1 Kings 7:16

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 7:13-47

We have here an account of the brass-work about the temple. There was no iron about the temple, though we find David preparing for the temple iron for things of iron, 1 Chron. 29:2. What those things were we are not told, but some of the things of brass are here described and the rest mentioned. I. The brasier whom Solomon employed to preside in this part of the work was Hiram, or Huram (2 Chron. 4:11), who was by his mother's side an Israelite, of the tribe of Naphtali, by his father's side a... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 7:16

And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars ,.... These were large ovals in the form of a crown, as the word signifies; or like two crowns joined together, as Ben Gersom; or bowls, as they are called, 1 Kings 7:41 , the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits ; in 2 Kings 25:17 they are said to be but three cubits high; but that is to be understood only of the ornamented part of them, the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 7:15-22

The Pillars of Brass. If, as some think, the importance of any Scripture subject is to be gauged by the space assigned to it in the sacred page, then surely the fact that eight long verses of this chapter are occupied with the description of these two columns and their capitals proves, first, their importance in the eyes of Jewish writers, and, secondly, that they must have a significance for the minds of Christian readers. But the importance of these monuments (which is also attested ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 7:16

And he made two chapiters [or capitals] of molten [Heb. poured ] brass, to put upon the tops [Heb. heads ] of the pillars: the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits [In 2 Kings 25:17 the height is given as three cubits; but this is obviously a clerical error. See 2 Chronicles 3:15 ; Jeremiah 52:22 . A much more important question is whether the chapiter ( כֹתֶרֶת same word, akin to כֶתֶר , crown) of four... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 7:16

The general character of the “chapiters” or capitals, their great size in proportion to the shaft, which is as one to two, and their construction of two quite different members, remind us of the pillars used by the Persians in their palaces, which were certainly more like Jachin and Boaz than any pillars that have reached us from antiquity. The ornamentation, however, seems to have been far more elaborate than that of the Persian capitals. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Kings 7:15-16

1 Kings 7:15-16. He cast two pillars of brass Of which see 2 Kings 25:16-17; Jeremiah 52:21. Of eighteen cubits high apiece It is said, 2 Chronicles 3:15, that these pillars were thirty-five cubits high, which relates to the height of both of them together without their pedestals, whereas the height of each is given here with its pedestal. A line of twelve cubits did compass either of them The diameter, therefore, was four cubits, which, considering the chapiter of five cubits, added to... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 7:13-51

More concerning the temple (7:13-51)Israel seems to have lost the spiritual insight and artistic skill that in the time of Moses enabled its craftsmen to design and make the decoration for God’s dwelling place (cf. Exodus 31:1-6). Solomon therefore hired a craftsman from Tyre to do the bronze work and other decorations for the temple, with no apparent concern for the wrong religious ideas this man may have had. By coincidence this hired craftsman was named Hiram (GNB: Huram), the same as the... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Kings 7:16

chapiters. Old French chapiteau, from Latin. capitu-lum = capitals, or crowns. five cubits. So 2 Chronicles 3:15 . But 2 Kings 25:17 says three cubits, not including the "wreathen" or lattice work, which is described separately, and must have been two cubits. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Kings 7:13-47

Furnishings outside the temple 7:13-47The Hiram of 1 Kings 7:13 was obviously a different person from the King of Tyre (1 Kings 5:1). God evidently guided this Hiram as he fashioned the furnishings (cf. Exodus 31:1-11). [Note: See Allen S. Maller, "Hiram from Tyre," Journal of Reform Judaism 29:2 (Spring 1982):41-42.] The two pillars on the temple porch were common features that flanked the main entrances to temples in Syria, Phoenicia, Cyprus, Assyria, and elsewhere in the ancient Near East at... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Kings 7:13-51

4. The temple furnishings 7:13-51The people also saw the glory of Yahweh reflected in the furnishings of the temple. These furnishings came from several sources but all contributed to the proper worship of Yahweh. read more

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