The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 111

Uon that the side structure had a flat roof, The original prom.lee was made by Nathan which is by no means certain. If the roof (2 Sam. vii. 12). It seems exceedingly leaned against the we.lls of the house, with probable that the promise wonld be renewed a low pitch, there would still be space through him if he were still a.liveJ sa.y1p.g, amply sufficient for the clerestory windows. Ver. 12.-Concern1Ilg [or, as to. There Rawlineon'e diagram (p. 611), which gives ie nothing, however, in the Hebrew] this 80 cubits as the height from basement to house which thou art tn bulldtng [1"1).:J. ridge of roof, and only e.llows 20 cubits for Cf, l:+!1, vers. 5, 9, 10] If thou wilt walk' tn height of we.Ila, practically makes the house my statutes [the connexion of ideas seems 20 iDBtee.d of 30 cubits high, for it is hardly to be this, " Thou art doing well to build likely that it he.d o.n open roof. In fact, we the house ; thou art fulfilling my good know that it had a cieling (ver. 14), which pleasure (2 Sam. vii. 13) ; if thou wilt go on must have been e.t the height of 30 cubits and in other matters wilt keep," &c. It is to (see the diagrams on p. 102. In (1) house be observed that this promise contains e. and side etrnctlll'e a.re represented with fle.t, faint note of warning. Possibly Solomon in (2) with ridged or eloping roofs), un- had already betrayed some slight tokens of less there we.s e.n upper chamber above the declension], and execute my judgments, and house, e.e to which see var. 20. Rawlinson's keep all my commandments to walk tn diagram has this further defect, the.t he them; then will I perform [literally, C011· e.llows nothing for thickness of joists, floors, firm. Se.me word as in eh. ii. 3. The and cielings. If we allow one cubit for each " word of the Lord " is the echo of the word floor, then, on his plan, there would be little of David] my word with thee, which I or no room left for the windows. This verse epa.ke unto David thy father [i.e., the word is hardly to be considered e.s e. repetition of mentioned eh. ii. 4 and found 2 Se.m. n.i. ver. 5, the side structlll'e being here men- 12 sqq.]. tioned in connexion with its height e.nd the materials used in its construction] and Ver. 13.-And I will dwell among the ~ey rested on [the meaning of the Heh. children of Israel, and will not forsake my tn~!1 he.e been much disputed. It is un- people Israel [cf. Deut. xxxi. 6. A fresh element is here introduced into the promise, ce;t~in what is the nominative, Solomon arising out of the erection of the temple. ~e.s i;11 l~!l), or the "floor" (justreferred to in God he.d pledged His presence to the to.ber- ,n"'ip). Geeenius understands the former, ne.cle (Exod. xxv. 8; x:xi.x. 45 ; cf. Levit. and renders, " he covered the house," &c. xxvi. 11). And the temple was reared to Thenius, " he fastened the floor," &c. Keil be His dwelling-place (eh. viii.13 ; 2 Chron. adopts the latter alternative, "it held to the vi. 2). He now assures the royal builder house with ceda.r bee.ms." It may be urged that he will occupy it. "Jehovah Shammah" against this rendering (as nlso age.inst (Ezek. xlviii 35). The covenant relation Thenius's) that bee.ms which merely rested shall be more firmly established. on the walls would hardly bind or hold the Ver.14.-So Solomon bulltthe house and side structure to the me.in building. But it dnlshed It [thongh these words are o. repe- is almost impossible to decide between these tition of ver. 9, yet they are not without interpretations. We may either render "he significance. Encouraged by the promise covered," &c. (with Chald., Vulg.) in which just made, he proceeded with the interior, oaeo ver. 10 would agree with ver. 9 (each, of which the no.rri,tive henceforth treo.ts. i. e., would refer to the roofing ; ver. 9 to Ver. 9 speaks of the finishing of tho shell. roof of temple; ver. 10 to roof of side Yer 15.-And he built [i.e., ccmstructed, etructlll'e and its stories) ; or we may take covered] the walls of the house withln the words to mean "it le.id hold of, i.e., [but not without also, as Stanley aflirms, rested on] the house with timber of cedar. "Its massive stone wo.lls were entirely cased At this point the historian interrupts hie in cedar, so o.s to give it the appenro.noe of description of the building to record the o. rough log-house"] with bouds [or beams gracious promise me.de to the king dlll'ing (M1.11~1): same word e.s in vers. 6-8] of its erection. It should, perhaps, be stated cedar ·[Heh. cedars. The practice of cover- tno.t this (vers. 11-14) is omitted in the ing stone wo.lls with o. lining of wood, which in turn was ornamented with gold or colour Vo.t. LXX. But it has every mark of genuine- (Jer. xxii. 14), seems to have he.d its origin ness.] in PhCBnicie. (Biihr), and mo.y have been Ver. 11.-And the word of the Lord ea.me suggested to Solomon by his Zidoninn work- to Solomon [probably through the prophet men (Cf. 2 Chron. ii. 14), both the floor of Nathan. It oo.nnot well have been a direct the house and the walls of the clellng [This commuuico.tion, for the secimd direct revela- gives no sense and is o.ge.inst the Hebrew, tion is mentioned in chap. ix. 2 (of, iii. 6). which is e.s the ma.rg.-" fr<llA the floor •• ,  106 THE FIRST lWOK OF KINGS. [oH, VI, 1-88,