itself o, proof tbo,t they must bo,ve been sig- known to later ages by the name of ••Solo- nifico,nt], and covered them with gold Jltted mon's Porch" (John x. 23 ; Acts iii. 11 ; upon the carved work [Heb. made straight v. 12). As to the dimensions of these upon the engraved work. Tbo,t is to so,y, the spaces, we are left to conjecture. If, as, in gold fitted closely to all the uneven e.nd in- everything else, the dimensions of the dented surface of the figures. Elsewhere, tabernacle were doubled, then the court of laminae were simply laid upon the level the priests would measure 200 cubits from walls, &c.] eas\ to west, and 100 cubits from north Ver. 36.-The description of the buildings to south. It ·should be stated, however, concludes with e. brief reference to the en- that in the temple of Ezekiel, the propor- ceinte or court. And he built the Inner court tions of which, in the present instance, [The mention of an inner court, called in may well be historical, both courts are re- 2 Chron. iv. 9 the "court of the priests," presented as perfect squares. Rawlinson presupposes, of course, the existence of llJl inadvertently puts down the length (along outer court. Our author does not mention the side of temple) at 100 cubits, and the this, but the chronicler does, under the name breadth (ends of temple) at 200. The outer of "the gree.t court." In Jer. xxxvi. 10, the court would probably be twice as large as former is called the " higher court," because the inner, i.e., 400 x 200 cubits. But e.ll it occupied a higher level] with three rows this is necessarily uncertain.] of hewed stone and a. row of ceda.r bea.ms. Ver. 37.-In the fourth year was the [These, it is thought, formed the enclosing foundation of the house of the Lord la.id, wall of the court (the LXX. adds ,rv,cX66Ev). In the month Zlf [see on ver. 1]. The cedar bee.ms were instead of coping. Ver. 38.-And 1n the eleventh year, In the stones. It bas been supposed, however (J. D. Michaelis), that these three rows of stone,. month Bul [?Ul=rain. Hence Bnl would boo.rded with cedar, formed the pavem,ent of be the month of rain (Gesen.) Keil under- the court. But the question at once suggests stands it to signify produce (provmtus), and itself, Why pile three rows of stones one sees in it the month of fruits. It extendecl upon another merely to form a pavement, from the November to the December full and why hew and shape them if they were moon], which is the eighth month, was the to be concealed beneath a stratum of wood? house finished throughout an the parts It is a fair inference from 2 Chron. vii. 3, thereof [Heb. i•·rt1l, and according to all that the wall was low enough to permit men to look over it. Fergusson, on the contrary, the fashion of 1t [Heb. i•li')?if~]. Bo was argues that it must have been twice the height he seven years In bnlldJng it. [As Bnl was of the enclosure of the tabernacle, which the eighth month, and Zif the second, the would give us an elevation of ten cubits house was precisely seven ancl a hlllf yen.rs (Exod. xxvii. 18). It is worth suggesting, in building-a. short period, if we consider however, whether, the inner court being the magnitude of the undertaking, but long raised above the outer, which surrounded enough, if we remember the enormous it, these stones may not have formed the number of hllJlds employed upon it, the retaining wall or sides of the platform. As prepo.rations made by David, and the modest the outer court bad gates (2 Kings xi. 6; dimensions of the edifice (ver. 2). The xii. 9 ; 2 Cbron. iv. 9 ; xxiii. 5; xxiv. 8), commentators all cite Pliny's statement that it also must have he.d walls. From 2 Kings all Asia. was building the temple of Diana xxiii. 11 ; Jer. xxxv. 2; mvi. 10, we at Ephesus 200 years, but the cases are not gather that there were various chambers at all parallel. We learn from 2 Chron. in the forecourt. Such were certainly iii. 2, tl::a.t it was on the second de1y of the contemplated by De.vid (1 Chron. xxviii. month that the building was co=enoed. 12) ; but it is not recorded the.t Solomon Bishop Wordsworth, who assigns seven built them. Nor have we any warrant, years and seven months as the time occu- except the be.re assertion of Josephus, pied in this work, sees in this hebdomatia for the belief that he built a colonnade period an analogy to the seven days of the or cloister on the east side, such as wa.s creation.)
HOMILETICS. Vere. 2, 8, 20. - Okriatianity built on tka Fo'IVfl,f!aUona of Judaism. The Jewish temple in its resemblance to the Gothio church is a not ina.pt illue- tration of the rela.tione of Christia.nity to Juda.ism. The temple of Solomon wa.s not only arohiteotu:rally the exo.ct repi;oduction on a larger scale, and in a 111 THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. [ OH. VI. 1--88,