Ishodad of Merv

I will carry out this very day exactly what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he…

“In the first place, he appoints Solomon as king, even though he had many sons, in order to confound the fools, who believed that nature is more valuable than a virtuous spirit before God.”

“Take my servants with you,” said the king. “Set my son Solomon on my own mule and take him down to Gihon.

“[David] orders [Zadok, Nathan and Benaiah] to make "Solomon ride [his] mule," because this animal was highly valued among the Hebrews, just like the white donkey among the Romans.”

Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of the armies of…

“[David] orders Solomon to punish [Joab], not out of viciousness or hatred for him but because he knew that he was wicked and that, if he had acted with hostility against him who was a mature man, he would act even worse against a young…”

When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah but not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the LORD and took hold of the horns of the…

“Joab runs to the tent for two reasons: first of all, in order to escape his death, if possible; second, because he imagined that, if he were killed in that place, the tent of God would become polluted as a consequence of his death, and…”

Solomon composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five.

“Of his three thousand proverbs a single book is left, while all the others perished during the captivity. And of his one thousand and five songs we still possess a single one, that is the Song of Songs.”

When Hiram received Solomon’s message, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the LORD this day! He has given David a wise son over this great people!”

“This Hiram had been converted to [the worship of] God through his relationships with David, and "he rejoiced greatly, when he heard" that a house would be built for the Lord.”

The house that King Solomon built for the LORD was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.

“The house that Solomon built for the [Lord] was sixty cubits long," that is, the double of the tabernacle. It is extremely likely that it included two rooms, an interior and an exterior. The interior was twenty cubits long, while the exterior was forty cubits.”

Against the walls of the temple and the inner sanctuary, Solomon built a chambered structure around the temple, in which he constructed the side rooms.

“Against the sides of the house he made side chambers, that is, some porticos like those built around a basilica, one on the other, in three levels.”

He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon a hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high, with four rows of cedar pillars supporting the cedar beams.

“"The House of the Forest of the Lebanon" does not mean that this house was built in a forest or in Lebanon, as is sometimes asserted, but that [Solomon] built a huge house where weapons were gathered in large quantity, just as the Forest of…”

Thus he set up the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jachin, and the pillar to the north he named Boaz.

“[The Scripture] calls the [pillar] on the south "Jachin," indicating through it the humility of the priesthood; while the one on the north, called "Boaz," signifies the power of kingship. It is possible that in Hebrew the two pillars indicate the two powers.”

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…

“The words "there was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone" does not mean that the author did not know that there were also the jar [containing the manna], the staff [of Aaron], and so forth.”

And as the whole assembly of Israel stood there, the king turned around and blessed them all

“While the king prayed and blessed the people, he stood on a pillar of bronze whose height was five cubits and whose width was two cubits. He climbed it by means of a flight of steps.”

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…

“[The Scripture] defines them as diseases deriving from changes in the weather. Blight [occurs when] wheat does not grow. Therefore [we read] these words: "Pharaoh saw ears blighted by a burning wind."”

And the LORD said to him: “I have heard your prayer and petition before Me.

“How can God say that he will always be in this temple when he threatens to destroy the house? The gifts of God are without second thoughts, as far as it depends on him, but our wickedness turns them away from us.”

the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants and cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house of the…

“The words "the attendance of the servants [and their clothing]." It seems that Solomon, in his wisdom, had divided into classes all his servants, that is, all the craftsmen that did their duty, so that they might be identifiable from their clothing and uniforms which…”

I will give one tribe to his son, so that My servant David will always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put My…

“The words "so that David may always have a lamp" refer to that small part of the kingdom which was like the sun in the abundance of its light: "Your throne will be like the sun before me."”

Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel.

“Some authors assert that [the old prophet] was not an impostor but invited [the true prophet] to eat out of human sympathy in order to refresh and thank him for admonishing Jeroboam.”

All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. For this is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who will receive a proper burial, because only in him has the…

“[The Scripture] calls "something pleasing" the fact that [Jeroboam] sent his wife to the prophet of God and not to the impostors and diviners.”

Moreover, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, because of all the evil he had done in the sight…

“"… In being like the house of Jeroboam, and also because he destroyed it." This does not mean that Elah killed Jeroboam, but that Baasha, father of Elah, killed the son of Jeroboam.”

“Do not be afraid,” Elijah said to her. “Go and do as you have said.

“"[First] make me a [little] cake." He certainly did not make this request because he was hungry but to teach the widow that, through the mediation of the priests, some of the first fruits of her crops had to be offered to God.”

Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first.

“[Elijah] ordered [the prophets of Baal] to sacrifice first, in order that they might not have any excuse [by saying], "If we had sacrificed first, [Baal] would have accepted our sacrifice, but now he is angry with us, because we have sacrificed last."”

Midday passed, and they kept on raving until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no response; no one answered, no one paid attention.

“[Elijah and the prophets of Baal] had agreed to fix a specific time and deadline [by saying], "We will stay until this hour, and he whose sacrifice is not accepted will die."”

So Elisha turned back from him, took his pair of oxen, and slaughtered them.

“"He slaughtered the oxen." He did that not [as a sacrifice] to God, because Elisha was not a priest, but he killed them for a banquet which he offered to his people.”