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.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
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.
Verse 6 pauses on a building detail. Three tiers of side rooms wrapped the temple, and each level was a cubit wider than the one below. They rested on ledges in the outer wall, so no beam was ever driven into the house itself. Why did Solomon build outward instead of into the wall, and why does Scripture record it?
As the wall rose, it stepped back. Each step became a shelf.
The account in 1 Kings 6 may help us to better understand the structure of the side chambers. These were in three stories too, and each one was a cubit wider than the one below: 5, 6, and 7 cubits. This means that the wall of the house stepped back at each story. Each step formed a resting place for the floor beams. The beams were not set into the wall. They rested on the one-cubit ledge that the stepped-back wall made.
These rooms were homes. They mark a change from the tent Israel carried through the wilderness.
The side chambers ran all around the temple, except of course at its entrance. They were the homes of the priests. There was nothing like this in the tabernacle in the wilderness. There God was surely willing to stoop down and live among an earthly people, but only on one condition: He would hide Himself in thick darkness. He could not let man come and live with Him. Man dwelling with God is what is realized here under Solomon's glorious reign, and it will be realized for us when the Lord brings us into the Father's house. Already that house is open to our faith, and we may dwell there while we are still in this world.
2 Chronicles leaves these chambers out of its account. One writer sees a purpose in the gap:
1 Kings 6:5-10 mentions the chambers all around the house, and 2 Chronicles leaves them out… This fact, with other small details, makes it plain that 1 Kings describes the dwelling place of God and His close fellowship with His people. Second Chronicles however depicts the place where one can come near to God to worship Him.
The ledges matter for what they prevented. Solomon housed men against the sanctuary without cutting into it once.
The priests' homes could not be separated from the house. They formed one whole with it, and they spoiled no part of it. The temple walls had offsets that held the beams fast without damaging the walls. In this way the priests' rooms fitted the house exactly, without harming the building in any way. This is how we shall dwell in glory. Our being there will not weaken the perfection of God's house; it will only add to it.
Commentators differ over how much weight to put on the rising measurements. One writer offers it only as a question — "Is this meant to suggest continual progress in the Father's house above?" (W. W. Fereday). Another presses it further, joining the upward growth to the inward movement of the rooms:
The side rooms are in three storeys. They grow larger as they rise, and they lead one into another from east to west, climbing higher and higher. This strongly suggests enlargement and progress in heavenly glory: higher heights, fuller likeness to God, and closer fellowship with Him. They move on from one room to the next until you reach the innermost room, the nearest to "the Holiest of all," the nearest to the displayed glory of God. Thus shall the saints have increasing capacity to enjoy and serve God in the countless ages of eternity to come.
Solomon's chambers held only so many men. Jesus later spoke of many rooms in His Father's house, and the comparison shows where the temple picture runs short.
In the temple there could only be a limited number of rooms for the priests who were serving there at any one time. But the Lord Jesus says, "In My Father's house are many mansions" (Jn.14:2). So the temple is only a faint picture of the reality. In effect the Lord is saying that there is room for all His redeemed people there. The word for "mansions" is better translated "abodes," permanent dwelling places. All believers will have their place there, for all are priests of God. In glory they will serve in the full capacity of priests, mainly by offering up spiritual sacrifices to God.
(ESV renders John 14:2 "In my Father's house are many rooms.")
- Ledge. The wall stepped back one cubit at each story. Those steps carried the floor beams, so the rooms widened while the wall stayed whole.
- Dwelling. The tent in the wilderness had no side rooms. The temple does: here God not only lives among His people but lets them live with Him.
- Intact. Men lived against the sanctuary, yet not one beam cut into it. The house lost nothing by their being there.
- Ascending. Five, six, seven cubits. Some read the rising, widening rooms as growing capacity for God; one writer raises this only as a question.
- Overflow. Solomon could lodge only a few priests. The Father's house has abodes for all the redeemed, and the temple is only a faint sketch of it.
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.
The temple went up without the sound of a single tool: every stone arrived finished, cut for its exact place. Writers ask why God wanted such silence, and what a house built in quiet says about the house He is building now.
The silence matched the character of the God whose house it was. One writer quotes a comment contrasting how the house went up with how it later came down:
It was to be the temple of the God of peace, so no iron tool must be heard in it. Quiet and silence both suit and help acts of worship. God's work should be done with as much care and as little noise as possible. The temple was thrown down with axes and hammers; those who did it roared in the middle of the congregation (Ps. 74:4, 6); but it was built up in silence. Noise and violence often hinder, but never advance the work of God.
The noise was real. It just happened somewhere else. Under Jerusalem, quarries still show where the workers cut the stone:
God settled every measurement in advance. One writer points past the workmen to Him:
No one saw any trace of human tools while the temple was going up. It rose in silence; no one heard an axe or a hammer. It was the work of God; He prepared everything beforehand. The stones that made up the house had the same character as the foundation stones, also precious and prepared beforehand. It is the same with the church (1 Peter 2:4-5), in that its building up is not left to man's responsibility (1 Cor. 3:10-15).
One writer reads the stones as a picture of how Christ builds His church:
Every stone was prepared beforehand and fitted into the place where it belonged. How beautifully it illustrates the fitting together of the house, His Church! He chooses and prepares the material and puts each in its proper place. What a contrast with man's methods in trying to increase "church membership"! ... But all the confusion, the wrong ideas and the evils that go with them cannot frustrate the purpose of the Lord. He is building His Church.
The same writer elsewhere sets a limit to the picture:
However, the temple itself does not exactly prefigure the Church. It is a type of the Father's house above where God dwells. The chambers or dwellings round about remind us of the words of our Lord: "In my Father's house are many rooms." ... But the temple is also prophetic of another temple which will yet stand on the earth when our Lord reigns.
The shaping is done before the stone is set. One writer names the workers God uses, and what He uses besides them:
Each stone stands for the individual believer, once dead in trespasses and sins, but now made alive by the Spirit of the living God. The evangelist is God's quarryman, used by Him to break these stones out of the world they are naturally embedded in. This is often hard work, and takes great skill. Then follows the work of the pastor, leading them into a deeper experience of God's truth. Then these stones must be "polished after the likeness of a palace." This is the work of the teacher, who opens up the mysteries of God and leads souls closer to Christ. The present world is God's workyard. The Lord Jesus uses not only the gifts of the Spirit, but also the trials and temptations that come on Christians. All things are under His skilful hand.
The shaping has an end. One writer applies the silence of the building site to heaven itself:
Perhaps the readiness of the stones is a picture of the saints when we all come "to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." That is, when we are with Him in glory. There will be no sound of hammer or of axe in heaven; all the shaping and fitting will have been done.
- Peace — The house of the God of peace went up in silence; noise and violence never advance God's work.
- Quarry — The hard cutting was real, only hidden. Workers dressed the stones underground and carried them up finished.
- Prepared — God settled every measurement before a stone arrived, so no one adjusted anything on site.
- Chisel — God shapes believers now, through the gifts He gives and the trials He allows.
- Placed — When the building is complete, the fitting is over; the stones go into glory without a sound.
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.
Solomon's temple had side rooms stacked in three floors, and this verse records how you reached them: one doorway, then stairs winding up. Why note a door and a staircase, and who were those rooms for?
Commentators start with the plain layout.
The doorway for the stairs up to the second and third floors was on the right side (v.8). Scripture mentions no other door for the upstairs, so it seems there must have been a hallway on the three sides, connecting all the rooms.
(The ESV calls this the south side; older translations call it the right side.)
Another writer names who used those upper rooms:
It seems there was only one entrance door from the galleries on each side of the Temple. So you passed from one room into the next, right through to the innermost (1 Kings 6:8; Ezekiel 41:11)... I would suggest that the rooms reached by the stairs were for the priests and Levites. They served in the Temple day and night, shift by shift, so that they could wait on God continually.
The tent Israel carried through the wilderness had no such rooms.
All around the temple, except at the entrance of course, were the side rooms where the priests lived. There was nothing like this in the tabernacle in the wilderness. There God could indeed stoop to live among an earthly people, but only on condition that He hid Himself in thick darkness, and He could not let man come and live with Him. Here, under Solomon's glorious reign, man does come to dwell with God, and that will be true for us when the Lord brings us into the Father's house.
The builders joined these rooms to the temple without cutting into its walls:
The temple walls had ledges where the builders could rest the beams without cutting into the walls. So the priests' rooms fitted the house exactly, and took nothing away from the soundness of the building. This is how we shall live in glory. Our being there will not weaken the perfection of God's house; it will only add to it.
One writer links these rooms to what Jesus said about His Father's house.
The temple pictures the Father's house in heaven. But the temple held only a limited number of rooms, used by the priests who were serving there at any given time. The Lord Jesus says, "In My Father's house are many mansions" (John 14:2). So the picture is only a faint one compared with the reality... The word for "mansions" is better translated "abodes," permanent dwelling places. All believers will have their place there, for all are priests of God.
(The ESV renders that word "rooms"; older translations used "mansions".)
The three floors were not the same size. Each one was wider than the floor below, so the climb was also an enlargement.
The side rooms stand in three floors, growing larger as they rise, leading one into another from east to west, and climbing higher and higher. This strongly suggests enlargement and progress in heavenly glory, greater heights, fuller likeness to God and fellowship with Him... There is also a movement from east to west, from one room into the next, until you reach the innermost room, the one nearest "the Holiest of all," nearest to the visible glory of God. So the saints will have a growing capacity to enjoy and serve God through the countless ages of eternity to come.
Another writer gives the measurements, and offers the same reading as a question:
The Temple rooms were built in three floors, and winding stairs led up to the higher ones. The lowest rooms were five cubits wide, the middle six cubits, and the third seven cubits. Is this meant to suggest continual progress in the Father's house above?
Chronicles tells the same story but leaves these rooms almost unmentioned. One writer sees that gap as deliberate.
In 1 Kings the priests' dwellings form part of the house. 2 Chronicles 3:9 mentions them only in passing, and says nothing about how they connect to the temple. In 1 Kings the two most important parts of the Jewish system, the altar and the veil, are missing altogether, while Chronicles mentions them. Without them no one could approach God... So we can conclude that Kings presents the temple as a dwelling-place and Chronicles as a place of approach.
- One door. A single entrance on the south side opened onto the stairs, and every room above lay beyond it.
- One ascent. The winding stairs carried the priests from the lowest floor to the highest. Each room opened into the next, on toward the innermost.
- One enlargement. Each floor was wider than the one below. Writers see in it a growing capacity to enjoy and serve God, though one of them offers this only as a question.
- One dwelling. These rooms were the priests' homes. The wilderness tabernacle had nothing like them. They belonged to the house and took nothing from its perfection.
- One purpose. Only Kings records these rooms, and it shows the temple as God's dwelling-place. That is a faint picture of the Father's house, where every believer has a permanent place.
And he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.
Here the temple's outer shell is complete: Solomon roofs the building and lines it with cedar, and the record adds that he finished it. Two details matter — the word "finished," and the choice of cedar for every surface the eye would meet.
The word "finished" is the point. One writer sets it against builders who start without counting the cost.
Though they were long in building, both the temple and the house of Solomon were eventually finished. The work was not in vain, as is sometimes the case with those who have not first counted the cost, but what God builds is always perfectly finished.
No builder can promise a finish without the materials in hand. Another writer applies that to the stones, and to God's foreknowledge of them.
