Matthew Poole's Commentary 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. The place and time of building the temple. The measure and ornaments thereof, 2 Chronicles 3:1-9. The cherubims, 2 Chronicles 3:10-13. The veil and the pillars, 2 Chronicles 3:14-17. Where the Lord appeared unto David; which place the Lord had consecrated by his gracious appearance there, 1 Chronicles 21:26. Or, which was showed unto David, to wit, to be the place where the temple should be built; which God pointed out to him, partly by his appearance, and principally by his Spirit suggesting this to David at that time. The place that David had prepared, by pulling down the buildings which were upon it, or near it, by levelling the ground, and possibly by marking it out for the temple and courts, the dimensions whereof he very particularly and exactly understood by the Spirit of God. In the threshing-floor, i.e. in the place where that threshing-floor formerly stood. And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign. Of this verse, and the rest of this chapter, See Poole "1 Kings 6:1". 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. Solomon was instructed; partly by his father David, and partly by the Spirit of God, which inspired and guided him in the whole work. Or, these were Solomon’s foundations, the Hebrew verb being put for the noun, as it is elsewhere. The sense is, These were the measures of the foundations upon which he intended to build the temple. After the first measure, i.e. according to the measure of the first and ancient cubit. By which it is evident that there were cubits of different sorts and sizes; which also appears from Ezekiel 40:5 43:13. But how big those cubits were, and how much larger than the common cubits, and whether this was the cubit used by Moses in the building of the tabernacle, which seems most probable, or some other and yet larger cubit, is not agreed among learned men, and cannot now be exactly known, nor is it of any great moment for us to know. 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; this being a kind of turret to the building. The breadth of it here omitted is expressed to be ten cubits, 1 Kings 6:3. 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, which was thrice as large as the lesser house, or the holy of holies, which is called the most holy house, Deu 8. See Poole "1 Chronicles 28:11". And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim. See Poole "1 Kings 9:26", &c. 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. No text from Poole on this verse. 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. No text from Poole on this verse. And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold. Of the nails, i.e. of each of the nails or heads of those nails whereby the plates were fastened to the boards. The upper chambers; of which See Poole "1 Chronicles 28:11". And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold. Of image work; made in the shape of young men or boys, as they commonly are. Or, of movable work; so called because they were not fixed to the mercy-seat, as the Mosaical cherubims were, but stood upon their feet, as it is said here 2 Chronicles 3:13, in a moving posture. 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. No text from Poole on this verse. 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. No text from Poole on this verse. The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward. Heb. Towards the house, or rather, that house; not the holy house, as divers understand it; for then their backs must have been turned towards the ark, which was indecent, and directly contrary to the posture of Moses’s cherubims, which looked towards it; but the most holy house, which was last named, 1 Chronicles 3:8, and of which he continues yet to speak; this posture being most agreeable to their use, which was with their wings to close in the ark and cover it, as it is expressly affirmed below, 1 Chronicles 5:8. And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon. The veil, to wit, the inner veil before the most holy place by comparing this with Exodus 26:31 1 Kings 6:21. 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. Before the house, i.e. before the holy house, or before the temple as this is explained, 1 Chronicles 3:17, lest it should be understood of the most holy house, of which he had spoken before. Thirty and five cubits high, to wit, both of them; of which See Poole "1 Kings 7:15". 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; as he had done, or like unto those which he made, in the oracle; of which see 1 Kings 6:21. The particle as is oft understood, as Genesis 49:9 Deu 33:22, &c. An hundred pomegranates in each row, or two hundred in all, as it is said, 1 Kings 7:20. 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. No text from Poole on this verse. |
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