fifteen in a row. And there were windows in three rows, and 4 light was against light in three ranks. And all the doors 5 and posts were square, with the windows: and light was against light in three ranks. And he made a porch of pil- 6 lars; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits: and the porch was before them: and of side-chambers which ran all round the inside walls of this house of the forest of Lebanon, as the others did round the outside wall of the Temple. Taking the word as='side-chambers,' the text says that they were supported upon the pillars already mentioned in verse 2, and then adds that these chambers were forty-five in number, fifteen in a row. This seems to mean that the whole three tiers of rooms numbered fortyfive, each of the three stories being divided into fifteen chambers. If we suppose that the chambers were only on three sides like those surrounding the Temple, then six on each side and three at each end would exactly make up the number, and would suit with the dimensions of the house, which was twice as long as it was broad. The whole verse then may be translated 'And it was covered with cedar above, over the forty and five side-chambers, which were upon the pillars, fifteen in a row.'

4. And there were windows in three rows] This is not the usual word for 'windows,' but is that which in vi. 4 describes the sloping woodwork, or lattice, used in the windows of the Temple. From its use in the two descriptions it may be supposed to indicate the like work here as there, and so 'windows' is no inappropriate rendering, as it can be understood from the former passage. The R.V. gives prospects to avoid the commoner word, and puts 'beams' in the margin. 'Window-spaces' would perhaps give the best idea of what appears to be meant, which is some wooden framework fitted into those walls which looked into the interior court.

and light was against light in three ranks] This means that the windows in every one of the three stories were exactly over each other. There is a very slight difference in the Hebrew of the final clause of the next verse, but the sense is exactly the same.

5. And all the doors and posts were square, with the windows] It is not easy to say how the last word of the Hebrew should be rendered. It is akin to that rendered 'windows' by the A.V. in verse 4. Hence a like meaning has been assigned to it here. But there is nothing in the original to represent 'with the.' The R. V. used prospects in the previous verse, and so gives here were square in prospects, adding in the margin 'were made square with beams.' Taking these 'beams' to signify, as before, the 'framework' of the doorways, the sense would be were set square in the framework,' i.e. of the doorways.

6. And he made a (R.V. the) porch of pillars] This would seem to have been a separate building not connected with the house of the forest. In the same manner the porch for the throne in the next verse was unconnected with any other building. What was the purpose of the porch of pillars is not stated.

and the porch was before them] It is better to make this clause

7 the other pillars and the thick beam were before them. Then he made a porch for the throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgement: and it was covered with cedar from 8 one side of the floor to the other. And his house where he dwelt had another court within the porch, which was of the like work. Solomon made also a house for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken to wife, like unto this porch.

dependent on the first verb. Thus 'he made the porch of pillars...and a porch before them,' i.e. before the pillars.

7.

and the other pillars and the thick beam were before them] The word translated 'thick beam' seems most likely to have been a threshold or step work by which the porch was entered. The twice repeated 'before them' must refer to the same thing, viz. to the pillars of the first named porch, of which they formed the striking feature. So the sense of the verse would be 'he made the porch of pillars and in front of them also another porch with its pillars and a staircase or set of steps to approach it by.' Then he made a porch for the throne] Better (with R. V.) 'And he made the porch of the throne.' As the pillars were the distinction of the former porch, so was the throne of this. On kings sitting in public to hear causes and give judgment, cf. 1 Kings xxii. 10; Ps. cxxii. 5. and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other] Literally from floor to floor.' What is meant is that this was not an unenclosed porch like 'the porch of pillars' mentioned previously, but that it was enclosed with cedar wood walls all round from the floor to the ceiling. If this can be the sense of the word 'floor' in the second case, we must suppose the roof of the porch to be regarded as the floor of some upper room above it. But the word 'floor' ypp is not very unlike 'beams' and so some have suspected the scribe of having written the former instead of the latter in the second place. This would make all easy, but the other explanation is quite possible, and is accepted by Gesenius, though De Wette translates as in A.V.

8. And his house where he dwelt had another court within the porch, which was of the like work] It is better to leave out the italics of A.V. and translate 'And his house where he might dwell, the other court within the porch, was of the like work.' The description has apparently been carrying us, from the front of the house of the forest, regularly more and more inward. Now we are brought to a court behind the previously mentioned porch, and in this court stood the king's own dwelling house. It is noteworthy how little description is given to this or to the house for Pharaoh's daughter. This probably comes to pass because the public were never admitted to these quarters.

Pharaoh's daughter] Cf. iii. 1. The house for her probably joined the king's residence. Josephus (Ant. VIII. 5. 2) tells us that it was united with the porch of the throne, but his description is so vague that little reliance can be placed on it, and little help derived from it. The women's apartments, as usual in the East, were removed as far froin public view as possible,

ΙΟ

All these were of costly stones, according to the measures of 9 hewed stones, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside toward the great court. And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits. And above were costly stones, after the 1 measures of hewed stones, and cedars. And the great court 12 round about was with three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of the LORD, and for the porch of the house.

9. All these] i.e. The whole of the buildings described in the previous

verses.

according to the measures of hewed stones] Better not to be taken as in construction, but with R.V. even hewn stones according to measure. The word is literally 'according to measures,' and this the R. V. explains on the margin as 'after divers measures.' But this is what is meant by their text.

within and without] Though the inside face of the walls was to be covered with cedar, and so put out of sight, the same care was taken with the dressing of that part of the stone work, as with all that was to remain uncovered.

toward the great court] Better, unto. What appears to be meant in the verse is a strong expression of the excellency of the stone work. This is said to have been of the same character from the base to the coping of all the walls, and then is added, that it was the same from the front part of the buildings to the back. The front part, which was the house of the forest, is not mentioned, but it said that the good work extended unto the great court, which lay farthest back of all the buildings.

10. And the foundation] Even that work which was to be buried out of sight was of the same quality.

ten cubits...eight cubits] Probably we have here the greatest dimension, the length. We are left to imagine the breadth and thickness which would be proportional in stones of 15 feet and 12 feet long.

11. And above] i.e. The courses which lay upon the foundations. after the measures of hewed stones] Render (as in 9) hewn stone according to measure.

It

and cedars] The noun is singular. formed part of the wall, but to the cedar

refers not to any beams that facings with which the interior stone work in many places was covered. R. V. cedar-wood.

12. And the great court round about] The words are the same as in vi. 36. The great court was the hindmost part of all the palace grounds, and was apparently higher than the level of the front part. The way in which it was enclosed was by a low wall (sunk fence) as was done for the inner-court of the Temple.

both for the inner court of the house of the Lord] The conjunction with which this sentence begins is the usual copulative. But the sense