Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Kings 7
Charles Ellicott Commentary
1 Kings 7
Charles Ellicott Commentary
1 Kings 7
"And he made the porch of pillars; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits; and a porch before them; and pillars and a threshold before them." — 1 Kings 7:6 (ASV)
A porch of pillars, although by some authorities it is held to be a separate building, seems by the exact agreement of dimensions—its "length" being just the breadth of the hall—to have been a propylæon, or entrance vestibule, to the hall of state (like the porch, or vestibule, of the Temple), probably corresponding in the general arrangement of its pillars, and perhaps also in height. It had also a porch of its own, with a threshold (for the last clause of the verse should be rendered, and a porch before it with pillars, and a threshold before them,) forming a kind of plinth, or, possibly, a flight of steps.
"And he made the porch of the throne where he was to judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from floor to floor." — 1 Kings 7:7 (ASV)
The porch (or hall) of judgment was clearly a separate building, not described in the text, except that it was floored and its ceiling was cedar. Mr. Fergusson, comparing it "with the remains of Assyrian and Persian examples," supposes it to have been square, supported on four pillars in the center, between which the throne stood, and having openings on the four sides for the public, the king, and his officers.
"And his house where he was to dwell, the other court within the porch, was of the like work. He made also a house for Pharaoh`s daughter (whom Solomon had taken to wife), like unto this porch. All these were of costly stones, even of hewn stone, according to measure, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside unto the great court. And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits. And above were costly stones, even hewn stone, according to measure, and cedar-wood." — 1 Kings 7:8-11 (ASV)
The residence of the king, and the separate palace for the queen, distinct from the apartments of the inferior wives and concubines, are not described; except that they lay “within the porch,” that is, in the rear in another court, and were of “like work.” This is further explained by saying that they had costly stones of great size in the foundation, and stones above, hewn and sawn from top to bottom, carefully finished on the outside towards the great court, as well as on the inside, and were in all cases roofed with cedar.
Josephus tells us that the inner court was adorned with trees and fountains, and had colonnades round it; and gives an enthusiastic description of the internal decoration of the rooms, panelled up to a certain height with polished marble, with a band of highly-wrought metal-work of foliage of all kinds above this, and the rest of the wall up to the ceiling plastered and painted in colors (ceiled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.Jeremiah 22:14). This description is curiously confirmed and illustrated by some of the recent discoveries at Nineveh.
"And the great court round about had three courses of hewn stone, and a course of cedar beams; like as the inner court of the house of Jehovah, and the porch of the house." — 1 Kings 7:12 (ASV)
The great court. —Finally, “the great court” all around 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 evident that it enclosed the whole palace, and may have contained quarters for the guards and the household. There must have been, of course, inner courts, around which both the more public and the more private buildings of the palace were grouped.
"And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre." — 1 Kings 7:13 (ASV)
And king Solomon sent. —The record in the Chronicles (2 Chronicles 2:7; 2 Chronicles 2:13–14) gives what is evidently a more exact description of the facts here briefly alluded to. In Solomon’s first letter to King Hiram he asks for “a man cunning to work,” and with the answer the artificer Hiram is sent. His mixed parentage would enable him to enter into the spirit of the Israelite worship, and yet to bring to bear upon it the practical skill of the Tyrian artificer.
Jump to: