1 Kings 6:1-8:14

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Kings 6:1

1 Kings 6:1. In the fourth year of Solomon's reign— If it be asked, why Solomon did not begin the building of the temple sooner, and even in the first year of his reign, since his father had left him a plan, and all things necessary for the undertaking, Abarbanel's answer is, that Solomon would not make use of what his father had prepared, but was resolved to build this temple all at his own cost and charge. He therefore put into the treasure of the Lord's house, all that David had dedicated to... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Kings 6:1-10

The outside of the temple 6:1-101 Kings 6:1 is one of the most important verses in the Old Testament chronologically. The dates of Solomon’s reign (971-931 B.C.) are quite certain. They rest on references that other ancient Near Eastern king lists corroborate. Solomon began temple construction about 966 B.C. According to this verse the Exodus took place in 1445 or 1446 B.C. Most conservative scholars who take statements in Scripture like this verse seriously hold this date for the Exodus. The... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Kings 6:1-38

2. Temple construction ch. 6After arrangements for building the temple were in order, construction began. This building took seven years to complete (1 Kings 6:38)."In an earlier era scholars debunked the reality of a temple in Israel like Solomon’s because nothing similar was known from the ancient Near East. However, at ’Ain Dara (and earlier in Tall Ta’yinat), Syria, a temple from the tenth century B.C. came to light that bore a remarkable similarity to the temple of Jerusalem. The size is... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 6:1-38

The Construction of the TempleIn shape the Temple was a rectangular hall 60 x 20 x 30 cubits (a cubit being about 18 inches). On its E. face it had a porch (forming an entrance) which extended across the whole front and added 10 cubits to the length of the building (1 Kings 6:3). The height of this is given in 2 Chronicles 3:4 as 120 cubits; but such a measurement is out of all proportion to the others, and is probably an error (one of the MSS of the LXX substitutes 20 cubits). On three sides... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - 1 Kings 6:1

(1) In the fourth year.—This date, given with marked precision, forms a most important epoch in the history of Israel, on which, indeed, much of the received chronology is based. In the LXX., 440 is read for 480, possibly by an interchange of two similar Hebrew letters, or, perhaps, by reckoning from the completion of Exodus at the death of Moses instead of its beginning. The Vulgate agrees with the Hebrew text. Josephus, on the other hand, without any hint of any other reckoning in the... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 6:1-38

; 1 Kings 6:1-38; 1 Kings 7:1-51THE TEMPLE1 Kings 5:1-18; 1 Kings 6:1-38; 1 Kings 7:1-51"And his next son, for wealth and wisdom famed, The clouded Ark of God, till then in tents Wandering, shall in a glorious temple enshrine."-Paradise Lost, 12:340.AFTER the destructive battle of Aphek, in which the Philistines had defeated Israel, slain the two sons of Eli, and taken captive the Ark of God, they had inflicted a terrible vengeance on the old sanctuary at Shiloh. They had burnt the young men in... read more

Arno Clemens Gaebelein

Arno Gaebelein's Annotated Bible - 1 Kings 6:1-38

CHAPTER 6The Description of the Temple 1. The date of the beginning of the building (1 Kings 6:1 ) 2. The house, the porches and side chambers (1 Kings 6:2-10 ) 3. The divine charge (1 Kings 6:11-14 ) 4. The internal arrangements (1 Kings 6:15-22 ) 5. The cherubim (1 Kings 6:23-30 ) 6. The doors (1 Kings 6:31-35 ) 7. The inner court and the temple finished (1 Kings 6:36-38 ) Three chapters are taken up with the description of the temple, its contents, Solomon’s house of the... read more

John Calvin

Geneva Study Bible - 1 Kings 6:1

6:1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month {a} Zif, which [is] the second month, that he began to build the {b} house of the LORD.(a) Which contains part of April and part of May.(b) By which is meant the temple and the oracle. read more

L.M. Grant

L. M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 6:1-38

THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE (vs.1-38) The date of the beginning of the temple is given specifically in verse 1 as the 480th year after Israel had left Egypt, which was the 4th year of Solomon's reign, in the month Ziv, the second month of the year (v.1). All that time was required before Israel attained the zenith of their power and splendor. Sadly, it did not last very long - yet it was a fulfillment of God's promise to Israel that He would take Israel from Egypt and establish them in great... read more

James Gray

James Gray's Concise Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 6:1-38

BUILDING THE TEMPLE THE WORK IN OUTLINE (1 Kings 6:1-14 ) Note the particularities as to date, dimensions and general appearance (1 Kings 6:1-4 ), on which space will not permit extended comment. As to the size of the cubit, the question as to whether the elevation is external or internal, the description and purpose of the windows, for example, students must be referred to Bible dictionaries. The chambers (1 Kings 6:5-10 ) on three sides of the temple seem to have been three stories high,... read more

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