Exposition of the Whole Bible

it was red like the blood of Parim, oxen: in y¥ 8.Jonly teferred to 1 Kings viii. 64. aid ix: 4 5. whe- the quantity of gold, with which the moft holy place was overlaid, is given, 600 talents; of which fee.the note on ¢ Kings vi. 2%: in ¥.-9. we read of the nails with which the plates of gold were faftened to the boards, no where elfe mentioned, except in the Vulgate Latin verfion of 1 Kings vi. 21. be faftened the plates with golden nails, which verfion thaps is righteft; the weight of which were ther this was only covered with brafs, as that made by Mojes was, as fome * think; or whether of maffey brafs, as Dr. Lightfoot’, becaufe not to be removed as that was, is not certain; the. altar of the fecond temple was of ftones unpolifhed, according to the Mifnah *, with which agrees 1 Maccad. iv. 46, 47. and fo Philo": do cubits was the length thereof, and 20 cubits the breadth

§0 thekels of gold; that is, according to the Septhereof, and.10 cubits the beighth thereof; it was tuagint and Vulgate Latin verfions, each nail weighed fo much, which amounted to 75 pounds of our money ®. Eupolemus, an heathen writer, {peaks of thefe nails, which he makes to be filver ones; and fays they were of the weight of a talent, in the form of a woman’s breaft, and in number four, with which the plates of gold were faftened, which were of five cubits; I fuppofe he means, there were four of thefe nails in every plate of five cubits: in ch. iv. r. an account is given of an altar four times as big in its fquare as that of Mojes, and three times higher, and a cubit over, fee the note on Exod. xxvii. 1. Hecateus ”, an heathen writer, {peaks of this altar as fourfquare, and made of whole and unpolifhed ftones, each fide of which was 20 cubits, but the height of it he makes to be 12 cubits, in which he miftakes. It weighed, according to ‘facob Leon *, 7000 Arobas of brafs, each droba containing 25 pounds. The reft of the chapter agrees with the account in the. book of of brafs, made by Solomon, we have not elfewhere, Kings.

HE words with which ch. v. begins, are the fame with 3 Kings vii. 51. and what is contained in that and ch. vi. is much the fame with 1 Kings viii. on which fee the notes; the bleffing

N this chapter is an. account of the Lord’s acceptance of the facrifices offered at the dedication of the temple by fire, to the great furprize and encouragement of the people, ¥. 1—7. and of the feaft kept on that account,. and the featt of tabernacles, y.8—12. and of the Lord’s appearance to Solomon, giving an anfwer to his prayer, y.1. Now when Solomon bad made an end of praying, 8cc.| The prayer recorded in the preceding chapter: the jire came down from heaven and confumed the burnt-offering and the facrifices 5 which was the token God gave of his acceptance of them, of which there had been feveral inftances before, Lev. ix. 24. 1 Kings xviii. 98. 1 Chron. xxi. 26.

_ and the glory of “the Lord filled the boufe; the glory of the Shekineh of the Lord, as the Targum, fee 1 Kings viii. 11. F ¥.2. And the priefts could not enter into the boufe of Solomon on the people of I/rael, which is there, is here omitted, and two verfes are here added, much the fame with Pf cxxxii. 8, 9,10. fee’ the notes there.

ing, glorious light 4 the fame with what follows: and the glory of the Lord upon the houfe, for not only the houfe was filled with the glory, but there. was a bright ftream of light and glory over it, very dazzling and furprizing: they bowed themfelves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement; of the great court, where they were affembled: and worfbipped and praifed the Lard; worthipped him by praifing him: faying, for he is good; in his nature, promifes and bleflings; is good, and does good:' for bis mercy endureth for ever; this was the clofe of their fong of praife.

¥.4;,5. Then the king and all the people, &c.] Of thefe two verfes, fee the notes on 1 Kings viii. 62,63..

¥. 6. And the priefis waited on their offices, '&c.

