*H And David assembled all the chief men of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies, who waited on the king: and the captains over thousands, and over hundreds, and them who had the charge over the substance and possessions of the king, and his sons with the officers of the court, and the men of power, and all the bravest of the army at Jerusalem.
Ver. 1. Israel. These are more particularly described as princes of the tribes, (H.) twelve captains, &c. C. xxvii. 1. — And his. Heb. "and of his sons." C. — We may also understand this of the preceptors of the royal family. C. xxvii. 32. — Officers. Lit. "eunuchs." H. — Bravest; particularly those specified C. xi.
*H And the king rising up, and standing said: Hear me, my brethren and my people: I had a thought to have built a house, in which the ark of the Lord, and the footstool of our God might rest: and prepared all things for the building.
Ver. 2. Rising up from his bed, on which he lay, on account of his great age and weakness, while he addressed himself to his son; (3 K. i. 47. C.) or he rose from his throne, to honor this grand assembly. Heb. "stood upon his feet." H. — Thought. Heb. "I, with my heart, thought to," &c. C. — And, or which is the footstool. H. — The ark is often so called, because God was considered as sitting upon the wings of the cherubim, over it. Ps. xcviii. 1. &c. — Building. No doubt what David left would have been sufficient. Yet Solomon thought that he could make something still more magnificent.
*H And God said to me: Thou shalt not build a house to my name: because thou art a man of war, and hast shed blood.
Ver. 3. Blood. See C. xxii. 8. C.
* Footnote * 2_Kings 7 : 13
He shall build a house to my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom fore ever.*H But the Lord God of Israel chose me of all the house of my father, to be king over Israel for ever: for of Juda he chose the princes: and of the house of Juda, my father's house: and among the sons of my father, it pleased him to choose me king over all Israel.
Ver. 4. Ever; for a long time, and to leave the throne to my posterity for many ages, and to the Messias for ever. This expression is not always to be taken in its rigour. C. — Princes. Heb. "prince, or the ruler." H. — This tribe had long possessed the greatest power, (C.) and the promise of the sceptre. Gen. xlix. W. — The phrase often denotes a long time, but it is best understood of Christ. D.
*H And among my sons (for the Lord hath given me many sons) he hath chosen Solomon my son, to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.
Ver. 5. My son, by the mouth of Nathan. 2 K. vii. 13. M. — Solomon was a figure of Christ, and his dignity was predicted. C. xvii. 11. 3 K. i. 13. C.
*H And I will establish his kingdom for ever, it he continue to keep my commandments, and my judgments, as at this day.
Ver. 7. If. The promises of the Old Testament were frequently conditional, and we always find the condition marked in some place; but those made to the Church of Christ, have no such limitation. H. — Day. Solomon was once faithful, and afterwards fell; it is uncertain whether ever to rise again. Hence it appears that the true children of God may become wicked. W.
*H Now then before all the assembly of Israel, in the hearing of our God, keep ye, and seek all the commandments of the Lord our God: that you may possess the good land, and may leave it to your children after you for ever.
Ver. 8. Seek. Wilful (H.) or supine ignorance will excuse no man. M.
*H And thou my son Solomon, know the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart, and a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the thoughts of minds. If thou seek him, thou shalt find him: but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
Ver. 9. Know, with affection (H.) and faith; and him alone must thou serve. D. — Forsake him, and die impenitent. H.
*H And David gave to Solomon his son a description of the porch, and of the temple, and of the treasures, and of the upper floor, and of the inner chambers, and of the house for the mercy seat,
Ver. 11. Description, impressed by God on David's imagination; (Cajet.) or rather planned out by the hand of God, (v. 19. Salien) as the law was written. H. — The Jews pretend that this plan was delivered to Moses, and handed down by Josue, &c. to David. E. — But why might not David receive it immediately from heaven? C. — Treasures. Lit. "cellars." H. — The original term, Ganzac, is not Heb. We find Ganas (Est. iii. 9.) to signify a treasure, being derived from the Persian, Gaza. David gave, therefore, a description of the rooms to keep the treasures of the temple, or of the cellars for wine and oil. C. — Sept. "a pattern of the temple and of the houses thereof, and of the Zakcho, and of the upper rooms, and of the inner storehouses," &c. H. — Inner, or most retired closets, (3 K. xx. 30. C.) where the Levites slept. M. — Seat, where the ark was kept, and God was rendered propitious. H.
