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1 Kings Chapter
Seven
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 7
This
chapter gives an account of some buildings of Solomon for himself, 1 Kings 7:1; and of
other things for the use of the temple; of two pillars of brass, 1 Kings 7:13; of
the molten sea, 1 Kings 7:23; and
of ten bases, and ten layers on them, 1 Kings 7:27; with
other utensils and ornaments, 1 Kings 7:40.
1 Kings 7:1 But
Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house; so he finished all his
house.
YLT
1And his own house hath
Solomon built thirteen years, and he finisheth all his house.
But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years,.... He made
more haste with the house of God than with his own, for that was but seven
years in building; which showed greater regard to the honour of God then to his
own glory, or even convenience; nor was this built till after that:
and finished all his house; or houses he undertook
to build, the singular for the plural; even the house of God, his own palace,
and that for the daughter of Pharaoh, and that which is next mentioned, which
were in all twenty years building, 1 Kings 9:10.
1 Kings 7:2 2 He also built the House of
the Forest of Lebanon; its length was one hundred cubits, its width
fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, with four rows of cedar pillars,
and cedar beams on the pillars.
YLT
2And he buildeth the house
of the forest of Lebanon; a hundred cubits [is] its length, and fifty cubits
its breadth, and thirty cubits its height, on four rows of cedar pillars, and
cedar-beams on the pillars;
He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon,.... Besides
the temple, his own palace, and the queen's; so called, not because it was
built on Mount Lebanon, which lay at the northern border of the land, at a
great distance from Jerusalem, whereas this was both a magazine of arms, and a
court of judicature, 1 Kings 7:7; see 1 Kings 10:17;
neither of which can be supposed to be far from Jerusalem; but because not only
it was built of the cedars of Lebanon, but in a situation, and among groves of
trees which resembled it; it seems to have been a summer house; and so the
Targum calls it, a royal house of refreshment:
the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth
thereof fifty and the height thereof thirty cubits; so that it
was in every measure larger than the temple; and, there was good reason for it,
since into that only the priests entered; whereas into this went not only Solomon's
family but his courtiers and nobles, and all foreign ambassadors, and whoever
had any business with him, which required various rooms to receive them in:
upon four rows of cedar pillars; or piazzas:
with cedar beams upon the pillars; which laid the floor for
the second story.
1 Kings 7:3 3 And it was paneled
with cedar above the beams that were on forty-five pillars, fifteen to
a row.
YLT
3and [it is] covered with
cedar above, on the sides that [are] on the forty and five pillars, fifteen in
the row.
And it was covered with cedar above the beams, that lay on forty
five pillars, fifteen in a row. On the second floor were three rows of
pillars, fifteen in a row, which made forty five, that stood to east, north,
and south; and upon these pillars beams, which were the floor of the third
story, over which was a roof of cedar wood.
1 Kings 7:4 4 There were
windows with beveled frames in three rows, and window was
opposite window in three tiers.
YLT
4And windows [are] in three
rows, and sight [is] over-against sight three times.
And there were windows in three rows,.... Both in
the second and third stories, east, north, and south, there being none in the
west, where the porch stood:
and light was against light in three ranks; or the
windows, through which light was let, answered to each other.
1 Kings 7:5 5 And all the doorways and
doorposts had rectangular frames; and window was opposite window in
three tiers.
YLT
5And all the openings and
the side-posts [are] square -- windows; and sight [is] over-against sight three
times.
And all the doors and posts were square with the windows,.... The doors
into the several stories and apartments, and the posts and lintel of them, and
the windows over them, were all square:
and light was against light in three ranks; they answered
one another as before.
1 Kings 7:6 6 He also made the Hall of
Pillars: its length was fifty cubits, and its width thirty cubits; and
in front of them was a portico with pillars, and a canopy was in
front of them.
YLT
6And the porch of the
pillars he hath made; fifty cubits its length, and thirty cubits its breadth,
and the porch [is] before them, and pillars and a thick place [are] before
them.
And he made a porch of pillars,.... At the west end of
the house:
and the length thereof was fifty cubits; answerable to
the breadth of the house:
and the breadth thereof thirty cubits: which, added
to the length of the house, made it one hundred and thirty:
and the porch was before them; the four rows of cedar
pillars of the house, 1 Kings 7:2 this
porch was either for his guards to keep watch in; or for his courtiers to walk
in, sheltered from rain or the like; or perhaps only for grandeur and
magnificence:
and the other pillars and the thick beam were before them; the pillars
of the porch, on which were laid beams of cedar for a storey over them, and so
on; these were before and right against, and answered to the pillars of the house.
1 Kings 7:7 7 Then he made a hall for
the throne, the Hall of Judgment, where he might judge; and it was
paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling.[a]
YLT
7And the porch of the throne
where he judgeth -- the porch of judgment -- he hath made, and [it is] covered
with cedar from the floor unto the floor.
Then he made a porch for the throne,.... The ivory throne on
which he sat to hear and try causes, 1 Kings 10:18,
where he might judge, even the porch of judgment: which had its
name from thence; this was either in his house in the forest of Lebanon, or in
his palace at Jerusalem; the former seems best:
and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor unto the
other; that is, the whole floor.
1 Kings 7:8 8 And the house where he
dwelt had another court inside the hall, of like workmanship. Solomon
also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had taken as
wife.
YLT
8As to his house where he
dwelleth, the other court [is] within the porch -- as this work it hath been;
and a house he maketh for the daughter of Pharaoh -- whom Solomon hath taken --
like this porch.