Yes, he would be a foolish builder who began to build and did not know whether he had materials to finish. And what a blessing to remember that God is the great master builder. He foreknew every stone, chosen and precious, that is built and shall be built in the heavenly temple.
The Hebrew word behind "beams" points to the shape of the roof. One writer then compares that roof with the tabernacle — the tent that housed God's presence in the wilderness. (Older translations render the verse "covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.")
These vault-beams, as the Hebrew word informs us (gebim, from gab, an arch), were semi-circular, so forming a dome for the covering. The vault-beams and the ceiling boards were of cedar, both for the Holy and Most Holy house... These domed roofs, covered with cedar and cypress, match the heavenly character of the Temple. They stand in contrast with the acacia wood and flat badger-skin covering of the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle in the Wilderness pictures the Church of God on earth. The Temple pictures the redeemed, called with a heavenly calling and perfected in heavenly glory.
The tabernacle was framed with acacia, a desert wood. One writer reads the change of material as a move from the desert to the Father's house.
The temple inside was panelled with beams and boards of cedar. The tabernacle was built of acacia boards (Ex. 26:15). Acacia is a hard, desert wood and speaks of humanity in temporary circumstances of desert experience. Those boards picture believers as they are seen even now "in Christ," for they were covered with gold. But the cedar of the temple is an unusually enduring wood. It speaks of believers in glory, in the Father's house. They too are clothed with gold, the symbol of divine glory, and they reflect the beauty of Christ for eternity, not only on earth.
The same source explains what it is about cedar that carries this meaning:
Cedar, because it does not decay, is an emblem of the incorruptible resurrection body. A piece of worm-eaten cedar was never seen. The sap of the cedar is death to the worm; so that, instead of the worm destroying the cedar, the cedar destroys the worm.
The cedar did not stop at the ceiling. One writer follows it down to the floor.
The innermost sanctuary, as well as the holy place, was covered with cedar wood. In the Word cedar represents majesty and height, durability and firmness. No part of the walls within was left uncovered. Nowhere did the stone appear. But the cedar wood itself, and even the planks of cypress of which the floor was made, were entirely covered with gold. In the Word gold always represents divine righteousness and glory... Man cannot dwell with God except according to divine righteousness.
The stones had no say in any of it — and that is the lesson one writer presses home:
You observe all was done to these stones. Not one bit did they do. They were hewn, they were drawn out, they were built into the temple, they were covered with cedar. The pure gold was put upon them. It is so with the poor sinner. Salvation from beginning to end is all of God.
The house Solomon completed was not an end in itself.
The days of Solomon were unique in the history of Israel and of the world; and the house that he built to the name of Jehovah was also unique. It was all a bright foreshadowing of days of glory and blessing yet to be brought in by the Lord Jesus.
- Finished. What God builds is always perfectly finished. He never starts a house without the material to finish it.
- Foreknown. God knew every stone of the heavenly temple, chosen and precious, before a single one was laid.
- Cedar. The desert acacia of the tabernacle gives way to cedar. Cedar's sap kills the worm instead of feeding it — a picture of what cannot decay.
- Covered. Cedar over every wall, gold over the cedar, no bare stone in sight. No one dwells with God except on the ground of divine righteousness.
- All of God. The stones were hewn, moved, built in, covered with cedar and gilded — they did nothing. Salvation is all of God, from first to last.
And he built the floors against all the house, five cubits high; and they held to the house by the timbers of cedar.
A ring of rooms stood against the outside wall of Solomon's temple, in three storeys, each five cubits high and tied to the house by cedar beams. The detail looks like plain building work, yet it answers a question the tabernacle never raised: can anyone live where God lives?
The temple wall itself carried the chambers, and no beam cut into it:
The side chambers were in three stories, and each story grew one cubit wider: 5, 6, and 7 cubits. So the wall of the house stepped back at each story. That step left a ledge one cubit wide. The floor beams did not go into the wall; they rested on that ledge.
The height in this verse belongs to each storey of rooms:
The doorway for the stairs up to the second and third floors was on the right side (v.8). The text names no other door to the upper floors, so it seems there must have been a hallway on the three sides, connecting all the rooms. Each of the rooms was 5 cubits high (v.10), though their length is not given.
The way the beams rested carries meaning:
Nothing could separate the priests' homes from the house. They formed one whole with it and spoiled no part of it. The temple walls had ledges where the beams could be fastened without damaging the walls. So the priests' rooms fitted the house perfectly and took nothing from the soundness of the building. This is how we will dwell in glory. Our being there will not weaken the perfection of God's house; it will only add to it. "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God" (Rev. 21:3).
The wilderness tent could never have held such rooms:
All around the temple, except at its entrance, naturally, were the side chambers, dwellings of the priests. The tabernacle in the wilderness had nothing like this. There God could indeed stoop to live among a people in the flesh, but only on one condition: that He hid Himself in thick darkness. He could not let man come and live with Him. Under Solomon's glorious reign man does come to live with God, and it will be so for us when the Lord brings us into the Father's house. All of us who are children of God belong to this family of priests, whose home will be around its Head. And already the Father's house is open to our faith, so we may dwell there while still in this world.
A further contrast is noted in the flooring:
One more thing set the temple apart: chambers surrounded it, so the priests who served God could live around Him. Christ may be pointing to this when He says, "In my Father's house are many rooms." The tabernacle had no floor, and the priests walked on bare earth. In the temple a floor lifted them off the ground.
Second Chronicles describes the same temple, and what each book leaves out tells us something:
First Kings 6:5-10 mentions the chambers all around the house; 2 Chronicles leaves them out. Second Chronicles speaks of the veil (2 Chron. 3:14) and the bronze altar (2 Chron. 4:1), but the writer of 1 Kings mentions neither. This, with other small details, makes it plain that 1 Kings describes God's home and His close fellowship with His people. Second Chronicles however depicts the place where one can come near to God to worship Him.
Commentators differ on how these rooms relate to what Jesus promised. Some see them as a true but limited picture:
The temple pictures the Father's house in heaven. In the temple, however, only a limited number of rooms served the priests on duty at any one time. But the Lord Jesus says, "In my Father's house are many rooms" (Jn.14:2). So the temple is only a faint picture of the reality. The Lord is in effect saying there is room for all His redeemed people there. The word for "rooms" is better translated "abodes," permanent dwelling places.
Others read the Lord's words as a contrast with the temple chambers, not a copy of them:
In the earthly house there were small chambers for the priests and Levites (1 Chron. 28:11-13) as they came up to serve in their turns. The word translated "rooms" points back to these, but by way of contrast. The chambers of the temple were only for temporary use; the rooms Christ promises are dwellings for eternity. The first are earthly; the latter heavenly.
- Resting, not cutting. The beams rested on ledges where the wall stepped back. The house carried the chambers, and no beam cut into it.
- Joined, not damaging. The rooms formed one whole with the temple. Those who live in God's house add to its perfection instead of taking from it.
- Dwelling, not only visiting. In the tabernacle God lived among His people, hidden in thick darkness. In the temple priests lived all around Him, lifted off the bare earth by a floor.
- Recorded on purpose. Kings keeps the chambers and drops the veil and bronze altar. Its picture is God's home and His closeness to His people.
- Small now, eternal then. The temple rooms were small and used in turn. The Father's house holds permanent dwellings for all His people.
And the word of Jehovah came to Solomon saying,
The house was going up when God broke in with a message for the king. What He said turned a construction report into a test, because the promise attached to the house came with an "if."
God spoke while the work was unfinished. He came with a promise of His own presence, tied to obedience.
What a delight it clearly was to God to dwell among His people! … And as He told Moses, so He told Solomon, of His dwelling among His people. While the house was going up, God cheered the king with a promise. If he obeyed, the Lord would dwell among the children of Israel and would not forsake them.
The message itself is short, and everything in it hangs on one small word.
Early in the building work, the Lord spoke again to Solomon. "Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel." Here again is the fatal "if." Everything at that moment depended upon the faithfulness of king and people.
Why attach a condition to a promise of His presence at all?
Then in 1 Kings 6:13, He says, "And I will dwell among the children of Israel." The verse before it shows the moral condition which God looks for among His people: "if you will walk in my statutes …" God could not dwell among a lawless, disobedient people.
God spoke to one man, yet the whole nation's place with Him hung on that man.
Yet responsibility fell on Solomon in the building of the house. Like so many others, he failed, and so brought ruin upon his kingdom. "If you will walk in my statutes … I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel." The only condition God set for not forsaking His people was the king's faithfulness. All His blessing depended on Solomon meeting this condition.
Yet Solomon's failure did not put God's purpose at risk.
God keeps His purpose of grace certain. He keeps His judgments just as certain if the king fails to answer the demands of His holiness. Grace and responsibility are two currents. They flow side by side and never mix.
Solomon finished the house. The question is whether God stayed in it.
The account first gives the measurements of the house. Then, after he had built it and built the chambers, the word of the Lord came to Solomon. It told him that God's dwelling among the children of Israel depended upon Solomon's faithfulness. Soon the failure came, and Ezekiel later saw the glory of the Lord leave the temple and leave Jerusalem.
Did the failure cancel what God had promised?
All was soon lost, never to be restored until the day of the Lord Jesus. But "the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Rom. 11:29), and He will yet fulfill all His promises of grace to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Human nature is so weak and unstable that each one of us must humbly say, "Saved by grace alone; this is all my plea."
Compare this with God's dwelling among His people now.
While the temple was still going up, God spoke to Solomon. He told him seriously that God's dwelling in the temple would depend on Solomon's obedience to God's statutes, his carrying out God's judgments and keeping His commandments. How different this is from the Church of God, now established as "a dwelling place for God by the Spirit" (Eph. 2:21-22). God's presence in the Church does not depend on our obedience. It rests on the permanent value of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus — a divine work, with no condition of man's work involved at all.
- Timing. God spoke early in the building work, while the house was still going up.
- Condition. The promise came wrapped in an "if": walk in My statutes, keep My commandments. Everything at that moment depended on the faithfulness of king and people.
- Reason. The condition was not arbitrary. God could not dwell among a lawless, disobedient people.
- Outcome. Solomon failed, and Ezekiel later watched the glory leave the temple. Yet God's promises of grace still stand.
- Contrast. God's presence with His people today rests on the sacrifice of Christ, not on our obedience.
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;
While the walls of the temple were still going up, God broke into the building project with a message for the king. It was not about cedar, gold or measurements. It was about how Solomon would walk. On that one point hung God's dwelling among His people.
God set His terms before the work was finished. The message tied His presence in the house to the king's obedience — a link that no longer holds for believers today.
While the temple was still being built, God spoke to Solomon. He told him plainly that God's dwelling in the temple would depend on Solomon's obedience to God's statutes, on his carrying out God's judgments, and on his keeping His commandments (vs. 11-13). How different this is from the Church of God, which is now established as "a dwelling place for God by the Spirit" (Eph. 2:21-22). God's presence in the Church does not depend on our obedience. It rests on the lasting value of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus — a divine work, with no condition of man's work involved at all.
Throne, nation and temple all rested on one small word: "if." It explains why the glory of Solomon's reign did not last.
Here again is the fatal "if." At that moment everything depended on the faithfulness of king and people. All was soon lost, never to be restored until the day of the Lord Jesus. But "the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Rom. 11:29), and He will still fulfill all His promises of grace to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Human nature is so evil and so unstable that each one of us must humbly say, "Saved by grace alone; this is all my plea."
