1 Kings 6:16

1Ki 6:16 And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built [them] for it within, [even] for the oracle, [even] for the most holy [place].

Ver. 16. Even for the oracle.] {a} So the Holy of Holies is called, because there God used to deliver divine answers, or oracles. {Lev 16:2 Exo 30:6}

{a} Loquutorium Adytum.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Ki 6:16. He built twenty cubits on the sides of the house — He speaks here of the most holy place, which contained in length twenty cubits, and might be said to be on the sides of the house, because it took off twenty cubits in length from each side of the house, and was also twenty cubits from side to side, so it was twenty cubits every way. He built them for it within, even for the oracle, the most holy place — The last words are added to explain what he means by the word oracle, which he had not used before: this was the most important of all the parts of the house, because here the divine glory was present, and from hence God gave answers when he was consulted, on which account it is termed the oracle.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(16, 17) These verses describe the division of the Temple, by a partition from floor to ceiling of cedar wood, into “the Oracle,” or Holy of Holies, occupying twenty cubits of the length, and the rest of the house, exclusive of the porch, occupying forty cubits. The cedar panelling was carved throughout with (see margin) “gourds and open flowers,” probably festooned, as usual in ancient architecture. In all this the influence of the Tyrian architects was probably felt.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

16. And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house] This rendering does not make very clear what is intended. The word translated ‘sides’ is often used for the innermost part of anything, as of a cave (1Sa_24:4), and of the recesses of a forest, as Lebanon (Isa_37:24). So here it signifies the innermost part of the Temple building as you looked from the porch, i.e. toward the farthest wall of the most holy place. The sense then becomes more manifest. He built at twenty cubits from this extreme end something with boards of cedar. Thus he made a separation of the most holy place, which was twenty cubits long, from the holy place. The R.V. gives this more clearly: ‘He built twenty cubits on the hinder part of the house’ with boards of cedar from the floor unto the walls (‘beams’ LXX.), i.e. these twenty cubits were thus shut off and made into a separate room (cf. 2Ch_3:8). There was a doorway for access in this cedarwood partition (see 1Ki_6:31), and before this probably were put the ‘chains of gold’ spoken of in 1Ki_6:21. From 2Ch_3:14 it seems that there was a vail in front of the whole of this woodwork, though no mention of it is made here.

It is very difficult to come to a clear idea about the room here provided. It seems certain that it was enclosed on three sides by the chambers built round about, so that there could have been no windows in it, nor any mode of escape for the smoke of the incense, except by openings under the eaves. It appears not to have been as high as the roof of the ‘holy place’. We must remember that it was to be entered by one person only, and that but once a year.

he even built them for it within] i.e. He prepared this space of twenty cubits in the innermost part of the house, to be a separate room.

even for the oracle] The Hebrew says merely ‘for an oracle.’ This name for the most holy place is taken from the Vulgate ‘oraculum.’ The LXX. merely transliterates the Hebrew δαβίρ. The word is connected with the verb דבר (davar), usually rendered ‘to speak,’ and hence the notion of ‘oracle’ as the place where God revealed Himself. So Aquila and Symmachus rendered it sometimes by χρηματιστήριον, and Jerome gives λαλητήριον as an explanation. But the root, or its Arabic cognate, has a sense from which the meaning ‘hinder portion’ might come. Hence some consider the name merely as signifying the innermost part of the Temple building.

the most holy place] Described in the same words in the account of the Tabernacle (Exo_26:33-34; Num_4:4; Num_4:19).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the house, that is, the temple before it,.... The holy place, which was before the of holies:

was forty cubits long; and which, with the most holy place, being twenty cubits, as in the preceding verse, made the length of the whole house sixty cubits, as in Kg1 6:2.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The meaning is, that at the distance of 20 cubits, measured along the side walls of the house from the end wall, Solomon constructed a partition, which reached from the floor to the ceiling and had a doorway in it. He thus made within the house, a sanctuary for a holy of holies.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The inner house of the oracle. That is, the sanctuary, which he separated from the other part of the temple, with this partition of cedar, instead of the veil, which in the tabernacle of Moses hung before the sanctuary. (Challoner) --- It was a square of 20 cubits, extending from the western end. (Haydock) --- Hither none but the high priest was allowed to enter, and he but once a year. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Twenty cubits on the sides of the house, i.e. the most holy place, which contained in the length of the house twenty cubits, by comparing this with 1Ki 6:2,17, which may be said to be on the sides of the house because this part took off twenty cubits in length from each side of the house, and was also twenty cubits from side to side; so it was twenty cubits every way. Or, on the sides (i.e. on all the sides, as indeed it was) of the house, or of that house, to wit, the most holy place, as it here follows. Or, from the sides of the house, i.e. from one side to the other. And so this is meant only of the partitionwall, which was between the holy and the most holy place.

