The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

  6:31–35 There was distinct and magnificent separation by doors between the inner court of the temple (v. 36) and the Holy Place, as well as between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.

  6:36 the inner court. This walled-in, open space that surrounded the temple was also called “the court of the priests” (2 Chr. 4:9) or the “upper court” (Jer. 36:10). The wall of that court had a layer of wood between each of the 3 courses of stone. The alternation of timber beams with masonry was common in Mediterranean construction.

  6:37 fourth year…Ziv. Cf. 6:1.

  6:38 seven years. From foundation to finishing, the temple took 7 years and 6 months to build. See note on 2 Chr. 5:1.

  1 Kings 7

  7:1 thirteen years. Having built the house for the Lord, Solomon then built one for himself. Solomon’s “house” was a complex of structures that took almost twice as long to build as the temple. The time involved was probably because there was not the same preparation for building nor urgency as for the national place of worship. The temple and Solomon’s house together took 20 years to complete (cf. 9:10).

  7:2–5 the House of the Forest of Lebanon. As a part of the palace complex, Solomon also built this large rectangular building, 150 ft. long, 75 ft. wide and 45 ft. high. It was built of a “forest” of cedar pillars from Lebanon. Three rows of cedar columns supported trimmed cedar beams and a cedar roof.

  7:6 the Hall of Pillars. This colonnade was probably an entry hall or waiting area for the Hall of Judgment, which was probably used for the transaction of public business.

  7:7 the Hall of Judgment. The place where Solomon would publicly hear petitions from Israelites and render judgments was added to the grand palace site.

  7:8 house…court…house. Behind the Hall of Judgment was an open court. Within this court, Solomon built his own personal residence, a palace for his harem, and royal apartments for the Egyptian princess he had married.

  7:9–12 A fortune was spent on building, adjacent to the temple, the whole palace with its 3 parts: 1) the king’s home, 2) the courtyard in the middle, and 3) the house of the women on the other side.

  7:13 Huram. See marginal note. Although having the same Heb. name, this individual was distinct from the King of Tyre (5:1). Huram had a Tyrian father, but his mother was of the tribe of Naphtali. Second Chronicles 2:14 states that Huram’s mother came from the tribe of Dan. Probably one verse refers to her place of birth and the other to her place of residence. Or, if his parents were originally from the two tribes, then he could legitimately claim either. The description of Huram’s skills in v. 14 is exactly the same as that of Bezalel who made the tabernacle (Ex. 31:3; 36:1). Huram made the pillars (vv. 14–22). See note on 2 Chr. 2:13, 14.

  7:15 two pillars. One bronze pillar was on each side of the temple’s entrance (v. 21). Each pillar was 27 ft. high and 18 ft. around. See note on 2 Chr. 3:15.

  7:16 capitals. These distinctively treated upper ends of the bronze pillars added 7.5 ft. to the height of each pillar.

  7:18 pomegranates. One of the fruits of the Promised Land (Num. 13:23; Deut. 8:8), these were popular decorative motifs used on the hem of Aaron’s priestly garment (Ex. 28:33, 34).

  7:21 Jachin…Boaz. See marginal note for the meanings. It is likely that each name recalls promises given to the Davidic house, and that they perpetually reminded the worshipers of God’s grace in providing the Davidic monarchy as well as each king’s need to depend on God for his success. See note on 2 Chr. 3:17. They were also symbolic of the strength and stability of God’s promise of a kingdom forever, even though the temple would come down (see Jer. 52:17).

  7:23 the Sea. A huge circular bronze basin corresponding to the laver of the tabernacle. According to v. 26, this great basin’s capacity was about 12,000 gal. (see note on 2 Chr. 4:5). The Sea stood in the courtyard on the temple’s SE side and provided the priests water to wash themselves and their sacrifices (2 Chr. 4:6). It probably also supplied water for the 10 movable basins (vv. 38, 39). See note on 2 Chr. 4:2.

  7:25 twelve oxen. Huram arranged 3 oxen facing in each of the 4 directions of the compass to support the Sea. See note on 2 Chr. 4:4.

  7:26 two thousand baths. See note on 2 Chr. 4:5.

  7:27–37 carts. Huram made 10 movable stands of bronze 6 ft. square and 4.5 ft. high. Each consisted of 4 upright corner poles joined together by square panels. For mobility, the stands rode on 4 wheels of bronze (v. 30).

  7:38 lavers. Huram made 10 bronze basins as water containers for the stands. Each measured 6 ft. across and held about 240 gal. of water.