Another writer points out how much God attached to that single condition.
The only condition God set for not forsaking His people was the king's faithfulness. All His blessing was dependent on this condition being met.
The temple carried on what the tabernacle had begun. One commentator shows how the kind of redemption behind it shaped the kind of dwelling that followed.
The temple was the same thing in substance. It was only suited to Israel's settled state in the land, unlike the tabernacle, which travelled with the Israelites up and down the wilderness. But in either case, this was only an outward redemption. So His dwelling was of an outward kind, and it depended on their faithfulness to Him. They were witnesses of the one true God, placed under the responsibility of His law. The result was ruin, as it must always be for the first man.
God asked Solomon to walk, to do, and to keep. Construction work was not on the list.
Obedience is the test of loyalty and of all true worship. Without it, everything that sacrifice and the fat of rams stand for is worse than nothing. "But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word," said the LORD. He said it while they were busy "building a house to Him" — a service He had never asked of them — and while they were in rebellion against His authority and disobedient to His plain commands (Isa. 66). Much of this spirit of Saul is seen in the professing church today. The Christian reader needs to be warned and kept on guard against it.
God's patience with Israel lasted a long time. It did not last forever.
Solomon himself did not fulfill the conditions God set down. Neither did his family, and neither did his subjects. So in the end God withdrew from the temple. Ezekiel records the glory departing in stages (Ezek. 8:4; 9:3; 10:18; 11:23). God did bear long with Israel's disobedience, but in the end, as the Lord Jesus said, "See, your house is left to you desolate" (Mt. 23:38). This was solemnly settled when the Lord Jesus, the Son over God's house, was rejected and crucified. What could the temple be without its Lord?
- Condition. God's dwelling in Solomon's temple hung on one word — if. Walk, do, keep, and He would stay.
- Carrier. The if rested on a single man. The king's faithfulness alone decided whether God would abandon a whole nation.
- Collapse. The condition was never met, by Solomon or by anyone after him, and the glory left the house stage by stage.
- Contrast. Building for God never replaces obeying God. God looks at the humble and contrite heart, not the finished stonework.
- Cross. What man could not secure by keeping conditions, Christ secured by His sacrifice. God's presence in His people today rests on His finished work, not on ours.
and I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.
The temple is only half-built when God interrupts the work with a word for Solomon. He promises to live among Israel, but ties that promise to an "if" — so does His presence rest on how people behave, or on something steadier?
The timing of this message matters. It comes in the middle of the building report, not at the dedication.
After the size of the house was described, and after he had built it and built the side rooms, the word of the Lord came to Solomon. It told him that His dwelling among the children of Israel depended on Solomon's faithfulness. Soon the failure came in, and Ezekiel later saw the glory of the Lord leave the temple and Jerusalem.
God makes the promise to the whole nation, but He sets the terms for the king alone.
This very responsibility fell on Solomon (vv. 11-13) while the house was going up. Like so many others, he failed, and so brought ruin on his kingdom: "If you will walk in My statutes … I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel." The only condition God set for not forsaking His people was the king's faithfulness. All His blessing depended on meeting this condition.
The verse before the promise describes the kind of life God looks for in the people He lives among.
Then in 1 Kings 6:13, He says, "And I will dwell among the children of Israel." The verse before shows the moral condition God looks for among His people: "If you will walk in My statutes, and execute My judgments, and keep all My commandments to walk in them." God could not dwell among a lawless, disobedient people.
The condition on its own sounds like a warning. But God had said the same thing to Moses, and here He says it to cheer a king in the middle of his work.
What a delight it clearly was to God to dwell among His people! … And as He told Moses, so He told Solomon, of His dwelling among His people. While the house was going up, God cheered the king with a promise. If he was obedient, the Lord would dwell among the children of Israel and not forsake them. It is true that His presence would continue only if the king obeyed. Yet God truly did delight to dwell among His people, and to tell them so.
The temple did not change the kind of dwelling God had among Israel.
The temple was the same thing in substance. It was simply suited to Israel now settled in the land, unlike the tabernacle, which moved with the Israelites up and down the wilderness. But in either case the redemption was only an outward one. So His dwelling was outward too, and it depended on their faithfulness to Him as witnesses of the one true God, placed under the responsibility of His law. The result was, as it must always be for the first man, ruin.
Set that beside the way God dwells with believers now.
While the temple was still going up, God spoke to Solomon. He told him seriously that God's dwelling in the temple would depend on Solomon's obedience to God's statutes, his executing God's judgments and keeping His commandments (vv. 11-13). How different this is from the Church of God, which is now established as "a dwelling place for God by the Spirit" (Eph. 2:21-22). God's presence in the Church does not depend on our obedience. It rests on the lasting value of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, a divine work, with no condition of man's work involved at all.
Solomon did not keep the terms. Yet that is not where the writers leave the story.
Here again is the fatal "if." Everything at the moment depended upon the faithfulness of king and people. All was soon lost, never to be restored until the day of the Lord Jesus. But "the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Rom. 11:29), and He will yet fulfil all His promises of grace to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Such is the evil and instability of poor flesh, that each one of us must humbly say, "Saved by grace alone; this is all my plea."
(Fereday cites the older wording, "without repentance.")
- Timing — God gave this promise while the temple was still being built, not at its dedication.
- Condition — His dwelling among Israel rested on one man's obedience. Every blessing the nation had hung on that single "if."
- Character — The condition was not arbitrary. God could not dwell among a lawless, disobedient people.
- Delight — Behind the condition stood real pleasure. God told His people, from Moses to Solomon, how glad He was to dwell among them.
- Contrast — Solomon failed, and the glory left. God's presence with believers today rests on the lasting worth of Christ's sacrifice, not on their obedience. And His promises to Israel still stand.
And Solomon built the house and finished it.
This one short sentence closes the account of the building work. It comes straight after God's warning to Solomon in the verses just before. Two questions press on it: whose house was this really, and what does it mean that a man "finished" a dwelling for God?
One writer compares the temple with the tabernacle — the tent of worship from Moses' day — and rejects the idea that Solomon copied the great temples of the nations around him:
Look carefully at the way the temple was built. Beyond the striking likeness between its dimensions and those of the tabernacle, you see that it was built on no model other than that one. We stress this because men who disbelieve God's revelation without a second thought will go to great lengths to work out whether the temples of Tyre, Assyria, Egypt or Babylon served more or less as models for Solomon's. In fact it served as its own model. Is this not worthy of the True Architect of the temple? He revealed all its details to David, just as He had earlier revealed the tabernacle's details to Moses.
The word "finished" carries weight. A work a man starts may stall. This one did not, and both houses carry a meaning beyond themselves:
Both the temple and the house of Solomon took a long time to build, but in the end both were finished. The work was not wasted, as it sometimes is for those who did not first count the cost. What God builds is always perfectly finished. The temple pictures the Father's house in glory, while Solomon's house is a picture of the Church in her condition and circumstances on earth, where God's order is to be maintained among His saints.
The pace of the work shows what mattered most to the king. Compare it with the time he spent on his own house:
It had taken Solomon seven years to build the house of the Lord. We see in this his promptness at this work. It took Herod forty-six years to build his temple. At the start of his career the service of the Lord came before everything else in the king's heart. His own house, certainly less important than the temple, cost him thirteen years of labour.
While the work went on, God attached a condition to His own presence there. The whole nation's standing hung on one man's obedience:
Responsibility fell on Solomon himself in connection with the building of the house. Like so many others, he failed, and so brought ruin on his kingdom. "If you will walk in my statutes … I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel." The only condition God set for not forsaking His people was the king's faithfulness. All His blessing depended on Solomon meeting that condition.
One writer contrasts that arrangement with the way God dwells with His people now:
While the temple was still going up, God spoke to Solomon. He told him seriously that God's dwelling in the temple would depend on Solomon's obedience: keeping God's statutes, carrying out God's judgments and keeping His commandments. How different this is from the Church of God, which is now established as "a dwelling place for God by the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:21-22). God's presence in the Church does not depend on our obedience. It rests on the lasting value of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus — a divine work, with no condition of man's work involved at all.
Finishing the building was not the end. The condition God set was never met:
Neither Solomon himself, nor his family, nor his subjects met the conditions God set down. So in the end God withdrew from the temple. Ezekiel records the glory departing in stages. God did bear long with Israel's disobedience. But in the end, as the Lord Jesus said, "See, your house is left to you desolate." That was settled in a solemn way when the Lord Jesus, the Son over God's house, was rejected and crucified. What could the temple be without its Lord?
Solomon's finished house points past itself to another builder:
As the one loved by the Lord, Solomon was chosen to sit on his father's throne and to build the house of the Lord. He was also a figure of Him who is Son over God's house. Even now we see God's beloved Son sitting on His throne, waiting for the time when He will sit on His own throne. He too is the One who will build the temple of the Lord.
- Pattern — Solomon copied no foreign temple. The design came from God through David, just as the tabernacle's came to Moses.
- Priority — the Lord's house took seven years, his own thirteen. At this point in his life, the Lord's service came first.
- Promise — while the work went on, God tied His dwelling among Israel to the king's obedience. Every blessing rested on one man.
- Failure — Solomon and his people never met the condition, and the glory departed. A finished building is nothing without its Lord.
- Permanence — the Son over God's house builds a temple that rests on the lasting value of His own sacrifice, not on our obedience.
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.
Solomon's builders had already raised walls of costly cut stone, and now wood lines the whole inside — cedar on the walls, cypress underfoot. The surprise is not what they added but what they hid, and commentators read that covering as the heart of the picture.
The verse names two woods. They differ in hardness, but not in how long they last.
The inside walls of the temple were built of cedar from the floor to the ceiling, and the floor with planks of cypress (v.15). Cypress is a hard, durable wood of fragrant smell. Cedar is not so hard but just as durable.
Cedar barely rots, and writers read that lasting quality as a picture of the Lord Jesus.
The cedar stands out for extraordinary durability, glorious height, refreshing shade and lovely excellence. These qualities are typical of Christ. The cedar wood has a fine grain and a fragrant smell. It resists decay so well that cedar beams, little changed, have been found in the ruins of Asian temples 2000 to 3000 years old. This sets forth in measure the abiding character of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Cedar was not the final layer. Gold went over it, and each material carries its own meaning.
In the Word cedar represents majesty and height, durability and firmness. Every part of the walls within was covered. Nowhere did the stone appear. But gold covered the cedar wood itself entirely, and even the planks of cypress that made the floor. In the Word gold always represents divine righteousness and glory.
Cedar was better than the stone it hid, and another writer applies that to people built into God's house.
Because cedar has these desirable qualities, Solomon took care to have everything in his building, good though it might be, covered with cedar… In Peter's letter, the living stones (cut by a workman who never made a mistake) are built up into a spiritual house. Yet they are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ only as far as they are wrapped up, or hidden, in the beauty of Christ.
The layers settled what a worshipper would see, and on what terms he could be there at all.
Within, everything was firm and durable, and therefore incorruptible. It was worthy of the greatness and majesty of the Lord. In the end, those who entered the temple to dwell with God saw nothing but divine righteousness all around them. Down to the very floor beneath their feet, all was covered. Man cannot dwell with God except according to divine righteousness.
One writer turns the view around. Now it is God who looks into the house.
