1 Kings 7:1-51 - Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

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1 Kings 7:1. Solomon was thirteen years in building his own palace in Jerusalem, because fewer workmen were employed, many of whom were still engaged on the exterior parts of the temple.

1 Kings 7:2. He built also the house (the palace) of the forest of Lebanon. A forest adjacent to Jerusalem, called so, as having some resemblance to Lebanon.

1 Kings 7:7. He made a porch for the throne. In England, our courts were open in porches, as the old court in Durham.

1 Kings 7:9. Costly stones. The work made them costly, but the name of the stone, whether of oolite, of granite, or of marble, is not named; but Josephus has “marmor” or marble.

1 Kings 7:12. A row of cedar-beams. This was a colonade, and essential as well in the palace and the mansion, as in the temple, for a shade under which the courtiers might walk.

1 Kings 7:18. Net-work. The LXX have missed the sense here, and the versions have copied the error. The Hebrew word means the wreathings or platings of the branches gracefully round the chapiters of the pillars. It is sometimes rendered thicket. Genesis 22:13; Isaiah 10:34; Jeremiah 4:7.

1 Kings 7:23. A molten sea ten cubits broad, and thirty round. It is wonderful how this inaccuracy should have escaped men that seem well skilled in mensuration. Allowing that decimals were not then understood, they could not surely be ignorant that a diameter of ten cubits will describe a circle of nearly thirty one and a half.

1 Kings 7:29. Lions, oxen, and cherubims. Josephus reprimands Solomon for this, as an infringement on the second commandment. Yet they were not made as objects of idolatry: the hallowed emblems in the most holy place designated all creatures as worshipping God.

1 Kings 7:36. Palm trees, to designate the beautiful and everflourishing state of the church, in which “the righteous shall flourish as the palm tree.” Psalms 92:12.

REFLECTIONS.

Solomon, animated by a true spirit of piety, would not take the admirable artists from the temple to build his splendid palaces, till the chief of their work was done; and this seems to be the reason of two palaces being mentioned here, before the utensils of the Lord's house were finished. The palace in the forest of Lebanon was not far from Jerusalem, and probably so called because of its groves. This latter palace was distinguished by three piazzas, containing fifteen pillars in each row. Of its expense and splendour, we can now form no adequate idea. Suffice it to say, it surpassed all the palaces in the world, and equalled the temple in ornaments and architectural beauties. And if these were so glorious, what must heaven be? If they attracted strangers from every part of the earth, what enquiries should we not make concerning the city and temple of God?

The two brazen pillars were among the most distinguished ornaments of the temple. They were cast by Hiram, a Hebrew artist, who had perfected his studies in Tyre. The body of each pillar was thirty three feet in length, and the diameter seven feet. Therefore with the pedestals and the decorations, they would stand more than forty feet high, and form a most majestic entrance into the sacred mansion. They were hollow, of course; but it may be doubted whether there be now a furnace in Europe that would hold metal enough to cast a pillar so astonishingly large. And as the name of the first, Jachin, signifies establishment, or I will establish; and as the name of the other, Boaz, signifies strength, I think St. Paul alludes to them when he calls the gospel, “the pillar and ground of truth.” And the Lord by St. John, no doubt, had reference to these when he promised to make the victorious soul “a pillar in the temple of God, to go out no more for ever.”

The molten sea, placed upon twelve oxen and decorated like the pillars, with the chaste and pleasing devices of fruits and flowers, was another stupendous work. It was a pool of water, supplied from Etam by subterraneous pipes; for it was not lawful for the priests to bathe in any close vessel, because it would defile it; hence the water here always ran over.

To the molten sea we must join the ten lavers. The great throng of national sacrifices would now require that number. Here the sacrifices were washed; here the priests, and the people too, washed their hands before they approached the Lord. But a spiritual import is no doubt attached to all the sacred vessels of the sanctuary, as St. Paul has taught us in the epistle to the Hebrews. David himself also looked to a better washing when he said, “I will wash my hands in innocency, and so will I compass thine altar.” Learn then, oh my soul, daily to wash in the laver of regeneration, that thy devotion may be accepted of the Lord.

