King Solomon's Temple
Sent by : Bro William Littlepage Jr., Hermitage Lodge #356, Grand Lodge of Illinois
2. And these were the
princes which he had; Azari'ah the son of Za'dok
the priest,
11 princes of Solomon:
1. Azariah, son of Zadok the priest
2. Elihoreph, a scrib
3. Ahiah, a scrib
4. Jehoshaphat, the recorder or remembrancer
5. Benaiah, commander of the army
6. Zadok. the high priest
7. Abiathar, deposed high priest.
8. Azariah, overseer of officers.
9. Zabud, the principal officer and Solomon's friend and counsellor.
10. Ahishar, officer over the household.
11. Adoniram, overseer of taxes.
The priest belongs to Azarian, not to Zadok, and this should read: Azariah, the priest, son of Zadok. The term used [cohen] means a priest sometimes, otherwise a civil officer of perhaps a semi-priestly character. In this passage it has the definite article prefix, and can only mean the high priest . Here Azariah is called the son, but he was really the grandson of Zadok. He seems to have succeeded him in the high priesthood (1 Chr. 6:10). His position as high priest at the time this record was made gives Azariah the foremost place in this list of men called princes and who lived part or all the time of 40 years Solomon reigned.
3. Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shi'sha,
scrubs; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahibud, the
recorder.
The
scribes
were probably royal secretaries who drew up the kings edicts, wrote his letters, and perhaps managed his other affairs. They were
amng his most influential counselors.
The
recorser
was really a remembrancer or court analyst.
4. And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was over the host: and Zadok and
Abiathar were the priests:
It is noticeable that Abiathar was lilsted among the princes of Solomon, after the disgrace of being put out of the
priesthood as in 2:26-27, 35. Perhaps the historian made a list of the princes in any part of Solomon's reign (v 4).
5. And Axariah the son
of Nathan was over the officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan was
principal officer, and the king's friend:
Which Nathan this was is not known, unless it was the son of David of whom came Mary, the mother of the Messiah (Lk.
3:23-38). If it had been Nathan
the prophet
his name no doubt would have been so listed.
Principal or chief officer and the king's friend and counselor, as Hushai had been to David
(2 Sam. 15:37).
8. And these are the names: The son of Hur, in mount Ephraim:
9. The son of Dekar, in Makaz and in Sha-al'bim and Beth-she'mesh and E'on-beth-ha'nan:
10. The son of He'sed, in Ar'u-both; to him pertained Lo'choc, and
all the land of He'pher:
The territory assinged to each of these 12 commissary officers is named in v 7-19. From each of these 12
districts the king and his household of many servents were supplied once a year for an entire month.
11. The son of A-bn'a-dab, in all the region of Dor; which had Ta'phath the daughter of Solomon to wife:
12. Ba'a-na the son of A-hi'lud; to him pertained Ta'a-nach and Me-gid'do, and all Beth-she'ba, which is by Zar'ta-na beneath Jez're-el, from Beth-she'an to A'bel-me-ho'-lah, even unto the place that is beyond Jok'ne-am:
13. The son of Ge'ber, in Ra'moth-gil'e-ad; to him pertained the towns of Ja'ir the son of Ma-nas'seh, which are in Gil'e-ad; to him also pertained the region of Ar'gob, which is in Ba'shan, threescore great cities with walls and brasen bars:
14. A-hin'a-dab the son of Id'do had Ma-ha-na'im:
15. A-him'a-az was in Naph'ta-li; he also took Bas'math the daughter of Sol'o-mon to wife:
16. Ba'a-nah the son of
Hu'shai was in Ash'er and A'loth:
Hushai was David's chief friend and counsellor (2 Sam. 15:27). Now his son became honored
as one of the 12 commissary officers of Solomon (v 16)
17. Je-hos'a-phat the son of Par'u-ah, in Is'sa-char:
18. Shim'e-i the son of E'lah, in Ben'ja-min:
19. Ge'ber the son of U'ri was in the country of Gil'e-ad, in the country of Si'hon king of the Am'or-ites, and he was
the only officer which was in the land.