Pure gold overlaid every tree and stone, covering them out of sight — not a notch of the fir being seen… As the pure gold covered the trees and stones, so Jesus has been raised from the dead to be our ever-subsisting righteousness. Not a notch of the old tree was to be seen. As God looked in the temple He saw only the pure gold. Even so in the heavenly building in Christ: "he has made us accepted in the Beloved."
Israel's earlier sanctuary was a tent, and it used a different wood. That switch marks a change of scene, from desert to glory.
The tabernacle was built of acacia boards (Ex.26:15). Acacia is a hard, desert wood and speaks of humanity in temporary circumstances of desert experience. Those boards picture believers as they are seen even now "in Christ," for they were covered with gold. But the cedar of the temple is an especially enduring wood. It speaks of believers in glory, in the Father's house, also clothed with gold, the symbol of divine glory. They reflect the beauty of Christ for eternity, not only on earth.
Writers tie each wood to a different feature of the resurrection body. The first pair of lines below comes from an older translation of 1 Corinthians 15:42; the ESV reads "What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable."
CEDAR does not rot, and so it is an emblem of the incorruptible resurrection body… FIR or CYPRESS was used where strength and durability were required, and is typical of resurrection strength… These seem to be dealt with in that wonderful passage, 1 Corinthians 15:42, 44, 53. "It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption" (the cedar); "it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power" (the cypress).
- Covered. The costly stone was real, but it was never meant to be seen; cedar hid the walls and cypress hid the ground.
- Covered again. Wood was not the last layer. Gold went over the cedar and over the cypress floor, so only divine righteousness met the eye.
- Covered completely. Not a notch of the timber showed. When God looked into His house He saw pure gold — the picture of being accepted in the Beloved.
- Covered to last. Solomon chose cedar and cypress because they endure. They picture incorruption and resurrection strength, while the desert tent used acacia.
- Covered for dwelling. People live with God on one ground only: divine righteousness, right down to the floor beneath their feet.
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.
Solomon's builders wall off the last twenty cubits at the back of the house with boards of cedar. Why line stone walls with wood, and what does this inner room — the place Scripture calls Most Holy — stand for?
Some translations call this room the oracle. It was the second of the two chambers. God had a throne there, and almost no one could come near Him — until Christ made atonement.
The Holiest of All was the second, or inner, chamber of God's dwelling. Here, from His symbolic throne, Jehovah spoke to the mediator (Ex. 25:22). This chamber was closed against all human access, except once a year, when the high priest entered in to make atonement for the sins of the people... God is no longer dwelling in thick darkness. He is no longer shut off from man. He has come out to man, and He has done so according to the majesty of His throne. Through the sacrificial and priestly work of God's Son, man is urged to draw near to God in His holiness. When Christ made atonement, God tore the veil from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51), from heaven to earth. He destroyed it.
The cedar lining did not stop partway. It ran over every wall, and gold then covered the cedar.
The oracle as well as the holy place ("the temple before it") was covered with cedar wood. In the Word cedar represents majesty and height, durability and firmness. No part of the walls within was left uncovered. Nowhere did the stone appear. But the cedar wood itself, and even the planks of cypress that made the floor, were entirely covered with gold. In the Word gold always represents divine righteousness and glory.
The stones came out of a quarry. Once the walls stood, not one of them showed — and one writer reads that covering as a picture of the believer's past.
God is today getting His stones out of nature's quarry by means of the gospel... But no stone was seen in Solomon's temple (1 Kings 6:18). All were completely covered with refined silver (1 Chron. 29:4). In the same way, all that we were by nature is covered by Christ's redemption.
The twenty cubits walled off here are also the room's width and height. That makes it a cube — the shape of the city at the end of the Bible.
As in the tabernacle in the wilderness, the most holy place formed a perfect cube within... So it will be with the New Jerusalem: "The length is as large as the breadth" (Rev. 21:16). The result of God's work is perfect, with nothing to add and nothing to take away. Everything is ordered according to the mind of the Divine Architect.
The tabernacle — the tent Israel carried through the desert — used a different wood. Commentators read the change of timber as a change of setting.
The temple inside was panelled with beams and boards of cedar (v. 9). The tabernacle was built of acacia boards (Ex. 26:15). Acacia is a hard, desert wood. It speaks of humanity in the passing circumstances of desert life. Those boards picture believers as they are seen even now "in Christ," for they were covered with gold. But the cedar of the temple is an especially long-lasting wood. It speaks of believers in glory, in the Father's house. They too are clothed with gold, the symbol of divine glory. They will reflect the beauty of Christ for eternity, not only on earth.
Commentators differ on what hung across the entrance. One links the missing veil in Kings to the viewpoint of the book.
Notice that the Kings description of the temple never mentions the veil or the bronze altar. Only the Chronicles account does. This is because the earlier description views the temple mainly as the dwelling place of God. The later one sees it instead as the seat of divine government, and the place where God's people come to Him.
Another says golden doors stand where the veil stood. The way in is wider — though limits remained.
As stated before, the veil is not mentioned here. A double door of olive wood (v. 31) overlaid with gold replaces it. That is a free, wide way in, and it lets the eye reach into the most holy place. Even so, in keeping with the order of things under the law, golden chains were stretched out before the oracle (v. 21).
- Partition — the last twenty cubits form the inner chamber. God's throne stood there, and only the high priest entered, once a year, to make atonement.
- Cedar — a wood of majesty, height, durability and firmness. It replaces the desert acacia: not believers in wilderness conditions, but believers in glory.
- Covered — no stone stayed in sight. All that we were by nature lies hidden under Christ's redemption, and gold over the cedar puts divine righteousness and glory on every surface.
- Cube — length, width and height all alike. It is the shape of the New Jerusalem: God's finished work needs nothing added and nothing taken away.
- Access — commentators differ on whether a veil still hung at the entrance. Kings shows the house first of all as God's dwelling. When Christ made atonement, God tore the veil, and man is now urged to draw near.
And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits [long].
Solomon's temple had two rooms, and this verse measures the larger one at forty cubits. Commentators read such figures as a plan God Himself gave, with meaning in every dimension.
The room this verse calls the nave is the holy place, the main hall of the house. The holy of holies lies behind it. One summary lays out the whole plan:
It followed the pattern of the tabernacle — a rectangle of sixty cubits by twenty, thirty cubits high. The holy of holies was a cube of twenty cubits. The holy place was forty cubits by twenty. In front stood a porch of ten cubits by twenty.
Forty cubits is a modest room for the house of God. One writer says the restraint is the point:
At first glance the proportions of the temple seem surprising, because they are very restrained. Even unbelievers have noticed this. There is a great difference between the dimensions of Solomon's temple and those of the giant sanctuaries of Egypt. It is not size, but holiness, perfect order, righteousness and glory — the balance and harmony of all the perfections of God — that marks His house.
Some think Solomon copied the great buildings of nearby nations. One writer replies:
Look carefully at the way the temple was built. Beyond the astonishing likeness between its dimensions and those of the tabernacle, you notice that the temple was built on no model other than that one. We press this point because many men disbelieve God's revelation, often without even thinking about it. They will go to great lengths to find out whether Tyrian, Assyrian, Egyptian or Babylonian temples served more or less as models for Solomon's. In fact it served as its own model. Is this not worthy of the true Architect of the temple? He revealed all its details to David, just as He had earlier revealed those of the tabernacle to Moses. And every one of these details had a divine meaning, drawing our thoughts by faith to the Person and work of Christ — something no purely human work could do.
These forty cubits are twice the twenty cubits of the holy place in the tent Israel carried through the desert. The scale changed. The shape did not:
The dimensions of the temple were exactly double those of the tabernacle in length, width and height. But the proportions of the different parts stayed the same. While Israel crossed the wilderness, the tabernacle might have seemed a small thing next to what the house of God was to be in glory. But that temporary building held all God's plan, all the order of His house, and was to show it. It is the same with the church. This is why Scripture tells Timothy how "one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth."
Another writer draws the same doubling forward to a coming day:
In the temple these dimensions were doubled, which would confirm the thought that in the day of glory — for Israel millennial, for the church heaven — the full measure of God's thoughts about His people in Christ will be shown.
The forty-cubit room is the larger one. But the design does not stop there. Behind it sits a chamber with equal length, width and height:
The whole building was 60 cubits long, 20 broad and 20 high. Of this the holy place was 40 cubits long and the holiest 20. So the holiest was again a perfect cube, its breadth and length and height equal. How easy to see here that God's mind finds its perfect realisation only in the holiest.
The room this verse measures was not bare stone. It got the same treatment as the inner sanctuary. An older translation calls it "the temple before it":
Cedar wood covered the inner sanctuary and the holy place ("the temple before it") alike. In the Word cedar stands for majesty and height, for lasting strength and firmness. No part of the inside walls stayed uncovered. Nowhere did the stone show. And gold covered all of it — the cedar wood itself, and even the cypress planks of the floor. In the Word gold always stands for divine righteousness and glory.
That covering decided what anyone stepping inside would see:
Those who entered the temple to dwell with God saw only divine righteousness all around them. The covering reached right down to the floor under their feet. Man cannot dwell with God except on the ground of divine righteousness.
- Pattern. The forty cubits were not Solomon's taste, and not a copy of foreign temples. The temple was its own model, and the true Architect gave its details to David, as He had given the tabernacle's to Moses.
- Proportion. Size was never the point. A forty-cubit room stood in front, a twenty-cubit cube behind. The plan moves inward, to the one place that perfectly shows God's mind.
- Doubling. Every dimension doubled the desert tent's, and the proportions stayed the same. The small tent already held all of God's plan for His house.
- Covering. Nowhere did the stone show. Cedar stood for majesty and lasting strength, and the gold over it for divine righteousness and glory.
- Dwelling. Whoever entered saw righteousness on every side, floor included. Man dwells with God on no other ground.
And the cedar of the house within was carved with colocynths and half-open flowers all was cedar; there was no stone seen.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And he prepared the oracle in the midst of the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of Jehovah.
Solomon's building work reaches its centre here. Everything else in the house serves this one inner room, and the room serves one object — so why does the ark stand at the centre of a whole nation's temple?
Older translations call this room "the oracle." Writers also call it the holy of holies, the innermost sanctuary, or the holiest of all — all names for the same small room at the heart of the house. The name "oracle" records a promise God had made.
In every other place in the Old Testament the word "oracle" applies to the holy of holies. It is no doubt called that because God said, "There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel." Moses received many of the laws from there.
So God meant this room to be where He speaks. Did He speak from it?
An "oracle" is, of course, a speaking-place. Both Kings and Chronicles use the term for the innermost sanctuary of the temple. Israel failed so soon after the temple was built that God may have seldom spoken from His holy oracle in Jerusalem, if He spoke from it at all. Yet that was God's intention. The coming of the Lord Jesus realized that intention in full. He could speak of the temple of His body, and in Him we find not only the speaking place, but the Spokesman. All that God has to say to us is in and through Him.
The verse stresses preparation. Solomon finished the room before the ark ever came in.
The inner shrine of the temple was the oracle, and here was the prepared place for "the ark of the covenant of the LORD" (1 Kings 6:19). The walls of the oracle were of cedar, carved "with gourds and open flowers," and pure gold covered it all. It was a shrine of beauty, a fitting resting place for the ark of the LORD. There were also the two cherubim, made of olive wood and covered with gold. Their wings touched each wall, and their faces turned towards the house.
