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| 1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of Jehovah. |
In the 480th year – The Diaglott footnote on Acts 13:20 shows that this text has bh (4) for hay (5), which is very similar in form. This would make 580 (instead of 480). R1980:3; B53
Leaving 350 years for the period of the judges whereas the time as given in the Judges in 19 periods makes a total of 450 years. Admitting the single mistake of 480 years for 580 in the Kings will set it right. HG104:6
He began to build – Solomon was not only a prince of peace but a wise, rich king, who builded the Temple of Jehovah. PD44/53
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| 2 And the house that king Solomon built for Jehovah was sixty cubits in length, and twenty in breadth, and thirty cubits in height. |
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| 3 And the porch, in front of the temple of the house, was twenty cubits in length, in front of the house broadways, and ten cubits was its breadth, in front of the house. |
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| 4 And for the house he made closed windows with fixed lattices. |
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| 5 And against the wall of the house he built floors round about, against the walls of the house, round about the temple and the oracle; and he made side-chambers round about. |
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| 6 The lowest floor was five cubits broad, and the middle one was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad; for in the thickness of the wall of the house he made resets round about outside, that nothing should be fastened in the walls of the house. |
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| 7 And the house, when it was being built, was built of stone entirely made ready before it was brought thither; so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was being built. |
And the house – Typical of the greater spiritual Temple, the Church. F73
Was built of stone – Type of the "living stones," each one fitted and prepared for his place. F196, F73
Made ready – typified preparation of the Church in the present life and their construction as God's spiritual Temple by resurrection power. PD45/55; R1237:4, R172:2
Before it was brought – The trials and difficulties of the present are the chiseling, and the quarry is the world. CR360:1
The construction of the antitypical Temple is not to take place until all the stones have been prepared. R4261:6
All the fitting and preparation is done in the present life. F196
Neither hammer nor axe – No need of trimming or altering any of the perfected ones who will constitute the glorious Temple of God. R2987:2
Nor any tool of iron heard – Quietly and orderly, no confusion. CR359:6
Showing the noiseless resurrection of the dead in Christ and the change of the living. R4296:6
Babylon's false temple, in contrast, builds and rebuilds with great noise-confusion. R1237:5
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| 8 The entrance to the side-chambers of the middle floor was in the right side of the house; and they went up by winding stairs into the middle floor, and out of the middle into the third. |
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| 9 And he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar. |
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| 10 And he built the floors against all the house, five cubits high; and they held to the house by the timbers of cedar. |
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| 11 And the word of Jehovah came to Solomon saying, |
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| 12 As to this house which thou art building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and practise mine ordinances, and keep all my commandments to walk in them, then will I perform my word as to thee which I spoke unto David thy father; |
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| 13 and I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel. |
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| 14 And Solomon built the house and finished it. |
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| 15 And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, from the floor of the house to the walls of the roof; he overlaid them on the inside with wood, and overlaid the floor of the house with boards of cypress. |
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| 16 And he built twenty cubits of the innermost part of the house, both floor and walls, with boards of cedar; and he built them for it within, to be the oracle, the most holy place. |
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| 17 And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long2. |
That is, the temple – The Hebrew term for the Jewish Temple is heykal, a royal residence; qualified by the term kodesh, a sanctuary, to indicate its sacredness as the dwelling place of Jehovah. R1981:1
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| 18 And the cedar of the house within was carved with colocynths and half-open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen. |
Knops and open flowers – Representing the Church as both beautiful and fruitful. T116
All was cedar – Representing everlasting life. T109
There was no stone – Represents the true Church, "living stones." (1 Pet. 2:5) F196
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| 19 And he prepared the oracle in the midst of the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of Jehovah. |
The ark – Represents the eternal purpose of God in The Christ, Head and Body. T121
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| 20 And the oracle within was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof; and he overlaid it with pure gold; and he overlaid the cedar-wood altar-- |
The oracle – Its size indicates the size of the Most Holy of the Tabernacle and the placement of the second veil. R100:2*
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| 21 and Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold, and shut off the oracle in front with chains of gold, and overlaid it with gold. |
So Solomon – Type of Christ. (Matt. 12:42) R1517:2; B255
Overlaid – Wood merely used as a filler. Wood, hay and stubble have no place in the true Temple. (1 Cor. 3:12). R2054:5
Pure gold – The faith and character of the true Church is represented in the gold, silver and precious stones. R2054:5
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| 22 And the whole house he overlaid with gold, the whole house entirely; also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold. |
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| 23 And he made in the oracle two cherubim of olive-wood, ten cubits high; |
Cherubims – Not literal angels, but symbols of God's attributes. R529:6*
Ten cubits high – Probably nearly 21 feet high. R530:2*
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| 24 and one wing of the cherub was five cubits, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub, ten cubits from the end of one wing to the end of the other wing; |
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| 25 and the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubim were of one measure and one form. |
Of one measure – Illustrating the time equality of the Jewish and Gospel dispensations. R39:2*
The two covenants were represented by the two cherubim over the Mercy Seat. HG53:6
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| 26 The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so of the other cherub. |
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| 27 And he set the cherubim in the midst of the inner house; and the wings of the cherubim were stretched forth, so that the wing of the one touched the wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched, wing to wing, in the midst of the house. |
He set the cherubims – Upon their own feet: independent, yet in perfect harmony. R530:2*
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| 28 And he overlaid the cherubim with gold. |
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| 29 And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved sculptures of cherubim, and palm-trees, and half-open flowers, within and without. |
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| 30 And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without. |
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| 31 And for the entrance of the oracle he made doors of olive-wood: the lintel and side posts were the fifth part of the breadth of the house2. |
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| 32 The two doors were of olive-wood; and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, and palm-trees and half-open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm-trees. |
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| 33 And he also made for the doorway of the temple posts of olive-wood, of the fourth part of the breadth of the house2. |
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| 34 And the two folding-doors were of cypress-wood: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. |
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| 35 And he carved on them cherubim, and palm-trees, and half-open flowers; and overlaid them with gold fitted on the carved work. |
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| 36 And he built the inner court of three rows of hewn stone, and a row of cedar-beams. |
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| 37 In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of Jehovah laid, in the month Zif; |
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| 38 and in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished in all its parts, and according to all the fashion of it. So he was seven years in building it. |
Month Bul – Month is translated from the Hebrew word for "moon." R4127:3
Eighth month – Month here translated from the Hebrew word for "innovation." R4127:3
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