*H And of the divisions of the priests and of the Levites, for all the works of the house of the Lord, and for all the vessels of the service of the temple of the Lord.
Ver. 13. Divisions, into twenty-four classes, (M.) which was done by God's order. H. — For all, that every thing might be done with regularity. M.
*H Gold by weight for every vessel for the ministry. And silver by weight according to the diversity of the vessels and uses.
Ver. 14. Weight, or sufficient for each, v. 15. H. — Some think he only left a memorial of what quantity of gold and silver would be requisite. It does not appear that Solomon used silver for the vessels, as he chose to execute his father's injunctions with still greater magnificence.
*H He gave also gold for the golden candlesticks, and their lamps, according to the dimensions of every candlestick, and the lamps thereof. In like manner also he gave silver by weight for the silver candlesticks, and for their lamps according to the diversity of the dimensions of them.
Ver. 15. Silver. David probably intended that five candlesticks would be made of this metal: but Solomon made all the ten of gold. 3 K. vii. 49. There was one in the tabernacle. Ex. xxv. 31. C. — But the temple was more spacious, and a greater number was not prohibited. M. — According. Heb. "for the use of every candlestick."
*H He gave also gold for the tables of proposition, according to the diversity of the tables: in like manner also silver for other tables of silver.
Ver. 16. Silver. Yet all the ten were composed of the purest gold, (2 Par. iv. 12.) as silver was too common, ib. ix. 20. Moses had only two tables. C. — Diversity. Heb. "for each table." Vat.
*H For fleshhooks also, and bowls, and censors of fine gold, and for little lions of gold, according to the measure he gave by weight, for every lion. In like manner also for lions of silver he set aside a different weight of silver.
Ver. 17. Lions. S. Jerom seems to have read cephir, instead of the present cephor, which is rendered "a cup, or bowl." 1 Esd. i. 10. C. — Sept. Alex. "and of the flesh-hooks, libation vessels and bowls; and the weight of the golden and silver vessels (kepphoure; a word which they do not translate) of each weight." H. — The change of i for u was very easy; and perhaps the basins were ornamented with representations of lions. D. M. — We do not find cephor used before, to denote any of the vessels of the tabernacle: but Esdras uses it, (C. viii. 27.) whence it is inferred that it is of Chal. extraction.
*H And for the altar of incense, he gave the purest gold: and to make the likeness of the chariot of the cherubims spreading their wings, and covering the ark of the covenant of the Lord.
Ver. 18. Purest. Heb. "refined." — Lord. He was represented as riding in a chariot, drawn by Cherubim, (C.) or sitting on their wings. H. — Two, particularly, filled up the space between the walls in the most holy place, and covered the ark, and also the Cherubim made by Moses, 3 K. vii. 23.
*H All these things, said he, came to me written by the hand of the Lord that I might understand all the works of the pattern.
Ver. 19. These things, said he, is not in Heb. Sept. "All in the handwriting of the Lord, did David give to Solomon, according to the knowledge given to him from above, respecting the workmanship of the pattern." H. — David saw the pattern in a kind of ecstasy; (Salien. E.) or some prophet delivered it unto him, (C.) marked out by the hand of an angel, (T.) like the tabernacle given to Moses. D.
*H And David said to Solomon his son: Act like a man, and take courage, and do: fear not, and be not dismayed: for the Lord my God will be with thee, and will not leave thee, nor forsake thee, till thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.
Ver. 20. Lord. Sept. add, "and I beheld, or behold, the pattern of the temple, and of the house and the Zakcho thereof, and the upper rooms and inner storehouses, and the house of the propitiation, and the pattern of the house of the Lord: (21) and behold," v. 11. H.
*H Behold the courses of the priests and the Levites, for every ministry of the house of the Lord, stand by thee, and are ready, and both the princes, and the people know how to execute all thy commandments.
Ver. 21. Thee. Heb. and Sept. "for all workmanship, every willing skilful man for any service, also all the princes, and the people entirely at thy commands." H. — The willing artificers are distinguished from those who were forced to work, though the former also received pay. C.