A commentary upon the whole Old Testament, added to that of the same author upon the whole New Testament published many years before, to make a compleat work upon the whole Bible. Vols. 2-4. Wherein the divers translations and expositions, literall and mysticall, of all the most famous commentators both ancient and modern are propounded, examined, and judged of, for the more full satisfaction of the studious reader in all things, and many most genuine notions inserted for edification in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. A work, the like unto which hath never yet been published by any man, yet very necessary, nor only for students in divinity; but also for every Christian that loveth the knowledge of divine things, or humane, whereof this comment is also full. Consisting of IV parts. I Upon the Pentateuch, or five books of Moses. II Upon the historical part, from Joshua to Esther. III Upon Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Solomons Song. IV Upon all the prophets both great and small. By John Mayer, doctor of divinity.

CHAP. VII.

But Solomon built his owne house in 13 yeares, and the house of the Forrest of Liba∣nus, &c.] Here are 3 buildings more mentioned. 1. Davids own house. 2. The * 1.1 Forrest house. 3. The house of Pharaohs daughter his wife, touching all which it is to be understood, that he was in building them 13 yeares; not that he bestowed more cost upon these buildings then upon the house of the Lord, but partly because all things about these were to be prepared now, whereas for the house of the Lord, they were prepared before, and partly because here were three houses for one; and lastly because all Israel did help, and more diligently the builders followed that work then this.

The house of the forrest of Libanus, is thought to have been so called, for the orchards and trees about it, and that therein was his armory, and to this both the * 1.2 King and Queen came for their recreation. Iosephus saith, that it was the hall of the Kings pallace, then which the Queen of the South admired nothing more. Theodoret thinketh, that it was called the forrest of Libanus, not because this house * 1.3 was built there, for it stood upon a part of mount Sion, but because as in Libanus many Cedars grew, so here were many pillars of Cedar standing; or according to some, because it stood upon that part of Sion, which was woody like Libanus. * 1.4 Pellican saith, it was so called, because it was made all of wood, and that by the Hebrews it was called domus refrigerii, and that it stood near the temple, in which happily the King and his courtiers stood at the time of sacrificing, when the common people stood in the Court made for them, and the porch which hee also built, he supposeth was for women to stand in, and the two lesser porches saith Lyra, were, the one for Solomons throne, when he would sit in most royall state, the

other for his Iudges to sit in and to hear common causes.

All these are said to have been made of pretious stones, that is, stones, which cost * 1.5 a great price, as being very great and costly to be transported, for they were stones of 8. cubits, and stones of 10. cubits sawn and polished.

And Solomon sent and took Hiram out of Tyre, he was the sonne of a widow of the * 1.6 tribe of Naphtali] 2 Chron. 2. 14. the sonne of a woman of the posterity of Dan; that is, saith Iunius a widow of Naphtali by the fathers side, and of Dan by the mo∣thers, and this mans father was a Tyrian, because he had skill to do any work in brasse. 2 Chron. 2. 14. in gold, silver, brasse and iron, wood and stone, in purple, silk and skarlet, and to grave any graving. Here the history returneth again to the tem∣ple, and to set forth the ornaments thereof made by Hiram. But it is to be under∣stood, that he did not now first come into Iudea to do these works following, but came, when they first went about the building of the temple, and had an hand in all the curious works about it hitherto described, as is plainly shewed 2 Chron. 2. 14, &c. and ch. 3. 15. after the other curious works before commemorated, done by him, it is said as here v. 15. that he made two pillars of brasse to stand before the * 1.7 temple, and here v. 14, he is said to have done all Solomon's work; but here either of them is said to be onely 18. cubits high, there 35. cubits, which Iunius doth * 1.8 thus reconcile; here sacred cubits are meant, there common, and it is to be known, that the sacred measure was twice as great as the common: But thus the height should not be 35. but 36. cubits, to this he saith, that the basis might be a cubit, which because it was but half a sacred one, is not here left out, but counted with the body of the pillar, but there it is. Pellican saith, that they both together were * 1.9 35. cubits high, which is there meant, and each one almost 18. for which it is said to be 18. cubits. Lyra reckoneth 35. cubits height thus; 18. in the body of the pillar, 5. the chapiter upon the top of it, and 4. the head put upon that, and then the basis below must needs be 8. cubits, although it be not spoken of, and all these toge∣ther make 35. This of Lyra is followed by P. Martyr, that of Pellican by Patablus and Ribera, onely herein they differ, that they say, the half cubit in the basis of each * 1.10 pillar was hidden in the hollow of the pillar, and therfore is not mentioned in Chro. The resolution given by Iunius I cannot subscribe unto, because it is not said in Chron. 36. but 35. and for the supposed basis, seeing no mention is made in the text of any, it is onely imaginary. And therefore, I think not that of Lyra to be re∣ceived neither, and because he would make up the number of 35. here, partly by adding the cubits of the chapiter, which in the Chronicles, are expresly put by themselves over and above the number of 35. I subscribe therefore to Pellican, whose will soon appear to be the truest, if this and that in Chron. be compared to∣gether, for here the length of one pillar is spoken of, there of both together, and that more exactly, there being in each pillar somewhat wanting of 18. cubits, but it is said to be so much, because it was about that length, and what it wanted was not worth the speaking of, unlesse we shall say with Patablus, that some part of the pillars being set up, was hid, and the reckoning in the Chron. is onely of the length, which appeared. The bignesse of each pillar was such, that a threed of 12. cubits did compasse it. So Ier. 52. 21. where it is also said to be hollow, and that the thick∣nesse was 4. fingers.

