15<\/strong>. And he built<\/em> ] The Hebrew uses the same word for the erection of the stone structure and for the work described in this verse, which was to fit the house with a wainscot of cedar.<\/p>\n both the floor of the house, and the walls of the cieling<\/em> ] More literally, and better, with R.V., ‘ from<\/strong> the floor of the house unto<\/strong> the walls of the cieling.’ The expression means from top to bottom, but ‘the walls of the cieling’ is a singular description of that portion of the wall which touches the cieling. The difference between the Hebrew word for ‘walls’ and for ‘beams’ is so slight that we can hardly help accepting the reading of the LXX. in the next verse, and apparently here too, of ‘beams.’<\/p>\n and he covered<\/em> them] It is better to omit the conjunction for which, as A.V. indicates, there is no Hebrew, and join with the previous clause, ‘from the floor of the house to the walls (beams?) of the cieling he covered them &c.’<\/p>\n Thus the whole sides, roof and floors on the inside were of wood.<\/p>\n The description of this verse applies to the main chamber of the temple, the holy place, only. The writer in 1Ki 6:16<\/span> describes the holy of holies.<\/P> The marginal rendering of this verse is right, and not the rendering in the text.<\/P> Fir – <\/B>Rather, juniper. See 1Ki 5:6<\/span> note.<\/P><\/p>\n Verse 15<\/span>. The walls of the ceiling<\/B><\/I>] 1Kg 6:9<\/span>.<\/P> <\/p>\n Both the floor, <\/B>or rather, from the floor<\/I>, as it is in the Hebrew; for the floor itself was not covered with cedar, but with fir<\/I>, as it here follows. <\/P> And the walls of the ceiling, <\/B>or rather, as it is in the Hebrew, unto the walls of the ceiling<\/I>, or of the roof<\/I>, i.e. unto the top of the wall, which was even with the roof; for the roof itself was not of stone, but wood. Or, <\/P> unto the walls of the ceiling, <\/B>i.e. unto the ceiling itself; which performing the office of a wall, may well be called by that name. For the name of a wall<\/I> is not appropriated to stone or brick, because we read of a brasen wall<\/I>, Jer 15:20<\/span>, and a wall of iron<\/I>, Eze 4:3<\/span>. And that wall into<\/I> which Saul smote his javelin<\/I>, 1Sa 19:10<\/span>, seems more probably to be understood of wood than of stone; especially, considering that it was the room where the king used to dine. So by this periphrasis, from the floor of the house unto the walls of the ceiling<\/I>, he designs all the side walls of the house. <\/P> He covered them, <\/B>to wit, the side walls of the house, now mentioned. <\/P> With wood, <\/B>i.e. with other kind of wood, even with fir, as appears from 2Ch 3:5<\/span>, wherewith the floor is here said to be covered. <\/P> The floor of the house:<\/B> this is here spoken only concerning the floor, because there was nothing but planks of fir; whereas there was both cedar and fir in the sides of the house, the fir being either put above or upon the cedar, or intermixed with or put between the boards or ribs of cedar, as may be gathered from the said parallel place, 2Ch 3:5<\/span>. <\/P> <\/p>\n 15-21. he built the walls of thehouse within<\/B>The walls were wainscotted with cedar-wood; thefloor, paved with cypress planks; the interior was divided (by apartition consisting of folding doors, which were opened and shutwith golden chains) into two apartmentsthe back or inner room,that is, the most holy place, was twenty cubits long and broad; thefront, or outer room, that is, the holy place, was forty cubits. Thecedar-wood was beautifully embellished with figures in relievo,representing clusters of foliage, open flowers, cherubims, and palmtrees. The whole interior was overlaid with gold, so that neitherwood nor stone was seen; nothing met the eye but pure gold, eitherplain or richly chased.<\/P><\/p>\n And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar<\/strong>,…. For as yet he had only built the stone walls of it without, but now he wainscotted it with cedar boards: and not only them, but<\/p>\n both the floor of the house, and the walls of the ceiling<\/strong>; or from “the floor of the house unto the walls of the ceiling”; that is, from the floor, including that, to the walls on each side, reaching up to the ceiling,<\/p>\n he covered [them] on the inside with wood<\/strong>: of one sort or another, cedar or fir, or both: particularly he<\/p>\n covered the floor of the house with planks of fir<\/strong>: which Hiram sent him, 1Ki 5:8<\/span>; which is differently interpreted; by Josephus cypress; by others, as the Tigurine version, pine tree wood; it is very probable it was of the cedar kind, and not the floor only, but the ceiling also, 2Ch 3:5<\/span>.