Albert Barnes

It was a handbreadth thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could hold two thousand baths.

“The palm or hand-breadth seems to have a little exceeded three inches. With flowers of lilies - Rather, “in the shape of a lily flower.” The rim was slightly curved outward, like the rim of an ordinary drinking-cup, or the edge of a lily blossom.”

In addition, he made ten movable stands of bronze, each four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high.

“Ten bases of brass - These were for the ten lavers (1Ki 7:38. See 2Ch 4:6). In general terms the bases were square stands, 6 feet each way, and 4 12 feet high, elaborately ornamented on their four sides, and resting upon four wheels, 2…”

This was the design of the stands: They had side panels attached to uprights,

“Borders - Rather, “panels” (so 1Ki 7:32, 1Ki 7:35), a set of square compartments between the “ledges” or borders, or mouldings.”

Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles and a basin resting on four supports, with wreaths at each side.

“Plates of brass - Rather, “brazen axletrees.” The “undersetters” (literally, “shoulders”) are conjectured to have been four brackets, or bars, proceeding from the four upper corners of the bases, and stretching upward to the outer rim of the laver, which thus rested partly upon them.”

There were four wheels under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand; each wheel was a cubit and a half in diameter.

“With the diameter (2 14 ft.) of the wheel here, may be compared that of the earliest Assyrian chariot-wheels, which was under 3 feet; and that of the front wheels seen in representations of Assyrian close carriages, which scarcely exceed 14th of the height of…”

At the top of each stand was a circular band half a cubit high. The supports and panels were cast as a unit with the top of the stand.

“A round compass - A circular elevation, half a cubit high, rather than a circular depression, half a cubit deep. Compare 1Ki 7:29. The “ledges” and “borders” of the top of the base were its “hands” and its “panels.””

Solomon left all these articles unweighed, because there were so many. The weight of the bronze could not be determined.

“The brass of which the two pillars, Jachin and Boaz, the brass sea, and the various vessels were made had been taken by David from two cities belonging to Hadadezer, king of Zobah 1Ch 18:8.”

So all the work that King Solomon had performed for the house of the LORD was completed.

“The things which David had dedicated - Not only the things described in 1Ch 28:14-18, but also the spoil of the nations which he had subdued (margin reference), and also the vessels of gold, silver, and brass, sent him by Toi king of Hamath, on…”

At that time Solomon assembled before him in Jerusalem the elders of Israel—all the tribal heads and family leaders of the Israelites—to bring up the ark of the covenant of…

“There seems to be a contrast here between the more popular proceedings of David 2Sa 6:1, and the statelier system of his son, who merely summons the chief men as representatives of the nation.”

When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark,

“In 2Ch 5:4, ““the Levites” took up the ark;” and by the Law the ark was the special charge of the Kohathites Num 3:31; Num 4:15. But all priests were Levites Jos 3:3, though all Levites were not priests.”

There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites after…

“Comparing this statement with Heb 9:4, it would seem that Solomon, now that the sacred chest had reached its final resting-place, and stood in a large chamber surrounded by tables 2Ch 4:8, removed the pot of manna and the rod from the interior, and set…”

so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

“As in the case of Moses Exo 40:35, so now the glory of the Lord, the manifestation of the divine presence, which the cloud usually veiled, shone forth from it with such brilliancy, that mortal man could not bear the sight.”

and said: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His own hand what He spoke with His mouth to my father David, saying,

“The exact words of 2 Sam. 7 are not reproduced; only their general sense is given. In 1Ki 8:18, what was merely tacitly implied was regarded as actually “said.””

Therefore now, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for Your servant, my father David, what You promised when You said: ‘You will never fail to have a man to sit…

“Solomon’s prayer is, perhaps, generally for the fulfillment of all the promises made to David in connection with the building of the temple. But there seems to be special allusion in this verse to the promise recorded in Psa 132:14.”

But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.

“heaven of heavens - Compare Deu 10:14; Psa 148:4. It seems to mean the heaven in its most extended compass.”

May Your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that You may hear the prayer…

“The choice of Jerusalem as the place seems to have been made by special revelation to David. See Psa 78:68; Psa 132:13; and compare 1Ch 22:1. Toward this place - Better (here and in 1Ki 8:30) than the marginal “in.””

When a man sins against his neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an oath before Your altar in this temple,

“The oath come before ... - “The oath” is equivalent to “the man who swears the oath.” A slight alteration in the present Hebrew text gives the sense “and he (the accused) go and swear before thine altar,” etc.”

then may You hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, so that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk.

“Teach them ... - Rather, “when thou art teaching them (by thy chastisement) the good way that they should walk in,” i. e. when thou art still teaching, not taking vengeance.”

When famine or plague comes upon the land, or blight or mildew or locusts or grasshoppers, or when their enemy besieges them in their cities, whatever plague or sickness may…

“In the land of their cities - literally, “in the land of their gates.” Hence, the marginal translation “jurisdiction,” because judgments were pronounced in the town gates Deu 16:18. Another reading gives “in one of their cities.””

then may whatever prayer or petition Your people Israel make—each knowing his own afflictions and spreading out his hands toward this temple—

“Know every man the plague of his own heart - i. e. perceive one’s sinfulness, or recognize one’s sufferings as divine chastisements, and sin as their cause.”

And as for the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of Your name—

“Nothing is more remarkable in the Mosaic Law than its liberality with regard to strangers, both in general Exo 22:21; Lev 25:35; Deu 10:19 and in religious matters Num 15:14-16; Deu 31:12.”

for they will hear of Your great name and mighty hand and outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple,

“Great name - A somewhat rare expression. It does not occur at all in the Pentateuch; though “mighty hand” and the “stretched out arm” are so frequent Exo 6:6; Exo 13:9; Deu 9:29: only once in Joshua Jos 7:9; and twice in the Psalms Psa…”

then may You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You.

“That all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee - Solomon prays that the result of Yahweh’s hearing the prayers of pagans addressed toward the temple may be the general conversion of the world to the worship of Him.”

and when they come to their senses in the land to which they were taken, and they repent and plead with You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We…

“Bethink themselves - literally, as in the margin - i. e. “reflect,” “consider seriously.” Compare Deu 30:1. Sinned, done perversely, committed wickedness - The words here used seem to have become the standard form of expressing contrition when the time of the captivity arrived and…”

Now when Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the LORD, he got up before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his…

“If the prayer of Solomon be, as it has all the appearance of being, a genuine document of the time, preserved in the archives to which the authors of both Kings and Chronicles had access, all theories of the late origin of Deuteronomy must be…”