1 Kings 6:7

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Kings 6:7

1 Kings 6:7. So that there was neither hammer nor axe, &c.— The true reason why no noise was heard in the building of the temple was, that the stones and all other materials were hewn and squared and fitted at a distance; so that when brought to the place where the temple was to stand, there was nothing to do but to join them together; and this might be done not only for the ease and convenience of the carriage, but also for the magnificence of the work, and in commendation of the workmen's... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 6:7

7. there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was in building—A subterranean quarry has been very recently discovered near Jerusalem, where the temple stones are supposed to have been hewn. There is unequivocal evidence in this quarry that the stones were dressed there; for there are blocks very similar in size, as well as of the same kind of stone, as those found in the ancient remains. Thence, probably, they would be moved on rollers down the Tyropean... 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 6:5-10

(5-10) The general meaning of these verses is clear, though some of the words are doubtful. Round three sides of the Temple was built a kind of aisle, opening, however, outwards and not into the Temple, having three storeys of low chambers (each only five cubits high), so arranged that the beams of their roofs were supported on rests on the outside of the wall (each rest being a cubit wide), leaving the wall itself intact. Thus the chambers of the lowest storey were narrowest—five cubits broad;... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - 1 Kings 6:7

(7) Neither hammer nor ax . . . heard.—This striking provision, involving much labour, and requiring no little skill, was one of reverence. It may have been suggested by the prohibition (see Exodus 20:25; Deuteronomy 27:5) of the use of tools on the altar of the Lord. But the idea implied in this prohibition was rather different—viz., the use for the altar of stones in their simple, matural condition, without “pollution” by the art of man. It has been chronicled in Heber’s well-known lines:—“No... 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

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

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