<\/p>\n 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<\/I> he covered them<\/I> on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir. 16 And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them<\/I> for it within, even<\/I> for the oracle, even<\/I> for the most holy place.<\/I> 17 And the house, that is,<\/I> the temple before it, was forty cubits long.<\/I> 18 And the cedar of the house within was<\/I> carved with knops and open flowers: all was<\/I> cedar; there was no stone seen. 19 And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD<\/B>. 20 And the oracle in the forepart was<\/I> twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so<\/I> covered the altar which was of<\/I> cedar. 21 So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold. 22 And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was<\/I> by the oracle he overlaid with gold. 23 And within the oracle he made two cherubims of<\/I> olive tree, each<\/I> ten cubits high. 24 And five cubits was<\/I> 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<\/I> ten cubits. 25 And the other cherub was<\/I> ten cubits: both the cherubims were<\/I> of one measure and one size. 26 The height of the one cherub was<\/I> ten cubits, and so was it<\/I> 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 wing of the one touched the one<\/I> 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. 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. 30 And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without. 31 And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of<\/I> olive tree: the lintel and<\/I> side posts were<\/I> a fifth part of the wall.<\/I> 32 The two doors also were of<\/I> olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them<\/I> with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees. 33 So also made he for the door of the temple posts of<\/I> olive tree, a fourth part of the wall.<\/I> 34 And the two doors were of<\/I> fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were<\/I> folding, and the two leaves of the other door were<\/I> folding. 35 And he carved thereon<\/I> cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them<\/I> with gold fitted upon the carved work. 36 And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams. 37 In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD<\/B> laid, in the month Zif: 38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is<\/I> the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.<\/P> Here, I. We have a particular account of the details of the building.<\/P> 1. The wainscot of the temple. It was of cedar (v.<\/I><\/span> 15<\/span>), which was strong and durable, and of a very sweet smell. The wainscot was curiously carved with knops (like eggs or apples) and flowers, no doubt as the fashion then was, v.<\/I><\/span> 18<\/span>.<\/P> 2. The gilding. It was not like ours, washed over, but the whole house,<\/I> all the inside of the temple (v.<\/I><\/span> 22<\/span>), even the floor (v.<\/I><\/span> 30<\/span>), he overlaid with gold,<\/I> and the most holy place with pure gold,<\/I> v.<\/span> 21<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. Solomon would spare no expense necessary to make it every way sumptuous. Gold was under foot there, as it should be in all the living temples: the abundance of it lessened its worth.<\/P> 3. The oracle, or speaking-place<\/I> (for so the word signifies), the holy of holies,<\/I> so called because thence God spoke to Moses, and perhaps to the high priest, when he consulted with the breast-plate of judgment. In this place the ark of the covenant was to be set,<\/I> v.<\/span> 19<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. Solomon made every thing new, and more magnificent than it had been, except the ark, which was still the same that Moses made, with its mercy-seat and cherubim; that was the token of God’s presence, which is always the same with his people whether they meet in tent or temple, and changes not with their condition.<\/P> 4. The cherubim. Besides those at the ends of the mercy-seat, which covered the ark, (1.) Solomon set up two more, very large ones, images of young men (as some think), with wings made of olive-wood, and all overlaid with gold, v.