1 Kings 5:17

17 praecepitque rex ut tollerent lapides grandes lapides pretiosos in fundamentum templi et quadrarent eos

1 Kings 5:17 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 5:17

And the king commanded, and they brought great stones
Not in quality, but in quantity, large stones, fit to lay in the foundation; strong, and durable against all the injuries of time, as Josephus says ^F9:

costly stones;
not what are commonly called precious stones, as gems, pearls but stones of value, as marble, porphyry, &c.

[and] hewed stones;
not rough as they were taken out of the quarry, but hewed, and made smooth:

to lay the foundation of the house;
which, though out of sight, was to be laid with goodly stones for the magnificence of the building; so the church of Christ, its foundation is said to be laid even with sapphires and other precious stones, see ( Isaiah 54:11 ) ( Revelation 21:19 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F9 Antiqu. l. 8. c. 3. sect. 2.

1 Kings 5:17 In-Context

15 fuerunt itaque Salomoni septuaginta milia eorum qui onera portabant et octoginta milia latomorum in monte

16 absque praepositis qui praeerant singulis operibus numero trium milium et trecentorum praecipientium populo et his qui faciebant opus

17 praecepitque rex ut tollerent lapides grandes lapides pretiosos in fundamentum templi et quadrarent eos

18 quos dolaverunt cementarii Salomonis et cementarii Hiram porro Biblii praeparaverunt ligna et lapides ad aedificandam domum