  7:40 the shovels and the bowls. Shovels were used to scoop up the ashes that were then emptied into the bowls for disposal. The same tools served the same purpose in the tabernacle (Ex. 27:3).

  7:45 burnished bronze. I.e., bronze polished to a high shine.

  7:46 between Succoth and Zaretan. Succoth was located on the E side of the Jordan River just N of the Jabbok River (Gen. 33:17; Josh. 13:27; Judg. 8:4, 5). Zaretan was nearby. This location was conducive to good metallurgy, because it abounded in clay suitable for molds and lay close to a source of charcoal for heat, namely the forests across the Jordan.

  7:48 the altar of gold. The altar of incense stood in front of the Most Holy Place (cf. Ex. 30:1–4). the table of gold. The table was made on which the showbread was placed, which the Law required to be continually in God’s presence (Ex. 25:30).

  7:49 lampstands. Ten golden lampstands standing directly in front of the Most Holy Place, 5 on either side of the doors, provided a corridor of light.

  7:51 David had dedicated. Solomon deposited that which David had dedicated to the Lord (2 Sam. 8:7–12) in the side rooms of the temple.

  1 Kings 8

  8:1–21 See 2 Chr. 5:2—6:11.

  8:1 elders…heads. The “elders” of Israel were respected men who were in charge of local government and justice throughout Israel (Ex. 18:13–26; Num. 11:16–30; 1 Sam. 8:1–9). They advised the king on important matters of state (1 Sam. 15:30; 2 Sam. 17:5; 1 Kin. 12:6–11). The “heads” of the tribes or “chief fathers” were the oldest living males within each extended family unit. They were the ones responsible for learning the law and leading their families to obey it.

  8:2 seventh month. Solomon finished building the temple in the eighth month of the previous year (6:38; see 2 Chr. 5:1); all its detail signifying the magnificence and beauty of God’s nature and His transcendent, uncommon glory. The celebration, then, did not take place until 11 months later. Apparently Solomon intentionally scheduled the dedication of the temple to coincide with the Feast of Tabernacles held in the seventh month, when there would be a general assembly of the people in Jerusalem. That was also a Jubilee year, so it was especially appropriate (Lev. 23:33–36, 39–43; Deut. 16:13–15).

  8:4–6 brought up the ark. The ark of the covenant was transported by the priests and the Levites from the tent that David had made for it in Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:17). They also brought to the temple the tabernacle and all its furnishings which had been located at Gibeon (2 Chr. 1:2–6). The ark was placed into the Most Holy Place (v. 6).

  8:7, 8 poles. God had originally commanded that poles be used to carry the ark (Ex. 25:13–15). They were left protruding to serve as a guide so the High-Priest could be guided by them when he entered the dark inner sanctuary.

  8:8 to this day. The phrase is used from the perspective of one who lived and wrote before the destruction of the temple in 586 B.C. The writer of 1 Kings incorporated such sources into his book (cf. 9:13, 21; 10:12; 12:19).

  8:9 two tablets of stone. At this time the ark of the covenant contained only the two tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. The pot of manna (Ex. 16:33) and Aaron’s rod that budded (Num. 17:10) were no longer in the ark. See Heb. 9:4.

  8:10 the cloud. The cloud was “the glory of the LORD,” the visible symbol of God’s presence. It signaled the Lord’s approval of this new temple. A similar manifestation took place when the tabernacle was dedicated (Ex. 40:34, 35). See
note on Lev. 9:23.

  8:12–21 See 2 Chr. 6:1–11.

  8:12, 13 Solomon’s solemn declaration was addressed to the Lord. Solomon recognized the thick darkness as the manifestation of the Lord’s gracious presence among His people (cf. Ex. 19:9; 20:21; Lev. 16:2) and affirmed that he had built the temple so that the Lord could dwell there in the glory of thick darkness.

  8:14–21 Solomon turned around from addressing the Lord and spoke to the assembly of Israel gathered at the temple. Solomon, in vv. 15–19 rehearsed the story of 2 Sam. 7:12–16 and claimed that he, having built the temple, had become the fulfillment of God’s promise to his father David (vv. 20, 21). However, Solomon’s claim was premature because the Lord later appeared to him declaring the necessity of obedience for the establishment of Solomon’s throne (9:4–9), an obedience which would be lacking in Solomon (11:6, 9, 10).