And his house where he dwelt,.... Which was properly
his dwellingplace, that part of the house where he usually resided:
had another court within the
porch, which was of the like work; a court between that and
the porch, called the inner court, 2 Kings 20:4.
Solomon made also a house for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had
taken to wife; see 1 Kings 3:1,
like unto this porch: being built of the same
sort of materials, though in a different form.
1 Kings 7:9 9 All these were of
costly stones cut to size, trimmed with saws, inside and out, from the
foundation to the eaves, and also on the outside to the great court.
YLT
9All these [are] of precious
stone, according to the measures of hewn work, sawn with a saw, within and
without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and at the outside, unto the
great court.
All these were of costly stones,.... Marble, porphyry,
&c.
according to the measure of hewed stones, sawed with saws, within
and without; they were all hewed, and squared, and polished, and so they
appeared both on the inside of the building, and without:
even from the foundation unto the coping; from the
bottom to the top:
and so on the outside toward the great court: where the
people used to assemble when they had causes to be tried, and was adjoining to
the king's house.
1 Kings 7:10 10 The foundation was of
costly stones, large stones, some ten cubits and some eight cubits.
YLT
10And the foundation [is] of
precious stone, great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits;
And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones,.... Of a
great price, and very large:
stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits some of one
measure, and some of another; not so many cubits square, but of solid measure;
they were so many in length.
1 Kings 7:11 11 And above were
costly stones, hewn to size, and cedar wood.
YLT
11and above [are] precious
stone, according to the measures of hewn work, and cedar;
And above were costly stones,.... Above the
foundation, from thence to the top of the buildings; the whole walls were made
of such right up to the ceiling:
after the measure of hewed stones; which, according to the
Rabbins, as Kimchi says, were five hands breadth:
and cedars; beams of cedars over them, or these, both the foundation and the
walls, were lined with them.
1 Kings 7:12 12 The great court was
enclosed with three rows of hewn stones and a row of cedar beams. So were the
inner court of the house of the Lord and the vestibule of the
temple.
YLT
12and the great court round
about [is] three rows of hewn work, and a row of cedar-beams, even for the
inner court of the house of Jehovah, and for the porch of the house.
And the great court round about,.... Which surrounded
Solomon's house:
was with three rows of hewed
stones, and a row of cedar beams; these rows were one upon
another, and were a wall to the court, which were either topped with a row of
cedar wood, or that was a lining to the stones
for the inner court of the house of the Lord; or rather as,
or like to that, as appears from 1 Kings 6:36,
and for the porch of the house; not the temple, but
Solomon's house.
1 Kings 7:13 13 Now King Solomon sent and
brought Huram[b] from Tyre.
YLT
13And king Solomon sendeth
and taketh Hiram out of Tyre –
And King Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre. Not the king
of Tyre, but an artificer in it, after described, whom Solomon had heard and
upon his request Huram sent him to him, 2 Chronicles 2:13
his name is called Hyperon by Clemens of AlexandriaF12Stromat. l. 1.
p. 332. .
1 Kings 7:14 14 He was the son of a
widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a
bronze worker; he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working
with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all his work.
YLT
14he [is] son of a woman, a
widow, of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father a man of Tyre, a worker in
brass, and he is filled with the wisdom and the understanding, and the
knowledge to do all work in brass -- and he cometh unto king Solomon, and doth
all his work.
He was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali,.... In 2 Chronicles 2:14,
his mother is said to be of the daughters of Dan, as she might be, and yet her
son of the tribe of Naphtali; for either she was of the city of Dan, which is
placed in the tribe of NaphtaliF13Vid. Adrichom. Theat. T. S. p.
105. Fuller's Pisgah-Sight, 107. , or her mother was of the tribe of Dan; and
therefore she is said to be of the daughters of Dan, when her father was of the
tribe of Naphtali, as it is expressed by the Targum on 2 Chronicles 2:14,
and in which way most of the Jewish commentators reconcile this; or she was of
Dan, and her husband of Naphtali besides, if there was any mistake, it must be
ascribed, not to the sacred historians, but to the king of Tyre, whose words
they are in the above place, and who might not be so well acquainted with the
tribe this man and his parents were of:
and his father was a man of Tyre; not a Tyrian by birth,
but one who had dwelt there a while, and therefore so called, as Obededom, for
a like reason, is called the Gittite:
a worker in brass; and he was filled with wisdom, and
understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass; which might
be true both of the father and of the son, and especially of the son, who had
improved upon his father's knowledge and instructions; and who was skilful to
work in other things besides brass, as gold, silver, iron, stone, timber,
purple, blue and fine linen, crimson, and all sorts of engraving, and every
device that could be put to him by the most ingenious workmen that either David
or Solomon had, 2 Chronicles 2:14,
but this is only mentioned, because it was in such work he was only employed by
Solomon; and it seems, by the mode of expression, that, besides his natural
genius, and his diligence and industry, he was filled with wisdom from God more
immediately for this service, as Bezaleel and Aholiab were for the service of
the tabernacle:
and he came to King Solomon, and wrought all his work; in brass, as
follows.
1 Kings 7:15 15 And he cast two pillars of
bronze, each one eighteen cubits high, and a line of twelve cubits measured the
circumference of each.
YLT
15And he formeth the two
pillars of brass; eighteen cubits [is] the height of the one pillar, and a cord
of twelve cubits doth compass the second pillar.
For he cast two pillars of brass, eighteen cubits high apiece,.... In 2 Chronicles 3:15
they are said to be thirty five cubits high, which must be understood of the
length or height of them both; and whereas that would allow but seventeen
cubits and a half to a pillar, either the round number of eighteen is used, or
half a cubit in each may be allowed, either for the base or pedestal into which
they were put; or the chapiter at the top of them, into which they might go
such a length, and so only what was seen is described:
and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about; that was the
circumference of them, and therefore their diameter must be four cubits.