And be made two Chapiters, each one five cubits high, and set them upon the pil∣lars, * 1.11 &c.] These are called crowns, Ier. 52. 22. that is, saith R. Levi, not like un∣to Kings crowns, but like globes, of a just and proportionable bignesse to the pil∣lars, and these were fixed into the pillars, being set one against another like two cups, and upon these two were set two other lesser heads rising up, as Lyra saith, * 1.12 from the midst of them with a narrower compasse four cubits high, so that the whole crown and ornament above it standing upon the pillar, was nine cubits high, being most curiously wrought all over in the brasse, of which they were made with rowes of net-works, and 200. pomegranats to each head, that is, 100. above and as many beneath, artificially hanged round about it. Martyr saith, that these * 1.13 pillars did resemble a man, the nether part setting forth his feet, the second the trunk of his body, the third his head, and the fourth his hat, and that the use of them

was the ornament, signifying Gods protection over this house, as of old the pillar of fire and the pillar of smoke, shewed his protection over them in the wildernesse. And whereas they had names given them, which happily were engraven in them, the one being named Iachim and the other Boaz, signifying firmnesse and forti∣tude, this shewed the stability of this house, and of the spirituall temple for ever figured out hereby, the Rabbins say, of the house of David.

He made also a molten sea of 10 cubits from brim to brim round, in the circuit, * 1.14 the height 5 cubits, and a tbreed of 30 cubits did compasse it about. &c.] The use of this brazen sea is not here set down, but Exod. 30. 17, 18. it said, that a vessell of brasse was made for the Tabernacle, in which Aaron and his sonnes might wash their hands and feet, and for the like use was made, yet not for them to goe into, as Lyra hath it. But that they might wash with the water which issued out of it * 1.15 by rocks round about, for which cause Martyr thinketh that the heads of the bulls served, whereof there are said to be 12. which did beare up this sea, 3 towards the East, 3 to the West, 3 to the North, and 3 to the South. The capacity of this sea is said to be of 2000 baths, that is, such measures of liquid things, as an Ephah is of dry; of which see Exod. 16. but Iosephus saith, that a bath was 62 sextaries, that is, 93 pints, which make 11 gallons, and 5 pints. 2000 Baths, 22250 Gallons; whereas 2 Chron. 4. 5. it is 3000 baths, Junius reconciles it thus, there were commonly put * 1.16 into it 2000. but it could contain 3000. Lyra following the Vulg. lat. hath it, 2000 baths here, and 3000 measures there, saying that a bath was a measure and a halfe, and so 3000 measures are no more then 2000 baths, yea in this place the Vulg. lat. hath both, 2000 Baths, that is, 3000 measures; but he confesseth that it erept into the text by the ignorance of the writer. But it is to be understood, that neither here, nor 2 Cron. 4. 5. any other word is used but baths, so that Lyra his solution cannot hold, unlesse, as some, he will have baths and measures to be all one, but a distinction between baths, one sort being lesse by the third part then the other. Ca∣jetan, Ribera, and Serrarius follow Iunius, but this is rather to be preferred, if there were any such difference of baths. It is called a sea, because it was usuall amongst the Hebrewes, to call the gathering together of much water seas.

