quadrangle, into which all the apartments of an Oriental house open, has generally one or more trees in the centre, answering probably to the fig-tree of the text. There is not much display of vine-training now in the East; but a vine is sometimes trained against one of the sides of the quadrangle-not upright against the wall throughout, but, at a proper distance from the ground, bent forward, sometimes on a sort of trellis, forming an awning over the head. It may also be mentioned that, in the East, the shops are in avenues not open to the sky, but arched over at top, to protect the goods and the people from the influence of the sun. The outskirts of these arched bazaars or marts, where there are inferior shops, are often protected by a cross roofing of branches and twigs, while the coffeehouses which are in the same quarter are sometimes protected by living vines, planted beside the passage, and trained across upon a trellis supported by beams. On the coffeehouse bench, under this shade, the Turk (who, more, we think, than any other Asiatic, has a quiet enjoyment in picturesque circumstances) will sit smoking his pipe and sipping his coffee for hours, the very image of comfort and satisfaction. The little collections of shops to be found in the smaller class of towns are sometimes entirely protected in this manner. But, as a general rule, we are not to suppose that there is any allusion here to the exterior front of houses towards the street being faced with a vine, as in our own "vine cottages," the exterior of Oriental houses having no such pleasant accompaniments; but we are to conclude that the vine, as well as the fig-tree, were exhibited in the interior court for the private solace of the occupant and his visiters. 26. “Solomon had forty thousand stalls."-See 2 Chron. ix. 25: and here, not to multiply references, we may observe that we find it expedient to pass unnoticed in the book of Kings many subjects, connected with the magnificence and prosperity of Solomon's reign, to which due attention will be given under the parallel passages in Chronicles. 28. "Barley also and straw."-The straw is used for food, not for litter (see the note on Gen. xxiv. 25). With some exceptions, arising from local circumstances, barley may be stated as the usual food of Oriental horses. In some Arabian districts dates are also given to them, and some favourite horses are treated with meat raw or dressed, or with the leavings of their owner's meals. Dromedaries.”—This is a finer breed of the camel, used for riding, and having the same relation to the common camel that a race-horse or hunter has to a coach-horse or pack-horse. The two-humped camel, which is usually called a dromedary, does not exist in Syria or Arabia, and is not likely to be here intended. 30. “The children of the east country.”—It has been discussed whether the Arabians, the Chaldeans, or the Persians be here indicated. It is not necessary to be very precise; and probably all, or any of these nations then most celebrated for their wisdom, are indicated. If it were necessary to determine, we should fix the reference to the Chaldeans, whose country is most usually understood as the "east country" of the Scriptures. The country of the Arabs was not, properly speaking, east from Palestine; and the Persians were too remote for their wisdom, if they had any, to have been much appreciated by the sacred writers. The word means "ancient" as well as "east," whence some think that the text means that Solomon's wisdom exceeded that of all persons who lived in the earlier times, and whose long lives were favourable to the individual acquisition of wisdom and knowledge. "All the wisdom of Egypt."-It seems then that, among the Hebrews as well as among the Greeks, the Egyptians were justly famous for their wisdom, that is, for their knowledge in science and art. Thus also Stephen says of Moses, that he was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians" (Acts vii. 22). Egypt was deemed by the Gentiles the fountain of the arts and sciences, and their philosophers were wont to go thither to fructify their minds by the droppings of Egyptian wisdom. This did Pythagoras, Anaxagoras, Herodotus, Plato, and others. Now, the point of concourse to the seekers after wisdom was the court of Solomon. These journeys of people from remote regions to places where wisdom might be found, are interesting indications of that condition of things under which the general dearth of books, and the consequent want of any interchange of literature between different nations, obliged those who sought to derive benefit from the wisdom and knowledge of other people or other nations, to travel long and widely for it. 31. "Wiser than all men.”—Some think this to mean that Solomon was wiser than all men past or future; and this seems warranted by chap. iii. 12; but, without this, the context would seem to require us to understand no more than that he was the wisest man of his own time. If we allow Solomon to have been the wisest man of all times, we must remember that his wisdom was a supernatural gift from God, whereas others have been obliged to acquire knowledge by the slow and painful processes of study and experience. Than Ethan," &c.-Some of the Rabbins think that the word rendered "men," above, should be the proper name Adam, meaning the father of mankind; also teaching that this Ethan is Moses, that Heman is Abraham, and Chalcol, Joseph. But others (as Maimonides) indignantly deny that Solomon was wiser than Moses, and think that all the persous named were eminent Hebrews living in Solomon's time. Josephus says the same. Certainly there were two eminent persons called Ethan and Heman in the time of Solomon, who were two of the three chief musicians of the Temple ump. 1 Chron. vi. 33; xv. 17; xxv. 5); and who probably, from the titles, were the authors of the Psalms lxxxviii. and ixxxix. But also in 1 Chron. ii. 6, we find all the names here mentioned assigned to sons of Zerah, the son of Judah; dard some think that these enjoyed some traditionary reputation for their wisdom and attainments, which is here referred to. They are said to be sons of Mahol; but this may have been another name of Zerah; or may be understood as an appellative describing these persons as skilled in (sons of) mahol-music or poesy. This characteristic would, however, apply as well or better to the Temple musicians. 