Eupolemus, an Heathen writerF14Apud Euseb, Praepar. Evangel. l. 9.
c. 34. p. 450. speaks of these pillars, but he makes the circuit of them to be
but ten cubits; and says they were equal in height with the temple, and stood
on the right and left, and were made of brass, and covered with gold, the
thickness of a finger.
1 Kings 7:16 16 Then he made two capitals of
cast bronze, to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of one capital was
five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits.
YLT
16And two chapiters he hath
made to put on the tops of the pillars, cast in brass; five cubits the height
of the one chapiter, and five cubits the height of the second chapiter.
And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of
the pillars,.... These were large ovals in the form of a crown, as the word
signifies; or like two crowns joined together, as Ben Gersom; or bowls, as they
are called, 1 Kings 7:41,
the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of
the other chapiter was five cubits; in 2 Kings 25:17 they
are said to be but three cubits high; but that is to be understood only of the
ornamented part of them, the wreathen work and pomegranates on them, as there
expressed; here it includes, with that, the part below unornamented.
1 Kings 7:17 17 He made
a lattice network, with wreaths of chainwork, for the capitals which were
on top of the pillars: seven chains for one capital and seven for the other
capital.
YLT
17Nets of net-work, wreaths
of chain-work [are] for the chapiters that [are] on the top of the pillars,
seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the second chapiter.
And nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the
chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars,.... These were the
ornaments of the chapiters; the former being like thick branches of trees, with
their boughs and leaves curiously wrought, as the word signifies, and the
latter like fringes, such as the Jews wore at the skirt of their garments:
seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter; perhaps with
four rows of checker work, and three of chain work.
1 Kings 7:18 18 So he made the pillars,
and two rows of pomegranates above the network all around to cover the capitals
that were on top; and thus he did for the other capital.
YLT
18And he maketh the pillars,
and two rows round about on the one net-work, to cover the chapiters that [are]
on the top, with the pomegranates, and so he hath made for the second chapiter.
And he made the pillars,.... Or adorned them in
this manner:
and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the
chapiters that were upon the top, with pomegranates; that is,
there were two rows of figures like pomegranates upon the net or branch work
that covered the chapiters that were on the top of the pillars; and Kimchi
owns, that some copies so read, on the top of the pillars, instead of
pomegranates, though he thinks it a mistake:
and so did he for the other chapiter; put two rows
about that also.
1 Kings 7:19 19 The capitals which were
on top of the pillars in the hall were in the shape of lilies, four
cubits.
YLT
19And the chapiters that [are]
on the top of the pillars [are] of lily-work in the porch, four cubits;
And the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of
lily work in the porch,.... Or such as was in the porch of the temple; the work was like
that wrought in the form of the flower of lilies open:
four cubits; of the five cubits of which the chapiters consisted, four of
them were of lily work, the two rows of pomegranates taking up the other;
though Dr. LightfootF15Prospect of the Temple, c. 13. sect. 2. p.
1075. thinks, that at the head of the pillar was a border or circle of lily
work, that stood out four cubits under the chapiter, into and along the porch;
a four cubit circle, after the manner of a spread lily.
1 Kings 7:20 20 The capitals on the two
pillars also had pomegranates above, by the convex surface which was
next to the network; and there were two hundred such pomegranates in
rows on each of the capitals all around.
YLT
20and the chapiters on the
two pillars also above, over-against the protuberance that [is] beside the net;
and the pomegranates [are] two hundred, in rows round about on the second
chapiter.
And the chapiters upon the two pillars had pomegranates also
above, over against the belly which was by the network,.... The
supplement is needless, according to Dr. Lightfoot; the sense being only, that
the chapiters were above the lily work, which wrought out as far as the belly
of the chapiters, or the middle cubit of them, which the pomegranates filled
up:
and the pomegranates were two hundred, in rows round about upon
the other chapiter: there were so many in each, which in all made four hundred, as
in 1 Kings 7:42. In Jeremiah 52:23, it
is said there were ninety six on a side, and yet one hundred round about; the
meaning of which is, either that there were twenty four to every wind, as the
word there is, and four on the four angles, and so in all one hundred; or, as
the above learned writer, when the pillars were set to the wall, only ninety
six appeared in sight in a row, the other four being hid behind them.
1 Kings 7:21 21 Then he set up the pillars
by the vestibule of the temple; he set up the pillar on the right and called
its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the left and called its name Boaz.
YLT
21And he raiseth up the
pillars for the porch of the temple, and he raiseth up the right pillar, and
calleth its name Jachin, and he raiseth up the left pillar, and calleth its
name Boaz;
And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple,.... Not at
the door or entrance into the temple, as Jarchi, but at the entrance into the
porch:
and he set up the right pillar; or the pillar on the
right hand as you went in, which was on the north, the front being east:
and called the name thereof Jachin; which signifies "he
will establish", i.e. the house to which here was an entrance, so long as
the pure worship of God should continue in it:
and he set up the left pillar; or the pillar on the
left hand, which was to the south, unless the position of them was as you come
out:
and called the name thereof Boaz; which signifies "in
him", or "it is strength", namely, in the Lord that dwelt there;
for this has no respect to Boaz, a prince of the house of Judah, from whom all
its kings sprung, as the Targum, in 2 Chronicles 3:17
suggests. These names were given them not by Hiram the artificer, but by
Solomon, and which were very expressive; not so much of the nobility of the
kingdom of the house of David, as the Targum intimates; or of the church of
God, the pillar and ground of truth; as of Christ himself, and the two natures
in him, and of his royal dignity, signified by the crowns or chapiters on them,
decorated as they were, whose legs are as pillars of marble, and in whom are
righteousness and strength; which is no small encouragement to those who are
entering into the church of God the temple was a type of; who, should they
fear, being feeble and weak, that they should totter and fall, here stands
Jachin, to let them know the Lord will establish and settle them; or that they
should never hold out to the end, here is Boaz to direct them to Christ, in
whom their strength lies, see Song of Solomon 4:15.
