Read & Study the Bible Online - Bible Portal
Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 6:1-10

Here, I. The temple is called the house of the Lord (1 Kgs. 6:1), because it was, 1. Directed and modelled by him. Infinite Wisdom was the architect, and gave David the plan or pattern by the Spirit, not by word of mouth only, but, for the greater certainty and exactness, in writing (1 Chron. 28:11, 12), as he had given to Moses in the mouth a draught of the tabernacle. 2. Dedicated and devoted to him and to his honour, to be employed in his service, so his as never any other house was, for he... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 6:3

And the porch before the temple of the house ,.... Which stood at the east end of it: twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house ; which was from north to south, and of the same dimension, so that they exactly answered each other: and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house ; which being added to it, make the whole of the building, most holy place, holy place, and porch, seventy cubits; the height of the porch is not here given, but... 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 6:3

And the porch [ אוּלָם , forepart, projection ( Vorhalle, Gesenius). The porch was not a colonnade—that is called a "porch of pillars " ( 1 Kings 7:6 ), but was formed By simply prolonging the side walls, and possibly the roof (see below). Bähr holds that it had only side walls and cieling (sic), and was entirely open in front; and the fact that no mention is made of any door or opening, though the doors of the other parts of the edifies are all referred to ( 1 Kings 6:8 , 1... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Kings 6:3

1 Kings 6:3. The porch before the temple That is, in the front of, or entrance into the house, (2 Chronicles 3:4,) being a portico, a walk, or gallery, at the east end of the building, (from side to side.) And the measures of this were harmonious also. For twenty to ten (the length of the portico to the breadth of it) is double, or as two to one. And if the height within were the same with that of the house, that is, thirty, it was to the length of it, as three to two; and to its... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 6:1-13

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

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

Group of Brands