1 Kings 6:20
Ver. 20. And the oracle in the forepart,.... Which stood in the forepart of the temple, before a man's face as he entered into it, and went on; or the forepart of the holy of holies, next to the holy place, was of the dimensions as follows, when the back part of it might be higher at least, and be equal to the holy place, even thirty feet; the forepart being lower, and left open to let in the light of the candlesticks, and the smoke of the incense, out of the holy place: this
[was] twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and was a perfect square, and as the most holy place may be an emblem of the church triumphant, it may denote the perfection of its heavenly state; so the new Jerusalem is a foursquare, Re 21:16;and he overlaid it with pure gold; make it rich, glorious, and magnificent, and may denote the glory of the heavenly state, Re 21:21; and so Florus {z}, the Roman historian, calls it the golden heaven, as it were, into which Pompey went, and saw the great secret of the Jewish nation, the ark:and [so] covered the altar [which was of] cedar; the altar of incense, which is here mentioned, because it was near the most holy place, 1Ki 6:22; this altar by Moses was made of shittim wood, but Solomon's was of cedar it seems; unless, as the words will bear to be rendered, "he covered the altar with cedar" {a}; though made of shittim wood, it had a covering of cedar over it; or if of stone, such a covering was on it, that it might better receive the gold which was afterwards put upon it.{z} De Gest. Roman. l. 3. c. 5. {a} zra Puy "operuit cedro", Montanus. 1 Kings 6:21Ver. 21. So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold,.... The inside of the holy of holies with fine gold, which gold amounted to six hundred talents, 2Ch 3:8; and these to 7,332,000 ducats of gold, or 3,045,000 pounds sterling:and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; between the holy and the most holy, and were instead of a vail in the tabernacle of Moses between them; here was also a vail beside the partition made by chains of gold across the oracle; for the partition was a wall of the thickness of a cubit, as Maimonides {b} says; and in 2Ch 3:14 express mention is made of a vail of blue, &c. and in imitation of this had the Heathens their deities within vails {c}:and he overlaid it with gold; the partition wall.{b} Hilchot Beth Habechirah, c. 4. sect. 2. {c} Apulei Metamorph. l. xi. p. 176. 1 Kings 6:22Ver. 22. And the whole house he overlaid with gold,.... Both the holy place, and the most holy place:until he had finished all the house; in this splendid and glorious manner:also the whole altar that [was] by the oracle; the altar of incense, which stood just before the entrance into the oracle, or most holy place:he overlaid with gold; he overlaid it all over with gold; hence it is called the golden altar, and was an emblem of the excellent and effectual mediation and intercession of Christ, Re 8:3. Agreeably to this account Eupolemus, an Heathen writer {d} testifies, that the whole house, from the floor to the tool, was covered with gold, as well as with cedar and cypress wood, that the stonework might not appear; and so the capitol at Rome, perhaps in imitation of this temple, its roofs and tiles were glided with gold {e}; a magnificent temple, like this, was at Upsal in Switzerland, as Olaus Magnus relates {f}.{d} Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 34. p. 450. {e} Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 33. c. 3. Vid. Rycquium de Capitol. Roman. c. 16. {f} De Ritu Gent. Septent. l. 3. c. 5. 1 Kings 6:23Ver. 23. And within the oracle he made two cherubim [of] olive tree,.... Or of the oil tree, as in Isa 41:19; see Ne 8:15; for there are other trees besides olives, out of which oil is pressed, as pine trees, cypress trees, &c. and which some think are here meant; though the Targum interprets it of the olive tree: these cherubim are different from those made by Moses, and were besides them; these were larger than they; these were made of olive wood, they of gold; these stood on the floor of the house, they at the two ends of the mercy seat, and were made out of it, and were with it in this holy place in Solomon's temple: these two cherubim may be emblems of the angels in their greatness and glory, who are always in the presence of God, behold his face, and wait to do his will; or it may be rather of the two witnesses, said to be the two olive trees standing before the God of the whole earth, Re 11:3; who have boldness to enter into the holiest of all, and have sight and knowledge of the mysteries of the ark and mercy seat; have their commission from heaven, and speak according to the oracles of God; these are said to be of image work, 2Ch 3:10; that is, of various forms, as the thee of a man, a lion, an ox, and eagle, Eze 1:10. Dr. Lightfoot thinks {g} they resembled the two Testaments, which in their beginning and end reach the two sides of the world, the creation and the last judgment, and in the middle do sweetly join the one to the other:[each] ten cubits high; half as high as the most holy place; emblems either of the high angels, those thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, or of men of uncommon size as to their gifts and grace.{g} Prospect of the Temple, c. 15. sect. 4. 1 Kings 6:24Ver. 24. And five cubits [was] the one wing of the cherub,.... When stretched out on one side:and five cubits the other wing of the cherub; on the other side him:from the uttermost part of the one wing, to the uttermost part of the other wing, [were] ten cubits; half the breadth of the house. 1 Kings 6:25Ver. 25. And the other cherub [was] ten cubits,.... That is, its wings stretched out measured so many cubits, as did those of the other:both the cherubim [were] of one measure, and of one size; of the same height and stature, of the same breadth of their wings, and of the same bulk of their bodies; they were of "image work"; 2Ch 3:10; very probably in the form of men: and this uniformity may denote the perfect agreement of angels; or else the consent of the true faithful witnesses of Christ in all ages, who have all agreed in the person, office, and grace of Christ, as represented by the mercy seat and ark, which these cherubim covered with their wings. 