1 Kings 7:1

FURTHER DESCRIPTION OF SOLOMON'S BUILDINGS

"This sad narrative of Solomon reveals to us, and modern research confirms it, that the purple of Solomon had a very seamy side. Beneath the glittering surface of his splendor there was a groaning abyss of misery and wretchedness. Jerusalem, during the twenty years of building summarized at the beginning of this chapter, was a disastrous spectacle of task-masters, armed with rods and whips, enforcing the toil of gangs of slaves, just as we may see them depicted upon the tombs of Egypt and Assyria."[1]

Furthermore, these elaborate descriptions of Solomon's buildings, especially of the Temple, are loaded with evidences of Solomon's disregard of God's commandments and of his bringing into his Temple elements of paganism which he mingled with some of the features of the Tabernacle which he supposedly copied, but did not, in reality, do any such thing.

We shall not attempt to give the reader any accurate description of the buildings and other articles mentioned in this chapter, for the simple reason that such a description is utterly impossible.

Again from Farrar, "The elaborate particulars furnished here are architecturally insufficient to enable us to reconstruct the building, or even to form any more than a vague conception of the building's external appearance. The Biblical accounts both in Kings and Chronicles are independent and incomplete extracts, giving in the aggregate only a vague impression."[2]

SOLOMON'S CONSTRUCTION OF THE PALACE COMPOUND

"And Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house. For he built the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was a hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars. And it was covered with cedar above over the forty and five beams, that were upon the pillars; fifteen in a row. And there were beams in three rows, and window was over against window in three ranks. And all the doors and posts were made square with beams: and window was over against window in three ranks. And he made the porch of pillars; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits; and a porch before them; and pillars and a threshold before them. And he made the porch of the throne where he was to judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from floor to floor. And his house where he was to dwell, the other court within the porch, was of the like work. He made also a house for Pharaoh's daughter (whom Solomon had taken to wife), like unto this porch."

"And Solomon was building his own house thirteen years" (1). It is amazing to this writer how most of the commentators make excuse for this exceedingly selfish building project on the basis that "Solomon saw no need to hurry this as he allegedly did the Temple"; and that, "after all, David had spent years collecting money and materials for the Temple," which, of course, was not done for Solomon's house! The simple fact remains that Solomon spent nearly twice as much time building his own house as he did the Temple, and presumably twice as much money! Remember the thirteen year's labor of that battalion of 150,000 slaves!

Scholars do not agree as to the nature of this construction, whether it was all in one big complex compound, or if some of the buildings were separated. It is not known why one wife out of the 700 Solomon married should have been singled out to receive a special building, or if, perhaps, her house was merely a section of the harem. Keil pointed out that there are a number of special projects included here: "(1) The house of the forest of Lebanon (1 Kings 7:2-5); (2) The pillar hall and porch (1 Kings 7:6); (3) The throne room and judgment hall (1 Kings 7:7); (4) Solomon's own dwelling; (5) The house for Pharaoh's daughter (1 Kings 7:8)."[3]