Nothing else stood inside the room. The ark's cover had a name of its own: the mercy seat.
Then the inner sanctuary was prepared as a place for the ark. This was the only article of furniture inside the holiest of all. It speaks of Christ as the Sustainer of the throne of God. The mercy-seat covering the ark stands for God's throne. That throne is not only a throne of justice and authority, but a throne of grace or of mercy, and from it God gives mercy to those in need (Heb. 4:16).
The verse names the ark by its full title. What was inside it?
The ark gave the house its character. It was God's throne in the midst of Israel, and from it He governed His people on the basis of His holy law. The record notes this when it says that "there was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of Egypt."
For generations Israel carried the ark from place to place. Now it had a settled home.
Do we not see in all this a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus entering into heaven after His journeys through this world? He has left behind the scene where men despised and neglected Him. He has gone into the presence of His God and Father, where all is glory. In holiness He once passed through a world where everything was opposed to God and defiled by sin. Now He has entered the holy place to rest from all His work.
- Place. Everything in the house pointed inward to one room. That room held one object — the ark, the only furniture in the holiest of all.
- Prepared. Solomon did not leave the room bare. Cedar, carving and gold made it a fitting resting place before the ark arrived.
- Throne. The mercy seat covered the ark and made it God's throne. It is a throne of justice and authority, and also a throne of grace, giving mercy to those in need.
- Voice. The old name for this room, "oracle," means a speaking-place. God had promised to meet His people there and speak from above the mercy seat.
- Rest. Christ fulfilled that intention. In Him God has both His speaking place and His Spokesman, and He has entered the holy place to rest from all His work.
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 --
Older translations call this room "the oracle"; the ESV calls it the inner sanctuary. Why did Solomon build this innermost room as an exact cube, and why did he cover every surface with pure gold?
This room was the shrine at the heart of the building, and it was built for one thing:
The inner shrine of the temple was the oracle, and here was the prepared place for "the ark of the covenant of the Lord" (1 Kings 6:19). The walls of the oracle were of cedar, carved with "gourds and open flowers," and all was covered with pure gold. It was a shrine of beauty, and a fit resting place for the ark of the LORD.
The three measurements are identical, and that same shape appears again at the end of the Bible:
As in the tabernacle in the wilderness, the most holy place formed a perfect cube within… The New Jerusalem will be the same: "its length the same as its width" (Rev. 21:16). The result of God's work is perfect, with nothing to add and nothing to take away. Everything is ordered according to the mind of the Divine Architect. The New Jerusalem is, so to speak, a great most holy place where God can dwell, just as He dwelt in the oracle of the temple. This is because everything in it answers to His holiness and His righteousness… God's sanctuary is the Church in glory!
The pattern holds from the wilderness tent to the final city, where God's purpose reaches its end:
The sanctuary in Israel, God's dwelling place among them, was a cube: ten cubits in the tabernacle, twenty in the temple. The new Jerusalem, the final city of God, lit by the glory of God, is a cube as well: "Its length and width and height are equal." This is one of those deep harmonies of Scripture that lie everywhere under the surface and show how true it is. Here all the purposes of God have come true at last. Here the holiness long sought from man is at last reached.
The gold did not sit on bare stone. Wood came first, and each material carries its own meaning:
Cedar wood covered the oracle and the holy place ("the temple before it") alike. In Scripture cedar stands for majesty and height, durability and firmness. No part of the walls inside was left bare. Nowhere did the stone show. But gold covered the cedar itself, and even the cypress planks of the floor. In Scripture gold always stands for divine righteousness and glory.
The gold covered everything, floor included. It was not decoration. It set the terms for anyone who came in:
Those who entered the temple to dwell with God saw nothing but divine righteousness all around them. Down to the very floor beneath their feet, everything was covered. Man cannot dwell with God except according to divine righteousness. The furnishings of the temple were also made of gold or overlaid with gold: the altar of incense, the cherubim, and the doors of the most holy place.
The writer of Kings keeps returning to this one word, and what it pictures still lies ahead:
In the house gold was the main feature. The word "gold" occurs eleven times in this chapter. Everything was overlaid with gold… The whole sanctuary bore witness to the glory of righteousness, and this house pictures what is still to come. One day the true King will build the house and show His glory. Then the glory and the showing of divine righteousness will be far greater!
The verse ends with an altar — and this one was not for animals:
The sanctuary was overlaid with pure gold, and the cedar altar also (v.20). This was clearly the same altar mentioned in verse 22, standing in the outer sanctuary next to the inner sanctuary. This altar was for offering incense. It pictures Christ as the Sustainer of the worship of His people. The altar of burnt offering stood outside. There the many animals were offered, and all of them speak of the value of Christ's sacrifice at Calvary for us. Now, raised from the dead, He "will never die again," but He receives worship.
The altar's two materials belong together, and they point to the name in which we worship now:
Cedar is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ risen from the dead. It was overlaid with gold, which shows the divine glory of His person. He is the One in whose name we worship, and He said, "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full" (John 16:24).
- Prepared — The inner sanctuary was made ready for the ark: a shrine of beauty, fit for God's presence.
- Measured — Equal in length, width and height, it is a perfect cube. The tabernacle's holiest place and the New Jerusalem share that shape. Nothing can be added or taken away.
- Covered — Cedar hid the stone, and gold hid the cedar, floor included. No bare surface was left inside.
- Righteous — Gold stands for divine righteousness and glory. Whoever entered saw it on every side. No one can dwell with God on any other terms.
- Worshipping — The cedar altar overlaid with gold was for incense, not sacrifice. The risen Christ now receives the worship He Himself sustains.
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.
Inside Solomon's temple, gold hid every surface, and gold chains hung across the entrance to the inner room where the ark stood. Why gold, and why chains, in the house God chose to live in?
Stone, cedar and cypress all disappeared under the overlay. Only one material met the eye, and it spoke of the throne standing in that house:
What characterised the house in general is that nothing except gold was to be seen in it. All was bright with the glory of divine righteousness that distinguished the throne of God which was placed there. Beauty and holiness are not what characterise the earthly throne, but righteousness and judgment.
The gold reached the floor too. That full covering set a condition for anyone who would live with God:
Inside, everything was firm, lasting, and so incorruptible, worthy of the greatness and majesty of the Lord. Those who entered the temple to dwell with God saw nothing but divine righteousness round about them. Down to the very floor beneath their feet, all was covered. Man cannot dwell with God except according to divine righteousness. All the furnishings of the temple were also made of gold or overlaid with gold. The altar of incense, the cherubim, and the doors of the most holy place are examples.
The chapter names gold again and again. And this house was only a preview of a greater one:
In the house gold was the prominent feature. The word "gold" occurs eleven times in this chapter. All was overlaid with gold… Everything was of pure gold; the sanctuary might have been called the golden house. Gold is the emblem of divine righteousness and divine glory. So the whole sanctuary bore witness to the glory of righteousness, and that fits what this house foreshadowed. How much greater will the glory be when the true King builds the house and shows His glory! Then divine righteousness will be displayed.
The walls were built of stone, yet no stone showed in the finished room. One writer reads that covering as a picture of the believer:
God is today getting His stones out of nature's quarry by means of the gospel… But no stone was seen in Solomon's temple (1 Kings 6:18). All were completely covered with refined silver (1 Chron. 29:4). In the same way, all that we were by nature is covered by Christ's redemption.
The inner sanctuary — some translations call it "the oracle" — held the ark. Here the temple has doors of olive wood, not the curtain of the tent that stood before it, and chains still hang in front:
As stated before, the veil is not mentioned here. A double door of olive wood (v. 31) overlaid with gold replaces it. This is a free, wide opening, and the eye can look into the most holy place. Still, in keeping with the order of things under the law, golden chains were stretched out before the oracle (v. 21).
Commentators differ on whether a curtain also hung there. One holds that it did, and points to the day it was torn:
Having overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold, Solomon also had gold chains stretched across the front of the inner sanctuary. The gold chains were evidently in addition to the doors (v. 31). The veil also was in place there, for chapter 8:4 tells us that all the holy furnishings of the tabernacle came to the temple. And of course, at the death of the Lord Jesus, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Chains usually suggest captivity. Here the chain work points the other way — to willing submission:
The chain work reminds us of the words of the Lord to the shepherdess, "Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, your neck with chains of gold" (Song 1:10). Her neck was not stiff. It was submissive to the gracious authority of the Lord Jesus — that is, she was "taking every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). So the golden chain speaks of the gentle authority of the Lord Jesus, who can bring souls to submit to Him willingly. How different are the chains and irons of Psalm 149:8, which show the forced bondage of those who refuse to be subject to the Lord.
Song 1:10 here follows an older translation; the ESV reads "your neck with strings of jewels."
- Gold — The only material in sight stands for divine righteousness and glory, the character of God's throne in that house.
- Covered — Stone and cedar vanished under the gold, just as Christ's redemption covers what we were by nature.
- Condition — Righteousness surrounded the worshipper on every side. No one can live with God on any other terms.
- Chains — Stretched across the inner sanctuary, they mark the limits of the old order. Read as ornament, they picture willing submission to Christ's gentle authority.
- Preview — The golden house was a foreshadowing; the true King will build and show a glory far greater.
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.
Solomon's builders lined the inside of the house with cedar and carved it. Now one material hides all of it. Gold runs from floor to ceiling, and over the altar at the inner sanctuary — called "the oracle" in older translations. Why bury fine cedar and cut stone under gold, and what is God saying by leaving one thing in sight?
Commentators note what the finished inside did not show. Gold hid every other material:
What characterised the house in general is that nothing except gold was to be seen in it. All was bright with the glory of divine righteousness that distinguished the throne of God which was placed there.
The covering reached the floor under a visitor's feet, and that matters for anyone who comes near:
Those who entered the temple to dwell with God saw nothing but divine righteousness round about them. Down to the very floor beneath their feet, all was covered. Man cannot dwell with God except according to divine righteousness.
Gold stands for something, and this chapter keeps repeating the word:
In the house gold was the prominent feature. The word "gold" occurs eleven times in this chapter... Gold is the emblem of divine righteousness and divine glory. So the whole sanctuary bore witness to the glory of righteousness. That fits what this house pictures ahead of time. How much greater will the glory be, and the display of divine righteousness, when the true King builds the house and displays His glory!
"Overlaid" means more than a thin gold wash. One account of the temple describes a solid casing that followed every line of the carving:
The whole building was not gilded but COVERED with gold — the porch, roof, walls, floor, posts, beams, and doors. The gold was fitted onto the carved work. So it did not blot out the fine carving in the wood. It set that carving off in greater splendour.
Gold lay over cedar. Commentators read that pairing as a picture of Christ, and they apply it to the altar named in this verse:
David provided refined gold by weight for the altar of incense. The whole altar of cedar was overlaid with it. The altar stood before the veil. CEDAR pictures the Lord Jesus Christ in resurrection. The GOLD laid over it shows the Divine glory of His person, the One in whose name we worship.
This altar carried no animal sacrifices. Its work was incense, and commentators tie that to the worship of God's people:
This was clearly the same altar mentioned in verse 22, which stood in the outer sanctuary next to the inner sanctuary. This altar was for offering incense. It pictures Christ as the Sustainer of the worship of His people. The altar of burnt offering was outside, because that is where they offered the many animals. All of them speak of the value of the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary for us. Now, raised from the dead, He "will never die again," but He receives worship.
