1 Kings 5:17

17 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, [and] hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.

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 And Solomon had seventy thousand that bore burdens, and eighty thousand hewers in the mountains;

16 Besides the chief of Solomon's officers who [were] over the work, three thousand and three hundred, who ruled over the people that wrought in the work.

17 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, [and] hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.

18 And Solomon's builders, and Hiram's builders did hew [them], and the stone-squarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.