32. “Three thousand proverbs.”—The book of Proverbs does not contain so many; and some doubt exists as to the proportion of even these which should be assigned to Solomon. There are, however, many more such pithy sentences in Ecclesiastes. Josephus absurdly says that the king wrote three thousand books of proverbs. "His songs were a thousand and five."-We have only the "Song of Songs" remaining, unless the 127th Psalm be correctly attributed to Solomon. The Septuagint has "five thousand.” 33. "He spake of trees," &c.—All these works on natural history are lost, probably because, not being of a sacred pharacter, less interest was taken in their preservation than was exercised in behalf of those which still remain. Josephus understands that Solomon made every plant and living creature the subject of a parable. 2 And 'Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, 3 Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent. 5 And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name. 6 Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians. 7 And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people. 8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have 'considered the things which thou 12 Chron. 2. 3. sentest to me for: and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar and con cerning timber of fir. 9 My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt 'appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my houshold. 10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire. 11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his houshold, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. 12 And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together. 13 And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men. 14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy. 10 15 And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains; 16 Beside the chief of Solomon's officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work. 17 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house. 18 And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the "stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house. Heb. say. 7 Heb. cors. Verse 17. "They brought great stones," &c.-In the treaty with Hiram no mention is made of stones or their convey ance, which must have been a matter of great difficulty if they were brought from Lebanon. The text does not seem to us to say more than that timber was brought from Lebanon; and that, wherever the stone was obtained, it was quarried and hewn with the help of the Phoenicians. Good stone, of the same character with that of Lebanon, might certainly have been obtained much nearer. In Lebanon, however, they might find large masses of stone, which in the course of time had been loosened by earthquakes and frosts, and cast down into the valleys. The stone of those regions generally is described by Shaw as hard, calcareous, and whitish, sonorous like freestone, and disposed in strata variously inclined. This stone has nearly the same appearance throughout Syria and Palestine, and is still used for building; and is perhaps that with which Solomon's Temple was built, and which Josephus describes as "white stone." The previous squaring of the stones at the quarry facilitated their removal to the site of the erection, and there produced the result noticed in verse 7 of the ensuing chapter. As to the largeness of the stones, we may remark that stones of astonishingly large size were certainly employed in the ancient structures of Syria. Thus, in the subbasement of the great temple of Baalbec (which was probably much more ancient than the now ruined Roman superstructure), Irby and Mangles measured a stone sixty-six feet in length by twelve in breadth and thickness (Travels," p. 215). And Wood, in his account of the same ruins, confirms this observation; and takes notice of stones which he found cut and shaped for use in a neighbouring quarry, one of which measured 70 feet in length by 14 in breadth, and 14 feet 5 inches in depth, containing 14,123 cubic feet; and which would, if of Portland stone, weigh 1135 tons. This Baalbec is in Cole-Syria, between Libanus and Anti Libanus; and its foundation is attributed by all the Orientals to Solomon—which is a point for future examination. This conveys rather an interesting illustration; though stones so large could not have been conveyed to Jerusalem, nor have been employed in the building of the Temple, unless derived from some neighbouring quarry. We might also refer to the frequently enormous size of the stones employed in the erection of the ecclesiastical and sepulchral structures of Egypt. CHAPTER VI. 1 The building of Solomon's temple. 5 The chambers thereof. 11 God's promise unto it. 15 The cieling and adorning of it. 23 The cherubims. 31 The doors. 36 The court. 37 The time of building it. 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 the LORD. 2 And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits. 3 And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house. 4 And for the house he made windows of narrow lights. 5 And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made 'chambers round about: 6 The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad: for without in the wall of the house he made 'narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house. 7 And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building. 