The Adornment

4 Or, oily.

45

of the Temple.

(23) And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high. (24) And five cubits was 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 ten cubits. (25) And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of measure and one size. (26) The height of the one cherub was ten cubits,

one

(27) And he set the cherubims within the inner house and a6 they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall,

cedar panelling was carved throughout with (see margin) "gourds and open flowers," probably festooned, as usual in ancient architecture. In all this the influence of the Tyrian architects was probably felt.

(20) In the forepart.-Although this is a literal translation of the original, the sense is clearly (as the Vulgate renders the phrase)" in the inner part." Gesenius supposes the meaning to be properly, "the wall facing the entrance;" thence the opposite, or "inner," wall or region.

Covered the altar -Our translators have been misled by the context to anticipate what is said below (verse 22). The meaning is "he covered the altar" (presumably of stone) " with cedar."

(20-22) These verses describe the overlaying with pure gold of the panelling of the house and of the Oracle, the partition dividing them, and the altar of incense. Even the floor was similarly covered. (See verse 30.) (21) He made a partition by (the) chains of gold before the oracle.-This phrase is difficult. The LXX. and Vulg. have wholly different readings; but our translation appears to be substantially correct, and to signify either that Solomon made a chain-work decoration on the partition, or (perhaps more probably) that he made a golden chain to go across the entrance in the partition before the Oracle, in front of the veil, so as to be an additional guard against intrusion.

(22) The whole altar that was by (or belonged to) the oracle.-This is the altar of incense, which, although it stood (see Exod. xxx. 6, xl. 26) before the veil, and therefore in the Holy place, was considered to belong in idea rather to the Holy of Holies; since the offering of incense on it signified the approach by worship to the unseen presence of God, symbolised in the darkness and silence of the inner shrine; and the taking of the censer from it was a condition for the actual entrance into the Holy of Holies on the great Day of Atonement. Hence in Exod. xl. 5 the altar is said to be "set before the ark of the testimony," and here to "belong to the oracle." Probably this is the explanation of the well-known passage in the Epistle to the Hebrews (chap. ix. 4), where the Holiest place is said to have had the altar of incense" (wrongly rendered" censer " in our Authorised Version).

the other wall; and their wings touched

(23) Cherubim.-These were copied from the Tabernacle, but apparently with some differences, over and above the necessary increase of size, and the change of material from solid gold to olive-wood overlaid with gold. In Exod. xxv. 18-20, xxxvii. 7-9, they are described as having their faces towards the mercy-seat, and covering the mercy-seat with their wings. Here, from the careful description of the outstretched wings, of ten cubits in width for each cherub, meeting in the midst of the house and touching the walls, it would seem that they must have been turned so as to face the entrance. The cherubim over the ark are described only in three places in the Old Testament-in the passages in Exodus, here, and in the parallel 2 Chron. iii. 10-13, and in those great visions of the priestly prophet Ezekiel (Ezek. i. 4-25, x. 1-22) which have determined the imagery of the Apocalypse. In no case is their form distinctly mentioned, unless, by comparison of Ezek. x. 14, 15 with Ezek. i. 10, it may be inferred to have been the form of a winged bull; whence would be naturally derived the golden calves of the idolatry introduced into Israel in the time of Jeroboam. Josephus, indeed, in his description of the Temple (Antt. viii. c. 3, § 3), expressly says that "no one can tell, or even conjecture, of what shape the cherubim were." The tradition, therefore, must have been lost in the Second Temple, where there was no ark; and this is the more strange, because in Exodus xxvi. 1 the cherubim are said to have been represented in the embroidery of the curtains, and here (in verses 32, 35) to have been similarly carved on the walls.