<\/I><\/span> 23<\/span>, c. This most holy place was much larger than that in the tabernacle, and therefore the ark would have seemed lost in it, and the dead wall would have been unsightly, if it had not been thus adorned. (2.) He carved cherubim upon all the walls of the house, <i>v.<\/span> 29<\/span><\/U><\/span>. The heathen set up images of their gods and worshipped them; but these were designed to represent the servants and attendants of the God of Israel, the holy angels, not to be themselves worshipped (see thou do it not<\/I>), but to show how great he is whom we are to worship.<\/P> 5. The doors. The folding doors that led into the oracle were but a fifth part of the wall (v.<\/I><\/span> 31<\/span>), those into the temple were a fourth part (v.<\/I><\/span> 33<\/span>); but both were beautified with cherubim engraven on them, 1Ki 6:32<\/span>; 1Ki 6:35<\/span>.<\/P> 6. The inner court, in which the brazen altar was at which the priests ministered. This was separated from the court where the people were by a low wall, three rows of hewn stone tipped with a cornice of cedar (v.<\/I><\/span> 36<\/span>), that over it the people might see what was done and hear what the priests said to them; for, even under that dispensation, they were not kept wholly either in the dark or at a distance.<\/P> 7. The time spent in this building. It was but seven years and a half from the founding to the finishing of it, v.<\/I><\/span> 38<\/span>. Considering the vastness and elegance of the building, and the many appurtenances to it which were necessary to fit it for use, it was soon done. Solomon was in earnest in it, had money enough, had nothing to divert him from it, and many hands made quick work. He finished it (as the margin reads it) with all the appurtenances thereof, and with all the ordinances thereof, not only built the place, but set forward the work for which it was built.<\/P> II. Let us now see what was typified by this temple. 1. Christ is the true temple; he himself spoke of the temple of his body, John ii. 21<\/span>. God himself prepared him his body, Heb. x. 5<\/span>. In him dwelt the fulness of the Godhead,<\/I> as the Shechinah<\/I> in the temple. In him meet all God’s spiritual Israel. Through him we have access with confidence to God. All the angels of God, those blessed cherubim, have a charge to worship him. 2. Every believer is a living temple, in whom the Spirit of God dwells, 1 Cor. iii. 16<\/span>. Even the body is such by virtue of its union with the soul, 1 Cor. vi. 19<\/span>. We are not only wonderfully made by the divine providence, but more wonderfully made anew by the divine grace. This living temple is built upon Christ as its foundation and will be perfected in due time. 3. The gospel church is the mystical temple; it grows to a holy temple in the Lord<\/I> (Eph. ii. 21<\/span>), enriched and beautified with the gifts and graces of the Spirit, as Solomon’s temple with gold and precious stones. Only Jews built the tabernacle, but Gentiles joined with them in building the temple. Even strangers and foreigners are built up a habitation of God,<\/I>Eph 2:19<\/span>; Eph 2:22<\/span>. The temple was divided into the holy place and the most holy, the courts of it into the outer and inner; so there are the visible and the invisible church. The door into the temple was wider than that into the oracle. Many enter into profession that come short of salvation. This temple is built firm, upon a rock, not to be taken down as the tabernacle of the Old Testament was. The temple was long in preparing, but was built at last. The top-stone of the gospel church will, at length, be brought forth with shoutings, and it is a pity that there should be the clashing of axes and hammers in the building of it. Angels are ministering spirits, attending the church on all sides and all the members of it. 4. Heaven is the everlasting temple. There the church will be fixed, and no longer movable. The streets of the new Jerusalem, in allusion to the flooring of the temple, are said to be of pure gold,<\/I> Rev. xxi. 21<\/I><\/span>. The cherubim there always attend the throne of glory. The temple was uniform, and in heaven there is the perfection of beauty and harmony. In Solomon’s temple there was no noise of axes and hammers. Every thing is quiet and serene in heaven; all that shall be stones in that building must in the present sate of probation and preparation be fitted and made ready for it, must be hewn and squared by divine grace, and so made meet for a place there.