1 Kings 7:20

1Ki 7:20 And the chapiters upon the two pillars [had pomegranates] also above, over against the belly which [was] by the network: and the pomegranates [were] two hundred in rows round about upon the other chapiter.

Ver. 20. And the pomegranates were two hundred.] On each side a hundred, hanging down front the rows or borders upon the networks, which yet they hid not. {2Ch 3:16 Jer 52:23} This might signify the strengthening of our faith by the two sacraments, unto holiness and fruitfulness in good works; but especially by Christ, who is a double pillar unto his Church.

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 7:20. Over against the belly — So he calls the middle part of the chapiter, which jetted farthest out. The pomegranates were two hundred — They are said to be ninety and six on the side of a pillar, in one row, and in all a hundred, (Jer 52:23,) four pomegranates between the several checker-works being added to the first ninety-six. And it must needs be granted that there were as many on the other side of the pillar, or in the other row, which makes them two hundred upon a pillar, as is here said, and four hundred upon both pillars, as they are numbered, 2Ch 4:13.

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

Or, round about the midst.

Or, bound.

Hebrew, the second.

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

(20) Over against (or rather, close to) the belly which was by the network.—The “belly” here (like the “bowls” or “globes” of the chapiters in 1Ki_7:41-42) seems to signify the rounded form of the capital, where it comes down to join the shaft. At this junction the bands of pomegranate ornament ran round the shaft. In this verse it is obvious that there is an omission in the text. It should be, “were two hundred in rows round about the one chapiter, and two hundred in rows round about the other chapiter.” Hence the “four hundred” of 1Ki_7:42 and 2Ch_4:13.

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

20. And the chapiters upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above] The italics are without justification. The R.V. gives the sense; ‘And there were chapiters also above upon the two pillars.’ What is now being described is that portion of the capital which was below the lily work. But the writer uses ‘chapiter’ for the part, as well as for the whole capital.

over against the belly which was by the network] R.V. close by the belly which was beside the network.’ The prepositions make the difficulty here. The first has something of the idea of ‘all along’ and describes the way in which the pomegranates went close up to the bellying portion of the capital. Probably the two rows ran round the pillar, one just above, the other just below the enlarged part. Then the network appears to have been over the belly. The preposition intimates that if you could have looked from the woodwork, the metal nets and chains were just in front of you. So that in the ‘beside’ of the R.V. we must understand the notion of overlying.

two hundred, in rows] As we have taken 1Ki_7:18 the rows were two for each capital, so that 100 pomegranates were in each row. Apparently in 2Ch_3:16 the number specified is only for one single row. In the parallel passage of Jeremiah (Jer_52:23) this appears more clearly. For the pomegranates are said to have been arranged one at each of the four cardinal points and the other 96 used to complete the circuit. This can only be a description of a single row.

round about upon the other chapiter] Here there is the same sort of omission, be it intentional or not, as in 1Ki_7:15. What is meant, we should express by ‘round about (upon the one chapiter as) upon the other chapiter.’

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 set up the pillars in the porch of the temple,.... Not at the door or entrance into the temple, as Jarchi, but at the entrance into the porch:

and he set up the right pillar; or the pillar on the right hand as you went in, which was on the north, the front being east:

and called the name thereof Jachin; which signifies "he will establish", i.e. the house to which here was an entrance, so long as the pure worship of God should continue in it:

and he set up the left pillar; or the pillar on the left hand, which was to the south, unless the position of them was as you come out:

and called the name thereof Boaz; which signifies "in him", or "it is strength", namely, in the Lord that dwelt there; for this has no respect to Boaz, a prince of the house of Judah, from whom all its kings sprung, as the Targum, in Ch2 3:17 suggests. These names were given them not by Hiram the artificer, but by Solomon, and which were very expressive; not so much of the nobility of the kingdom of the house of David, as the Targum intimates; or of the church of God, the pillar and ground of truth; as of Christ himself, and the two natures in him, and of his royal dignity, signified by the crowns or chapiters on them, decorated as they were, whose legs are as pillars of marble, and in whom are righteousness and strength; which is no small encouragement to those who are entering into the church of God the temple was a type of; who, should they fear, being feeble and weak, that they should totter and fall, here stands Jachin, to let them know the Lord will establish and settle them; or that they should never hold out to the end, here is Boaz to direct them to Christ, in whom their strength lies, see Sol 4:15. Allusion is had to these, Rev 3:12.

