Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary: 3 Kings
Ver. 16. The inner house of the oracle. That is, the sanctuary, which he separated from the other part of the temple, with this partition of cedar, instead of the veil, which in the tabernacle of Moses hung before the sanctuary. (Challoner) --- It was a square of 20 cubits, extending from the western end. (Haydock) --- Hither none but the high priest was allowed to enter, and he but once a year. (Calmet)
Ver. 17. Itself. Where the priests were stationed. This part was double the length, but of the same breadth, as the most holy place. (Haydock)
Ver. 18. Out. Hebrew, "and the cedar boards of the house within, were carved with knops (fruits) and open flowers," (Haydock) alternately. (Calmet) --- At all. So the bones in the human body, though concealed, strengthen it; and monks, in their deserts, fortify the Church. (Worthington)
Ver. 20. Pure gold. Hebrew, "reserved" by David, or "gold locked up," as most precious. Thin plates were laid on, so as to fit all the various mouldings, flowers, &c. --- Cedar. The altar was probably of stone, and upon the cedar boards gold was laid, that the ark might rest upon it. The altar of perfumes was not in the most holy place. (Calmet)
Ver. 21. Before, ver. 17. The holy and the most holy place were equally covered with plates of gold. (Haydock) --- Hebrew, "So Solomon overlaid the inner temple with gold reserved, and he made a partition with chains of gold, before the sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold." (Haydock) --- The chains were destined to fasten the doors, before locks were invented.
Ver. 23. Olive. Hebrew, "trees full of oil or resin," distinguished from olive trees, 2 Esdras viii. 15. Vatable translates, "pine;" others, "cypress-wood." (Calmet) --- Height. Their gigantic stature served to denote the magnificence and greatness of God. They looked towards the east. (Menochius) --- Their wings extended equalled their height; so that the two cherubims occupied the whole space from north to south, (Haydock) covering the smaller cherubim of Moses. They only reached half the height of the sanctuary. Their form is not clearly ascertained. See Exodus xxv. 18. (Calmet) --- What will the Iconoclasts say to these images, which adorned not only the temple, which the people might behold, but also the most sacred place? (Haydock) --- Villalpand and Salien suppose, that a cherub resembled a young man in the higher parts, adorned with four wings of an eagle and a lion's skin, round his breast and shoulders, while his feet were like those of a calf. (Menochius) --- Ezechiel seems to insinuate that, in the temple, the cherubim had two faces, one of a man and another of a lion, each looking at palm-trees; as these were placed alternately with cherubim, round the walls, Ezechiel xli. 18, 19.
Ver. 29. And divers, &c. Hebrew, "and open (full-blown) flowers within and without" the sanctuary. We read also of chains of gold connected together, 2 Paralipomenon iii. 5. The palm-trees might resemble pillars of the Corinthian order. (Calmet) --- It is clear that sacred pictures were authorized to be set up in the temple, for God's honour, (Worthington) though the Jews were so prone to idolatry. (Haydock)
Ver. 31. Corners, each piece being, perhaps, a cubit in length, so that the two folding-doors would contain ten cubits, or half the wall. But Ezechiel only assigns six cubits to this door, and ten to that which opened into the holy place. Hebrew, "the lintel and the side posts, a fifth" of the wall; in which sense, the door must not have been above four cubits. So ver. 33, four-square is translated also, "a fourth part." But it does not appear to what it refers. Rebihith sometimes means four-square; and why may not chamishith here signify pentagonal? (Calmet) --- Many suppose that the gate of the sanctuary was of this form, (Haydock) ending in a point at the top; unless the posts were carved so as to have five angles, like a pillar. (Ribera, Templ. ii. 8.) (Menochius)
Ver. 32. And carvings, &c. Hebrew, "and flowers full-blown." The term anaglypha, denotes a sculpture in relievo, (Calmet) or projecting. (Haydock)
Ver. 34. Fir-tree, or some species of cedar, ver. 15. --- Double. In the large doors, other smaller were made, that the priests might pass more easily. (Menochius) --- And so, &c. Literally, "and holding each other, was opened." Both the great and the small doors might open at the same time; (Sanchez) or rather the latter would afford a passage, while the great folding doors were shut. (Menochius) --- Perhaps both the doors of the holy place and of the sanctuary were so connected, that both opened together. (Tract. Middot. iv. 1.) (Calmet) --- But the sanctuary would never be thus exposed to public view. Protestants, "two leaves of one door were folding," &c. (Haydock)
Ver. 35. And carved, &c. Hebrew, "and open flowers, (as ver. 32) and overlaid them with gold, fitted upon the sculpture;" (Haydock) so that the shape of every thing appeared.