<\/P> <\/p>\n D. THE INTERIOR OF THE HOUSE 6:1535<\/p>\n 1Ki. 6:15<\/span> resumes the description of the building of the Temple which was interrupted in 1Ki. 6:11-14<\/span> by the account of the divine communication which came to Solomon. In this paragraph the author discusses (1) the paneling and partitioning of the house (1Ki. 6:15-22<\/span>); (2) the cherubim of the Debir (1Ki. 6:23-28<\/span>); (3) interior decorations (1Ki. 6:29-30<\/span>); and (4) the Temple doors (1Ki. 6:31-35<\/span>).<\/p>\n 1. THE PANELING AND PARTITIONING OF THE HOUSE<\/p>\n (1Ki. 6:15-22<\/span>)<\/p>\n TRANSLATION<\/strong><\/p>\n (15) And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar from the floor of the house unto the walls of the ceiling; he covered the inside with wood, and he covered the floor of the house with planks of fir. (16) And at twenty cubits, from the sides of the house he built planks of cedar from the floor to the walls of the ceiling; he even built them for it within, even for a Debir, the most holy place. (17) Forty cubits was the house, that is the anterior Temple. (18) And the cedar of the house within was engraved work of gourds and flower blossoms; all was cedar, no stone being seen. (19) And the Debir he prepared in the midst of the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. (20) And the ulterior of the Debir was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width and twenty cubits in height; and he covered it with pure gold, and he covered the altar with cedar. (21) And Solomon covered the house within with pure gold, and he hung chains of gold before the Debir, and he covered it with gold. (22) And the whole house he covered with gold until he had finished all the house; also the entire altar which was in front of the Debir he covered with gold.<\/strong><\/p>\n COMMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n The interior stone walls of the Temple were lined with wood in order to make it possible to overlay them with gold from the floor to the walls of the ceiling, i.e., the point where the walls meet the ceiling. According to the Chronicler (2Ch. 3:6<\/span>) the interior walls were also ornamented with precious stones. The wood flooring in the Temple was fir, more technically the Aleppo pine (1Ki. 6:15<\/span>). Thirty feet from the west end of the house, Solomon constructed a partition from floor to ceiling which separated the Debir or most holy place from the rest of the house (1Ki. 6:16<\/span>). That portion of the structure in front of the Debir was sixty feet long (1Ki. 6:17<\/span>). The cedar paneling in the house was covered with engraved work. Authorities are divided as to the nature of this engraved work, some arguing that it was bas-relief, and others, that figures were cut into the wood. The gourds were oval ornaments (resembling the wild gourd) which ran in rows along the walls (Keil). The open flowers (lit., burstings of flowers) are probably to be understood as flower blossoms. These beautiful walls of wood completely covered the stone walls on the interior of the Temple (1Ki. 6:18<\/span>).<\/p>\n At the rear of the Temple structure Solomon constructed the Debir,[176] the Holy of Holies, which served the primary purpose of housing the ark of the covenant (1Ki. 6:19<\/span>). On the inside the Debir was a cube of thirty feet. The Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle was a cube of fifteen feet, and the New Jerusalem was a cube of twelve thousand furlongs. Geometric symbolism is obviously intended in these passages with the cube most likely symbolizing absolute perfection. The Debir was overlaid with pure (lit., shut up) gold from which all impurities had been removed. The lavish use of gold in the interior of the Temple must also have had symbolic import as it was never seen except by the priests. Perhaps the gold symbolized light and purity (Job. 37:22-23<\/span>; Rev. 21:18<\/span>), and hence was most appropriate for the abode of Him who dwells in light (1Ti. 6:16<\/span>). The overlaying was not gilding, but little plates of gold were attached to the wood with nails. In front of the Debir was a small stone altar that Solomon covered with cedar (1Ki. 6:20<\/span>). Upon the altar incense was offered before the Invisible Presence of God within the Debir.<\/p>\n [176] The word Debir is derived from a Semitic root signifying back or behind, i.e., the hindmost or inner most room. There is no reason to relate this word to daber, to speak and thereby associate the word with an oracle. Honor, JCBR, p. 92.<\/p>\n Since the height of the Debir was thirty feet and the height of the entire Temple structure was forty-five feet, there must have been some space above the Debir.