*H And Solomon determined to build a house to the name of the Lord, and a palace for himself.
Ver. 1. Himself, worthy of his great empire. He deemed that which David had built too mean, though that pious king had been ashamed to dwell in such a magnificent palace, while the ark of God was under skins. 2 K. vii. 2. C.
*H And he numbered out seventy thousand men to bear burdens, and eighty thousand to hew stones in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.
Ver. 2. Numbered, of the proselytes, v. 17. T. — Hew. The stones were made ready for use, as well as the wood, before it was brought to the temple. 3 K. vi. 7. — Six. Only three are mentioned 3 K. v. 16. C. — But three hundred overseers of higher order are here included. T.
* Footnote * 3_Kings 5 : 2
Solomon sent to Hiram, saying:*H Who then can be able to build him a worthy house? if heaven, and the heavens of heavens cannot contain him: who am I that I should be able to build him a house? but to this end only, that incense may be burnt before him.
Ver. 6. Before him. For this purpose do I design to build. M. — Temples are more for our use than for God's, as none can be worthy of him. C.
*H Send me therefore a skilful man, that knoweth how to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, and in iron, in purple, in scarlet and in blue, and that hath skill in engraving, with the artificers, which I have with me in Judea and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.
Ver. 7. Purple. Heb. argevan, (H.) a Chal. word, of the same import as argueman, in Exodus. — Scarlet and blue were also species of purple. The finest sort was found between Tyre and Carmel. See Vitruv. vii. 13.
*H Send me also cedars, and fir trees, and pine trees from Libanus: for I know that thy servants are skilful in cutting timber in Libanus, and my servants shall be with thy servants,
Ver. 8. Pine. Heb. algum, which rather denotes a species of fir, than the juniper-tree; though the domestic kind was tall, and used in edifices. C. — Arceuthina, "juniper," is taken from the Sept. D.
*H To provide me timber in abundance. For the house which I desire to build, is to be exceeding great, and glorious.
Ver. 9. Exceedingly. Heb. "wonderfully great." H.
*H And I will give thy servants the workmen that are to cut down the trees, for their food twenty thousand cores of wheat, and as many cores of barley, and twenty thousand measures of wine, and twenty thousand measures of oil.
Ver. 10. Wheat. Heb. adds, "beaten." — Barley and wine are not specified 3 K. v. 11. C. — Measures, like the Roman amphora, contained 960 ozs. A. Lapide — Heb. has, "batim," in both places; but 3 K. we find, "twenty cores of oil." The satum, "measure," was only one-third of the bath or epha. C.
*H I therefore have sent thee my father Hiram, a wise and most skilful man,
Ver. 13. Father. Heb. Abi, is considered by some as the surname of Hiram. Pagnin, &c. — But he might have that title in consideration of his great skill, as Solomon gives it him. C. iv. 16. We use master in the same sense. Sept. have, "servant," ( παιδα ) except the Roman edition, which agrees with the Heb. and reads, πατερα. Χ. emdash ~ Prot. "of Huram, my father's;" (H.) supply servant, or architect. T.
*H The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, whose father was a Tyrian, who knoweth how to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, and in iron, and in marble, and in timber, in purple also, and violet, and silk and scarlet: and who knoweth to grave all sort of graving, and to devise ingeniously all that there may be need of in the work with thy artificers, and with the artificers of my lord David thy father.
Ver. 14. Dan, the city, as the widow as of the tribe of Nephthali. D. — Whose. Heb. "and his father," (H.) or "this Abi." C. See 3 K. vii. 14. — Silk. Heb. "byssus," which is the silk extracted from a fish, and not the fine linen of Egypt, or cotton which as sometimes this appellation. 1 Par. xv. 27. — My lord, a term of civility.
*H And we will cut down as many trees out of Libanus, as thou shalt want, and will convey them in floats by sea to Joppe: and it will be thy part to bring them thence to Jerusalem.
Ver. 16. Floats. So the Sept. well express the Heb. raphsodoth, which seems to be borrowed from the Greek Rαψωδια, which denotes a collection of verses (C.) and was applied to Homer's poems, before they were collected. Ælian xiii. 14. Joppe was a port much used, (C.) though dangerous. Joseph. Bel. iii. 15.
*H And Solomon numbered all the proselytes in the land of Israel, after the numbering which David his father had made, and they were found a hundred and fifty-three thousand and six hundred.
Ver. 17. Had made, at the commencement of Solomon's reign, when David put such immense treasures into his hands. The second list was taken when the temple was begun. The proselytes were the remnants of the nations of the natives of Chanaan. The Jews foolishly pretend, (C.) that no strangers were allowed to embrace the law of Moses, under David and Solomon, for fear lest they might be influenced by self-interest rather than by the love of religion. Seldon, Syn. iii. 2. 5.
*H And he set seventy thousand of them to carry burdens on their shoulders, and eighty thousand to hew stones in the mountains: and three thousand and six hundred to be overseers of the work of the people.
Ver. 18. Six. We read three, 3 K. v. 16.: people who where strangers, as the Israelites were not forced to work. C. viii. 9. C.