But, whatever the cherubim were, it is certain that they were in no sense representations or emblems of Deity, like the winged figures of Assyria or Egypt, with which they have been often compared. They appear to symbolise the great physical forces of the universe, as guided by superhuman angelic intelligence to serve the supreme will of God. Thus, when first mentioned in Scripture (Gen. iv. 24), the cherubim are associated with "the flaming sword, turning every way, to guard the tree of life"; in Ps. xviii. 10, the Lord is said "to ride upon the cherubim," and come flying upon the wings of the wind"; in Ezek. i. 10, the four living creatures, or cherubim, sustain the throne of God, and bear it away upon their wings; in Rev. iv. 6—8, v. 8, 9, the same living creatures unite with the elders,

66

flowers.

of the Temple. the palm

upon

trees. (33) So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, 5a fourth part of the wall. (34) And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. (35) And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work. (36) And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a

also were of olive tree; and he carved

upon them carvings of cherubims and

palm trees and open flowers, and over

flowers.

(37) In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif: (38) and in the eleventh

representing the Church of redeemed humanity, in worship of the Lord upon His throne. The representation, therefore, of the cherubim in the Temple simply expresses the claim for Jehovah, the God of Israel, of such lordship over all creation as is hymned in the seraphic song of Isa. vi. 3. Possibly the change of attitude of the cherubim in the Temple denoted a change of idea, characteristic of Solomon and his age. The old attitude is clearly that of worship of God: the new rather of manifestation of His glory to man.

(29) And he carved.-If we take this literally, we must suppose that this carving of the cherubim and the palm-trees, in addition to the general decoration of the "gourds and open flowers," was spread over all the "walls of the house." Otherwise we might have supposed it confined to the Oracle "within," and to the partition "without," which would seem more appropriate, as the cherubim belonged especially to the Oracle.

(31) Doors.-The two doors of olive wood, from the Holy place into the Oracle, which as a rule stood open, showing the veil and the golden chains, were of moderate size. If our version (as is probable) is correct, the outside measure of the lintel and post was a fifth part of the wall, that is, four cubits, or six feet. Each door, therefore, would be something less than six feet by three. The description of the gilding states with minute accuracy that in overlaying the whole of these doors with gold, gold was " spread," that is, made to cover the carvings in relief (the cherubim of verse 35); in the other doors the gold was fitted, probably beaten into shape, over the carved work.

66

(32) The two doors.-Those into the Holy place from the porch, of cypress wood, were naturally made larger. The posts were a fourth of the wall. Hence, according as the wall is taken to be 20 cubits square, or 30 cubits high by 20 wide, the height would be 5 cubits (7) feet), or 74 cubits (114 feet). The width is not given; possibly it is taken to be the same as that of the other doors. As these doors would be much heavier, and more frequently opened and shut, each leaf was made to fold again upon itself.

(36) The inner court (probably the "higher court" of Jer. xxxv. 10) is described as built round the Temple proper, evidently corresponding to the outer court of the Tabernacle. As this was (see Exod. xxvii. 9—13) 50 cubits by 100, it may be inferred, that by a duplication similar to that of all dimensions of the Temple

itself, Solomon's Court was 100 cubits (or 150 feet) by 200 cubits (or 300 feet), covering a little more than an acre. The verse has been interpreted in two ways either that the floor of the court was raised by three courses of stone, covered with a planking of cedar, or (as Josephus understands it) enclosed by a wall of three courses of stone, with a coping of cedar wood. The latter seems more probable. For in this court stood the altar of burnt offering and the laver, and all sacrifices went on, and this could hardly have been done on a wooden pavement; and besides this we observe that the whole arrangement is (chap. vii. 12) compared with that of the great outer court of the palace where the wooden pavement would be still more unsuitable. It was what was called afterwards the "Court of the Priests," and in it (see Ezek. xl. 45) appear to have been chambers for the priests.