Allusion is had to these, Revelation 3:12.
1 Kings 7:22 22 The tops of the pillars
were in the shape of lilies. So the work of the pillars was finished.
YLT
22and on the top of the
pillars [is] lily-work; and the work of the pillars [is] completed.
And upon the top of the pillars was lily work,.... Which
seems to be repeated from 1 Kings 7:19 and
confirms that:
and so was the work of the pillars finished; in the manner
described.
1 Kings 7:23 23 And he made the Sea of
cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely
round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured
its circumference.
YLT
23And he maketh the molten
sea, ten by the cubit from its edge unto its edge; [it is] round all about, and
five by the cubit [is] its height, and a line of thirty by the cubit doth compass
it round about;
And he made a molten sea,.... A large vessel made
of molten brass, which, because of the great quantity of water it held, is
called a sea; as it was usual with the Jews to call a large collection of
waters a sea, as the sea of Tiberius and Galilee. This was made by the man of
Tyre, as the pillars, by the order of Solomon, and answered to the brasen laver
in the tabernacle, only larger than that; and was not only for the priests to
wash their hands and feet in, but to dip upon occasion, and by the JewsF16T.
Hieros, Yema, fol. 41. 1 is expressly said to be a dipping place for the
priests, see 2 Chronicles 4:6,
ten cubits from the one brim to the other: which was the
diameter of it: it was round all about; spherical or circular; not as an
hemisphere, as JosephusF17Antiqu. l. 8. c. 3. sect 5. , and
Procopius Gazaeus, but rather cylindrical:
and his height was five cubits; from the bottom of it,
not including the pedestal of oxen on which it stood:
and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about; this was the
circumference of it; which answers to the diameter of ten cubits, or near it, a
round number being given not strictly mathematical.
(Sceptics
have ridiculed the Bible for saying that the mathematical constant π is 3 instead of the more precise 3.14159. (This number is an
"irrational number" and needs an infinite number digits to specify it
exactly.) Two explanations for the apparent lack of precision in the
measurement are given.
1)
The circumference given may be for the inside circumference and the diameter
may be the diameter including the thickness of the rim. This would yield a very
accurate mathematical result for the inside circumference of thirty cubits. The
outside circumference would be about 31.4 cubits giving a rim thickness of four
inches or an hand breadth agreeing with 1 Kings 7:26.
2)
In 1 Kings 7:26 we
read the vessel "was wrought like the brim of a cup." That is the
brim on the top of the vessel was wider than the main part of the vessel. The
diameter would be given for the brim. If the brim or lip extended about four
inches past the main body of the vessel then the outside circumference of the
main part of the vessel would be exactly thirty cubits.
In
each case the mathematical ratio for circumference of the circle is π d, where "d" is the
diameter and π is
the number 3.14159..... For a more complete discussion on this see the article
by Russel Grigg.F18"Does the Bible say pi equals 3.0?",
Russell Greg, page 24, "Ex Nihil", March-May Issue, Vol. 17. No. 2.,
Creation Science Foundation Ltd. Brisbane, Australia. . Editor.)
1 Kings 7:24 24 Below its brim were
ornamental buds encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, all the way around
the Sea. The ornamental buds were cast in two rows when it was cast.
YLT
24and knops beneath its brim
round about are compassing it, ten by the cubit, going round the sea round
about; in two rows [are] the knops, cast in its being cast.
And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing
it,.... Of an oval form, and therefore the Targum calls them figures
of eggs; in 2 Chronicles 4:3
they are said to have the similitude of oxen, being like the heads of oxen, and
the other parts oval; or these were in the form of gourds, as sometimes the
word is rendered, 2 Kings 4:39 which
had on them the figures of the heads of oxen, and might serve as cocks to let
out the water:
ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about it; and as the
circumference was thirty cubits, there must be three hundred of these in the
circuit:
the knops were cast in two rows when it was cast; for these
were cast together with the sea, and being in two rows, there must be in all
six hundred of them.
1 Kings 7:25 25 It stood on twelve oxen:
three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking
toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set
upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward.
YLT
25It is standing on twelve
oxen, three facing the north, and three facing the west, and three facing the
south, and three facing the east, and the sea [is] upon them above, and all
their hinder parts [are] inward.
It stood upon twelve oxen,.... Figures of them in
brass, of full proportion:
three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west,
and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; and so turned
to the four quarters of the world:
and the sea was set above upon them; as it were on the backs
of them, and their mouths served as spouts or cocks, to let water out of it on
all sides:
and all their hinder parts were inward; that they
might not be seen, and which met in a centre; they that were north came against
those that were south, and they in the east met with those to the west. The
brass of the sea, according to Jacob LeonF18Relation of Memorable
Things in the Temple, ch. 4. p. 21. , weighed 1,800 arobas, and, with twelve
oxen under, 33,500; each aroba being twenty five pounds weight.
1 Kings 7:26 26 It was a
handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like
a lily blossom. It contained two thousand[c] baths.
YLT
26And its thickness [is] an
handbreadth, and its edge as the work of the edge of a cup, flowers of lilies;
two thousand baths it containeth.