Performed them, fome im offering facrifices, others in blowing trumpets, as it may be explained from the latter part of the verfe: the Levites alfo with inftruments of mufick of the Lord, which David the of the Lord, 8c.) They went in to carry the ark thither, but not being able to ftand to minifter, they came out,, and could not re-enter: becau king bad made to praife the Lord; under a divine direétion, on which the Levites played to the fongs fe the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s boufe,; both the holy place, and the holy of holies, fee 1 Kings Vill. 10, 1. ix oe

_¥. 3. And when all the children of Ijrael faw bow the fire came down, &c.| From heaven upon the facrifice, and confumed it, which was all vifible to the eye; or it may be, this was.a diftinct fire from the former, fince it feems to have come down

; upon the houte, and fo may denote a bright, fhin- of praife offered to the Lord, and by which they miade mufick facred to him:> decaufe bis mercy endureth fer ever; which as it was the clofe of their fongs of praife, was the caufe of them: when David praifed by their minifiry; the fongs fung being compofed by him, and the inftraments they played upon being of his invention, and ufed by his order: and the’ pricfts founded trumpets before. them; or rather over-againft them, that is, Ad ga the Levites, as they were finging and playing on the inttruments of mufick: and all Ijrael ficod; whilft this facred and delightful fervice was performing, they both ftood up, and ftood by the priefts and Levites, and joined with them in praifing the Lord.

-¥. 7. Moreover, Solomon hallowed the middle of the court, &c.| From hence, to the end of ¥. 10. is the fame with 1 Kings viii. 64, 65, 66. fee the notes there; only mention is made in y. g. of the dedication of the altar, as if diftin€@t from the dedication of the houfe, and hallowing the middle of the court, fee Numé. vii. 10. in imitation of which the heathens dedicated their altars; in which they ufed afhes and water, as Pau/anias ’ relates, and had alfo feafts, as here, at the dedication of their temples *, in which they have been imitated by chriftians; and many of our country feafts, as

, i NHIS chapter contains much the fame, with a little variation, as what is related in 1 Kings ix. 10. to the end.

¥.1. 4nd it came to pafs at the end of 20 years, &c.] See the note on 1 Kings ix. 10,

¥.2. That the cities which Huram had reftored to Solomon, &c.] Which Solomon firft gave to him. but he not liking them, returned them to him, 1 Kings ix. 12. Solomon built them; or rebuilt them, being very much out of repair, which might be one reafon of Huram’s not accepting. them: avd caufed the children of Ifrael to dwell there; they being inhabited by others, the remains of the Ca: naanites perhaps; fee y. 7.

¥. 3. dnd Solomon went to Hamath-zobah, &c.] In an hoftile manner, which is the only inftance of any warlike expedition of Solomon’s. This was Cele-fyria, which though fubdued in the times of David, perhaps rebelled, and now Solomon went forth to reduce it: and prevailed againft it; took it.

¥.4. And built Tadmor.in the wildernefs, &c.] Of which fee the notes on 1 Kings.ix. 18. and all the flore-houfes which he built in Hamath, a country in Syria, which he made himfelf mafter of, and where he laid up ftore of provifion and ammunition to keep it, fhould any attempt be made to refcue it out of his hands. Acording to an Arabic writer *, Solomon in the 24th year of his reign having demolifhed Antioch,’ built feven cities, of which Ladmor was one. °

¥. 5. Alfo he built Beth-horon the upper, and Beth boron the nether, &c.} Only mention is made of the latter in 1 Kings ix. 17. fenced cities; with walls, gates, and bars; fortified cities in the tribe of Ephraim.

¥..6. And Baalath, &c.}). See 1 Kings ix. 18. From hence, to the end of y¥. 11. it is the fame with 1 Kings ix. 19g—24. fee the notes there.

¥.12. Lhen Solomon offered burnt-offerings to the Lord, &c.] Meaning not barely at. the time, he rebuilt the above cities, for it was his conftant practice: on the altar of the Lord, which he had built before the porch; the brazen altar, which was at the entrance into the temple, within the court; of whieh fee ch. iv. 1.