  8:22–53 See note on 2 Chr. 6:12–40. Solomon then moved to the altar of burnt offering to offer a lengthy prayer of consecration to the Lord. First, he affirmed that no god could compare to Israel’s God, the Lord (vv. 23, 24). Second, he asked the Lord for His continued presence and protection (vv. 25–30). Third, he listed 7 typical Israelite prayers that would require the Lord’s response (vv. 31–54). These supplications recalled the detailed list of curses that Deut. 28:15–68 ascribed for the breaking of the law. Specifically, Solomon prayed that the Lord would judge between the wicked and the righteous (vv. 31, 32); the Lord would forgive the sins that had caused defeat in battle (vv. 33, 34); the Lord would forgive the sins that had brought on drought (vv. 35, 36); the Lord would forgive the sins that had resulted in national calamities (vv. 37–40); the Lord would show mercy to God-fearing foreigners (vv. 41–43); the Lord would give victory in battle (vv. 44, 45); and the Lord would bring restoration after captivity (vv. 46–54).

  8:22 spread out his hands. The spreading of open hands toward heaven was a normal posture of individual prayer (Ex. 9:29; Is. 1:15).

  8:27 heaven…cannot contain You. Solomon confessed that even though the Lord had chosen to dwell among His people in the cloud at the temple, He far transcended containment by anything in all creation.

  8:54–61 Solomon arose to pronounce a benediction on the people. His words were substantially a brief recapitulation of the preceding prayer in which he affirmed the faithfulness of the Lord to Israel (v. 56) and exhorted Israel to faithfulness to the Lord (vv. 57–61).

  8:62–66 See 2 Chr. 7:1–10.

  8:62 offered sacrifices. To complete the temple’s dedication, Solomon led the people in offering peace offerings to the Lord (cf. Lev. 3:1–17; 7:11–21), in which they consumed 22,000 bulls and 120,000 sheep and goats (v. 63). Although the number of sacrifices offered seems high, it was in keeping with the magnitude of this event. Obviously, the single bronze altar could not accommodate such an enormous number of sacrifices. Solomon first had to consecrate the entire middle courtyard, the one directly in front of the temple (v. 64). After consecrating the court, Solomon probably had a series of auxiliary altars set up in the court to accommodate all the peace offerings.

  8:65 the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt. “The entrance of Hamath” was located about 20 mi. S of Kadesh on the Orontes River and was the northern boundary of the land promised to Israel (Num. 34:7–9; Josh. 13:5). “The Brook of Egypt” is to be equated with Wadi El-Armish in the northeastern Sinai, the southern boundary of the land promised to Israel. These locations show that people from all over Israel attended the dedication of the temple.

  1 Kings 9

  9:1–9 See 2 Chr. 7:11–22.

  9:1, 2 finished…the king’s house. According to 6:1, Solomon began building the temple in Apr./May 966 B.C. The temple was completed in Oct./Nov. 959 B.C. (6:38). The temple dedication and Solomon’s prayer to the Lord occurred 11 months after the completion of the temple in Sep./Oct. 958 B.C. The Lord did not appear to Solomon this second time (cf. 3:5–14) until Solomon had completed the building of his own palace in 946 B.C. (cf. 7:1). Thus, the Lord’s response came approximately 12 years after Solomon’s prayer and supplication to the Lord recorded in 8:22–53.

  9:3 consecrated. The Lord made the temple holy by being present in the cloud (cf. 8:10). As proof of the temple’s consecration, the Lord told Solomon that He had put His name there (cf. 3:2). forever. God was not saying He will dwell in that building forever, since in less than 400 years it was destroyed by the Babylonians (cf. vv. 7–9). He was saying that Jerusalem and the temple mount are to be His earthly throne as long as the earth remains, through the millennial kingdom (see Is. 2:1–4; Zech. 14:16). Even during the New Heaven and New Earth, the eternal state, there will be the heavenly Jerusalem, where God will eternally dwell (see Rev. 21:1, 2). eyes…heart. These symbolized, respectively, the Lord’s constant attention toward and deep affection for Israel. By implication, He promised them access to His presence and answers to their prayers.

  9:4–9 See 2 Chr. 7:17–22.

  9:4 if you walk. The Lord reiterated to Solomon the importance of obedience to the Mosaic statutes in order to experience the blessings of the Davidic Covenant (cf. 2:3, 4).

  9:6 if you…turn. If Israel (“you” is pl.) abandoned the Lord to worship other gods, God would expel Israel from the Land and destroy the temple (v. 7).

  9:9 this calamity. The destruction of Jerusalem and exile from the Land (v. 8) were predicted by Moses in Deut. 29:24–28. The devastation of the temple, which came in 586 B.C., graphically demonstrated the Lord’s anger against Israel’s sin, particularly the sin of idolatry.