Ver. 36. Court of the priests. --- Cedar. Some think that the court was surrounded with galleries, supported on three rows of pillars; or one gallery was above another, on pillars of stone, with a third supported by cedar pillars. (Menochius) --- But Josephus takes no notice of these galleries. Others think that the wall of separation consisted only of two rows of stone, with a third of wood, in all three cubits high. (Josephus, [Antiquities?] viii. 2.) (Villalpand) --- But the sacred writers seem rather to indicate, that beams of cedar were fixed in the walls, at the distance of three courses of stone, even to the top. This mode of architecture is clearly mentioned, chap. vii. 12., 1 Esdras vi. 3, 4., and v. 8., and Habacuc ii. 11. The ancients admired such a variety, and deemed the building more solid. (Vit. i. 5.) Eupolemus (ap. Eusebius, præp. ix. 34.) takes notice, that these beams were fastened together, in the temple, by hooks of copper, weighing each a talent. (Haydock) --- Such was the structure of the inner court. (Calmet)
Ver. 38. Bul, afterwards styled Marchesvan. Pagnin thinks that the former name alludes to "the inundation" of rain, at that season, corresponding with our October and November. Chaldean, "the month of collected fruits." (Menochius) --- Years. Six months are neglected, (see chap. ii. 11.) and as many are redundant, chap. vii. 1. Odd numbers are often treated in this manner. (Calmet) --- It is wonderful that Solomon could complete this most stupendous structure (Haydock) in so short a time. All Asia was 200 years in building the temple of Diana, at Ephesus, and 400 more in embellishing it. (Pliny, [Natural History?] xxxvi. 12.) --- It is reported that 360,000 men were employed for twenty years, to build a pyramid of Egypt; (Calmet) which was designed, perhaps for no other purpose but to shew the pride and magnificence of the king while living, and to contain his ashes after death. Many of the materials for the temple had indeed been collected by David, (1 Paralipomenon xxii.) so that Solomon was enabled to finish it in a much shorter time than his own palace, which took him almost thirteen years to bring to perfection. They were almost contiguous to each other, though built on separate hills. The temple occupied the whole of Moria, which was levelled a great deal, to allow space sufficient for such an amazing structure. It was thus founded upon a rock, as an emblem of the perpetuity of the true religion, which has subsisted from the beginning of the world: as may be seen at large in Dr. Worthington; who, on this occasion, gives a retrospective view of what had taken place in the Jewish state, with respect to this most important subject, during the fourth age, or for the space of the last 480 years. See Douay Bible, p. 701, &c. We may be dispensed from repeating these things after him, as they are already, for the most part, observed in the notes; where the attentive reader cannot fail to remark, that the law of the Old Testament was only a figure of that which all must now embrace. I am not come to destroy, (the law or the prophets) says our Saviour, (Matthew v. 17.) but to fulfil, by accomplishing all the figures and predictions, and by perfecting all that was imperfect, though suitable for the state of mortals in former ages. Children cannot rationally be required to attain, at once, the perfection of manhood. The painter first marks the outlines, which the colouring is calculated to efface, yet so as to render the picture more beautiful. "The cunning Jew"