Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Kings 5:17

"And the king commanded, and they hewed out great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with wrought stone." — 1 Kings 5:17 (ASV)

Great stones. —The stones, so emphatically described as great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, were necessary, not so much for the foundation of the Temple itself, which was small, but for the substructure of the area, formed into a square on the irregular summit of Mount Moriah. In this substructure vast stones are still to be seen, and are referred by many authorities to the age of Solomon. The labour of transport must have been enormous, especially as all were worked beforehand. (See 1 Kings 6:7.)