The mention of the "inner court" suggests that there was an outer court also. We have in 2 Kings xxi. 5, xxiii. 12, a reference to the "two courts" of the Temple, and in Ezek. xl. 17, xlii. 1, 8, a mention of the "outward" or "utter court." Josephus (Antt. viii. 3, § 3) declares that Solomon built beyond the inner court a great quadrangle, erected for it great and broad cloisters, and closed it with golden doors, into which all could enter, "being pure and observant of the laws." Even beyond this he indicates, though in rather vague and rhetorical language, an extension of the Temple area, as made by Solomon's great substructures, forming a court less perfectly enclosed, like the Court of the Gentiles in the later Temple. Of these outer courts and cloisters the tradition remained in the assignment of the title of "Solomon's Porch " to the eastern cloister of the later Temple. It has been thought that in this outer court were planted trees (in spite of the prohibition of Deut. xvi. 21); and this may have been the case, till the association of idol worship with them made these seem to be unfit for the House of the Lord. But the passages usually quoted to support this view are from the Psalms (Pss. lii. 8, xcii. 13), of which the former certainly refers to the Tabernacle, and the latter may do so.

(37) Zif (the "brightness of flowers") corresponds to about May;

(38) Bul (the month of "rain") to about November. The whole time occupied was, therefore, seven years and a half.

pect.

VII.

The first section of this chapter (verses 1-12) describes briefly, but with some technical details (not always easy of interpretation), the building of the royal palace, including in this the hall of state, or "the house of the forest of Lebanon," with its porch (verses 2—6), the hall (or porch) of judgment (verse 7), the royal residence, and the residence of the queen (verse 8). These must have constituted a large group of buildings enclosed in a great court, situate on the Western Hill ("the city of David "), which is opposite the Temple on Mount Moriah, with a viaduct crossing the intervening valley (ordinarily called the Tyropaon), by which the king went up to the House of the Lord (see chap. x. 5; 1 Chron. xxvi. 16; 2 Chron. ix. 4). Josephus (Antt. viii., chap. 5) supplies a few additional details, but his account is rather vague and rhetorical.

The house of the forest of Lebanon-evi. dently so called from the forest of cedar pillars which supported it was apparently a great hall of audience, 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high; along it ran longitudinally rows of pillars, supporting cedar beams and walls over them, and cedar roofs. In verse 2 it is said that there were "four rows of pillars," and yet in verse 3 that the cedar beams rested on "forty-five pillars, fifteen in a row." The difficulty thus created, of course vanishes if we are content to accept the LXX. reading, which has in verse 2 "three rows instead of "four." But this is probably a correction made to avoid the apparent contradiction, and gives no explanation of the origin of the curious reading of the Hebrew text. It is, perhaps, a better explanation of the passage to suppose that one row of pillars was built into the side wall, so that only three would bear the cedar beams. Josephus says that the hall was built after "the Corinthian manner," that is (see Dict. of the Bible, PALACE), with a clerestory. In this case it would be not unlike a Basilica, having a higher central

of Solomon's House.

length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits: and the porch was 5 before them: and the other pillars and the thick beam were before them. (7) Then he made a porch for the throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other. (8) And his house where he dwelt had another court within the porch, which was of the like work.

Solomon made also an house for Pharaoh's daughter, 'whom he had taken to wife, like unto this porch.

(9) All these were of costly stones, according to the measures of hewed stones, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside toward the great court. (10) And the foundation was from floor of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits. (11) And above were costly stones, after

aisle between two rows of pillars, with a wall and windows above each, and two lower sides, or aisles, in one of which the side row of pillars was built into the wall, in the other standing clear of the wall. It is clear from verses 4, 5, that there were three rows of windows, one, perhaps, in the clerestory, and two in the side walls.

(6) A porch 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.

(7) The porch (or hall) of judgment was clearly a separate building, not described in the text, except as having been floored and ceiled with 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 centre, between which the throne stood, and having openings on the four sides for the public, the king, and his officers.

(8-11) 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

Hiram of Tyre

the measures of hewed stones, and cedars. (12) And the great court round about was with three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of the LORD, and for the porch of the house.

and his Work.

and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass.

And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work. (15) For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about. (16) And he made two chapiters of molten

son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass and he was filled with wisdom,

he 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 colours (“ceiled with cedar, and painted with vermilion." Jer. xxii. 14). This description is curiously confirmed and illustrated by some of the recent discoveries at Nineveh.

