1 Kings 5:17
Ver. 17. And the king commanded, and they brought great stones,.... Not in quality, but in quantity, large stones, fit to lay in the foundation; strong, and durable against all the injuries of time, as Josephus says {i}:
costly stones; not what are commonly called precious stones, as gems, pearls, &c. but stones of value, as marble, porphyry, &c.
[and] hewed stones; not rough as they were taken out of the quarry, but hewed, and made smooth:
to lay the foundation of the house; which, though out of sight, was to be laid with goodly stones for the magnificence of the building; so the church of Christ, its foundation is said to be laid even with sapphires and other precious stones, see Isa 54:11.
{i} Antiqu. l. 8. c. 3. sect. 2.