This is said to let us know that one officer took care of all the vast territory of Sihon and Og
easo to the Jordan.
21. And Sol'o-mon reigned over all kingdoms from the
river unto the land of the Philis'tines, and unto the border of E'gypt:
they brought presents,
and served Sol'o-mon all the days of his life.
The extent of Solomon's kingdon was from the river
Euphrates on the east and north to the land of the Philistines and the
Mediterranean sea and to Egypt (v 21: Gen. 15:18-21: Josh.
1:4).
It was
customary for subject nations to send gifts along with trubute to their masteres
(v 21: Ps. 72: 10 - 11)
this was for 40 years (11:42)
30 measures (Heb. kor or cor, the same as an homer or about 10 1/2 Bu.) would be 315 bushels; and 60 measures or cors, of course flour would be 630 bushels, daily.
23. Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures,
and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and fallowdeer, and fatted
fowel.
25. And Ju'dah and Is'ra - el dwelt safely,
every man under his
vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Be'er - she'ba, all the days of
Sol'o-mon.
An expression of peace, safety and
prosperity (v 25; Mic. 4:4; Zecg. 3:10).
The north and south extremities
of thekingdom (v 25; Judg. 20:1; 1 Sam.
3:20).
26. And Sol'o-mon had forty thousand stalls of hoerses for his chariots, and
twelve thousand
horsemen.
In 2 Chr. 9:25 the number of stalls is said
to be 4,000 instead of 40,000 as here. 40,000 may be a corruption of the
ancient scroll. Mistakes in copying or even similarity of letters (which
were used for numbers) could have led to a misgtake in one of these
places. It seems that 4,000 stalls would be more correct, as there were
only 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen. Since some chariots used 3 horses
and others only 2, the 4,000 horses would be sufficient for this number of
chariots and horsemen (v 26).
Multipllying horses was a violation of the law of Moses
(Dt. 17:16), the reason being that in doing so Israel would begin to trust in
the horses instead of Jehovah (Ps. 20:7; Isa. 31:1 -
3).
The same number as in 2
Chr. 9:25
27. And those officers provided victual for king
Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table, every man in his
month: they lacked nothing.
This is the way it will always be when men serve God and
He blesses them. This is the way it would have been if Adam had not
fallen; and it is the way it will be when the Messiah reigns in the
Millennium and on the new earth eternally (v 27: Isa. 35:1 - 8;
65:20 - 25; Rev. 22:3).
28. Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they
unto the place where the officers were, every man accorcing to his
charge.
Barley was
the usual fodder for cattle. They were also fed with a mixture of chopped
straw, barley, beans and poundeddate kernels (v 28).
And
Hi'ram kingof Tyre sent
his servents unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him
king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of
David.
Not the Hiram of David's day, but the son of
the Hiram of 2 Sam. 5:11. Meander of Ephesus who wrote a history of Tyre
in Greek about 300 B. C. mentoned this Hiram as the son of Abibaal , king of
Tyre, and said that he ascended the throne when he was 19 years old, that he
reigned 34 years, and died at the age of 53, being succeeded by his son,
Baleazar. This history speaks at length on the dealings of Hiram with
Solomon.
Lover or
ally. The Hebrews were always at peace woith the Phoenicians, but never
with the Canaanites (v 1).
2. And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,
3. Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the
name of the Lord his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until
the Lord put them under the soles of his feet.
See 2 Sam. 5:11; 1 Chr. 14:1;
22:4.
2
reasons David could not build temple:
5. And, behold, I purpos to
build an house unto the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spake unto David my
father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne lin thy room, he shall
build an house unto my name.
3rd prophecy in 1
Ki.(5:5, fulfilled). Next 8:19
8. And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have
considered the things which thou sentest to me for: and I will do all thy
desire concerning timber of cedar and concerning timber of
fir.
Sent by writing and
ambassadors
9. My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto
the sea; and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou
shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt
receive them: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my
household.
Sent by
writing and ambassadors.