Both the floor and the walls, or rather, as 1Ki 6:15, from the floor to the wall, or ceiling, or roof. So it is not necessary, at least by virtue of these words, to understand this, as they generally do, that the floor itself was built with cedar; but only all the sides of it from the bottom twenty cubits upward. If it be said that the whole house, and consequently the most holy place, was thirty cubits high, 1Ki 6:2, it may be replied, either that that is true only of the greater house, or the holy place, which is called the house, 1Ki 6:17, and that the lesser, or the most holy place, was but twenty cubits high, as divers think; or that the ten cubits at the top were covered with some other wood or thing, or were left open, that it might thereby receive both light from the candlesticks, and smoke from the altar of incense.

For the oracle, even for the most holy place, i. e. that it might be the oracle, or the most holy place. Or, on the inner side (whereby he might imply that the outside of the partition-wall which looked towards the holy place was not so covered) of (for the Hebrew lamed is very oft a note of the genitive case) the oracle, even of the most holy place; which last words are added to explain what he means by the word oracle, which he had not used before.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

16. Twenty cubits on the sides — Rather, From the two hinder sides, ירכותי, “the hindmost, last extreme space, which is conceived of as two hinder sides.” — Furst. The inner sanctuary was a perfect cube. See on 1Ki_6:20.

Both the floor and the walls — Here again it should be rendered from the floor to the walls; but the expression seems to imply that all the walls, (קירות) both of the sides and of the ceiling were covered with cedar boards.

The oracle — דבר, the interior place, called also the most holy or holy of belies. The place of greatest sanctity, where the presence and glory of Jehovah were supposed to have their central throne on earth. (C in plan.) See on Exo_26:33-34. Here in the temple, as in the tabernacle, was set the ark. 1Ki_6:19.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he built twenty cubits on Heb. from the sides of the house both the floor and the walls Heb. as in ver. 15, "from the floor to the walls" (or beams). If twOryqi is a copyist"s error, it is repeated here with boards of cedar He is now speaking of the wooden partition which separated the oracle from the temple of the house. At a distance of 20 cubits, measured along the sides from the west end of the house, he erected a cedar wall which reached from the floor to the cieling he even built them i.e., the 20 cubits for it the house) within The meaning is clear, though the construction is somewhat involved, viz., that he reared this partition inside the house to separate a portion for the oracle even for the oracle Heb. an oracle even for the most holy place Heb. for the holy of holies.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

House - That is, the most holy place, which contained in length twenty cubits, which may be said to be on the sides Of the house, because this part took off twenty cubits in length from each side of the house, and was also twenty cubits from side to side, so it was twenty cubits every way. The oracle-the most holy place - The last words are added, to explain what he means by the word oracle, which he had not used before.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

He built twenty cubits ... He built this room

Solomon would have commanded his workers to do the building. AT: "He commanded them to build twenty cubits ... He had them build this room" (See: Metonymy)

He built twenty cubits

"He built a room twenty cubits long"

twenty cubits ... forty cubits

A cubit is 46 centimeters. AT: "9.2 meters ... 18.4 meters" (See: Biblical Distance)

main hall

"main room"

gourds

a type of hard, round vegetable that grows on a vine on the ground

open flowers

"blooming flowers" or "flowers that were open"

translationWords

holy place

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

The twenty amohs at the end of the Beis Hamikdosh. The twenty [amohs] which were at the end of the Sanctuary and beyond, and the twenty [amohs] which were at the end of the building, they are the house containing the Ark cover (i.e., the Holy of Holies).

To the ceiling. He made the walls of cedar until the ceiling to cover the walls of stone in order to coat it with gold.

He built it. Those twenty amohs.

On the inner side of the partition. Inward of the “Amma Traksin” [partition], which separated between the forty [amohs] and the twenty [amohs], and that partition is called “Dvir.”

For the Holy of Holies. He designated those twenty amohs.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.