1 Kings 6:26Ver. 26. The height of the one cherub [was] ten cubits, and so [was it] of the other cherub. Which is repeated from 1Ki 6:23; that it might be observed, being of an extraordinary size. 1 Kings 6:27Ver. 27. And he set the cherubim within the inner house,.... The holy of holies:and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims; the carvers that framed them, they wrought them in that form; or impersonally, the wings of the cherubim were stretched out; this was the position of them, they overshadowed and covered the mercy seat and ark, and even the other two cherubim that were at the ends of the mercy seat:so that the wing of the one touched the one wall; the southern wall:and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; the northern wall; they reached from wall to wall, even the whole breadth of the house, which was twenty cubits, as their wings thus spread were, 1Ki 6:24;and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house; which was ten cubits, and that was the spread of the wings of each of them; so that the wing of the right side of the one, stretched out, touched the wing of the left side of the other fit the same position; in 2Ch 3:13; their faces are said to be "inward", or "toward the house"; either toward the holy place, and so faced those that came into that and saw them; or towards the inner part of the holy of holies, their backs being to the holy place, or their faces were inward, and looked obliquely to each other. 1 Kings 6:28Ver. 28. And he overlaid the cherubim with gold. Which may denote the purity and excellency of angels; or the precious gifts and graces of the Spirit, with which the witnesses of Christ are adorned. 1 Kings 6:29Ver. 29. And he carved all the walls of the house about with carved figures of cherubim, and palm trees, and open flowers,.... That is, of palm trees, those in full blow: if the cherubim are an emblem of angels, the palm trees fitly enough represent just and upright men, who both appear in the church of God below, and in heaven above; in both which are to be seen the open and full-blown flowers of divine grace, especially in the latter state:within and without; on the walls of the most holy place, both within and without; and so upon the walls of the holy place, in each of which were these sculptures, which were very ornamental, and were emblematical; see Eze 41:17. 1 Kings 6:30Ver. 30. And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold within and without. Both the floor of the holy place, and of the holy of holies; so the street of the new Jerusalem is said to be pure gold, Re 21:21; this expresses the purity and magnificence of it, particularly the holy conversation of them that dwell in the church, in heaven, signified hereby. 1 Kings 6:31Ver. 31. And for the entering of the oracle he made doors [of] olive tree,.... The door of the holy of holies was a two leaved or folding door, made of olive wood; typical of Christ, the door into the church above and below, the way to heaven and eternal life, the true olive tree:the lintel [and] side posts [were] a fifth part [of the wall]; four cubits, twenty cubits being the breadth of the oracle; or the lintel was four cubits, twenty being the height of it also, 1Ki 6:20. 1 Kings 6:32Ver. 32. The two doors also [were of] olive tree,.... The two leaves of the door, as before observed, repeated for the sake of the ornament of them, as follows:and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims, and palm trees, and open flowers; as upon the walls, 1Ki 6:29;and overlaid [them] with gold; the two doors:and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees; thin plates of gold. 1 Kings 6:33Ver. 33. So also made he for the door of the temple,.... The holy place:posts [of] olive tree, a fourth part [of the wall]; which was five cubits, its breadth being twenty, 1Ki 6:20; this door was a cubit wider than that into the most holy place, 1Ki 6:31, more entering into the one than into the other; as more go into the church on earth than into the heavenly glory. 1 Kings 6:34Ver. 34. And the two doors [were of] fir tree,.... the posts were of olive, but the doors of fir, and they were both folding doors, as appears by what follows:the two leaves of the one door [were] folding, and the two leaves of the other door [were] folding; which, taking up less room, made the passage wider, see Eze 41:24. 1 Kings 6:35Ver. 35. And he carved [thereon] cherubims, and palm trees, and open flowers,.... As upon the doors of the most holy place, 1Ki 6:32; see Eze 41:25;and covered [them] with gold, fitted upon the carved work; plates of gold were fitted, as to the dimensions of them, to the cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. 1 Kings 6:36Ver. 36. And he built the inner court,.... The court of the priests, 2Ch 4:9; so called to distinguish it from the outer court, where the people assembled: this was builtwith three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams; the rows of stones were one upon another, topped with a row of cedar beams; or rather the cedar was a lining to the stones; and the whole is supposed to be about three cubits high, and was so low, that the people in the outward court might see priests ministering for them, and could converse with them; under the second temple, as Maimonides {h} says, the court of the priests was higher than that of the court of Israel two cubits and an half, called the great court, for which doors were made, and those overlaid with brass, 2Ch 4:9.{h} Hilchot Beth Habechirah, c. 6. sect. 3. 1 Kings 6:37Ver. 37. In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the Lord laid,.... The fourth year of Solomon's reign:in the month Zif; See Gill on "1Ki 6:1". 1 Kings 6:38Ver. 38. In the eleventh year,.... That is, of the reign of Solomon:in the month Bul, [which is] the eighth month; from the month Abib or Nisan; this month answers to part of our October, and part of November; it is the same month sometimes called Marchesvan; it had the name of Bul, because of the rains which usually fell in this month, as Kimchi thinks, like a flood; and Noah's flood is called Mabbul, from the same root {i}, and when all the fruits were withered, and the leaves were fallen from the trees; or, as Jarchi supposes, because the grass was consumed in the field, and they were obliged to mix provender for cattle, deriving the word from another root {k}: in this monthwas the house finished throughout all the parts thereof; the porch, the holy place, and holy of holies, with all the chambers and courts belonging to it:and according to all the fashion of it; which David had given to Solomon, to frame it by:so he was seven years in building it; and six months, which are not mentioned, only the round number is given, as appears by comparing it with 1Ki 6:1.{i} lbn "concidit", Buxtorf. {k} hlb "consumpsit, vel" llb "miscuit", ib.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.