Commentaria in III Regum
Furthermore, as David built his royal house in the western part of Mount Sion near the temple, so Solomon built his palace in the eastern part of the same Mount Sion near the temple, both that he might fortify the temple and the whole Mount Sion with these two houses as with two citadels; and that from them he might defend the city of Jerusalem subject to them, and keep it in its duty; and that he might easily go to the temple, and offer and sacrifice to God.
IN THIRTEEN YEARS.—In more years, and therefore the royal house was built more slowly than the temple; for this was finished in seven years, as was said in chapter 6, verse 37. The first cause was the devotion and fervor of Solomon, urging on the work of the temple as the house of God; the second, because David had already prepared before all the material and expense for the building of the temple; the third, because the people helped and promoted the building of the temple more ardently. So Josephus. Add that Solomon in these thirteen years built three houses, namely his own, the queen’s, and that of the forest of Libanus. So Abulensis.
2. HE BUILT ALSO THE HOUSE OF THE FOREST OF LIBANUS.—This house was prepared for elegance, pleasantness and recreation. But why is it called the “forest” or wood “of Libanus”? I answer first, because it was in a woody place of Mount Sion, and like Libanus was surrounded with trees and gardens. For “saltus” is properly a denser and pathless wood, because there the trees leap (saliant), in which cattle are wont to pass the summer and to be fed, says Valla, book 4. Whence 2 Paralipomenon 9:16, where we have: “and the king put them (the shields) in the armoury, which was planted with a grove,” the Hebrew and Septuagint have, he put the shields in the house of the forest of Libanus. For in this house Solomon laid up military arms, and there was his armoury. Second, because this house was built of the timber of Libanus. So Abulensis and Serarius. Third, because by its groves, pleasantness, greenness and shade it resembled Libanus. Fourth, because by the multitude of its cedar pillars it imitated the cedars of Libanus. So Theodoret. Fifth, because from it Libanus could be seen, and its breeze and coolness caught and enjoyed in summer time. So Arias. Whence Josephus and the Chaldee call it the house of refreshment. Wrongly, therefore, William Bishop of Tyre, book 18 of the Sacred War, thinks that this house is called “of the forest of Libanus” because it was built on Mount Libanus. For it was situated in Jerusalem and on Mount Sion.
AND FOUR ROWS OF CEDAR PILLARS.—Note: The house of the forest of Libanus had below, or under itself, these four walks, so namely that below there extended lengthwise three rows of pillars enclosed between the two walls of the house: from the intermediate spaces there necessarily arose four walks. Each row of pillars had fifteen pillars in length, placed evenly opposite the pillars of the other two rows, so that between the three rows of pillars there were two walks, and the third was between one row of pillars and the wall of the house on one side, the fourth between another row of pillars and the wall on the other, opposite side. Wherefore these walks were as long as the house itself. See Abulensis, question 2 and following.
3. AND HE COVERED THE WHOLE ROOF WITH BOARDS OF CEDAR.—“Roof” (cameram) he calls the vault: for this is made by vaulted work, and is the very vaulting of the house.
6. AND HE MADE A PORCH OF PILLARS FIFTY CUBITS IN LENGTH, AND THIRTY CUBITS IN BREADTH.—So namely that the length of this porch was joined to the breadth of the house of the forest of Libanus, which was also fifty cubits: the breadth of the porch, however, was joined to the length of the same house transversely: whence it came about that the house of a hundred cubits in length, with these 30 cubits of the porch’s breadth added, came out 130 cubits long.
AND ANOTHER PORCH BEFORE THE FACE OF THE GREATER PORCH,—as if to say: Solomon “before the face,” that is before this greater porch adhering to the house of the forest (for this porch was as it were the entrance and vestibule of the house itself) made another, smaller porch, for the proportioned gradation, decor and ornament of the greater porch.
7. HE MADE ALSO THE PORCH OF THE THRONE, WHEREIN IS THE SEAT OF JUDGMENT.—This is a third porch, not a vestibule but a judicial one, and therefore not annexed to the house of the forest of Libanus, as the two former, but separate, and standing by itself, yet not far from the other two, and removed from the house of the forest of Libanus. This porch is called “of the throne,” because in it was the royal and judicial throne of Solomon, surrounded by statues of lions, of which chapter 10, verse 18. So Abulensis and Pineda.
