1 Kings 6:18

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 6:15-38

Here, I. We have a particular account of the details of the building. 1. The wainscot of the temple. It was of cedar (1 Kgs. 6:15), which was strong and durable, and of a very sweet smell. The wainscot was curiously carved with knops (like eggs or apples) and flowers, no doubt as the fashion then was, 1 Kgs. 6:18. 2. The gilding. It was not like ours, washed over, but the whole house, all the inside of the temple (1 Kgs. 6:22), even the floor (1 Kgs. 6:30), he overlaid with gold, and the most... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 6:18

And the cedar of the house within ,.... With which the inside of the place was lined: was carved with knops ; of an oval form; so the Targum says, they had the appearance of eggs; and Ben Gersom likewise, that they were in the form of eggs: and open flowers ; not in the figure of buds, but flowers blown, and open, as lilies and others; so the Targum: all was cedar ; the wainscotting of the house, the sides of it at least, if not the floor, and the carved work of it; and this... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 6:2-20

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

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 6:18

And the cedar of the house within [lit . cedar (wood) was placed against the house inside ] was carved with knops [Heb. sculpture of gourds. The sculpture is in apposition to cedar. The authorities are divided as to the kind of sculpture intended. Keil thinks they were bassi relievi; Bähr contends that, like those of the Egyptian monuments, they were sunken, פְּקָעִים is generally assumed to be synonymous with פְּקֻעֹת "squirting cucumbers" ( 2 Kings 4:39 , note). Bähr,... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 6:18

Knops and open flowers - Rather, “gourds and opening flower-buds.” Imitations of the vegetable world are among the earliest of architectural ornaments. They abound in the architecture of Egypt and Persia. In that of Assyria they occur more sparingly. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Kings 6:17-18

1 Kings 6:17-18. The temple before it The part of the house which was before the most holy place. In the Hebrew the words are, before my face, that is, before the place where the divine glory appeared. Was forty cubits long Twice as long as the most holy place. The cedar of the house was carved Cedar is here named, not to exclude all other wood, but stone only, as the following words show. Carved with knops Or gourds, as it is 2 Kings 4:39, where the like word is translated ... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 6:14-38

Details of the temple’s interior (6:14-38)Inside the temple the stonework was covered with lavishly carved wood panelling overlaid with beaten gold (14-15; see v. 22). A partition divided the main temple into two rooms. The larger front room was called the nave or Holy Place; the smaller rear room was called the inner sanctuary or Most Holy Place (16-18).The Most Holy Place contained the ark of the covenant, symbol of God’s presence (19). This room had a lower ceiling than the rest of the... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Kings 6:18

no stone seen. Figure of speech Pleonasm. App-6 . Words not necessary for grammar, or sense; but used to emphasize the completeness of our covering by Christ's merits. Compare Ephesians 1:6 . Colossians 1:28 ; Colossians 2:10 ; Colossians 4:12 . 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

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Kings 6:14-36

The inside of the temple 6:14-36The altar (1 Kings 6:19; 1 Kings 6:22) refers to the altar of incense (cf. 1 Kings 7:48). This altar evidently stood in the west end of the holy place (cf. Exodus 30:6; Exodus 40:5; Leviticus 16:2; Hebrews 9:4; Hebrews 9:7). The cherubim were figures of angels carved out of olive wood (1 Kings 6:23-28). They may have resembled "winged sphinxes." [Note: Auld, p. 44.] Since there were cherubim attached to the mercy seat of the ark, these were two additional... read more

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