And it was an hand breadth thick,.... Or four fingers, as
in Jeremiah 52:21.
and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup,
with flowers of lilies, embroidered and engraven
on it for ornament sake:
it contained 2,000 baths; which is reckoned about
five hundred barrels of water; it was filled by the Gibeonites; in 2 Chronicles 4:5,
it is said to receive and hold 3,000 baths, which the Jewish writersF19Shilte
Hagibborim, c. 27. fol. 23. 4. thus reconcile; they suppose here it means so
many baths of liquid, as the Targum expresses, there of dry measure, which
might be heaped up, and so contain more; but as this was a vessel for water,
and this distinction seems to answer no purpose, it may be better to observe,
that in common, for the use of the priests, whether for washing their hands and
feet, or dipping their bodies, it had no more than 2,000 baths in it, but, if
filled up to the brim, it would hold 3,000. How a vessel of such dimensions
should hold so much is difficult to account for; the Rabbins sayF20T.
Bab. Eruvin, fol. 14. 2. , that in the two upper cubits of it it was circular,
and in the three lower cubits square, by which they imagine it would hold more,
and the position of it on the oxen seems to countenance this; but very probably
it was wider, and bellied out in the lower part of it, and so more capacious;
but of the contents of this, according to mathematical rules, see a treatise of
Bishop Cumberland'sF21Of Scripture Weights and Measures, c. 3. p.
93, &c. . It is saidF23Pausaniae Corinthiaca, sive, l. 2. p. 87.
of a temple of Neptune's, in the fore part of it were two signs of him, and
another of Amphitrite, and that was a brasen sea. This brasen sea of Solomon
was typical of Christ, the fountain opened to wash in for uncleanness, by all
that are made priests unto God; and this being larger than the laver in the
tabernacle, may denote the greater efficacy of Christ's blood than in anything
in the law of Moses to cleanse from sin; and the larger provision made for it,
not only for Israel, but for all the people of God in the several nations of
the world, in the four quarters of it; being published, and proclaimed, and
directed to by the twelve apostles of Christ, and by all Gospel ministers
since, signified by oxen for their laboriousness and strength. In the second
temple there were no sea, nor bases, after mentioned, nor lavers, but one,
which stood between the porch and the altar, which was for the priests to wash
their hands and feet atF24Shilte Hagibborim, c. 27. fol. 24. 2. .
1 Kings 7:27 27 He also made ten carts of
bronze; four cubits was the length of each cart, four cubits its width,
and three cubits its height.
YLT
27And he maketh the ten bases
of brass; four by the cubit [is] the length of the one base, and four by the
cubit its breadth, and three by the cubit its height.
And he made ten bases of brass,.... Seats, stands, or
settles for the ten lavers after mentioned:
four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the
breadth thereof; as broad as it was long, and so a square, that the laver might
stand firm upon it:
and three cubits the height of it; from the ground plates
to the surface, that the priests might be able to reach the layers, and wash
their sacrifices.
1 Kings 7:28 28 And this was the
design of the carts: They had panels, and the panels were between
frames;
YLT
28And this [is] the work of
the base: they have borders, and the borders [are] between the joinings;
And the work of the bases was on this manner,.... The
following was the form in which they were made:
they had borders; plates of brass all around them, which
enclosed them:
and the borders were between the ledges; which were
short staves or bars of brass, that stood upright all around, like the staves
of a cart on each side, or the rails of a balcony, only in double rows; and
between these were the borders or plates of brass.
1 Kings 7:29 29 on the panels that were
between the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. And on the frames was
a pedestal on top. Below the lions and oxen were wreaths of plaited
work.
YLT
29and on the borders that
[are] between the joinings [are] lions, oxen, and cherubs, and on the joinings
a base above, and beneath the lions and the oxen [are] additions -- sloping
work.
And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen,
and cherubims,.... The figures of them, for ornament sake; the cherubim, being
distinguished from lions and oxen might be figures of men, or else of eagles,
as JosephusF25Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 8. c. 3. sect. 5.) , see Ezekiel 1:10.
and upon the ledges there was a base above; a flat piece
of brass laid upon the top of the staves or bars:
and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin
work; these, according to Dr. LightfootF26Prospect of the
Temple, ch. 38. sect. 2. , whom I chiefly follow in this account, were shelving
plates of brass at the bottom of the borders and bars, where the priests washed
the sacrifice; the filth of which ran off the easier, through the angle of
them.
1 Kings 7:30 30 Every cart had four bronze
wheels and axles of bronze, and its four feet had supports. Under the laver were
supports of cast bronze beside each wreath.
YLT
30And four wheels of brass
[are] to the one base, and axles of brass; and its four corners have shoulders
-- under the laver [are] the molten shoulders, beside each addition.
And every base had four brasen wheels, and plates of brass,.... Flat
pieces or planks of brass, on which the wheels stood, and not on the bare
floor; so that these wheels seem only to serve as supporters, not to carry the
laver from place to place, as is usually said; for they were not like chariot
wheels, on two sides of the carriage, but set one at each square; and besides,
when the lavers were placed upon them, they were fixed in a certain place, 1 Kings 7:39.
and the four corners thereof had undersetters; or
"shouldersF1כתפת "humeri",
Pagninus, Montanus, &c. ", or pillars, which were placed on the plates
of brass the wheels were; and served with them to support the lavers when laid
upon the bases, and so were of the same use as men's shoulders, to bear burdens
on them:
under the layer were undersetters molten; cast as, and
when and where, the bases were, and the plates on which they stood; this
explains the use they were of, being under the laver; these pillars stood at
the four corners of the base:
at the side of every addition; made of thin work, 1 Kings 7:29 they
stood by the side of, or within side, the sloping shelves.