8 The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third. Heb. forrs Solomon, saying, 12 Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel. 14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it. 15 And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, "both the floor of the house, and the walls of the cieling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir. 16 And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place. 17 And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long. 18 And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and "open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone scen. 19 And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. 20 And the oracle in the forepart 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 so covered the altar which was of cedar. 21 So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and ho overlaid it with gold. 12 Chron. 3. 1. 2 Heb. built. 3 Or, windows broad within, and narrow without: or, skewed and closed. ◄ Or, upon, or, joining to. Heb, ribs. 7 Heb. narrowings, or, rebatements. 8 Heb. shoulder. 9 Or, the vault-beams and the ciclings with cedar. 10 9 Sam. 7. 13 1 Chron. 22. 10. 11 Or, from the floor of the house unto the walls, &c, and so verse 16. 22 Or, gourds. 14 Heb, shut up. 13 Heb. openings of flowers, 22 And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold. 16 23 ¶ And within the oracle he made two cherubims of 15 olive tree, each ten cubits high. 24 And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits. 25 And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of one measure and one size. 26 The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub. 27 And he set the cherubims within the inner house and 17 18they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house. 37 In the fourth year was the founda28 And he overlaid the cherubims with tion of the house of the LORD laid, in the gold. month Zif: 29 And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and "open flowers, within and without. 30 And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without. 15 Or, oily. 24 38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it. 16 Heb. trees of oil. Verse 2. "The house which king Solomon built for the Lord."-There have been many most elaborate treatises on the Temple; but the difficulty of the subject-the mistaken reference to classical ideas and models-with a comparative ignorance of the ancient and modern Oriental architecture, have prevented any satisfactory result from being obtained. Modern commentators and illustrators of Scripture have been so conscious of this that they have generally shrunk from the subject. Horne says, “Various attempts have been made to describe the proportions and several parts of this structure; but as scarcely any two writers agree on this subject, a minute description of it is designedly omitted." Others decline entering into the subject on the ground that the details would be unintelligible without plates. Of this excuse we cannot avail ourselves, having at all times given whatever cuts we judged necessary for the illustration of the various subjects which have required our attention. But we feel that very little can be done, even with plates, on the present subject. We have therefore confined ourselves to a ground-plan of Solomon's Temple according to the ideas of Lamy, which, although not unexceptionable, seems to harmonize better with the Scriptural accounts than any other which has been offered. We give no elevation of the building, because we have seen none which we do not think calculated to mislead the reader: and we think we have taken a better course in giving an elevation of the Egyptian temple at Edfou. We do not indeed suppose that Solomon's Temple was like this; but it is at least something better than bare conjecture. As indicating tlie principle of arrangement and general aspect of temples in a near country well known to the Hebrews, and with which they had at this time much intercourse, and the daughter of whose king was the wife of Solomon;-and as, moreover, all the neighbouring nations borrowed their earliest ideas concerning temples from the Egyptians,-we cannot be mistaken in our estimate of the value of such an illustration. And to render it complete, we have given a ground-plan of the same structure, to enable the reader to observe in how many respects the independent investigations of Lamy have brought out such analogies to the arrangement of an Egyptian temple as never entered into his consideration: We have seen other conjectural plans of the Jerusalem Temple, in which the analogy is still more marked than in that of Lamy; and the reader, if he see fit to compare the authentic descriptions of the Temple, will hesitate to decide whether that of the temple of Edfou does not offer a better analogy than even that of Lamy, or than that exhibited in any other conjectural plan. But besides the general analogy which may appear from such comparison, and which becomes- more than probable from the common derivation of the early ecclesiastical structures from Egypt, there is another point to which our attention is directed by the author of Egyptian Antiquities,' to whose researches we have on several other occasions been indebted. He observes, "It is rather remarkable that Solomon, who was connected with the Egyptians both by marriage, alliance, and commercial exchange, should have borrowed artificers and cunning workmen solely from his friend Hiram, king of Tyre, and not from his father-in-law, the king of Egypt. Even the house which Solomon built for his Egyptian wife appears to have been altogether the work of Tyrian architects; yet we have undoubted evidence, in the buildings and sculptured decorations of the Egyptian temples, that they possessed at that time the arts, in at least as high a state of perfection as anything that Tyre was likely to produce. It may be remarked, however, that many of the ornamental parts of Solomon's buildings resembled the decorations of an Egyptian edifice; and it is therefore by no means improbable that Egyptian artisans were employed by him, though there is no distinct mention of the fact." (Library of Entertaining Knowledge,' vol. i. p. 20.) |