And I will dwell among the children of Israel ,.... In this house now building, and which was in the middle of the land, and where he would meet with them, and accept their sacrifices, not only of slain beasts, but of prayer and praise: and will not forsake my people Israel ; and leave them to the mercy of their enemies, and to be carried captive by them, but protect and defend them. read more
Christianity built on the Foundations of Judaism. The Jewish temple in its resemblance to the Gothic church is a not inapt illustration of the relations of Christianity to Judaism. The temple of Solomon was not only architecturally the exact reproduction on a larger scale, and in a more permanent form, of the tabernacle of witness, it was also the model and archetype of the sacred buildings of the Christian faith. In appearance, no doubt, it was somewhat different—the purposes for which... read more
And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel [cf. Deuteronomy 31:6 . A fresh element is here introduced into the promise, arising out of the erection of the temple. God had pledged His presence to the tabernacle ( Exodus 25:8 ; Exodus 29:45 ; cf. Le Exodus 26:11 ). And the temple was reared to be His dwelling place ( 1 Kings 8:13 ; 2 Chronicles 6:2 ). He now assures the royal builder that he will occupy it. " Jehovah Shammah" ( Ezekiel... read more
The first promise to “dwell among” the Israelites had been made to Moses Exodus 25:8; Exodus 29:45, but had not been repeated to David. The next promise, “I will not forsake, etc.,” if not absolutely new, seems to have been more positive and general than previous similar promises Deuteronomy 31:6, Deuteronomy 31:8; Joshua 1:5. God will not at any time or under any circumstances wholly forsake Israel. read more
1 Kings 6:11-13. The word of the Lord came to Solomon By the prophet. If thou wilt walk in my statutes, &c. Here God expresses the condition upon which his promise and favour is suspended; and, by assuring him thereof in case of obedience, he plainly intimates the contrary upon his disobedience. Thus he was taught, that all the charge he and the people were at, in erecting this temple, would neither excuse them from obedience to the law of God, nor shelter them from his judgments in... read more
Click image for full-size versionOverall plan of the temple (6:1-13)The simplest way to describe Solomon’s temple is as a rectangular stone building with a porch added to the front, and three storeys of storerooms added to the sides and rear. The side and rear walls of the main building were reduced in thickness by one cubit (about forty-four centimetres, or eighteen inches) for the middle storey, and by a further cubit for the top storey. This created ‘steps’ on which the timber beams rested... read more
among = in the midst of. read more
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
God’s promise to bless Solomon’s obedience 6:11-13Probably this word from the Lord came to Solomon during temple construction. Note that this was a conditional promise based on obedience to the Mosaic Covenant. God would establish Solomon’s kingdom forever (i.e., it would remain intact; 2 Samuel 7:13). He would also continue to dwell among the Israelites and not forsake them. Unfortunately, because Solomon did not continue to obey the covenant completely, God divided his kingdom after he died.... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 6:11-14
Here is, I. The word God sent to Solomon, when he was engaged in building the temple. God let him know that he took notice of what he was doing, the house he was now building, 1 Kgs. 6:12. None employ themselves for God without having his eye upon them. ?I know thy works, thy good works.? He assured him that if he would proceed and persevere in obedience to the divine law, and keep in the way of duty and the true worship of God, the divine loving-kindness should be drawn out both to himself (I... read more