[177] Keil identifies this space as the upper chambers of 2Ch. 3:9<\/span> which were overlaid with gold. But what purpose would such a space serve? Perhaps this chamber was empty and served only to procure the cubical shape of the Debir beneath. It has also been suggested that the relics of the Tabernacle were stored in this upper chamber.<\/p>\n [177] This assumes (1) that the Temple had a flat roof, and (2) that the height of the roof was uniform throughout the whole structure. It is possible that the roof of the Debir section of the building was some fifteen feet lower than that of the house.<\/p>\n 1Ki. 6:21<\/span> is extremely difficult to translate and interpret, and opinions as to its meaning are quite varied. It would seem that gold chains hung in front of the partition which separated the Debir from the remainder of the building. Whether these chains had some functional purpose[178] or were placed there purely for aesthetic reasons cannot be ascertained. The clause, and he covered it with gold, probably refers to the cedar partition itself, though this is by no means certain.[179] As a matter of fact the whole house, possibly including the porch (2Ch. 3:4<\/span>), was covered with gold[180] as well as the altar of incense which stood before the Debir (1Ki. 6:22<\/span>).<\/p>\n [178] Keil (BCOT, p. 78) believes that the door to the Debir was fastened shut with these gold chains until the Day of Atonement.<\/p>\n [179] Keil (13COT, p. 79) thinks it is the cedar-covered stone altar mentioned in 1Ki. 6:20<\/span> which is being alluded to here.<\/p>\n [180] Stinespring (ID13, R-Z, 537) suggests that the text refers to inlay rather than overlay. Pfeiffer (UK, p. 63) concurs in this interpretation.<\/p>\n 2. THE CHERUBIM IN THE DEBIR (1Ki. 6:23-28<\/span>)<\/p>\n TRANSLATION<\/strong><\/p>\n (25) And within the Debir he made two cherubim with olive wood, ten cubits was the height of each one. (24) And five cubits was the wing of one cherub, and five cubits the wing of the other cherub, ten cubits from wing tip to wing tip. (25) And the other cherub was ten cubits; the two cherubim were of one measurement and one shape. (26) The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so also was the other cherub. (27) And he put the cherubim within the inner house and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubim so that the wing of one touched a 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 covered the cherubim with gold.<\/strong><\/p>\n COMMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n Two giant cherubim made of the precious wood of the wild olive tree dominated the interior of the Debir. Each was fifteen feet high (1Ki. 6:23<\/span>) and had a wingspan of fifteen feet (1Ki. 6:24<\/span>). The two figures were exactly the same size and shape (1Ki. 6:25-26<\/span>). It is useless to conjecture as to the appearance of the cherubim.[181] Modern scholars tend to think of them as resembling the Egyptian sphinxhuman-headed, winged lions.[182] Archaeological discoveries in Palestine have brought to light representations of such creatures which may well be the Biblical cherubim. Keil, on the other hand, thinks of the cherubim as having human form and as standing upright on their feet.[183] The Temple cherubim did not face each other as did their Tabernacle counterparts; but faced east toward the Holy Place (2Ch. 3:13<\/span>).<\/p>\n [181] Josephus (Ant. VIII, 3.3): Nobody can tell or even conjecture what was the shape of these.<\/p>\n [182] See the article Cherubim in NBD, pp. 208209; and the article Angel in IDB, A-D, 131. Each wing of the cherubim was five cubits long. The four wings stretched out across the entire width (20 cubits) of the Debir. The wing tips of the two figures touched in the center of that Holy Place (1Ki. 6:27<\/span>).[184]<\/p>\n [184] The wings were evidently fastened to the back of each cherub and placed so close to one another on the shoulder blades that the small space between their starting points is not taken into consideration in the calculation of their length.<\/p>\n Between the bodies of the cherubim there was a clear space of several feet where the ark of the covenant would rest. These cherubim too were overlaid with gold (1Ki. 6:28<\/span>). No function is assigned to the cherubim. From other Scripture references, however, it seems that they symbolized Gods presence.