8. AND IN THE MIDST OF THE PORCH WAS A LITTLE HOUSE WHEREIN HE SAT TO JUDGE,—as if to say: In this third porch was a little house, in which was the throne or seat of Solomon already mentioned, beside and around which were lower thrones or seats, on which the counsellors and princes sat with Solomon to judge, as his assessors: from all of which was made up the judicial tribunal, consisting of several seats of judges, which was enclosed by a small house, and as it were roofed, so that the assessors, about to consult secretly with Solomon on some matter or to dictate sentence, might be removed from the litigants and the people who walked round about in the porch or came to judgment. Wherefore this little house was a small shrine, made of cedar, and closed on all sides, so as to contain only the king with his counsellors, having however its own door, through which litigants and others asking their right or some favor might approach the king’s throne and ask and obtain from him right or favor. It had also several windows, so that when they were opened the king, pronouncing sentence, or giving judgment, or promulgating anything else, could be seen and heard by the whole people. For this was as it were Solomon’s praetorium. So Lyranus, Dionysius, Salianus and Pineda, book 7 On the Things of Solomon, chapter 6.
HE MADE ALSO A HOUSE (palace) FOR THE DAUGHTER OF PHARAO,—as for his principal wife and queen. The reason is given in 2 Paralipomenon 8:11, where it is said: “And he removed the daughter of Pharao out of the city of David to the house which he had built for her. For the king said: My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because it is sanctified, for the ark of the Lord came into it.”
9. ALL WERE OF COSTLY STONES,—That is, they were made of marble, either Parian, or porphyry, or ophite, or serpentine, etc., for it would have been too costly to build everything in so vast a house of gems, namely emeralds, carbuncles, diamonds, etc. “Costly stone,” then, is here called precious marble.
AND WITHOUT (wrongly some read, within) UNTO THE GREAT COURT.—Hence it is plain that, besides the three porches already mentioned, there was in these houses of Solomon a great court, of which verse 12; for the porches seem to have been made of the same costly stone or marble of which the house itself was, as this place insinuates.
cedar beams for the building of Solomon’s houses were cut and fitted to equal measure, just as the costly stones of the same were cut.
12. AND THE GREAT COURT ROUND ABOUT (in the houses of Solomon already mentioned in verse 9, understand: Solomon built) HAD THREE ROWS OF HEWED STONES, AND ONE ROW OF HEWED CEDAR: AND THE SAME IN THE INNER COURT OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, AND IN THE PORCH OF THE HOUSE,—as if to say: As Solomon in the inner court of the temple, that is in the priests’ court, made a wall having three rows of hewed stones and one of hewed cedar, so as by this wall to separate the inner court of the priests from the outer court of the laity, as was said in chapter 6, verse 36; so he did entirely the same in the courts.
You will say: The court of the priests, like that of the laity, was square, as I said at chapter 6, verse 36; how then is it said here to be round? I answer: It was square, consisting of seven square areas; yet it is called round because it was girt round about by the three rows of stones already mentioned. Whence for round the Hebrew has sabib, that is round about, or in circuit, which circuit here was square, not round. So Pineda, book 5, chapter 16, at the end.
OUT OF TYRE, THE SON OF A WIDOW OF THE TRIBE OF NEPHTALI, HIS FATHER A TYRIAN.—“Of the tribe of Nephtali” refer not to the widow, but to Hiram the craftsman. For he was of the tribe of Nephtali, as is plain from the Hebrew, Chaldee and Septuagint; but his mother was of the tribe
You will say: How then is Hiram’s father said to have been a Tyrian? I answer: Hiram was by race a Jew, namely a Nephtalite; but by dwelling and exercise of his art he was a Tyrian. For he dwelt at Tyre, and there had learned and practised the art of working skilfully. So St. Jerome, the Hebrews, Lyranus, Cajetan and others. So St. Paul is called a Tarsian, because he was born and brought up at Tarsus, though by race and descent he was a Hebrew.
15. AND HE CAST TWO PILLARS OF BRASS,—Booz and Jachin. These two pillars of the temple are described here at length up to verse 23.