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Then Solomon began to build the LORD’s house at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared to David his father, which he prepared in the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
Verse 1. Moria, which signifies vision; ( Calmet.) the place pointed out to Abraham, (Genesis 22:2. Saint Augustine de Calmet. xvi. 32.) and to David. 1 Chronicles 21:15 and 22:1.
He began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
Verse 2. Second. Hebrew adds, ( D.) “in the second day of the second month.” Prot. and so forth Bible.
Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for the building of God’s house: the length by cubits after the first measure was sixty cubits, and the width twenty cubits.
Verse 3. By the first, or ancient measure, used before the captivity. The Babylonian cubit was a hand smaller, as Ezechiel (40:3) intimates. Calmet.—Solomon used the same cubit as Moses, but doubled the proportions. Menochius.
A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.
The porch that was in front, its length, across the width of the house, was twenty cubits, and the height one hundred twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold.
Verse 4. A hundred. The Arab. and some copies of the Septuagint read only twenty. Capellus and Toinard would substitute, ten cubits. A small change in the Hebrew might occasion these variations. Calmet.—In 3 Kennicott. 7:2 we find the height was thirty cubits: but that might be only to the first floor. Many think that the temple was 120 cubits high: but Salien ( A. 3024) explains it of the four-square tower, ( Menochius.) in the front. Calmet.
He made the larger room with a ceiling of cypress wood, which he overlaid with fine gold, and ornamented it with palm trees and chains.
Verse 5. House. between the most holy place and the porch, ( Tirinus.) or it may comprise all but the porch. Hebrew “he covered (or boarded) all this great house.” Calmet.—Deal boards interspersed with those of cedar. 3 Kennicott. 6:9. Tirinus.—Fine, (obrizi.) Hebrew “of Parvaim, which is probably the same as Sepharvaim, Ophir, and so forth not far from Media and Colchis. Calmet.
He decorated the house with precious stones for beauty. The gold was gold from Parvaim.
He also overlaid the house, the beams, the thresholds, its walls, and its doors with gold, and engraved cherubim on the walls.
He made the most holy place. Its length, according to the width of the house, was twenty cubits, and its width twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.
Verse 8. Amounting to about, is not in Hebrew Bible.
A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces, so 600 talents is about 18 metric tons
The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. He overlaid the upper rooms with gold.
Verse 9. Sicles. This weight seems enormous for each nail. Mariana supposes every nail weighed one sicle. But who will believe that only fifty were used? Hebrew “And the weight of the nails was fifty,” and so forth The Syr. and Arab. omit this verse entirely.—Chambers, or rather “the ceiling.”
A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.32 Troy ounces, so 50 shekels was about 0.5 kilograms or about 16 Troy ounces.
In the most holy place he made two cherubim by carving, and they overlaid them with gold.
Verse 10. Work. Hebrew “of the work of young men,” or resembling them. Munster—Septuagint “the work of wood.” Vulg. lit. “of sculpture work,” ( Bible.) as Le Clerc renders the original. Some moderns translate, “of a work like men in motion.” Mariana, Buxtorf—The cherubims were in an erect posture.
The wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long: the wing of the one was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing was five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.
Verse 11. Cubits, comprising the breadth of their body. Each occupied ten cubits.
The wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing was five cubits, joining to the wing of the other cherub.
The wings of these cherubim spread themselves out twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, and their faces were toward the house.
Verse 13. Toward. Hebrew “inward;” looking at each other, (Exodus 25:20) or towards the altar of holocausts.
He made the veil of blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and ornamented it with cherubim.
Verse 14. A veil. Abulensis places it between the court and the holy: but Jansenius would have it before the holy of holies. It seems rather that there was a veil in both places, (Barad. t. ii. b. iii. 23. Menochius.) as Josephus (viii. 2 and xii. 10.) clearly intimates; and Saint Paul speaks of the second veil. Hebrews 9:3. It is not certain which of them was torn at the death of Jesus Christ. Matthew 27:51. Cherubims; extraordinary figures. Calmet.
Also he made before the house two pillars thirty-five cubits high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.
Verse 15. Five. 3 Kennicott. 7:15 we read each was eighteen cubits. It is probable that each was 17½ and the other half was for the crown, ( Calmet.) or cornice. Bible.
He made chains in the inner sanctuary, and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.
Verse 16. In, or “as in.” Sa. Menochius.—Protestants supply as. Bible.—Hundred, for one row, or 200 for both. 3 Kennicott. D.
He set 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.
Verse 17. Booz. “Stability and strength” are derived from God alone. Thus Solomon designed to insinuate that God established the harmony of the universe. Bible.—An orrery, or globe, was therefore placed on each of these pillars. Parkhurst, in con.