And he made 10 brazen bases, the length of each one 4 cubits, and the breadth 4 * 1.17 cubits, and the height 3 cubits.] Much is here spoken in describing these ba∣ses which yet were nothing else, but frames to set the lavers upon, of which v. 38. * 1.18 and they were to hold water to wash the flesh of the sacrifices, each one contain∣ing 40 baths, and these were placed 5 on one side of the Preists Court, and 5 on the other; the brazen sea being nearest to the sacrifices; it is to be understood that they were first washed at the poole described, Iohn 5. by the Nethinims. And for the forme of the bases, it is generally held, saith Lyra, that they were four square stan∣ding * 1.19 upon four wheeles, whereupon they might be removed, and their height said to be 3 cubits, is to be understood of the bases and wheel together, and the square of each basis about was made into a round but one cubit and an halfe over, fit for the lance to stand upon, being of the same measure downward, but at the top of it was but one cubit over, yet in the midst it swelled out into 4 cubits according to the square of the basis, and outwardly both above and beneath, were divers pi∣ctures made of Lions and Cherubims for ornament, and four shoulders or pillars went out from the basis above to stay the laver, when it was set on. And the belly of the laver must needs be conceived to be in extent answerable to the basis that is, 4 cubits; because otherwise it would not have contained 40 baths, yea the He∣brewes holding that so it could not contain thus much, say that it was not narrow, but broad at the top, being thus also more fit to wash any thing in, and this is most pro∣bable, thus also Martyr. The 4 cubits therefore spoken of in text are to be attribu∣ted * 1.20 to the Diameter above, and not according to the height, which must not be con∣ceived to be above one cubit, because otherwise it would have been too high to reach unto, to wash any thing therein. And if each laver contained 40 baths, they altogether contained 2000. as the brazen sea did.

Moreover, Hiram made chaldrons, fire shovels, and basons.] The chaldrons are thought by Lyra to have been to put the ashes of the Altar into to be carried away, * 1.21

but by Martyr, to sethe the flesh of the peace-offerings in, wherewith they fea∣sted, * 1.22 that brought th••se offerings, but the Priests had part of it also, and in the time of Ely's sonnes, one came with a flesh-hook and thrust it into a chaldron, and what∣soever it brought up was the Priests, 1 Sam. 2. But the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 here used, which in the vulgar Latin is rendred Lebetes, is by Martyr rendred conchae, as the ten lavers before spoken, because the word which setteth thē forth & these is the same. And it is an other word, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 which is used v. 45. and is by him rendred chal∣drons, although the vulgar Latin hath it lebetes, in both places. But because they are two divers words, the first happily may set forth some brazen vessell to put ashes into, the other a chaldron or pot to boyl meat in. The fire-shovels were to gather up the ashes, and to carry coals from the altar to put into the censers in the temple for the incense, and the basons to receive the bloud of the sacrifices, and the drink-offerings. These things being thus distinctly mentioned, v. 41, 42, 43, 44, 45. there is a capitulation of them all together, and v. 46. it is shewed, that * 1.23 they were all cast in the plain of Iordan. He made also an altar of gold, and a table of gold for the shew-bread. 2 Chron. 4. 19. It is said Tables; and v. 8. he made 10. tables, placing five on the right side, and five on the left, whereas then a ta∣ble is there spoken of, Martyr thinketh, that it is meant of one more eminent then * 1.24 the rest, which was for the shew-bread to be set upon, and that the other tables were for basons and vials of gold and silver to stand upon, according to Iosephus, who saith, that Solomon made 2000. basons, and 4000. vials. But it is not onely said 2 Chron. 4. 19. that he made tables, but tables for the shew-bread; and Ly∣ra * 1.25 thinketh, that whereas upon the table made by Moses, there were set 12. breads, that there were 12. upon every one of these tables, but haply one was more excellent then the rest, and this onely is spoken of here. The golden Altar was for incense, it stood in the temple nigh to the most holy place, into which the fume might enter above, where it was open, and be as a cloud above the Oracle. Of the shew-bread and mystery therein, and the golden table made by Moses, whereupon it stood, which was then but one, see before Exod. 25. 23. where also is shewed of what it was made, viz. of cepar, and overlaid with gold, and what was the height, length, and breadth thereof.

