The two doors also were of olive tree ,.... The two leaves of the door, as before observed, repeated for the sake of the ornament of them, as follows: and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims, and palm trees, and open flowers ; as upon the walls, 1 Kings 6:29 ; and overlaid them with gold ; the two doors: and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees ; thin plates of gold. read more
So also made he for the door of the temple ,.... The holy place: posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall ; which was five cubits, its breadth being twenty, 1 Kings 6:20 ; this door was a cubit wider than that into the most holy place, 1 Kings 6:31 , more entering into the one than into the other; as more go into the church on earth than into the heavenly glory. read more
And the two doors were of fir tree ,.... the posts were of olive, but the doors of fir, and they were both folding doors, as appears by what follows: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding ; which, taking up less room, made the passage wider, see Ezekiel 41:24 . read more
And he carved thereon cherubims, and palm trees, and open flowers ,.... As upon the doors of the most holy place, 1 Kings 6:32 ; see Ezekiel 41:25 ; and covered them with gold, fitted upon the carved work ; plates of gold were fitted, as to the dimensions of them, to the cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. read more
The two doors also wore [Rather, perhaps, "And he made" is to be supplied from 1 Kings 6:31 , as Keil. Rawlinson remarks that such doors as these are characteristic of Assyrian gateways] of olive tree: and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread [ וַיָּרֶד Hiph. of רָדַד ] gold [Heb. the gold ] upon the cherubims and upon the palm trees [The writer means, not that the carving alone was gilded—as... read more
So also [ i.e; similarly] made he for the door [or entrance, doorway ] of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth [Heb. from a fourth ] part of the wall. It is uncertain whether we are to understand the "fourth part" of the height or of the breadth of the doorway, though the latter is probably meant. The height of the wall is variously estimated; generally at 30 (verse 2), but by Rawlinson at 20 cubits. But the breadth is beyond dispute. It was 20 cubits. The doorway,... read more
And the two doors were [As in 1 Kings 6:32 , the verb is to be supplied from the verse preceding. And he made two doors, etc.] of fir tree [ בְּרוֹש see note on 1 Kings 5:8 ]: the two leaves [lit. ribs, same word as in 1 Kings 5:5 , 1 Kings 5:8 , 1 Kings 5:10 ] of the one door were folding [Heb. rolling ], and the two leaves [ קְלָעִים is probably—a clerical error for צְלָעִים arising out of the קָלַע , in verses 32, 35] of the other [Heb. second ... read more
And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers [The constant recurrence of the same forms is in itself a proof that they must have been significant], and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work [Heb. made straight upon the engraved work. That is to say, the gold fitted closely to all the uneven and indented surface of the figures. Elsewhere, laminae were simply laid upon the level walls, etc.] read more
The two doors - i. e., two leaves which met in the middle, as in the Assyrian gate-ways generally.Spread gold - The doors were not simply sheeted with gold, like the floors 1 Kings 6:30, but had the gold hammered to fit the forms of the palms, cherubs, and flowers carved upon them. 1 Kings 6:35. Such hammered metal-work, generally in bronze, has been found in tolerable abundance among the Assyrian remains. read more
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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