<\/p>\n 3. INTERIOR DECORATIONS (1Ki. 6:29-30<\/span>)<\/p>\n TRANSLATION<\/strong><\/p>\n (29) And all the walls of the house round about he carved with reliefs of cherubim, palm trees and open flowers within and without. (30) And the floor of the house he covered with gold within and without.<\/strong><\/p>\n COMMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n Two further details of the interior decoration are added in 1Ki. 6:29-30<\/span>. The entire wall of the house, the Debir, the main sanctuary and perhaps even the porch, were decorated with reliefs of cherubim, palm trees and open flowers (1Ki. 6:29<\/span>). The palm trees may represent the tree of life in the Garden of Eden which was to be guarded by cherubim, (Gen. 3:24<\/span>).[185] The flowers may well have been lilies such as decorated the top of the front pillars (1Ki. 7:19<\/span>). There can be no certainty about the precise form or about the arrangement of these ornamental figures.[186] Caution must also be exercised in speculating about the possible symbolic import of these figures. A second detail in these verses is that the floor of the house both in the Debir and outside of it was covered with gold (1Ki. 6:30<\/span>).<\/p>\n [185] The motif of cherubim guarding palm trees, probably thought of as a tree of life, is well known in the art of the ancient Near East. See Matheney and Honeycutt, BC, p. 175.<\/p>\n [186] Arguing from the analogy of Egyptian temples, Keil contends for two or three rows. In Ezekiels Temple description, the palm trees alternated with the cherubim, so that there was always one cherub standing between two palm trees (Eze. 41:18<\/span>).<\/p>\n 5. THE TEMPLE DOORS (1Ki. 6:31-35<\/span>)<\/p>\n TRANSLATION<\/strong><\/p>\n (31) And the entrance of the Debir he made doors of olive, and the lintel and the side posts were a fifth part. (32) And two of the doors were of olive wood, and he carved upon them cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and covered It with gold, and spread the gold over the cherubim and the palm trees. (33) So also for the entrance of the Temple he made posts of olive wood, a fourth part. (34) And the two doors were of fir wood, the one door being two leaves folding, and the other door two leaves folding. (35) And he carved on them cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and he spread gold evenly over the engraving<\/strong>.<\/p>\n COMMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n The words describing the olive wood doors which led to the Debir are an enigma. Literally the Hebrew reads the frame, doorposts, fifth, which is obviously capable of various interpretations. Some suggest that the frame of the entrance was pentagonal, having the form of a triangle set on the top of a rectangle.[187] But pentagonal doorways are without parallel in the architecture of the Near East. Perhaps the simplest explanation is that the entrance to the Debir, inclusive of the side posts which helped to form it, occupied one-fifth of the cedar partition which separated the holy from the most holy place (1Ki. 6:31<\/span>). These doors to the Debir had relief carvings upon them similar to those on the walls, and they were overlaid with gold as well. He spread the gold upon the cherubim and palms so that all the figuresthe elevations and depressions of the carved workwere impressed into the gold leaf and were thus plainly seen (1Ki. 6:32<\/span>). The author of Kings does not mention the curtain which hung inside the Debir and which prevented any priest from gazing into the Debir when the doors were opened once each year on the day of atonement (2Ch. 3:14<\/span>).<\/p>\n [187] Slotki, SBB, p. 45. Honor (JCBR, p. 97) suggests that the doorposts had five sides instead of the usual four. Such a construction might serve to let the doors of the Debir swing wider than would normally be the case with a conventional square doorpost.<\/p>\n In a similar manner Solomon made doors for the entire Temple structure. These doors occupied the fourth part of the width of the front wall of the Temple. Since the width of the Temple was thirty feet, the doorway consequently would measure 7 1\/2 feet. While the doorposts were of olive wood (1Ki. 6:33<\/span>), the doors themselves were of fir. Each door consisted of two leaves or panels which opened on hinges (1Ki. 6:34<\/span>). It is impossible to determine whether the doors were divided lengthwise into two narrow leaves (Hammond) or widthwise about half way up (Keil). These doors, like the inner doors of the Debir, were decorated with figures of cherubim, palm trees and flowers and then were overlaid with gold (1Ki. 6:35<\/span>).<\/p>\n (15) Both the floor.