¥.13. Even after a certain rate every day, according to the commandment of Mofes, &c.| The they are called, were firft kept ‘at the dedication’ of churches to fuch and fuch a faint.

are Y se a y. 11. 7 bus Solomon finifoed the houfe of the Lord,

&c.} With which begins 1 Kings ix, 1. fee the) notes there. | Jiw ees y. 12. And the Lord appeared to Solomon ay ih

&c ] From hence, to the end of the chapter, much the fame things are related as in 4 Kings ix. 2—9. fee the notes there; excepting ¥. 13—15. which: contain an anfwer to the particular requefts mac by Solomon in cafe of a tamine or peftilence, that_ when the people of J/rae/ fhould humble themfelves: be in prayer and fupplication, the Lord would beat- tentive to them, and forgive them, ch. vi. 26—308 - and which is given as a {pecimen, and as an en= couragement to expect the fame treatment in all other cafes mentioned in So/omen’s prayer, they fo behaving. us daily facrifice, morning and eyening, Exod. xxix. ~ 38, 39. on the fabbaths, and on the new moons; when there were additional facrifices, Numb. xxviii. - 9, €Fc. and on the folemn feafts three times in the ~ year, even in the feat of unleavened bread, ‘dnd in ihe feaft of weeks, and in the feaft of tabernacles; which ferves to explain the three times in 1 Kangs ix.\2 5.

y.14. And be appointed, according to the order of David bis father, the courfes of the priefts to their ~ Jervice, &c.] The 24 courfes which ferved week- — ly-in their turns, 1 Chron. xxiv. and the Levites to their charges, to praife and minifier before the priefts as the duty of every day required, who alfo had their courfes by lot, to fing the praifes of God, when the priefts facrificed, or blew the trumpets, 1 Chron. xxv.‘ the porters alfo by their courfes at evefy gate; from hence Dr. Ligdtfoot concludes, that thefe were divided into 24 claffes, aS the priefts and Levite fingers were: for fo bad David the man of God commanded, 1 Chron. xxvi. who in all thefe affairs ated as a prophet, under the infpiration and direction of the Holy Spirit of God. + yt.15. And they departed not from tht commandment of the king unto the priefts and Levites, &c.] The priefts and Levites departed not from it, not from the commandment. of Solomon, according to the ~ order of David, but in all things obeyed it: con= cerning any matter; which related to the office of either of them, facrificers, fingers’or porters: concerning the treafures 3 fuch of the Levites as ha the care of them, were faithful to their truft, fee I Chron, xxvi. 20, Fe...» eke

¥. 16. Now all the work of Solomon was prepare unto the day of the founaation of the houfe of Wi Lord, and until it was finifoed, 8c.) Tt ( rials were prepared, and the money for pences; and even the very ftones and tit made fit for the building, fo that there w: to retard the completion of it: /o ¢ was perfected; in the {pace of fev the parts, and,according to the fe of it, fee 1 Kings vi. g8.

¥.17. Chen went Solomon to F, Being now at leifure to look af carry on merchandize; and of lowing verfe, and the reconciliatio 1 Kings ix. 26, 27, 28. fee the not

HE ix* chapter is the fame with 1 Kings x. the notes there, excepting y.

agrees with 1 Kings iv. 21. and y¥. 29, 30, 31. the fame with 1 Kings xi. 41, 42, 43. only in y. is more largely exprefied, that the acts of Solomon’s reign were written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Abijah the and in the vifiens of Jddo the feer, againft Feroboam the fon of Nebat; or rather, concerning Feroboam, fee;as the Septuagint and fome other verfions?. in 26, which|which Iddo is called Foel; and by Theodoret faid to be the fame that prophefied of Fercboam and his 29, itfaltar, 1 Kings xiii. 1. fee the note there; the books mentioned are fince loft: and ch. x. is not only in fenfe the fame, but is expreffed almoft in the felf. Shilonite, fame words as 1 Kings xii, 1—19. fo that there needs not any thing to be added to the notes there, which the reader is referred to,