(12) The great court.-Finally, "the great court" round about 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 evidently to have enclosed the whole palace, and may have contained quarters for the guards and the household. There must have been, of course, inner courts, round which both the more public and the more private buildings of the palace were grouped.

(13-50) The exceedingly graphic and elaborate description of the work of Hiram on the vessels and furniture of the Temple, and on the great pillars, bears on the very face of it the most evident marks of historical accuracy and of the use of contemporary documents, and it has, moreover, great antiquarian interest. Looked at in itself, it shows that the Temple (like many other buildings in the comparative infancy of architecture) depended for its effect, not so much on size or proportion, as on rich material, elaborate decoration, and costly furniture, on which all the resources both of treasure and art were lavished. But besides this, the sense of the especial sacredness attached to all the vessels of the Temple, which was hereafter to degenerate into a Pharisaic superstition (see Matt. xxiii. 16-18), suggested the most careful record of every detail, and reverently traced to "the Spirit of God" the gift of "wisdom of heart" "to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass," as in Bezaleel and Aholiab for the Tabernacle (Exod. xxxv. 31, 32), so also in Hiram for the Temple. There is something especially remarkable in this broad comprehensiveness of conception which recognises the illuminating and inspiring power of the Spirit of God, not only in the moral and religious teaching of the prophet and the devotional utterances of the psalmist, but in the warlike enthusiasm of the Judge, the sagacity of the statesman, the imaginative skill of the artist, and the wisdom of the philosophic thinker. Nothing could more strikingly illustrate the Apostolic declaration: "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit" (1 Cor. xii. 4). (13) And king Solomon sent. The record in the Chronicles (2 Chron. ii. 7, 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

the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits: (17) and nets of

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.

(15-22) With regard to the two pillars, Jachin ("He shall establish") and Boaz ("In it is strength "), the text gives no account of their destination, except that they were set up in the porch of the Temple (verse 21). Mr. Fergusson considers that they were supports to the roof of the vestibule; and if this were thirty cubits high, the twenty-seven cubits of each pillar, allowing for the slope of the roof to the apex, would suit well enough. But the absence of all reference to their position as parts of the building, and the entire separation of the description of their fabrication from the account of the building itself, rather favoured the other supposition, that they were isolated pillars set up in front of the porch as symbolic monuments, conveying the idea of Ps. xlvi.," God is our hope and strength; "God is in the midst of her, therefore shall she not be removed." It is particularly noticed (2 Kings xxv. 13-16; Jer. lii. 17, 20-23) that they were broken up by the Chaldæans on the capture of Jerusalem, and the brass carried away. The description is exceedingly elaborate, and, except in one or two parts, clear enough. The shaft of each pillar was twenty-seven feet high, and its diameter something less than six feet. Josephus says that it was hollow, but of considerable thickness. Above the shaft was a chapiter (or capital) of great proportionate size (seven and a half feet high), covered with a net-work and festoons of metal-work, and ornamented with two rows of pomegranates, a hundred in each row. Over these again was "lily-work" of six feet in height-probably some conventionalised foliage, technically known by that name, like the "honeysuckle ornament" in classical architecture, or the conventional" dog-tooth" or "ballflower" of Gothic. The whole height, even if there were no base or plinth below, would be twenty-seven cubits, or forty feet and a half. In the Dict. of the Bible (TEMPLE) is given a drawing of a pillar at Persepolis, which bears a considerable resemblance to the general description here given, but, being executed in stone, is far less elaborate in ornamentation. The whole style of the narrative shows that these were regarded as monuments of the highest artistic skill, and well known to all, as from their position they would be constantly before the eyes both of priests and people. There was, so far as can be seen, nothing to correspond to them in the Tabernacle.

(17) Seven for . . .-This is probably an erroneous reading. It should be "a net-work (or lattice-work) for the one chapiter, and a net-work for the other."