<\/strong>The true reading is that of the margin, agreeing generally with the LXX. and the Vulgate: that from the floor to the walls of the ceiling (including in this phrase the surface of the ceiling itself) he covered all with cedar, and laid the floor with planks of cypress.<\/p>\n 15<\/strong>. <\/strong> The walls of the house within <\/strong> The wainscot. The inside of the walls was panelled with cedar boards, so that no stone was visible within. <\/p>\n Both the floor and the walls <\/strong> Rather, From the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling. <\/em> The side walls were wainscotted from bottom to top with cedar wood, and so too, apparently, the ceiling; but the floor was of fir planks. On the fir-tree, see 1Ki 5:8<\/span>.<\/p>\n Description Of The Embellishment Of The Building ( 1Ki 6:15-38<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> ). <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Having been given the description of the erection of the basic stonework we are now provided with brief details of how the building was embellished, which emphasises the wealth that was poured into it. Once again we have the problem of technical information and unusual technical words which would have been quite understandable to the builders but are somewhat of a mystery to us. The passage has been described as ‘untranslatable’, but we should recognise that that is due to our ignorance, and not to the grammar of the passage itself. It was possibly originally composed from builder’s technical notes which would help to explain its obscurity. <\/p>\n The work proceeded as follows: <\/p>\n The lining of the building with woodwork and the dividing off of the Inner Room to contain the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH (1Ki 6:16-19<\/span>). <\/p>\n The overlaying of the various parts with gold (1Ki 6:20-22<\/span>). <\/p>\n The making and erection of the cherubim in the Inner Room (1Ki 6:23-28<\/span>). <\/p>\n The decorating of the whole (1Ki 6:29-30<\/span>). <\/p>\n The making of the various doors (1Ki 6:31-35<\/span>). <\/p>\n The building of the inner court (1Ki 6:36<\/span>). <\/p>\n With this the work was completed (1Ki 6:37<\/span>). <\/p>\n The Ornamentation of the Temple<\/p>\n v. 15. And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar,<\/strong> veneering the stone walls with this fine lumber, both the floor of the house and the walls of the ceiling,<\/strong> literally, “from the floor of the house to 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,<\/strong> with cypress-flooring. <\/p>\n v. 16. And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house,<\/strong> the rear or western end of the entire Sanctuary, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar,<\/strong> from the floor to the beams of the ceiling; he even built them,<\/strong> this space, for it within, even for the oracle, even for the Most Holy Place,<\/strong> which was thus separated from the Holy Place by a partition of cedar-wood. <\/p>\n v. 17. And the house, that is, the temple before it,<\/strong> the Holy Place, was forty cubits long. <\/p>\n v. 18. And the cedar of the house within,<\/strong> in the walls and ceilings, was carved with knops and open flowers,<\/strong> raised work in flowers and festooning; all was cedar; there was no stone seen. <\/p>\n v. 19. And the oracle,<\/strong> the Most Holy Place, he prepared in the house within to set there the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. <\/p>\n v. 20. And the oracle,<\/strong> this room, in the forepart, was twenty cubits in length and twenty cubits in breadth and twenty cubits in the height thereof,<\/strong> a perfect cubical space, which may have had an unused attic room, if the Sanctuary was thirty cubits high over its entire length; and he overlaid it with pure gold,<\/strong> in the form of thin sheets; and so covered the altar, which was of cedar,<\/strong> this being the altar of incense, which stood against the immediate wall of the Most Holy Place and was almost considered a part of its equipment, Exo 30:6<\/span>; Exo 40:5-26<\/span>. <\/p>\n v. 21. So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold; and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle,<\/strong> these chains evidently being fastened to the east wall of the Most Holy Place and serving to hold the bolts of the doors in place; Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
[183] Keil, BCOT, p. 79.<\/p>\nFuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n