G K 6:1-38. The Temple.
L 7:1-12. Other buildings.
K 7:13-8:66. The Temple.
K M 1. Date of commencement.
N 2-8. Exterior of House.
O 9,10. Completion.
P 11-13. Word of Yahaveh.
O 14. Completion.
N 15-36. Interior of house.
M 37,38. Date of completion.April-May 917 B.C.
1 Kings 6)
1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt (note that the number is Ordinal [not Cardinal] = the 480th year of some longer and larger period, namely, the 490 years from the Exodus to the Declaration of the Temple; the difference of 10 years being made up of 7 years in building [v.38] and 3 years in furnishing. Dedicated not in the 7th year, for Completion took place in the 8th month of one year [v.38], and the Dedication in the 7th month of another year [8:2]. The chronological period was 40 years in the wilderness + 450 years under rulers + 40 years of Saul + 40 years of David + 3 years of Solomon [v.1] = 573 [from 1490-917]. The mystical period of 480 years is obtained by deducting the period of 93 years, when Israel's national position was in abeyance. Thus: 8 [Judg. 3;8] + 18 [Judg. 3:24] + 20 [Judg. 4:2] + 7 [Judg. 6:1] + 40 [Judg. 13:1] = 93. [N.B. the 18 years of Judg. 1:7,9, was local and beyond Jordan. It did not affect the national position]. Hence. 573-93 = 480 [from 873-93].), in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif (our April-May), which [is] the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord (= the Temple. Similar in plan to the Tabernacle, but double the size).
N m 2. House. Dimensions.
n 3-6. Accessories. Porch, &c.
m 7. House. Materials.
n 8. Accessories. Door, &c.2 And the house which king Solomon built for the Lord, the length thereof [was] threescore cubits (approx. 95 feet), and the breadth thereof twenty [cubits] (approx. 31 1/2 feet), and the height thereof thirty cubits (approx. 47 1/2 feet).
3 And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits (31 1/2') [was] the length thereof, according to (or, in front of) the breadth of the house; [and] ten cubits (15 3/4') [was] the breadth thereof before the house.
4 And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.
5 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 (= word. See 2 Sam.16:23): and he made chambers round about:
6 The nethermost chamber [was] five cubits broad (7 3/4'+), and the middle [was] six cubits broad (9 1/2'), and the third [was] seven cubits broad (11'+): 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.
7 And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made perfect before it was brought to that place (i.e. in the quarries afar off, or beneath the city): so that there was neither hammer nor axe [nor] any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building (so also in the spiritual house. Eph.2:20-22).
8 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.
9 So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.
10 And [then] he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high(7 3/4'+): and they rested on the house [with] timber of cedar.
11 And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying,
12 “[Concerning] this house which you are in building, if you will walk in My statutes, and execute My judgments, and keep all My commandments to walk in them; then will I perform My word with you, which I spoke to David your father (cp. 2 Sam.7:13. 1 Chron. 22:10):
13 And I will dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel, and will not forsake My People Israel.”
14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it.
N o¹ 15. Covering. Walls, within, covered, cedar.
p¹ 16,17. Oracle. Dimensions.
o² 18. Covering. Walls, within, carve, cedar.
p² 19, 20. Oracle. Ark, &c.
o³ 21,22. Covering. Wall, within, gold.
p³ 23-29. Oracle. Cherubim.
o4 30. Covering. Floor, covered, gold.
p4 31-38. Oracle. Entrances.15 And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the ceiling: [and] he covered [them] on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir (note that all the stonework was covered with cedar wood; and the cedar wood covered with gold. Even so the saved sinner is covered with Christ's human and Divine righteousness imputed to him. Cp. Luke 15:32. Phil.3:9).
16 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].
17 And the house, that [is], the temple before it, was forty cubits [long] (63 1/3').
18 And the cedar of the house within [was] carved with knops and open flowers: all [was] cedar; there was no stone seen (Fig. Words not necessary for grammar, or sense; but used to emphasize the completeness of our covering by Christ's merits. Cp. Eph. 1:6. Col. 1:28; 2:10; 4:12).
19 And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the Ark of the covenant of the Lord.
20 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 (same as covered. See vv.15,18).
21 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.
22 And the whole house he overlaid with gold (put for every part of it), until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that [was] by the oracle he overlaid with gold.
23 And within the oracle he made two cherubims (see Deut.4:15,16) [of] olive tree (= oil tree, as in Isa.41:19; rendered pine [Neh.8:15]; but, Oleaster according to Tritram), [each] ten cubits high.
24 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 to the uttermost part of the other [were] ten cubits.
25 And the other cherub [was] ten cubits: both the cherubims [were] of one measure and one size.
26 The height of the one cherub [was] ten cubits, and so [was it] of the other cherub.
27 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.
28 And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.
29 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.
30 And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.
31 for the entering of the oracle he made doors [of] olive tree: the lintel [and] side posts [were] a fifth part [of the wall].
32 The two doors (= two-leaved [or double] 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.
33 So also made he for the entrance of the temple posts [of] olive tree, a fourth part [of the wall].
34 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.
35 And he carved [thereon] cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered [them] with gold fitted upon the carved work.
36 And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.
37 In the fourth year was the foundation of the Temple laid, in the month Zif:
917 to 910 B.C.
38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul (our Oct-Nov.), which [is] the eighth month (see v.1, and cp. Dedication later, in "seventh month" [8:2]; so that more than one, and probably three, years in completing the appointment), was the house finished throughout all the appointments thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it (see v.1. 7 years for the building itself, and probably 3 years for the "appointments". Contrast these 7 with the 13 of 7:1. #7 = spiritual completeness. #3 = Divine completeness. #13 = rebellion, apostasy).