Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 7:12
And the great court round about [was] with three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of the LORD, and for the porch of the house.
12. And the great court round about ] The words are the same as in 1Ki 6:36. The great court was the hindmost part of all the palace grounds, and was apparently higher than the level of the front part. The way in which it was enclosed was by a low wall (sunk fence) as was done for the inner-court of the Temple.
both for the inner court of the house of the Lord ] The conjunction with which this sentence begins is the usual copulative. But the sense should be ‘like as the inner court, &c.’ (Cf. 1Ki 6:34.) Hence some have conjectured = as, instead of = and or both. The R.V. has given the true sense in the text ‘ like as the inner court of the house of the Lord, and the porch of the house,’ and has put the literal translation on the margin. There is no great difficulty in gathering the former sense from the latter. We have only to take the construction to be ‘and thus was it done for the inner court &c. and for.’
the porch of the house ] Probably the porch intended is that spoken of in 1Ki 6:3. ‘The house’ without any defining words can only be taken of the Temple; so that we cannot understand any porch in Solomon’s own house.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The palace, like the temple, had two courts 1Ki 6:36, not, however, one immediately within the other. The lesser court of the palace seems to have been a private inner court among the buildings 1Ki 7:8. The greater court was outside all the buildings, surrounding the palace on every side. Assyrian palaces had always such an external court, and had generally one or more inner courts or quadrangles.
Both for the inner court – By a slight alteration of the text, the meaning would be as (was done) in the inner court, etc. and in the porch.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
The great court, to wit, of Solomons dwelling-house, mentioned 1Ki 7:8.
A row of cedar beams; of which See Poole “1Ki 6:36“.
Both for the inner court of the house of the Lord, or, as (Heb. and, which is oft used in that sense for a particle of comparison or similitude, as Pro 11:25; 17:3; Pro 25:23) for the inner court, &c., i.e. as it was in that inner court, of which the very same thing is said 1Ki 6:36. Otherwise it might seem very improper and impertinent to speak of the court of the Lords house here, where he is treating only of Solomons house.
For the porch of the house, or, of this house, to wit, of which I am here speaking, i.e. of the kings house, the porch where of had pillars, 1Ki 7:6, and these both of stone and cedar, as may seem most probable, because the other pillars were such. And whereas the number and quality of the pillars of the porch was omitted, 1Ki 7:6, that defect is here supplied, and we are implicitly acquainted with both of them. But this I speak with submission.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. for the inner court of the houseof the Lordshould be, as in the inner court of thehouse of the Lord; the meaning is, that in this palace, as in thetemple, rows of hewed stones and the cedar beams formed the enclosingwall.
1Ki7:13-51. HIRAM’SWORKS.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the great court round about,…. Which surrounded Solomon’s house:
[was] with three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams; these rows were one upon another, and were a wall to the court, which were either topped with a row of cedar wood, or that was a lining to the stones
for the inner court of the house of the Lord; or rather as, or like to that, as appears from 1Ki 6:36,
and for the porch of the house; not the temple, but Solomon’s house.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(12) The great court.Finally, the great court round about is said to have resembled the inner court of the Temple, having an enclosure of three rows of stones, probably of large size, with a cedar coping. It seems evidently to have enclosed the whole palace, and may have contained quarters for the guards and the household. There must have been, of course, inner courts, round which both the more public and the more private buildings of the palace were grouped.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. The great court round about The great enclosure or park in which all the palatial buildings stood. (H H H in plan.)
Three rows of hewed stones Or three layers of hewn stone. See note on 1Ki 6:36. If this view of this obscure verse be correct, it follows that the great court of the palace was not a cultivated park, but a solid artificial platform of stone-work, covered by a cedar flooring. This is the more probable since all the palace buildings were set upon a vast artificial platform raised upon the southern slope of Mount Moriah.
Both for the inner court of the house of the Lord The meaning is, that the pavement of the great court of the palace, like that of the inner court of the temple, (see 1Ki 6:36,) consisted of three layers of hewn stone placed one upon another, with a layer of cedar planks fastened on the top of them.
And for the porch of the house That is, the porch of the palace had a similar pavement.
Here ends the Bible account of Solomon’s palace. But it is manifestly not an exhaustive or minute description; and it is likely that there were various apartments, and perhaps whole buildings, of less importance that receive no mention here. Josephus adds that he built other edifices for pleasure, and long cloisters, and a magnificent dining room, and various other things which it seems not to have been the purpose of the sacred historian to mention or describe.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Ki 7:12 And the great court round about [was] with three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of the LORD, and for the porch of the house.
Ver. 12. And the great court round about. ] Surrounding the king’s house.
Both for the inward court of the house of the Lord,
And for the porch, &c.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
three rows: 1Ki 6:36
the porch: Joh 10:23, Act 3:11, Act 5:12
Reciprocal: 1Ki 7:21 – the porch 2Ki 21:5 – in the two courts 2Ch 4:9 – the court 2Ch 6:13 – the court Eze 8:7 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Ki 7:12. And the great court Namely, of Solomons palace, mentioned 1Ki 7:8. Was with three rows of hewed stones, &c. Just like the inner court of the Lords house, (1Ki 6:36,) and so the following words are to be understood. Both, for the inner court Or, rather, as for the inner court, &c.; for so the particle , vau, sometimes signifies. And for the porch of the house Namely, Solomons own house.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
7:12 And the great court round about [was] with three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams, {h} both for the inner court of the house of the LORD, and for the porch of the house.
(h) As the Lord’s house was built so was this, only the great court of Solomon’s house was uncovered.