The timber was first carried westward from the flanks of
Lebonan to the nearest part of the coast, where it was collected into floats or
rafts and conveyed southward on the waters to Joppa (now Jaffa) where the land
journey to Jerusalem was not more than 40 miles (v 9). A similar course
was taken in the building of the second temple (Ezra. 3:7).
(d) Supply of food for hiram's
household was at least part of the payment for the timber cut in Lebanon and
floated down to Joppa for the building of the temple (v 8). The Phoenician
cities had very little arable land so had to depend upon imports of food from
abroad.
10. So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees
according to all his desire.
Solomon's league with Tyre
12. And
the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace
between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league
together.
The league was broken by Tyre later and for
this the peple were judged (Amos. 1:9)
183,300 laborers and overseers working on the temple
13. And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Isreal; and the
levy was thirty thousand men.
A levy or tribute of menfor
free labor, not the bond service of 9:21 - 22. Such a levy was predicted
when Israel demanded a king (1 Sam. 8:16). David employed forced service
of resident aliens (1 Chr. 22:2; 2 Sam. 12:31).
This was the first time that
Israelites had been called upon to perform forced labor for a big project
stretching out over a number of years. Out of 1,300,000 able bodied men in
Israel (2 Sam. 24:9), a band of 30,000 - one in 44 was raised, of whom 1/3 -
10,000 worked a month, then returned home for 2 months (v 14). This levy
of men in Israel helped cause the division of the kingdom after thedeath of
Solomon (12:4).
14. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy.
15. And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that
bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains:
Besides the 30,000 hewers of wood in Lebanon, of v 14 -
14, Solomon had 70,000 that bare burdens, and 80,000 hewers in the
mountains. These 150,000 men were continuous workers made up of aliens in
the land - Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites, and others whom
he continued in slavery as did his father David (1 Chr.
22:2).
These were
hewers of stone in the rock quarries, not hewers of wood in Lebanon as in v 14(
15, 17, 18).
16. Besides the chief of Solomon's officers
which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that
wrought in the work.
Here we have 3,300 overseers of all the
people that worked in the mountains cutting wood, hewing stones, and carrying
burdens (v 16). Another 550 are mentioned in 9:23, who were chief
overseers, making altogether 3,850. Of the 550 there were 300 under 250 of
the overseers, according to 2 Ch. 8:10. The 163,850 regular workers were
almost as many as the number hired by Ford Motor Company,
U.S.A.
17. And the king commanded, and they brought
great stones, costly
stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the
house.
Some of the
stones were extra large and heavy. The largest said to be found in modern
Jerusalem thus far is 38 ft. 9 in. long and weighs 100 tons. It is no
doubt one of the many stones hewn out of the mountains in the days of Solomon (v
17). The marks of the Phoenicians masons are still on some stones.
They were fully cut on the mountains to exact size, so that no chiseling or
hammering took place when they were set together. The same was true of the
wooden beams, so that the use of no tools was heard in the construction
(6:7).
18. And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders
did hew them, and the stonesqujarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build
the house.
The
Gebalites, the inhabitants of Gebal, a Phoenician city between Beyrout and
Tripolis, which the Greeks called Byblus, and which is now known as Jebeil, a
place about 40 miles north of Sidon (Ezek. 27:9, Cp. Ps.
83:7).
Chapter 6
(2) Building the temple (6:1 - 7:51: 2 Chr. 3:1 -
4:22)
A Beginning date for building
1. And it came
to pass in the four hundred
and eighth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt,
in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Zif,
which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the
Lord.
480 years. This was not the
whole time of the period between the exodus and the 4th year of Solomon's
reign. It really refers to the 480th year of the security of Isreal as a
nation: it does not include the 41 years of Sinai and the Wondering in the
wilderness, the period of the conquest of Canaan and division of the land (about
10 years), or the 3 years of confusion under Abimelech and the 111 years of
servitudes during the judges. The entire pleriod from the exodus to the
4th year of Solomon was 645 years. Some chronologists have made the
mistake of basing their whole system upon this 480 year period. 12
chronologists differ from 330 to 680 years reguarding the entire time from the
exodus to the 4th year of Solomon, which shows no basis of proof for their
conclusions. Scriptures can be found for most of the lengths of various
periods and these prove some modern scholars to be mistaken as much as 300 - 400
years in their figuring of the time from the exodus to Christ. Any
chronoogical differences noted in this work as compared with others can be
accounted for by the fact that the Scripture themselves have been searched and
chapter and verse used as proof whenever
available.
