Chapter 3

1 The place, and time of building the temple. 3 The measure and ornaments of the house. 11 The cherubims. 14 The vail and pillars.

1. Mount Moriah. The place where the Temple was built is here identified as the mountain in the land of Moriah where Abraham proved his willingness to offer Isaac (Gen. 22:2, 9).

Threshingfloor of Ornan. See 2 Sam. 24:16–25; 1 Chron. 21:14–28. The appearance of the angel to David, the command of the heavenly messenger that David should build an altar for sacrifice on the threshing floor of Ornan, and the answer by fire may have been regarded as an indication that this was the site which the Lord had selected for Israel to sacrifice and worship (1 Chron. 22:1–5).

2. Second day. Compare 1 Kings 6:1. The text in Chronicles does not name the month, but in Kings it is identified and called by its ancient name, Zif. In post-exilic times this month was known by the name Iyyar, adopted from the Babylonian word Aiaru. Chronicles also does not mention that this was in the 480th year after the Exodus.

Solomon’s 4th year may be tentatively placed at 967/66 b.c., autumn to autumn. Accordingly, the Temple was begun in the spring of 966 (see Vol. II, pp. 134, 159).

3. The first measure. On the value of the cubit in different periods of Israelitic history see Vol. I, p. 165.

Threescore cubits. Compare 1 Kings 6:2.

4. Twenty cubits. The porch in front of the house was equal in width to the width of the Temple, which was 20 cu. Its depth was 10 cu. (1 Kings 6:3).

An hundred and twenty. According to 1 Kings 6:2 the height of the Temple was 30 cu. Kings does not give the height of the porch, but the figure here given, 120 cu. or 175 ft. (53.3 m.) would provide a structure unlike anything else known in ancient architecture. A porch 20 x 10 x 120 cu. would be actually a tower of skyscraper dimensions. Perhaps 20 cu. is meant in harmony with several manuscripts of the LXX and the Syriac (see on 1 Kings 6:3).

5. The greater house. That is, the holy place, which was 40 cu. long (1 Kings 6:17).

Fir tree. Probably the cypress.

Overlaid with fine gold. The woodwork of the interior of the Temple was covered with gold. Compare 1 Kings 6:20–22.

6. Precious stones. The Temple was adorned with precious stones collected by David (1 Chron. 29:2). See also 1 Kings 10:11, which relates that Hiram’s fleet brought precious stones from Ophir.

Parvaim. This place has not been identified. It is thought to have been in Arabia. The name Parvaim occurs only here in Scripture.

7. The house. The holy place. What is given here is a continuation of v. 5, the object being to explain how the entire chamber, including its beams, posts, walls, and doors, was entirely covered with gold (see 1 Kings 6:21, 22).

Cherubims. On these mural decorations see 1 Kings 6:29. The form “cherubims” is really incorrect, for “cherubim” is a transliteration of the Hebrew plural form and hence does not require the “s” to make a plural. The singular form is “cherub.”

8. According to the breadth. The most holy place was a perfect cube, 20 cu. in length, breadth, and height (see 1 Kings 6:20).

Six hundred talents. This would be about 22 tons of gold (18 metric tons) if a talent is to be reckoned at 75.39 lb.

9. Fifty shekels. Since a shekel weighs 11.4 g., or about 0.40 oz. avoirdupois, 50 shekels would be about 11/4 lb. (.57 kg.). This would be an insignificant weight for all the nails used in the sanctuary. The reference here is probably to the weight of each individual nail. Some, on the basis of an emendation suggested by the LXX, translate the passage: “The weight of the nails was one shekel to fifty shekels of gold” (see RSV). The nails, possibly used to fasten the sheets of gold on the wood surfaces, would weigh about 900 lb. (410 kg.).

Chambers. See on 1 Chron. 28:11.

10. Two cherubims. See 1 Kings 6:23–28.

Of image work. The exact sense of this phrase is not clear. The LXX reads “of wood.” According to 1 Kings 6:23 the cherubim were made of olivewood (see on Neh. 8:15).

11. Twenty cubits. That is, the total length of the wings of the two cherubim was 20 cu. Since the most holy place was 20 cu. wide, the outstretched wings of the two cherubim reached from one wall to the other. Each cherub thus covered 10 cu., with 5 cu. being the length of each wing. Thus the outer wing of each cherub touched one of the outer walls of the building, while the inner wing of each touched that of the other.

12. One wing. See on v. 11.

13. On their feet. The cherubim were in a standing position. Each was 10 cu. in height (1 Kings 6:26).

Inward. Literally, “toward the house.” By “house” seems to be meant, “the holy place” (see vs. 5–7). If this be so, the cherubim in Solomon’s Temple did not face each other with heads bent downward as was the case with those on the mercy seat (Ex. 25:20), but stood as guardians, one on either end of the ark, and both facing forward toward the holy place and the front of the building, which was toward the east.

14. Vail. This formed the partition between the holy place and the holy of holies. In 1 Kings 6:21 this veil is not mentioned, but reference is made to a “partition” and “chains of gold before the oracle.” The veil was probably suspended from golden chains.

Blue, and purple, and crimson. The colors in the veil of the tabernacle were “blue, and purple, and scarlet” (Ex. 26:31).

Wrought cherubims. Figures of heavenly cherubim were worked into the tapestry of the veil (see Ex. 26:31).

15. Two pillars. See on 1 Kings 7:15.

The chapiter. The capital or uppermost member of a pillar.

16. An hundred pomegranates. There were evidently 100 pomegranates in an upper and 100 in a lower row on each pillar, a total of 400 pomegranates for both pillars (2 Chron. 4:13; 1 Kings 7:20, 42; cf. Jer. 52:22, 23).

17. Before the temple. “In the porch of the temple” (1 Kings 7:21). One pillar was set up on each side of the porch forming the entrance to the Temple.

Jachin. Probably meaning “He shall establish.”

Boaz. Probably meaning “In it [or him] is strength.”