John Gill 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)

And the king commanded, and they brought great stones
Not in quality, but in quantity, large stones, fit to lay in the foundation; strong, and durable against all the injuries of time, as Josephus says ^F9 :

costly stones ;
not what are commonly called precious stones, as gems, pearls but stones of value, as marble, porphyry, &c.

[and] hewed stones ;
not rough as they were taken out of the quarry, but hewed, and made smooth:

to lay the foundation of the house ;
which, though out of sight, was to be laid with goodly stones for the magnificence of the building; so the church of Christ, its foundation is said to be laid even with sapphires and other precious stones, see (Isaiah 54:11) (Revelation 21:19) .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F9: Antiqu. l. 8. c. 3. sect. 2.