B Dimensions of the temple
2. And the house which king Solomon built for
the Lord, the length
thereof was threescore cubits, and the bread thereof twenty cubits, and the
height therof thirty
cubits.
60 cubits - 125 ft. counting 25 in. as a
cubit.
20 cubits -
41 ft. 8 in.
30 cubits -
62 1/5 ft.
C Porches and outside rooms
3.
And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length therof,
according to the breadth of the house: and ten cubits was the breadth therof
before the house.
(e) 20 cubits - 41 ft. 8 in. long,
or all the way in fromt of the temple (v 3).
10 cubits - 20 ft. 10 in. wide (v
3)
5.
And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the
walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and
he made chambers round about:
He built chambers or rooms round about the temple on the
outside walls of the 2 sides and the end (v r). They were 10 ft. 5 in.
hiht (v 10).
6. The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle
was six cubits broad, and the third seven cubits broad: for without in the
wall of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not
be fastened in the walls of the house.
The rooms were 10 ft. 5 in. wide: 12 ft. 6 in. wide:
and 14 ft. 7 in. wide, with pillars for the ceiling beams so they would not rest
on the wall (v 6)
D Materials of the temple
7. And the house, when it was in building, was
buuilt of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor
ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in
building.
All the stones and timbers were cut to exact
size, being prepared for their places before being brought to the temple
site; and these were so perfect that it was not necessary for use of
hammer, ax, or any other tool during the entire consrtruction work
(6:7)
E Door, stairs, and outside rooms around the
temple
8. The door for the middle chamber
was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle
chamaber, and out of the middle into the third.
The rooms were on top of each
other making 3 stories with winding stairs (v 8).
9. So he built the house and finished it;
and covered the house
with beams and boards of decar.
The temple was covered with
beams and boards of cedar.
10. And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.
F Davidic Covenant confirmed in Solomon (2 Sam. 7:7 - 17)
11. And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying,
12. Concerning this house which thou art in
building, if thou
will walk in my
statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in
them; then will I perform my work with thee, which I spake unto David thy
father:
Here we have another conditional prophecy, one based
upon aoedience. Then when obedience is rendered, the Lord promised
to perform His work which He had spoken to both David and Solomon concerning the
continuation of the kingdom and God dwelling in the midst of His people (v 12 -
13). The prophecy never was completely fulfilled for Solomon rebelled and
Israel sinned until God could not bless them further or dwell in their
midst.
3
conditions of blessings (v 12)
1. Walk in My statutes
2. Execute My judgments
3. Keep all My commandments to walk in them.
13. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people
Israel.
God laid down the conditions on which He
would dwell among Israel and not forsake them; and the fact that He ceased
to dwell with them and forsook them is proof that they did nogt continue meeting
the conditions. God would have proved himself untrue before all beings if
He had continued His grace with them when they sinned; and so it is
today. If a believer sins God is obligated to imput it to him. There
is no place in Christ or out of Him where one is not held responsible and where
he does not incure the death penalty for breaking the new conenant laws when sin
is committed (Mk. 7:19 - 21; Rom. 1:18 - 32; 6:1 - 23; 8:12 -
13: 1 Cor. 3:16 - 17; 6:9 - 11; Gal. 5:10 - 21: Col. 3:5
- 10)
Just as God
promised not to forsake Israel as long as they lived true to Him, so He also
promised to forsake them when they sinned, regardless of past grace and
blessings.
14. So Solomon
built the house and finished it.
The 2nd time it is stated here that he built the house and finished it (v 9, 14).
V - 9 refers to the external shell of the temple, and v 14 to the internal finishing of it.
G Inside cedar walls
15. And he built the
walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house and the walls of the ceiling; and he covered them on
the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir.