1 Kings 7:31 31 Its opening inside the
crown at the top was one cubit in diameter; and the opening was
round, shaped like a pedestal, one and a half cubits in outside
diameter; and also on the opening were engravings, but the panels were
square, not round.
YLT
31And its mouth within the
chapiter and above [is] by the cubit, and its mouth [is] round, the work of the
base, a cubit and half a cubit; and also on its mouth [are] carvings and their
borders, square, not round.
And the mouth of it within the chapiter, and above, was a cubit,.... On the
lid of the base rose up a lesser base, called the chapiter, which was circular,
like a coronet, as the word signifies, the inside of which was hollow, for the
lower part of the layer to rest in; this ascended straight up half a cubit, and
then widening, went up half a cubit more, and so in its whole height, as here a
cubit; the circuit or circumference of which is called the mouth of the base,
into which the feet of the layer were set, the measure of which is next given:
but the mouth thereof was round, after the work of the base, a cubit
and an half; which was either the circumference or the diameter of it; one
should think the latter:
and also upon the mouth of it were gravings, with their borders,
four square, not round; though the mouth was round, the border of it was four square,
which had figures engraved thereon, perhaps the same as on the other borders,
lions, oxen, and cherubim.
1 Kings 7:32 32 Under the panels were
the four wheels, and the axles of the wheels were joined to the cart.
The height of a wheel was one and a half cubits.
YLT
32And the four wheels [are]
under the borders, and the spokes of the wheels [are] in the base, and the
height of the one wheel [is] a cubit and half a cubit.
And under the borders were four wheels,.... Not under
the borders last mentioned, but those in 1 Kings 7:29,
and the axle trees of the wheels were joined to the base; to the four
sides of it:
and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit; that is, from
the plate of brass on which it stood, to the axis or semicircle of it; so that
the highest part of the ring being also a cubit and an half, reached to the top
of the base, it being but three cubits high, 1 Kings 7:27.
1 Kings 7:33 33 The workmanship of the
wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel; their axle pins,
their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all of cast bronze.
YLT
33And the work of the wheels
[is] as the work of the wheel of a chariot, their spokes, and their axles, and
their felloes, and their naves; the whole [is] molten.
And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel,.... In the
same form and fashion as one of them; the Targum is,
"like
a chariot of glory;'
a
splendid one, curiously wrought; unless reference is had in it to the chariot
of Ezekiel's vision:
their axle trees, and their naves, and their felloes, and their
spokes, were all molten; cast together when the base was.
1 Kings 7:34 34 And there were four
supports at the four corners of each cart; its supports were part of the
cart itself.
YLT
34And four shoulders [are]
unto the four corners of the one base; out of the base [are] its shoulders.
And there were four undersetters to the four corners of one base,.... Or
pillars, as in 1 Kings 7:30.
and the undersetters were of the base itself; they were
cast together, and of the same piece of metal with it.
1 Kings 7:35 35 On the top of the cart, at
the height of half a cubit, it was perfectly round. And on the top of
the cart, its flanges and its panels were of the same casting.
YLT
35And in the top of the base
[is] the half of a cubit in the height all round about; and on the top of the
base its spokes and its borders [are] of the same.
And in the top of the base was there a round compass of half a
cubit high,.... The same with the chapiter, 1 Kings 7:31 which
rose up straight half a cubit, and widening upwards half a cubit more, here
called the round compass of it:
and on the top of the base, the ledges thereof and the borders
thereof, were of the same; of the same piece of brass with the base,
all being cast together.
1 Kings 7:36 36 On the plates of its
flanges and on its panels he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, wherever
there was a clear space on each, with wreaths all around.
YLT
36And he openeth on the
tablets of its spokes, and on its borders, cherubs, lions, and palm-trees,
according to the void space of each, and additions round about.
For on the plates of the ledges thereof, and on the borders
thereof,.... In this, and the preceding verse, a different word is used,
translated "ledges", from that in 1 Kings 7:28, the
Targum renders it axle trees; as if the axle trees of the wheels, and the
borders, circumferences, and rings of them, were meant, in which were the
following engravings: it literally signifies hands or handles; and Procopius
Gazaeus says, that the bases had, in the upper part of them, forms of hands
holding a circle like a crown:
he graved cherubims, lions, and palm trees, according to the
proportion of everyone; these figures were made as large as the plates of the ledges,
and the borders, would allow room for:
and the addition round about; which were sloping
shelves of brass around the base, 1 Kings 7:29 these
were ornamented in like manner.
1 Kings 7:37 37 Thus he made the ten
carts. All of them were of the same mold, one measure, and one shape.
YLT
37Thus he hath made the ten
bases; one casting, one measure, one form, have they all.
After this manner he made the ten bases,.... This was
the form and fashion of them as above described:
all of them had one casting, one measure, and one size; they were all
cast into the same mould, and were exactly alike in their form, figures, and
size, and each weighed 2000 talents, and the weight of a talent was ninety
three pounds and upwards, according to Jacob LeonF2Relation of
Memorable Things in the Temple, c. 4. p. 21. .
1 Kings 7:38 38 Then he made ten lavers of
bronze; each laver contained forty baths, and each laver was four
cubits. On each of the ten carts was a laver.