The golden candlesticks were now encreased also to the number of ten, and all the other vessels of gold were encreased in proportion. Now, notwithstanding all the exterior glory of the temple, in regard to its stones, its pillars, and its altar, the interior was the most rich and glorious. An immensity of brass displayed the artists' skill, and decorated the outward courts; but an incalculable gradation of golden vessels, and the immense treasures of David enriched and adorned the interior. Thus it is with the outward church. The glory of a high morality is the ornament of the faithful soul in the eyes of men; but within are peace and joy, the glory of holiness, and all the fruits of the Spirit. There the sweet incense of prayer and praise burns before the Lord; there an answer of peace is according to the troubled mind, and there JEHOVAH dwells in all the sanctifying glory of his promised presence. Well: I will not grieve for the fall and ruin of Solomon's temple, seeing the Lord now condescends to make the poor and the contrite heart his abode, and seeing also the temple of our Saviour's glorified humanity is filled with all the fulness of the Godhead. No, I will not grieve, but wait for the more glorious temple in our Father's house.

Related Commentaries of 1 Kings 7:1

1 Kings 7:1-51

1 But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.

2 He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.

3 And it was covered with cedar above upon the beams,a that lay on forty five pillars, fifteen in a row.

4 And there were windows in three rows, and light was against light in three ranks.

5 And all the doorsb and posts were square, with the windows: and light was against light in three ranks.

6 And he made a porch of pillars; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits: and the porch was before them: and the other pillarsc and the thick beam were before them.d

7 Then he made a porch for the throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other.

8 And his house where he dwelt had another court within the porch, which was of the like work. Solomon made also an house for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken to wife, like unto this porch.

9 All these were of costly stones, according to the measures of hewed stones, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside toward the great court.

10 And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.

11 And above were costly stones, after the measures of hewed stones, and cedars.

12 And the great court round about was with three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of the LORD, and for the porch of the house.

13 And king Solomon sent and fetched Hirame out of Tyre.

14 He was a widow'sf son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.

15 For he castg two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about.

16 And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits:

17 And nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter.

18 And he made the pillars, and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the chapiters that were upon the top, with pomegranates: and so did he for the other chapiter.

19 And the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits.

20 And the chapiters upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above, over against the belly which was by the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the other chapiter.

21 And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin:h and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz.

22 And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished.

23 And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.

24 And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast.

25 It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.

26 And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths.

27 And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it.

28 And the work of the bases was on this manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges:

29 And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work.

30 And every base had four brasen wheels, and plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had undersetters: under the laver were undersetters molten, at the side of every addition.

31 And the mouth of it within the chapiter and above was a cubit: but the mouth thereof was round after the work of the base, a cubit and an half: and also upon the mouth of it were gravings with their borders, foursquare, not round.

32 And under the borders were four wheels; and the axletrees of the wheels were joined to the base: and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit.

33 And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel: their axletrees, and their naves, and their felloes, and their spokes, were all molten.

34 And there were four undersetters to the four corners of one base: and the undersetters were of the very base itself.

35 And in the top of the base was there a round compass of half a cubit high: and on the top of the base the ledges thereof and the borders thereof were of the same.

36 For on the plates of the ledges thereof, and on the borders thereof, he graved cherubims, lions, and palm trees, according to the proportioni of every one, and additions round about.

37 After this manner he made the ten bases: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one size.

38 Then made he ten lavers of brass: one laver contained forty baths: and every laver was four cubits: and upon every one of the ten bases one laver.

39 And he put five bases on the right sidej of the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward over against the south.k

40 And Hiraml made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basons. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made king Solomon for the house of the LORD:

41 The two pillars, and the two bowls of the chapiters that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two networks, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars;

42 And four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, even two rows of pomegranates for one network, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters that were uponm the pillars;

43 And the ten bases, and ten lavers on the bases;

44 And one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea;

45 And the pots, and the shovels, and the basons: and all these vessels, which Hiram made to king Solomon for the house of the LORD, were of brightn brass.

46 In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan.

47 And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many: neither was the weight of the brass found out.

48 And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was,

49 And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold,

50 And the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censerso of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple.

51 So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the LORD.