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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - 1 Kings 7:1 - 7:12
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Solomon's Palace
v. 1. But Solomon was building his own house, the complex of buildings which was his palace, thirteen years, and he finished all his house.
v. 2. He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon, the first of the buildings composing his palace (the length thereof was an hundred cubits and the breadth thereof fifty cubits and the height thereof thirty cubits) upon four rows of cedar-pillars, with cedar-beams upon the pillars. These pillars in their four rows stood along the surrounding wall, thus forming a peristyle enclosing a courtyard.
v. 3. And it was covered, it had a ceiling or roof, with cedar above upon the beams, the large joists, that lay on forty-five pillars, fifteen in a row. So the forty-five rooms arose in three stories of fifteen rooms each.
v. 4. And there were windows in three rows, and light was against light in three ranks, literally, "And layers of joists there were three rows, and prospect over against prospect three times," that is, the window-openings in the three stories on the inside offered a view of the corresponding section across the court, the effect probably being that of galleries surrounding the court.
v. 5. And all the doors and posts were square, the door-and window-openings with their lintels and sills, with the windows; and light was against light in three ranks, the openings being arranged so as to have both sides of the palace correspond exactly,
v. 6. And he made a porch of pillars, a special portico or colonnade; the length thereof was fifty cubits and the breadth thereof thirty cubits; and the porch was before them, for the colonnade before the House of Lebanon led to the Porch of Judgment; and the other pillars and the thick beam were before them, this being the entrance space to the colonnade. This entire building, therefore, seems to have been an open hall, with special porches at either end.
v. 7. Then he made a porch for the throne, apparently at the end of the great colonnade, where he might judge, even the Porch of Judgment, for it served both purposes; and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other; three sides of this porch receiving walls of cedar from the floor to the roof-beams, it was a porch enclosed on three sides, and its floor, as well as that of the great colonnade, was covered with cedar-wood.
v. 8. And his house where he dwelt, the fourth building of the palace complex, had another court within the porch, the royal residence was behind the throne-room and the Hall of Judgment, which was of the like work. Solomon made also an house for Pharaoh's daughter, a special residence for the queen, whom he had taken to wife, like unto this porch. So the complex of buildings which formed the king's palace was probably arranged as follows: The great House of Lebanon, the armory of the king, with its peristyle and court toward the rear; beyond that the great colonnade, with its entrance porch; leading to the throne-room and Judgment Hall beyond; a special court with the dwelling of the king and that of the queen, together with such further buildings as were needed for the royal household.
v. 9. All these were of costly stones, perfect building-stones, without a flaw, according to the measures of hewed stones, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, to the cornerstones on which the beams of the roof rested, and so on the outside toward the great court, which surrounded the entire complex of palace buildings.
v. 10. And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.
v. 11. And above, where the wall was visible, were costly stones, after the measures of hewed stones, and cedars.
v. 12. And the great court round about was with three rows of hewed stones and a row of cedar-beams, both for the inner court of the house of the Lord and for the porch of the house. So the enclosure of the great court of the royal palace was a copy of the enclosure surrounding the priests' court in the Temple. Thus Solomon ruled and lived in the midst of his people, near the Temple of Jehovah, even as the greater Son of David, Jesus Christ, lives and reigns in His eternal kingdom.