1 Kings 7:17

1Ki 7:17 [And] nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the chapiters which [were] upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter.

Ver. 17. And nets of checker work.] These were very pleasant to the eye, and in adition significant: not such toilsome toys as nec ignoranti nocent, nec scientem iuvant. {a}

{a} Sen.

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 7:17-19. Nets of checker-work, &c., for the chapiters — Which chapiters those nets and wreaths encompassed, either covering, and, as it were, receiving and holding the pomegranates, or being mixed with them. And he made — Or, so he made, or framed, or perfected, the pillars, and two rows round about — Of pomegranates, or some other curious work, which took up one of the five cubits, whereof the chapiter consisted. And the chapiters, &c., were of lily-work — Were made in imitation of lilies. In the porch — Or, as in the porch; such work as there was in the porch of the temple, in which these pillars were set, (1Ki 7:21,) that so the work of the tops of these pillars might agree with that in the top of the porch.

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

Or, cords like chains.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

nets of checker work--that is, branch-work, resembling the branches of palm trees, and

wreaths of chain-work--that is, plaited in the form of a chain, composing a sort of crown or garland. Seven of these were wound in festoons on one capital, and over and underneath them were fringes, one hundred in a row. Two rows of pomegranates strung on chains (Ch2 3:16) ran round the capital (Kg1 7:42; compare Ch2 4:12-13; Jer 52:23), which, itself, was of a bowl-like or globular form (Kg1 7:41). These rows were designed to form a binding to the ornamental work--to keep it from falling asunder; and they were so placed as to be above the chain work, and below the place where the branch-work was.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(17) Seven for . . .—This is probably an erroneous reading. It should be “a net-work (or lattice-work) for the one chapiter, and a net-work for the other.”

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

17. and nets of checker work] The two nouns are from the same root, and indicate some kind of interlaced metalwork with which the bellying parts of the capitals were overlaid. This, with the chains next mentioned, and the two rows of pomegranates (1Ki_7:18) formed the ornamentation of the lower portion of the capitals for one cubit of their breadth.

As the conjunction ‘And’ has nothing to represent it in the Hebrew it is better to render, ‘There were nets &c.’ The LXX. in this verse begins ‘And he made two nets &c.… even a net for the one chapiter and a net for the other chapiter.’ Thus the ‘seven’ of the A.V. disappears and ‘net’ is substituted. There is a good deal of similarity between שׁבעה = seven, and שׂבכה= a net, so that there may have been a confusion, and certainly below in 1Ki_7:41 mention is made of two networks, not seven.

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 he made the pillars,.... Or adorned them in this manner:

and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the chapiters that were upon the top, with pomegranates; that is, there were two rows of figures like pomegranates upon the net or branch work that covered the chapiters that were on the top of the pillars; and Kimchi owns, that some copies so read, on the top of the pillars, instead of pomegranates, though he thinks it a mistake:

and so did he for the other chapiter; put two rows about that also.

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

Nets ... - Rather “Nets chequerwise, and festoons chainwise,” - probably a fine network over the whole, and chainwork hanging in festoons outside.

Seven for the one chapiter - The Septuagint reading is preferable. “A net for the one chapiter and a net for the other chapiter.” Compare 1Ki 7:41.

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

For the chapiters, which those nets and wreaths did encompass, either covering, and as it were receiving and holding, the pomegranates, or being mixed with them.

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

17. Nets of checker work — The words would apply equally well to representations either of netting, lattice, or basket work.

Wreaths of chain work — Whether this is to be taken as in apposition with nets of checker work, or as something distinct from it, is not clear. The passage is, literally: nets, work of a net, twists, work of chains, for the capitals. 2Ch_3:16 is also obscure, and lends no aid. The more probable meaning is, that the network consisted of chain-like twists, so that “wreaths of chain work” is explanatory of “nets of checker work.”

Seven for the one — That is, the network on each capital was composed of seven strands or chains. But by comparing 1Ki_7:41, where “the two networks” are mentioned, there is reason to suspect the reading seven, (שׁבעה,) and to adopt the reading of the Septuagint, which is δικτυα, network, (שׂבכה.) Then the passage would read, a network for the one capital, and a network for the other capital. The words שׂבכה and שׁבעה are so nearly alike that one may easily have become substituted for the other.

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

And nets Gesen., lattice; Keil, plait. "It seems almost in vain to try and speculate on what was the exact form of the decoration of these celebrated pillars. The nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, etc., are all features applicable to metal architecture; and though we know that the old Tartar races did use metal architecture everywhere, and especially in bronze, from the very nature of the material, every specimen has perished, and we have now no representations from which we can restore them" (Fergusson, Dict. Bib. l.c. ) of checker work the Hebrew repeats the word: nets of network, or plaits of work of plait, and wreaths or cords, twisted work, i.e. , festoons of chain work the wreathed or twisted festoon probably resembled a chain, for or, to, i.e. , were on the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter The LXX having hero diktuon, it is clear that the text they had read hkb "a net," and not hb "seven." Some, accordingly, would read, "a net for the one chapiter, and a net," etc. But there is no sufficient reason for the change. "This decoration consisted of seven twists arranged as festoons, which were hung round the capitals of the pillars" (Keil). The comparison with "chain work" was probably suggestd by the fact that the intertwined threads, which crossed and recrossed each other, bore a rough resemblance to the links of a chain.

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

The chapiters - Which those nets and wreathes encompass, either covering, and as it were receiving and holding the pomegranates, or being mixed with them.

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

Branches designed like net [mesh] work. The nets which they had were similar to a type of head covering which is called cofea [in O.F.].

Net [mesh] work. They were encircled by forms of branches of a palm tree, as in, “and he walks upon a snare [שבכה],” and the branches were [designed] like chain work.

Seven [of these] were for the one crown. There were seven branches in each encircling design for each net [mesh] work.

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.