The wording of this verse settles an old objection. The letter to the Hebrews places a golden altar with the inner chamber, yet that altar stood before the veil. Some have called this an error:
Some would charge the writer of Hebrews with ignorance, since neither a golden censer... nor the golden altar had a permanent home in the Most Holy Place. Attention to the language he uses will clear him of that charge. Describing the outer chamber, he writes of certain vessels that were in it. He uses the word wherein. But when he comes to speak of the second chamber, he changes his language. Instead of writing wherein, as before, he now says "having a golden altar." That is, he does not state exactly what was inside that chamber, but what was connected with it. Was he right to write this way? Turning to 1 Kings 6:22, we must admit that he was, for there we read of the golden altar as belonging to the oracle — the Most Holy Place.
The gold covered surfaces no outsider ever saw. One writer draws the same lesson from the tabernacle:
The boards, the ark and all the furniture in the tabernacle were hidden from outside view. So only the priests and the eye of God saw them. In the eyes of man the divine glory of our Lord's humanity stayed hidden and veiled, except where faith looked beneath the cover of His humiliation. But to God this is reversed. The acacia wood is covered over with gold.
- Whole. The word governing this verse is whole — whole house, whole altar. Gold left no cedar, no stone, and no floor uncovered.
- Gold. Gold stands for divine righteousness and glory, and the chapter names it eleven times.
- Condition. Because righteousness lined even the floor, anyone who entered stood on it. No one dwells with God on any other terms.
- Christ. Commentators read cedar under gold as the Lord Jesus in resurrection, and the gold-covered altar as the One who now sustains His people's worship.
- Coming. This house only pictured a greater one. The gold hidden inside will become glory on display when the true King builds the house and shows His glory.
And he made in the oracle two cherubim of olive-wood, ten cubits high;
Solomon filled the innermost room of the temple with two huge carved figures, one standing on each side of the ark. Why cherubim, why olive wood, and why on this scale?
Before asking why Solomon made them, it helps to ask what a cherub is.
The cherubim have been well described as "God's judicial executive, whoever it is entrusted to, and in whatever circumstances it is shown." They do not appear to be a distinct order in God's creation. They are symbolic figures instead. In His ways of government and judgement God sometimes uses angels and sometimes men. Whichever it may be, the instruments He employs would be God's cherubim for the moment.
The room already held cherubim. Small gold ones were worked into the lid of the ark, brought over from the tabernacle unchanged. Their posture made a point.
In the tabernacle they were hammered out of the same piece as the mercy seat, and they overshadowed it. They looked toward what lay hidden in the ark — the covenant of the law, placed inside it and written on tables of stone. The cherubim, two in number, were witnesses of the contents of the ark. At the same time they were attributes of the judicial power of God. These attributes made the covenant sure.
So these olive-wood giants are not replacements. They are something new, set beside the old. And they faced a different way — a point that turns on how one word is translated.
While the cherubim that belonged to the ark of the covenant remained unchanged — for it was the same ark that was in the tabernacle — Solomon put on either side of it the big figure of a cherub carved of olive wood and overlaid with gold. Each was ten cubits high… Then, instead of these cherubim looking downward toward the mercy seat like those on the ark, they looked outward. The word "inward" really means "toward the house," that is, outward. This fits the reign of righteousness that Solomon and the temple foreshadow. While there was nothing but the covenant, they gazed at it. But once God has established His throne in righteousness, He can turn toward the world to bless it according to that righteousness.
The same throne that once looked down at the covenant now faces the world outside. That shift points to a coming age, with one limit still in place.
In the temple the cherubim have their faces toward the house, that is, outward. God's attributes no longer look only at the covenant, keeping it despite everything. They also look outward to bless. It is the time of the millennium, but the veil appears again here in the temple. Whatever the blessing of the true Solomon's reign may be, Israel and the earth have no immediate, direct access to Him who is hidden in the heavens.
The wood itself carries meaning — olive is the tree that gives oil.
Also, in the inner sanctuary were two cherubim carved from olive wood. The olive is symbolic of Christ, from whom the Spirit of God (the oil) is sent from the Father. These were also covered with gold. The cherubim symbolise the government of God. Since there were two, this reminds us of the perfect balance of God's government. It involves both justice and grace, and both matter equally.
Their wings make the two figures into one span that crosses the whole room.
The wings of these cherubim spread out twenty cubits, filling the full width of the inner sanctuary, "and they stood on their feet, and their faces were toward the house." They are shown here not as looking into the ark, with the judicial action proper to them held in suspense. Instead, from their place in the inner sanctuary, they look out on the priests in their service before the veil, then on the worshippers in the outer court, and at last look on with perfect satisfaction at a world purified by judgment and brought into complete subjection to the God and Father.
- Throne. A cherub is not a portrait of some creature. It stands for God's judicial power — the arm that carries out His government, whoever He employs.
- Olive. The wood is the oil tree, pointing to Christ, from whom the Spirit is sent. This government is not bare power. It holds justice and grace in balance.
- Height. Ten cubits high, far larger than the small gold figures on the ark below. It is the same throne, now on the scale of a reigning kingdom.
- Gaze. The ark's cherubim looked down at the covenant. Solomon's look outward. Once righteousness reigns, God can turn toward the world to bless it.
- Reach. Their wings fill the room wall to wall. That span takes in the priests, then the worshippers outside, then a world brought into full subjection to God.
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;
Solomon's inner sanctuary held two huge winged figures. Verse 24 measures one of them wing by wing, and those numbers carry meaning.
These were not the gold figures on the ark, the chest that held the covenant. Solomon set up something new beside the old.
One of the most striking features of Solomon's Temple was the great cherubim set up in the Oracle, or Holy of Holies. They were in addition to the gold figures on the ark. The ark was exactly the same in the Temple as in the Tabernacle, apart from its contents. The large cherubim were each ten cubits high (about fifteen feet), and each had two wings… The breadth of the wings was the same as the height of the cherubim themselves. They touched the walls of the Oracle on either side, and they touched each other in the middle.
These figures picture how God carries out judgment and rule.
The cherubim have been well described as "God's judicial executive — whoever He entrusts it to, and whatever the circumstances where He shows it." They do not appear to be a separate order in God's creation. They are symbolic figures. In His ways of government and judgement God sometimes uses angels and sometimes men. Whichever it may be, the instruments employed would be God's cherubim for the moment.
Another writer looks at the wood they were carved from, and at the fact that there were two.
Also, in the inner sanctuary were two cherubim carved from olive wood. The olive is symbolic of Christ, from whom the Spirit of God (the oil) is sent from the Father (John 15:26). These were also covered with gold (v. 28)… The cherubim symbolize the government of God. There were two of them. This reminds us of the perfect balance of God's government, which involves both justice and grace. Both matter just as much.
Five plus five gives ten for one cherub. The two together give twenty — the width of the most holy place. One writer draws deep peace from that exact fit.
The greatest care is taken to show that the span of the cherubim's wings was the exact breadth of the holiest. "The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits; the cherubim stood on their feet, facing the nave [the main hall]." Not one cubit short of the breadth of the holiest. Can anything give more solid peace than this? The consuming judgment of God on sin was according to God's own measure of sin. Not our thought of sin, not our measure, but according to the divine presence.
The cherubim on the ark gazed at the covenant. These new ones looked out instead. The change of gaze marks a change in what God is doing.
The cherubim had a new position. The ones belonging to the ark remained the same. The wing of one of these new cherubim touched the wall of the house on one side, and the wing of the other cherub touched the wall on the other side. Their wings extended from one side of the house to the other. They looked not towards the ark, but outwards. Now righteousness reigns and stands established. So these symbols of God's power can look outwards in blessing, instead of keeping their eyes fixed on the covenant alone. While there was nothing but the covenant, they gazed upon it. But when God has established His throne in righteousness, He can turn towards the world and bless it according to that righteousness.
Commentators differ on how far the symbol reaches. The writers above see figures of God's own government. One writer sees the redeemed in service:
The two large cherubim in the Holiest of the Temple of Solomon represent, I believe, the ministry of all the redeemed in heaven. They were made of olive wood, wood that gives oil. That pictures the spiritual body serving in the power of the Spirit of God… The wings reach from wall to wall, meeting in the centre, over the mercy seat of the Lord.
- Measure. Ten cubits of wing on each cherub, twenty across the pair — the exact width of the most holy place, with nothing left over.
- Meaning. The cherub stands for God's judicial power, whoever He entrusts it to.
- Material. Olive wood overlaid with gold; two figures, not one, holding justice and grace in balance.
- Direction. These wings no longer hover over the covenant alone; the faces turn outward, toward the world.
- Result. Judgment measured by God's own standard is what frees His power to face outward in blessing.
and the other cherub was ten cubits both the cherubim were of one measure and one form.
This verse closes the description of two huge cherubim in the innermost room of Solomon's temple: the second matched the first in size and shape. Commentators ask why there were two, why they were identical, and why the exact measure matters.
These were a new, much larger pair. They stood alongside the small gold figures already on the ark of the covenant.
One of the most unique features of Solomon's temple was the great cherubim set up in the inner sanctuary, or Holy of Holies. They were in addition to the gold figures which were on the ark. The large cherubim were each ten cubits high (about fifteen feet), and each had two wings... So the breadth of the wings was the same as the height of the cherubim themselves.
What did such a figure stand for?
The cherubim have been well described as "God's judicial executive, whoever God entrusts it to, and however He displays it." They do not appear to be a distinct order in God's creation. They are symbolic figures instead. In His ways of government and judgement God sometimes uses angels and sometimes men. Whichever it may be, the instruments He employs would be God's cherubim for the moment.
Why two, and why the same size? One writer sees balance in the pair.
Also, in the inner sanctuary were two cherubim carved from olive wood. The olive is symbolic of Christ from whom the Spirit of God (the oil) is sent from the Father (John 15:26). These were also covered with gold... The cherubim symbolize the government of God. Since there were two, this reminds us of the perfect balance of God's government. It involves both justice and grace, and both matter just as much.
The wings spanned the holiest wall to wall. One writer draws the believer's peace straight out of that exact fit.
In the most holy house he made two cherubim of image work and overlaid them with gold. The greatest care is taken to show that the span of the cherubim's wings was the exact breadth of the holiest... Not one cubit short of the breadth of the holiest. Can anything give more solid peace than this: that the consuming judgement of God on sin was according to God's own measure of sin? Not our thought of sin, not our measure, but according to the divine presence — the twenty cubits of the holiest. He who was with God, and was God, He is the way; and He bore the divine judgement, according to what God is.
The older pair on the ark gazed down at the covenant inside it. The new pair stood upright and faced away, and commentators treat that change of direction as the heart of the picture.
The cherubim are emblems, as we have seen, of judicial power. These new ones had a new position (those belonging to the ark remained the same). The wing of one new cherub touched the wall of the house on one side, and the wing of the other touched the wall on the other side. They looked not towards the ark, but outwards. Now that righteousness reigns and is established, these symbols of God's power can look outwards in blessing. Their eyes are no longer fixed on the covenant alone. While there was nothing but the covenant, they gazed upon it. But now that God has established His throne in righteousness, He can turn towards the world to bless it according to that righteousness.
Commentators differ on what the pair stands for. One writer reads them as a picture of those God has redeemed.