And candlesticks, five on the right side, and five on the left before the oracle, of most * 1.26 pure gold.] Moses made but one only, unto which Solomon added 10 more. which if they were like unto that of Moses, each candlestick held many lights, and an whole talent of gold went to it; the number of lights and tables for shew-bread thus multiplyed under Solomon, who was a figure of Christ did figuratively fore∣shew that under the Gospell the light should be much more then under the law, and the spirituall food of the word of God, by the accession of the books of the new Testament, to these of the old: whereas it is said, five on the right side, and five on the left; this is by the Hebrewes saith Pellican, understood of the candlestick made * 1.27 by Moses, these stood five on the right side of it, and five on the left, and that in the midst on the South side of the temple; & the 10 tables likewise were placed about the table made by Moses on the North side, when these and all other utensils were made for the Temple, Solomon brought in all the things which were dedicated by * 1.28 David, whereupon the Rabbins saith Pellican, observe, that he made all things with the treasure which he had gathered in 4 years, but none of them with the treasure gathered by David as being not worthy to be put to this use, but how truly, let the reader judge.

For the mysticall signification of the two pillers, enough hath been said before * 1.29 upon v. 23. The brazen sea figured out Baptisme, wherein all the Priests, that is, the elect wash themselves, and are cleansed, that they may appear acceptably be∣fore God. And well is it called a sea, because a naturall sea, that is, the red sea first figured out Baptisme, 1 Cor. 10. 1. now this sea made by art.

The 12. oxen, which did bear up this sea, did figure out the 12. Apostles, who went into all parts of the world teaching and baptizing, as these looked three towards the East, three to the West, &c. for that oxen do aptly resemble prea∣chers, is shewed 1 Cor. 9. where it is said, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the oxe which treadeth out the corn.

This sea contained 2000. baths, to shew, that to the baptisme figured out here∣by, come two peoples, the Iewes and the Gentiles; so Beda.

The ten bases bearing up the lavers, in which the sacrifices were washed, and afterwards put upon the Altar to be burnt with fire, did also figure out the prea∣chers of the word, by whose ministry as the elect are washed in baptisme, as Priests to serve God at his Altar, so they are washed, as holocausts, that by the im∣position of hands, the holy Ghost as fire might come upon them, and make them sacrifices unto God, which is, when they are filled with his guists, the accom∣plishment of which is most notably to be seen in the beleeving Samaritans, bapti∣zed by Philip, but afterwards by the imposition of the hands of Peter receiving the * 1.30 holy Ghost. The four wheels which each of these bases had, did set forth the four Evangelists, upon which they did run into all parts, and their answering to one another in all things, the harmony betwixt the Evangelists. The lavers set up∣on these bases containing each one 40. baths, saith Beda, shewed, that such as at truly baptized, beleeve the faith set forth in the 4. Evangelists and keep the ten commandements, because ten multiplied by four make forty. And to shew, that baptisme was hereby figured out, all these vessels were made near unto Iordan, where Christ was baptized. For the figure in the golden Altar, the tables and shew∣bread and candle-sticks, enough hath been said before, and upon Exod. 25.

Notes

• * 1.1

  V. 1. Lyra. P. Martyr.
• * 1.2

  1 King. 10. 17.
• * 1.3

  Theodoret.
• * 1.4

  Pellican.
• * 1.5

  V. 9. V. 10.
• * 1.6

  V. 13.
• * 1.7

  2 Chron. 3. 15 V. 15.
• * 1.8

  Iunius.
• * 1.9

  Pellican.
• * 1.10

  Lyra.
• * 1.11

  V. 16.
• * 1.12

  V. 17, 18.
• * 1.13

  P. Martyr.
• * 1.14

  V. 23.
• * 1.15

  2 Chron. 4. 6. Lyra. P. Martyr.
• * 1.16

  Junius. Lyra.
• * 1.17

  V. 27.
• * 1.18

  2 Chron. 4. 6. V. 38, 39.
• * 1.19

  Lyra.
• * 1.20

  P. Mareyr.
• * 1.21

  V. 40. Lyra.
• * 1.22

  P. Martyr.
• * 1.23

  V. 46. V. 48.
• * 1.24

  P. Martyr.
• * 1.25

  Lyra.
• * 1.26

  V. 49.
• * 1.27

  Pellican.
• * 1.28

  V. 51.
• * 1.29

  The Mystery.
• * 1.30

  Act. 8.