YLT
38And he maketh ten lavers of
brass; forty baths doth the one laver contain, four by the cubit [is] the one
laver, one laver on the one base [is] to the ten bases;
Then made he ten lavers of brass,.... There was but one in
the tabernacle of Moses, and what became of that is not known: some Jewish
writersF3Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi, in 2 Chron. iv. 6. say it was
placed in Solomon's temple, and these lavers, five on the right and five on the
left of it; however, here were enough provided for the purpose for the priests
to wash their burnt offerings in, 2 Chronicles 4:6
and were typical of the large provision made in the blood of Christ for the
cleansing of his people; whose works, services, and sacrifices, as well as
persons and garments, need continual washing in that blood; see Romans 12:1,
one laver contained forty baths; and a bath, according to
Bishop CumberlandF4Scripture Weights and Measures, c. 3. p. 70, 71.
held seven wine gallons, and two quarts and half a pint:
and every laver was four cubits: that is, square; this
was the diameter of it:
and upon every of the ten bases one laver; for which
they were made, even to set the lavers on, and were exactly of the same
measure.
1 Kings 7:39 39 And he put five carts on
the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house. He set the
Sea on the right side of the house, toward the southeast.
YLT
39and he putteth the five
bases on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house,
and the sea he hath put on the right side of the house, eastward -- over-against
the south.
And he put five bases on the right side of the house,.... On the
south side, which is commonly understood; that is, of the courts of the
priests, where they were placed for their use: and five on the left side of the
house; on the north, as it must be, if the south is on the right; though as the
entrance into the temple was at the east, when a man went in, the north must be
on the right, and the south on the left; and this seems to be the position by
what follows:
and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, over
against the south; and therefore the right side must be the north, which is
opposite to the south; the sea seems to have stood northeast, which was for the
priests to wash in before they entered on divine service; see Gill on Exodus 30:20 hence
it became customary with the Heathens to wash before they performed any
religious worshipF5Vid. Virgil. Bucolic. Eclog. 8. "affer
aquam", &c. Aeneid. 2. "attrectare nefas", &c. Macrob.
Saturnal. l. 3. c. l. , particularly the hands and feetF6Vid.
Sperling de Bapt. Ethnic. p. 88, 89, 101. .
1 Kings 7:40 40 Huram[d] made the
lavers and the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished doing all the work that
he was to do for King Solomon for the house of the Lord:
YLT
40And Hiram maketh the
lavers, and the shovels, and the bowls; and Hiram completeth to do all the work
that he made for king Solomon, [for] the house of Jehovah;
Verses 40-45
And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basins,.... The
lavers are not the ten before mentioned, of the make of which an account is
before given; but these, according to Jarchi and Ben Gersom, are the same with
the pots, 1 Kings 7:45 and so
they are called in 2 Chronicles 4:11
the use of which, as they say, was to put the ashes of the altar into; as the
"shovels", next mentioned, were a sort of besoms to sweep them off, and
the "basins" were to receive the blood of the sacrifices, and
sprinkle it; no mention is here made of the altar of brass he made, but is in 2 Chronicles 4:11,
nor of the fleshhooks to take the flesh out of the pots, as in 2 Chronicles 4:16,
so Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made King Solomon
for the house of the Lord; what he undertook, and was employed in, he
finished, which were all works of brass; of which a recapitulation is made in
the following verses to the end of the forty fifth, where they are said to be
made of "bright brass", free of all dross and rust; "good",
as the Targum, even the best brass they were made of; the brass David took from
Hadarezer, 1 Chronicles 18:8
which JosephusF7Antiqu. l. 7. c. 5. sect. 3. too much magnifies,
when he says it was better than gold.
1 Kings 7:41 41 the two pillars, the two
bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two
networks covering the two bowl-shaped capitals which were on top of the
pillars;
YLT
41pillars two, and bowls of
the chapiters that [are] on the top of the pillars two, and the nets two, to
cover the two bowls of the chapiters that [are] on the top of the pillars;
1 Kings 7:42 42 four hundred pomegranates
for the two networks (two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the
two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the pillars);
YLT
42and the pomegranates four
hundred for the two nets, two rows of pomegranates for the one net, to cover the
two bowls of the chapiters that [are] on the front of the pillars;
1 Kings 7:43 43 the ten carts, and ten
lavers on the carts;
YLT
43and the ten bases, and the
ten lavers on the bases;
1 Kings 7:44 44 one Sea, and twelve oxen
under the Sea;
YLT
44and the one sea, the twelve
oxen under the sea,
1 Kings 7:45 45 the pots, the shovels, and
the bowls. All these articles which Huram[e] made for
King Solomon for the house of the Lord were of burnished
bronze.
YLT
45and the pots, and the
shovels, and the bowls; and all these vessels, that Hiram hath made to king
Solomon [for] the house of Jehovah, [are] of brass -- polished.
1 Kings 7:46 46 In the plain of Jordan the
king had them cast in clay molds, between Succoth and Zaretan.
YLT
46In the circuit of the
Jordan hath the king cast them, in the thick soil of the ground, between
Succoth and Zarthan.
In the plain of Jericho did the king cast them in the clay ground,.... Which
being thick, as the word signifies, and stiff and close, was fit for such a
purpose as casting brass; of such clay, furnaces of earth used to be made to
melt metals in; but here were large things to be cast, as the two pillars, the
sea, the ten lavers, &c. moulds were made in the ground, and so the melted
brass was poured into them, which gave it its different forms; this, no doubt,
was done by Hiram, though said to be done by the king, because done by his
orders: the place where it was done was a part of the plain of Jericho, which
lay
between Succoth and Zarthan; Succoth was in the tribe
of Gad, on the other side Jordan; Zarthan was near it on this side, in the
tribe of Manasseh, the same that is called Zartanah, 1 Kings 4:12 and
Zaretan, Joshua 3:16 and
Zeredathah, 2 Chronicles 4:17.