I believe the two large cherubim in the holiest of Solomon's temple represent the ministry of all the redeemed in its heavenly exercise. They were made of olive wood, an oily wood. This is a type of the spiritual body, serving in the power of the Spirit of God. They were carved figures, shaped to the image of the risen Christ. They were overlaid with gold, as sharing in a glory which is divine... The wings reach from wall to wall, meeting in the centre, over the mercy seat of the Lord. The ministry of the redeemed in glory will be wide, with the mystery of redeeming love in Christ Jesus at its centre, filling all Heaven and continuing through all eternity.
- Measure named. The cherubim stand for God's judicial power — power He carries out sometimes through angels, sometimes through men.
- Measure matched. Two figures of the same height and form picture the even balance of God's government — justice and grace of equal weight.
- Measure of sin. The span of the wings reached the full width of the holiest, not a cubit short: God judged sin by His own measure, not by ours.
- Measure turned outward. The cherubim on the ark gazed at the covenant; this pair looks out, because God has established His throne in righteousness and can now turn to the world in blessing.
- Measure clothed in gold. Olive wood overlaid with gold pictures the Spirit's power joined to divine glory — though commentators differ over whether the pair stands for God's rule or for the redeemed serving in that glory.
The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so of the other cherub.
Two carved figures stand in the innermost room of Solomon's temple, and each one measures the same height. Why record that measurement twice? And why place these towering figures where God's presence rested?
The temple kept the old ark from the tabernacle, with its small golden cherubim. Something new stood on either side of it:
One of the most unique features of Solomon's Temple was the great cherubim in the Oracle, or Holy of Holies. They were in addition to the gold figures which were upon the ark. The ark was exactly the same in the Temple as in the Tabernacle, except for its contents. The large cherubim were each ten cubits high (about fifteen feet); and each had two wings... So the wings spanned as wide as the cherubim were tall. They touched the walls of the Oracle on either side, and they touched each other in the middle. They were made of olive wood, and were covered with gold.
The choice of wood carries meaning too:
The olive is a symbol of Christ, who sends the Spirit of God (the oil) from the Father (John 15:26). These were also covered with gold.
Commentators read the cherubim as symbols of God acting in judgment and government:
The cherubim have been well described as "God's judicial executive, to whoever it is entrusted, and in whatever circumstances it is displayed." They do not appear to be a separate order of beings God created. They are symbolic figures instead. In His ways of government and judgement God sometimes uses angels and sometimes men. Whichever it is, the instruments He uses would be God's cherubim for the moment.
In the earlier tent, those figures faced inward:
They looked toward what was hidden in the ark — the covenant of the law placed inside it, written on tables of stone. The cherubim, two in number, were witnesses of the contents of the ark (Matthew 18:16). At the same time they were attributes of the judicial power of God. These attributes made the covenant sure. God kept it faithfully on His side, through everything that marked Him in government. As long as the king stayed faithful on his side, God remained seated on His throne between the cherubim, keeping His part of the covenant made with His people.
Both figures rose to the same height. One writer reads that sameness as a picture of how God rules:
The cherubim symbolize the government of God. Since there were two, this reminds us of the perfect balance of God's government. That government involves both justice and grace, and both are equally important.
One commentator draws meaning from the number ten itself, writing about the ten-cubit boards of the earlier tent:
The boards were ten cubits high. Five is the number of human responsibility. Ten is twice five, which deepens the thought of responsibility toward God and responsibility toward man. Nowadays men do not like this thought, but there it is, despite what men may think. "So then each of us will give an account of himself to God" (Romans 14:12).
The altar of sacrifice rose to that same height:
It was twenty cubits square and ten cubits high (2 Chronicles 4). Its length and breadth matched the Holiest of all — the atonement is as wide as the holiness of God. Its height matched the cherubim, which stood ten cubits high, and whose wings met over the mercy seat.
These large figures faced away from the ark. One writer explains why that matters:
As we have seen, the cherubim are emblems of judicial power, and now they had a new position (those belonging to the ark stayed the same)... They did not look towards the ark, but outwards. Now that righteousness reigns and is established, these symbols of God's power can look outward in blessing, instead of keeping their eyes fixed on the covenant alone. While there was nothing but the covenant, they gazed on it. But now that God has established His throne in righteousness, He can turn towards the world to bless it according to that righteousness.
Commentators differ on what the figures picture. Most read them as symbols of God's own governing power. One sees the redeemed in them instead — a "type of the spiritual body, serving in the power of the Spirit of God" — pictured in their heavenly service (Various).
- Added. The temple kept the old ark and its small cherubim unchanged, and added two gold-covered olive-wood figures beside it, each ten cubits high.
- Judicial. A cherub stands for God's judicial power in action — not a species of creature, but a symbol of how He governs.
- Matched. Both figures rose to the same height — a picture of God's government, perfectly balanced between justice and grace.
- Measured. Ten is the number of human responsibility — and the altar of sacrifice rose to that same ten-cubit height.
- Outward. These cherubim faced away from the ark: with righteousness established, God's power can turn toward the world in blessing.
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.
Solomon set two huge gold-covered figures in the innermost room of the temple. Their wings reached from wall to wall and met in the middle. Why did God want this room filled, edge to edge, with these figures?
These were not the small pair on the ark's lid. They were a new addition, far larger than anything in the tabernacle.
One of the most unique features of Solomon's Temple was the great cherubim set up in the Oracle, or Holy of Holies. They were in addition to the gold figures which were upon the ark. The ark was exactly the same in the Temple as in the Tabernacle, except for what was inside it. The large cherubim were each ten cubits high (about fifteen feet); and each had two wings... So the width of the wings matched the height of the cherubim. They were made of olive wood and covered with gold.
("Oracle" is the old name for the inner room, the Most Holy Place.)
Commentators read these figures as a picture of how God rules and judges.
The cherubim have been well described as "God's judicial executive, whoever it is entrusted to, and in whatever circumstances it is displayed." They do not appear to be a separate order of creatures that God made. They are symbolic figures instead. In His ways of government and judgement God sometimes uses angels and sometimes men. Either way, the instruments He uses would be God's cherubim for the moment.
Two details carry meaning: the number of the figures, and the wood they were carved from.
The two cherubim in the inner sanctuary were carved from olive wood. The olive is a symbol of Christ, from whom the Spirit of God (the oil) is sent from the Father (John 15:26)... The cherubim symbolize the government of God. Since there were two, this reminds us of the perfect balance of God's government. It involves both justice and grace, which are equally important.
Each pair of wings spanned ten cubits. Two cherubim side by side filled the room's twenty-cubit width exactly. One writer draws real comfort from that.
The greatest care is taken to show that the span of the cherubim's wings was the exact breadth of the holiest place — not one cubit short. Can anything give more solid peace than this: that the consuming judgment of God on sin was according to God's own measure of sin? Not our thought of sin, not our measure, but the measure of God's own presence. Twenty cubits the length of the porch; twenty cubits the breadth of the holiest place; twenty cubits the span of the cherubim's wings. He who was with God, and was God, He is the way; and He bore the divine judgment, according to what God is.
In the tabernacle the cherubim on the ark looked inward, toward the covenant. Solomon's face the other way.
The cherubim are emblems, as we have seen, of judicial power. These ones had a new position, while those on the ark stayed as they were. The wing of one new cherub touched the wall of the house on one side, and the wing of the other cherub touched the wall on the other side. Their wings extended from one side of the house to the other. They did not look towards the ark; they looked outwards. At this time righteousness reigns and is established. So these symbols of God's power can look outwards in blessing, instead of keeping their eyes fixed on the covenant alone.
Kelly ties the outward look to what Solomon's reign pictures.
Solomon's day is a picture of the time of glory, when the true Man and Prince of Peace will rule. And why should they not look out then? Sin will have been judged... When mercy has had its full way, and judgment has been carried out, nothing will stop the cherubim from proclaiming the goodness of Jehovah.
The wings reach the walls, but a curtain still hangs between this room and everyone outside it. Blessing flows out; access does not yet flow in.
The attributes of God do not now look only at the covenant, to keep it despite everything. They also look outwards to bless... but the veil is here found again in the temple. Whatever the blessing of the true Solomon's reign may be, Israel and the earth do not have immediate and direct access to Him who is hidden in the heavens. That is our portion: to enter with boldness now through the veil, and to find no veil in heaven.
- Place — the two great cherubim stood in the innermost room, beside the unchanged ark and its own smaller pair.
- Power — a cherub pictures God's judicial authority in action. Two of them show His government in perfect balance: justice and grace.
- Measure — the wings filled the twenty-cubit room exactly. Judgment fell by God's measure of sin, not ours.
- Direction — the ark's cherubim stayed fixed on the covenant. These face outward, because where righteousness reigns God can turn to the world to bless it.
- Limit — the veil still hung. Blessing reached out, but direct access to God waited for what this temple only pictured.
And he overlaid the cherubim with gold.
This short line finishes the work on two huge carved figures in the innermost room of Solomon's temple, where the ark of the covenant rested. It raises two questions: why were they there, and why did gold have to cover every inch of them?
The cherubim of verse 28 are not the small gold figures that already stood on the ark. They were a new and far larger pair, made for the most holy place — called the oracle.
The great cherubim that stood in the Oracle, or Holy of Holies, were one of the most unusual features of Solomon's Temple. They were in addition to the gold figures on the ark... The large cherubim were each ten cubits high (about fifteen feet), and each had two wings... So the wings spread as wide as the cherubim were tall. They touched the walls of the Oracle on either side, and they touched each other in the middle. They were made of olive wood, and were covered with gold.
The ark's figures were gold. This new pair was wood beneath gold, and both the wood and the number carry meaning.
Also, in the inner sanctuary were two cherubim carved from olive wood. The olive is symbolic of Christ from whom the Spirit of God (the oil) is sent from the Father (Jn. 15:26). These were also covered with gold (v. 28)... The cherubim symbolize the government of God. Since there were two, this reminds us of the perfect balance of God's government. That government involves both justice and grace, and both matter equally.
The gold here is part of a pattern that runs through the whole building. It also sets a condition for anyone who comes near.
Finally, those who entered the temple to dwell with God saw nothing but divine righteousness all around them. Down to the very floor beneath their feet, all was covered. Man cannot dwell with God except according to divine righteousness. What is more, all the furnishings of the temple were either made of gold or overlaid with gold. The altar of incense, the cherubim, and the doors of the most holy place are examples.
The same gold covering pictures how a believer stands before God.
Everything, whether stones or trees, was overlaid with pure gold. "Pure gold" can picture only Jesus, the righteous one, the righteousness of God... Every tree and stone was overlaid with pure gold and hidden from sight — not a notch of the fir wood could be seen. There were also cherubim carved on the walls. We believe God, "who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." So righteousness is credited to us. As the pure gold covered the trees and stones, so Jesus has been raised from the dead to be our righteousness that always continues... As God looked in the temple He saw only the pure gold.
That leaves one more question: what is a cherub?
The cherubim have been well described as "God's judicial executive, whoever it is entrusted to, and in whatever circumstances it is shown." They do not appear to be a separate order in God's creation. They are symbolic figures instead. In His ways of government and judgement God sometimes uses angels and sometimes men. Whichever it may be, the instruments employed would be God's cherubim for the moment.
The small cherubim on the ark gazed at the covenant. This new pair faced the other way, and that change of direction marks a change of time.