All the inside walls, the ceiling, and the floors of the temple were covered with cedar and fir or juniper boards
(v 15).
H Dimensions and decorations of the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place (v 2:20)
16. And he built
twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls he covered with boards of cedar: he even built them for it
within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place.
20 cubits - 41 ft. 8 in. square for the most holy place (v 16).
17. And the house, that is, the temple before it, was
forty cubits long.
40 cubits - 83 ft. 4 in. long and 20 cubits - 41 ft. 8 in. wide for the holy place.
18. And the cedar of the house within was
carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stones seen.
The cedar of the walls of the holy and most holy places was carved with knops and flowers.
The boards fully covered the inside so that no stone of the walls was seen and they were covered with pure gold. The altar
alsowas covered with gold, as well as the partition between the holy and most holy places (v 18 - 22)
19. And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord.
20. And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in height therof: and so covered the altar was of cedar.
21. So Solomon overlaid the house within with pur gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with pure gold.
22. And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until hehad finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the orqcle he overlaid with gold.
I Two cherubims in the Holy of Holies
23. And within the oracle he made
two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high.
2 cherubims of olive wood measuring 10 cubits - 20 ft. 10 in. high, with each wing measuring 5
cubits - 10 ft. 5 in. making a full wing spread of 10 cubits or 20 ft. 10 in., were made and set up in the most holy place side by side
woth the outer wings touching th outside walls and the inner ones touching each other. These were overlaid with gold (v 23 - 28).
24. And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.
25. And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of one measure and one size.
26. The height of the one cherubim was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub.
27. And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wings of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house.
28. And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.
J Walls and floor decorations
29. And he
carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.
The walls all around the inner and outer rooms, theholy and most holy places, were carved with figures of cherubims,
palm trees, and open flowers; and the floor was covered with gold (v 29 - 30).
30. And the loor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.
K Doors of the Holy of Holies
31. And for the entering of the oracle he make
doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall.
The two doors of the most holy place were made of olive wood, carved with cherubim, palm trees, and
open flowers, and covered with gold (v 31 - 32). They formed a fifth part of the wall or about 8 1/2 ft. 8 in. wall (v 31).
Each of the 2 doors was possibly 3 1/2 ft. wide which would leave some room for posts and lintels.
32. The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, andoverlaid them oith gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.
33. So also made he for
the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall.
The two folding doors between the porch and the most holy place, with the posts and lintels, took up 1/4 of the
wall. They were made of olive wood, carved with cherubims, palm trees, and open flowers, and covered with gold. This 10 ft.
8 in. space for the 2 folding doors would make each opening at least about 4 1/2 ft. (v 33 - 35).
34. And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.
35. And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.
L The inner court
36. And he built the
inner court with
three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.
The inner court.
An outer court is mentioned in 2 Ch. 4:9. The inner courtwas perhaps the same as the higher court of Jer. 36:10, being
raised above the outer one a few steps. It seems the inner court surrounded the temple building and was perhaps double the
size of the temple all the way around. The outside width of the temple was no doubt 40 cubits - 104 ft. 2 in. (We cannot be
certain because we do not know how thick the walls were). If double, the inner court then, extended 208 ft. 4 in. from the temple
itself on all sides. There may have even been more space in front to make room for the brazen altar and sacrifices. The outer
court was evidently much larger, measuring perhaps 500 - 750 feet.
There were three rows of stone in the inner court walls and a row of cedar beams (v 36). This
does not tell us how wide thestones were, but we know they were seen only on the outside of the court walls. Inside there was a
covering of cedar.
M The temple finished
37. In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the Lord
laid, in the month Zif:
The foundation was laid in the mont of Zif, the 2nd month or May(v 1, 37), and the temple was
finished in the 8th month, Bul or November, 7 years and 6 monthes later (v 38). It was dedicated in the 7th month or October (8:2),
which means it took 11 months to complete the furnishings unless the people waited purposely until the next feast of tabernacles for lthe
dedication. Compare this with the years Solomon took to build his own house - 13 years in all or 6 more than the time spent on the
temple (7:1).