The first casters of brass are saidF8Pausau. Arcadica, sive, l. 8.
p. 479. & Boeotica, sive, l. 9. p. 607. to be Theodorus and Rhaecus, both
Samians.
1 Kings 7:47 47 And Solomon did not weigh
all the articles, because there were so many; the weight of the bronze
was not determined.
YLT
47And Solomon placeth the
whole of the vessels; because of the very great abundance, the weight of the
brass hath not been searched out.
And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they
were exceeding many,.... The vessels of brass before mentioned, being so large, at
least some of them, and so numerous; the Targum is, he laid them up, or placed
them; he brought them from whence they were cast, and put them in the sanctuary
without weighing them:
neither was the weight of the brass found out; or
"searched"F9לא נחקר "nec invesigari potuerit", Tigurine version:
"non pervestigatum est", Junius, Tremellius, Piscator. ; it never was
inquired into; or, as the Targum, there was no end of it, it was so much.
1 Kings 7:48 48 Thus Solomon had all the
furnishings made for the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and
the table of gold on which was the showbread;
YLT
48And Solomon maketh all the
vessels that [are] in the house of Jehovah: the altar of gold, and the table --
on which [is] the bread of the Presence -- of gold,
And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of
the Lord,.... That is, he ordered them to be made, even all that were in
the tabernacle of Moses; all were newly made, excepting the ark, mercy seat,
and cherubim:
the altar of gold; the altar of incense, which was made of
cedar, covered with gold, 1 Kings 6:20, hence
called the golden altar, Revelation 8:3.
and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was; this includes
all the tables, for there were ten of them, 2 Chronicles 4:8
where they are said to be placed, five on the right hand, and five on the left;
which, according to the JewsF11T. Bab. Meuachot, fol. 98. Kimchi in
loc. Targum in 2 Chron. iv. 8. , were not on the right and left of the temple,
but on the right and left of the table of Moses, and which being placed on the
north side, these must be also, Exodus 40:22 there
being more tables in the temple than in the tabernacle may denote the greater
provision of spiritual food in the word and ordinances of the Gospel church, of
which the temple was a figure, than under the legal dispensation.
1 Kings 7:49 49 the lampstands of pure
gold, five on the right side and five on the left in front of the inner
sanctuary, with the flowers and the lamps and the wick-trimmers of gold;
YLT
49and the candlesticks, five
on the right, and five on the left, before the oracle, of refined gold, and the
flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, of gold,
And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and
five on the left, before the oracle,.... These stood in the
holy place, where the shewbread tables did, right before the holy of holies;
there were ten of these as of them, which were placed, as the same Jewish
writers say, not on the right and left of the temple, but on the right and left
of Moses's candlestick, which stood on the south side, Exodus 40:24, these
may denote the greater degree of spiritual light in the church of Christ under
the Gospel dispensation than under the law:
with the flowers; the figures of flowers, such as were
wrought on the candlestick of Moses:
and the lamps; which were seven to each candlestick, and
so must be in all seventy; which may put us in mind of the seventy disciples of
Christ, some of the first lights of the Gospel church:
and the tongues of gold; which were used to take
the wicks out of the oil, and put into the lamps.
1 Kings 7:50 50 the basins, the trimmers,
the bowls, the ladles, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both
for the doors of the inner room (the Most Holy Place) and for the
doors of the main hall of the temple.
YLT
50and the basins, and the
snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and the censers, of refined gold, and
the hinges for the doors of the inner-house, for the holy of holies, for the
doors of the house of the temple, of gold.
And the bowls,.... To keep the oil in:
and the snuffers; to trim the lamps with; though some
interpret the word of musical instruments, as the Targum, of psalteries:
and the basins; which were to receive the blood of the
sacrifices; and, Ben Gersom thinks, particularly the blood of those that were
brought into the sanctuary, see Hebrews 13:11,
there were an hundred of them, 2 Chronicles 4:8.
and the spoons; which held the incense:
and the censers of pure gold; with which the coals
were carried from one altar to another, on which the incense was burnt; not
only those but all the other vessels were 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; the holy of holies and the holy place, the
hinges of the doors of each, on which they were hung, and turned, were of gold;
so grand and magnificent was this edifice, and so liberal Solomon in the
building of it.
1 Kings 7:51 51 So all the work that King
Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished; and Solomon
brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the
gold and the furnishings. He put them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.
YLT
51And it is complete -- all
the work that king Solomon hath made [for] the house of Jehovah, and Solomon
bringeth in the sanctified things of David his father; the silver, and the
gold, and the vessels he hath put in the treasuries of the house of Jehovah.
So was ended all the work that King Solomon made for the house of
the Lord,.... Which he ordered to be made to be put into it, either for
the ornament of it, or for the use and service of it; all was completely
finished in the space of seven years:
and Solomon had brought in the things which David his father had
dedicated; had laid up for, and devoted to the building of the temple, and
for the service of it; not all, but what was left; what was over and above
there was a need of; though the Jews commonly say, that he made use of none of
his father's, but built it and furnished it at his own expense; for which
reason he did not begin to build as soon as he came to the throne, they
suppose, but waited four years, until he had laid up a sufficiency of his own
to defray the expense of it; but it is certain he made use of the brass his
father reserved for this work, see 1 Chronicles 18:8
and which, perhaps it may be said, is the reason it is not mentioned here as
laid up: even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the
treasures of the house of the Lord; he did not convert them to his own use, but
laid them up in the treasury of the sanctuary, for the purchase of sacrifices,
the repair of the house in future times, &c.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)