As we have seen, the cherubim are emblems of judicial power, and these had a new position (the ones on the ark stayed the same)... They did not look towards the ark, but outwards. Now that righteousness reigns and is established, these symbols of God's power can look outwards in blessing. Their eyes are no longer fixed on the covenant alone. While there was nothing but the covenant, they gazed on it. But when God has established His throne in righteousness, He can turn towards the world to bless it according to that righteousness.
- Covered. The gold hides the olive wood, so whoever entered saw nothing but divine righteousness — floor, walls, figures and all.
- Counted. Two cherubim, not one, picture God's government held in perfect balance: justice and grace of equal weight.
- Credited. What the gold did for the wood, the risen Christ does for the believer. God credits righteousness and sees only the gold.
- Turned. These figures look out, not down at the covenant. Once God's throne stands in righteousness, His power faces the world in blessing.
- Reaching. The wings stretch from wall to wall. The righteousness that lets man dwell with God is the same righteousness that reaches out to bless.
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.
Every wall of Solomon's temple was carved with the same three figures, then covered in gold. Why these three — winged cherubim, palm trees and half-open flowers — and why on the walls of both the inner and the outer room?
The carving ran right around the house, and gold went over it.
Carving was used a great deal in the Temple. "Around all the walls of the house he carved engraved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, in the inner and outer rooms." They were then covered with gold. 1 Kings 6:18, 29-35. In prophecy the Psalmist mourns over the enemy breaking that carved work down with axes and hammers. Ps. 74:6. For the "carved images" of idol worship (Judges 18:18; 2 Chr. 33:7, 22; 2 Chr. 34:3-4), Scripture uses a different word, translated elsewhere as "graven image."
The cherubim stand for God's government. One writer notes which creatures are missing from this carving, and draws a conclusion from that.
We have already seen that the cherubim are attributes of the righteous government of God… In these chapters before us the cherub has a unique place. It is neither an ox nor a lion. It is an intelligent being… The eagle is not mentioned in the decoration of the temple, or of the vessels of the court. The eagle stands for how fast God's judgment falls, and that does not fit a settled, peaceful government… The cherubim therefore are the aspect of intelligence in the government of God here. This intelligence ornaments the house of God. Those who draw near may see it in all the details of the divine building.
The carving stood on the walls inside and out. The same writer finds two parts to God's thoughts here — one open to view, one out of sight.
God's ways in His government are the outer part, the part that can be read on the wall, and they bear witness to this intelligence, to this endlessly varied wisdom. But beyond this there is a whole other part of God's thoughts, unknown under the law, hidden and covered over inside the temple where no human eye could see them. These are the counsels of God… God has revealed them to us by His Spirit (1 Cor. 2:9-10).
The palm has a settled meaning across the Bible. Its heavy use in this building points to one period of time.
It is the symbol of beauty (Song of Solomon 7:7), of righteousness, prosperity and fruitfulness (Ps. 92:12-14), of salvation and victory (Rev. 7:9), and of kingly glory (John 12:13). Its wide use in the first temple ties it to the kingdom and glory that Solomon's reign pictures (1 Kings 6:29, 32, 35; 1 Kings 7:36; 2 Chron. 3:5). These are the marks of the Millennial age… The palm tree grows steadily through every season, and so pictures constancy and perseverance.
The tabernacle had no palm trees at all. One writer reads that absence as a sign of what was still to come.
There was no representation of the palm tree in the tabernacle and it appears that it is an anticipation of the time of the Millennium.
Commentators differ on the half-open flowers. One reads them as spring just breaking, then turns the picture toward the people who will live in that kingdom.
The half-open flowers are the emblem of a new season, of the beginning of spring (Song of Solomon 2:12). Psalm 92:13-14 says, "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree … Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God." So these emblems are not only emblems of the kingdom, but also of those who belong there. There will be perfect harmony between the glories of the kingdom and those who will have part in it.
Another writer reads the open flower as full maturity, not a beginning. He also draws one lesson from the three carvings together.
But in this way God was insisting on His government of grace and truth, which people forget too easily. The palm trees speak of Christ who bears fruit with unfailing consistency. The open flowers picture the mature beauty (not buds) of the Lord Jesus. So we see the four principles that mattered most if God was to dwell there — grace, truth, fruitfulness and beauty.
- Covered. The figures ran around every wall, inner room and outer, and gold went over all of it — nothing in God's house stayed plain.
- Government. The cherubim stand for God's righteous rule. The lion, ox and eagle are absent here, so the wall shows the calm, intelligent side of that rule.
- Triumph. The palm speaks of righteousness, victory and royal glory. It never appeared in the tabernacle, which marks the temple as a picture of a coming reign.
- Bloom. The open flowers show freshness and beauty. Commentators read them either as spring just starting or as full maturity.
- Hidden. What the wall showed was God's government, open to any eye. His deeper counsels stayed out of sight inside, and He has revealed them by His Spirit.
And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.
Solomon built the temple of costly stone and lined it with carved cedar, yet gold hid every surface — down to the boards the priests walked on. Why cover good work at all, and why does the verse name the floor of both rooms?
One writer reads the gold as a statement about the throne inside the house. He also marks what the gold does not say:
What characterised the house in general is that nothing except gold was to be seen in it. Everything shone with the glory of divine righteousness that marked the throne of God set there. But it is not transparent as glass. What marks the throne on earth is not beauty and holiness, but righteousness and judgment.
The floor itself was not gold. It was cypress planking. Behind the gold on the walls lay cedar over stone. Each material carries its own sense:
The oracle as well as the holy place ("the temple before it") was covered with cedar wood. In Scripture cedar represents majesty and height, durability and firmness. Every part of the walls inside was covered. Nowhere did the stone show. But gold covered the cedar wood itself, and even the cypress planks of the floor. In Scripture gold always represents divine righteousness and glory.
("The oracle" is the older wording for the innermost room, which the ESV calls the inner sanctuary.)
The gold reached the floor of both rooms. So a priest inside had righteousness above him, around him, and under his feet. The same writer says why that mattered for anyone who came in:
Those who entered the temple to dwell with God saw nothing but divine righteousness round about them. Down to the very floor beneath their feet, all was covered. Man cannot dwell with God except according to divine righteousness.
Before the temple there was a tent, and its priests stood on desert sand. The change of surface marks a change of era. The ark's travels were ending:
The sand of the desert was to be exchanged for the golden floor of the temple (1 Kings 6:30). The wanderings of the ark were to have an end; there was neither adversary nor misfortune, and so the carrying poles were drawn out.
The same writer turns that contrast into a question about where the believer stands today. His answer keeps the order plain. The gold lies ahead, and the believer learns God most deeply in the wilderness:
So it is with the Christian now. He does not yet have his feet on the "pure gold" of the heavenly city. But his deepest and most lasting knowledge of God is what he gains in his sorrow, toil and conflict in the wilderness.
One word keeps returning through this chapter, and it points forward to something greater:
In the house gold was the prominent feature. The word "gold" occurs eleven times in this chapter. All was overlaid with gold... Everything was of pure gold; the sanctuary might have been called the golden house. The floor was overlaid with gold, the walls, the doors and ceiling were covered with pure gold... Gold is the emblem of divine righteousness and divine glory. So the whole sanctuary bore witness to the glory of righteousness, and this fits what the house pictured in prophecy. How much greater will the glory and the display of divine righteousness be when the true King builds the house and shows His glory!
- Covered. Stone, cedar and cypress were all real and costly, yet none of them showed. Gold hid them all.
- Righteousness. Gold stands for divine righteousness and glory. A house covered in it declared the character of the throne inside.
- Downward. The covering did not stop at eye level. It reached the floor of both rooms. No one dwells with God on any other ground than divine righteousness.
- Rest. A golden floor replaced the desert sand the tent priests had stood on. The ark's wanderings were over.
- Ahead. The believer's feet are not yet on that gold. The full display waits for the true King to build His house.
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 house].
This verse describes the doorway into the innermost room of Solomon's temple. Why olive wood? And why doors at all, where the tabernacle — the tent Israel carried in the wilderness — had only a curtain?
Older translations call the inner room "the oracle."
An "oracle" is a speaking-place. Both Kings and Chronicles use the word for the innermost room of the temple. Because failure came so soon after the temple was built, God may have spoken from His holy oracle in Jerusalem rarely, if at all. Yet that was God's intention for it. It came true in full only when the Lord Jesus appeared. He could speak of the temple of His body, and in Him we find not only the speaking place but the Spokesman. All that God has to say to us is in and through Him.
Older translations read "a fifth part" where the ESV has "five-sided." One writer takes that as a measurement.
The lintel and side-posts "were a fifth part," that is, a fifth of the width of the house. The Most Holy Place was twenty cubits wide, so a fifth part is four cubits.
One writer ties the change to the difference between a tent and a settled house.
Doors of olive wood were made for the entrance to the inner sanctuary (v.31). There were two of them, and they also had carvings of cherubim, palm trees and open flowers (v.32). The tabernacle had no doors, only a veil. It was a temporary dwelling for God while Israel travelled through the wilderness. The temple clearly had doors as well as the veil.
Commentators differ here. Grant sees doors as well as a veil. Another writer points out that 1 Kings never mentions the veil in this room.
As noted before, the veil is not mentioned here. A double door of olive wood (v. 31) overlaid with gold takes its place. It is a free, wide access that lets the eye reach into the most holy place. Even so, golden chains hung across the front of the oracle (v. 21), which fits the order of things under the law.
The kind of wood carries meaning too.
In connection with the temple we find great stress laid upon the olive wood, the tree from which olive oil is obtained. Quotations from the New Testament will show us how the anointing oil speaks of the Holy Spirit. Peter, preaching in the house of Cornelius, said that Jesus had been anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power. John, writing to believers in his letters, tells them they have an anointing. I believe those scriptures show us that anointing involves the Person and power of the Holy Spirit.
One writer compares this entrance with the outer one, and then comes to the doorframe.
The record seems to speak of two sets of doors: in verses 31-32 folding doors into the Oracle, which separated the holy place from the holiest of all, and in verses 32-35 folding doors into the Temple itself. The entrance into the Oracle was slightly the narrower of the two. The Oracle doors were made from the olive tree and the Temple doors from the fir tree. The lintel and side posts of both sets of doors were made of olive-wood. This points to the power of the Spirit. Only by His power can we make use of Christ to come into God's presence.
One writer reads the doors themselves as a picture of Christ.
Like the veil they replace, the doors represent Christ, who by giving Himself has opened up access for us to God. In the sanctuary we see the wisdom of God alone. Christ crucified is the wisdom of God. By His cross we enter the sanctuary in full peace and full joy, and there, with understanding, we can praise the Lamb who was slain.
- Speaking-place. The room behind these doors was the "oracle," God's speaking place. That purpose was reached in full only in Christ, who is both the place and the Spokesman.
- Doors, not only a curtain. The tent in the wilderness had a veil, because it was temporary. The settled house has doors of olive wood overlaid with gold: a free, wide access.
- Olive wood. The wood comes from the tree that gives the anointing oil. That oil speaks of the Person and power of the Holy Spirit.
- Frame and power. The lintel and doorposts of olive wood point to the Spirit's power. Without it no one makes use of Christ to enter God's presence.
- The door is a Person. The doors stand where the veil stood. They picture Christ, who by giving Himself opened the way in. We enter by His cross, and inside we praise the Lamb who was slain.