  9:10–28 See 2 Chr. 8:1–18.

  9:10 at the end of twenty years. The completion of the building of the temple (7 years) and the building of Solomon’s palace (13 years) would be ca. 946 B.C. (see note on 9:1, 2).

  9:11 Solomon then gave Hiram twenty cities. Solomon sold these 20 cities in Galilee to Hiram in exchange for the gold (about 4.5 tons) mentioned in v. 14. Probably these cities lay along the border between Tyre and Israel, just outside the territory of Asher. Later, Hiram gave the towns back to Solomon. See note on 2 Chr. 8:2.

  9:13 to this day. See note on 8:8.

  9:15 the Millo. A landfill in the depression between the city of David and the temple and palace complex to the N (see 2 Sam. 5:9). Hazor. Ten mi. N of the Sea of Galilee, Hazor protected Israel’s northeastern entrance from Syria and Mesopotamia. Megiddo. Megiddo guarded a crucial pass in the Carmel mountains, which linked the valley of Jezreel and the international coastal highway to Egypt. Gezer. Twenty mi. W of Jerusalem, Gezer lay in the coastal plain at the intersection of the coastal highway and the main road to Jerusalem.

  9:17 Lower Beth Horon. About 12 mi. NW of Jerusalem along a road connecting Gibeon with the western lowlands and providing a western approach to Jerusalem. See note on 2 Chr. 8:5.

  9:18 Baalath. The designation of several cities in Canaan. See note on 2 Chr. 8:6. Tadmor. Probably the same as Tamar, 16 mi. SW of the Dead Sea on the southeastern boundary of the Land (cf. Ezek. 47:19; 48:28). Another Tadmor existed 150 mi. NE of Damascus, which is possibly the reference of 2 Chr. 8:4.

  9:19 storage cities. Cities whose primary purpose was to store food (2 Chr. 17:12; 32:28). cities for his chariots. Solomon built military outposts for his chariots and horses. To defend his kingdom, these garrisons were probably located along key roads throughout the nation. All the cities listed in vv. 15–19 met this requirement.

  9:20–23 See 2 Chr. 8:7–10.

  9:21, 22 forced labor. I.e., “conscripted slave labor.” See note on 5:13. Only resident aliens permanently became part of this force since the law did not allow Israelites to make fellow-Israelites slaves against their will (Ex. 21:2–11; Lev. 25:44–46; Deut. 15:12–18). Additionally, v. 22 adds that he did not move someone from an established post, even for a specific project.

  9:21 to this day. See note on 8:8.

  9:25 Solomon offered. Once the temple had been built, Solomon’s practice of sacrificing to God at the various high places ceased (cf. 3:2�
�4). He kept Israel’s 3 great annual feasts, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and Tabernacles (Deut. 16:1–17), at the temple in Jerusalem.

  9:26 Ezion Geber. Solomon’s port located on the modern Gulf of Aqabah.

  9:28 Ophir. The location of Ophir is unknown. It has been suggested it was located on the southwestern Arabian peninsula. First Kings 10:11, 12 possibly suggests that Ophir was close to or a part of the kingdom of Sheba. four hundred and twenty talents. This was about 16 tons of gold. Second Chronicles 8:18 has 450 talents (see note on 2 Chr. 8:18).

  1 Kings 10

  10:1–29 See 2 Chr. 9:1–28.

  10:1 Sheba. Sheba was located in southwestern Arabia, about 1,200 mi. from Jerusalem. concerning the name of the LORD. The primary motive for the queen’s visit was to verify Solomon’s reputation for wisdom and devotion to the Lord. hard questions. Riddles designed to stump the hearer (cf. Judg. 14:12).

  10:5 no more spirit in her. Lit. the experience “left her breathless.”

  10:9 the LORD your God. The queen was willing to credit Solomon’s God with giving him wisdom that resulted in just and righteous decisions. Though she recognized the Lord as Israel’s national God, there was no confession that Solomon’s God had become her God to the exclusion of all others. There is no record that she made any offerings to God at the temple.

  10:10 one hundred and twenty talents. About 4.5 tons (cf. 9:28).

  10:11 almug wood. Probably the strong, long-lasting sandalwood, which is black on the outside and ruby red inside.

  10:12 to this day. See note on 8:8.

  1 Kin. 10:12

  The Land of the Divided Kingdom

  10:14 six hundred and sixty-six talents. About 25 tons of gold.

  10:15 Gold also came to Solomon from tolls and tariffs from traders, revenues from loyal administrators, and taxes from Arabian kings who used caravan routes under Solomon’s control.