it might better receive the gold which was afterwards put upon it. (z) De Gest. Roman. l. 3. c. 5. (a) "operuit cedro", Montanus.

The exposition of this has been anticipated to the effect, namely, that the secret inner house of our heavenly homeland designated the ark of the covenant, the Lord our Savior in whom alone we have a covenant of peace with the Father, [our Savior] who ascending into heaven after his resurrection placed at the right hand of his Father the flesh that he had taken from the Virgin.

In the four hundred and eightieth year from the exodus, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign, and in the second month, he laid the foundations of the temple; the length sixty cubits, the breadth twenty, and the height thirty cubits; besides the porch, which was twenty cubits in length, and ten cubits in height, Kg1 6:1-3. A description of its different external parts, Kg1 6:4-10. God's promise to Solomon, Kg1 6:11-13. Description of its internal parts and contents, vv. 14-36. Temple finished in the eighth month of the eleventh year of Solomon's reign, being seven years in building, Kg1 6:37, Kg1 6:38.

The oracle he prepared - See the description of the temple at the end of this chapter, Kg1 6:38 (note).

THE BUILDING OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE. (Kg1 6:1-4) 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 (Ch2 3:3), or holy cubit (Eze 40:5; Eze 43:13), a handbreadth longer than the common or later one. It is probable that the internal elevation only is here stated.

Building of the Temple - 1 Kings 6 The account of the building of the temple commences with a statement of the date of the building (Kg1 6:1); and this is followed by a description of the plan and size of the temple-house (Kg1 6:2-10), to which there is also appended the divine promise made to Solomon during the erection of the building (Kg1 6:11-13). After this we have a further account of the internal fittings and decorations of the sanctuary (vv. 14-36), and in Kg1 7:1-12 a description of the royal palace which was built after the temple; and, finally, a description of the pillars of the court which were executed in metal by the Tyrian artist, and of the different vessels of the temple (1 Kings 7:13-51). (Note: Of the special works on the subject of the temple, see my pamphlet, Der Tempel Salomo's, eine archologische Untersuchung (Dorp. 1839); and Carl Chr. W. F. Bhr, Der Salomonische Tempel mit Bercksichtigung seines Verhltnisses zur heil. Architectur berhaupt (Karlsr. 1848). In both of these there are critical notices of the earlier investigations and monographs on this subject, which have now simply a historical interest. See also the short description of the temple in my Bibl. Archologie, i. 23ff., with sketches of the temple building and the principal vessels on Plates 2 and 3, and the most recent notice by H. Merz in Herzog's Cyclopaedia (Art. Temple). We have a parallel to this in 2 Chron 3 and 4, though here the description is differently arranged. In the Chronicles the external building of the temple-house is not separated from the internal decoration and furnishing; but after the period of erection and the size of the temple-house have been given in Ch2 3:1-3, there follows a description, a. of the court (Ch2 3:4); b. of the Holy Place with its internal decorations (Ch2 3:5-7); c. of the most Holy Place, with special reference to its size and decorations, also of the colossal cherubim placed therein and the curtain in front of it, which is not mentioned in our account (Ch2 3:8-14); d. of the brazen pillars in front of the court (Ch2 3:15-17); e. of the altar of burnt-offering (Ch2 4:1), which is passed over in the account before us; f. of the brazen sea (Ch2 4:2-5); g. of the brazen lavers, the golden candlesticks, the tables of shewbread, and the golden basons (Ch2 4:6-8); and h. of the courts (Ch2 4:9). The account is then closed with a summary enumeration of the different vessels of the temple (Ch2 4:10-22), which agrees almost word for word with Kg1 7:40-50.