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

In this verse also a portion of the original text is supposed to have fallen out in consequence of the repetition of words. The full phrase of the original has been retained in 1Ki 7:16-17. It may be restored thus: “And the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the one chapiter, and two hundred in rows round about upon the other chapiter.” The “four hundred” 1Ki 7:42; 2Ch 4:13, are obtained by counting the pomegranates of both pillars together. In Jer 52:23, is an account of the arrangement of a single row of pomegranates, whereof each pillar had two.

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

Chapiter, (capitelli secundi.) (Haydock) --- Villalpand thinks this "second chapiter," is rather the cornice, round which the pomegranates hung. (Menochius) --- Septuagint, "and of roses, five rows, all round, upon the second circle." (Haydock)

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).

Over against the belly; so he calls the middle part of the chapiter, and that which jetted furthest out.

The pomegranates were two hundred: these pomegranates are variously accounted in Scriptures. They are said to be ninety and six on a side of a pillar, i.e. in one row, and in all an hundred, Jer 52:23; four great pomegranates between the several checker-works being added to the first ninety-six. And it must needs be granted that there were as many on the other side of the pillar, or in the other row, which makes them two hundred upon a pillar, as is here said, and four hundred upon both pillars, as they are numbered 2Ch 4:13.

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

20. Had pomegranates — There is nothing corresponding to these words in the Hebrew, and their insertion by our translators was an error. This verse is a repetitious explanation of the preceding, and defines more particularly the position of the lily work part of the capitals. It should be rendered: And the capitals upon the two pillars were also above in immediate connexion with the belly, which was beyond the network.

The belly which was by the network — That is, the oval shaped form of the capital at the place upon which the network was wrought, (literally, beyond, that is, behind the network,) called bowls in 1Ki_7:41, and pommels in 2Ch_4:13.

Two hundred in rows — Two hundred in both rows of each pillar, making four hundred for the two networks of both pillars, (1Ki_7:42; 2Ch_4:13,) and one hundred for each row or chain. 2Ch_3:16; Jer_52:23.

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

And the chapiters upon the two pillars had pomegranates Instead of the italics, Keil would supply Hiram made, but it is doubtful whether this is any improvement. We have already heard more than once that he made the chapiters. It is better to supply projected or were, as in the preceding verse. This verse is extremely obscure; but its design appears to be to explain how the bowl of the chapiter projected above its base also above i.e., above the neck, or lowest cubit, on which was the net and chain work, over against tMuLmi with two prefixes is a rare form the belly or "bowl (ver. 41) which was by Heb. beyond, on the other side of, i.e., as it appeared to a spectator standing below the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows This agrees with the total of four hundred, as given in ver. 42, and in 2 Chronicles, and with the "hundred round about" (i.e., the number in each row) mentioned in Jer_52:23. We gather from this latter passage that ninety-six out of the hundred faced the four quarters, for this is apparently the meaning of hjWr, windwards; see Eze_42:16-18, not that the pomegranates could be "set in motion by the play of the wind," as Ewald confidently affirms. The remaining four pomegranates, of course, occupied the four corners. The necessary inference from this statement, viz., that this part of the capital was foursquare, seems to have escaped the notice of the commentators round about upon the other chapiter. Some words have evidently dropped out of the Hebrew here, as in ver. 15. The text, no doubt, originally stood "two hundred in rows round about the one chapiter, and two hundred in rows round about upon the other chapiter." There has been no intentional compression that is not the genius of the Semitic languages but an accidental omission, occasioned by the recurrence of almost identical words.

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

The belly - So he calls the middle part of the chapiter, which jetted farthest out. Two hundred - They are said to be ninety and six on a side of a pillar; in one row and in all an hundred, Jer. lii, 23, four great pomegranates between the several checker-works being added to the first ninety six. And it must needs be granted, that there were as many on the other side of the pillar, or in the other row, which makes them two hundred upon a pillar, as is here said, and four hundred upon both pillars, as they are numbered, 2 Chron. iv, 13.

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

two hundred pomegranates

"200 pomegranates." A pomegranate is a fruit with a hard, red rind and many juicy seeds inside. See how you translated this in 1 Kings 7:18 (See: Numbers)

He raised up

Huram would have commanded his workers to do this work. AT: "They raised up" (See: Metonymy)

The pillar on the right was named Jakin

This can be stated in active form. AT: "The name of the pillar on the right side was Jakin" (See: How to Translate Names and Active or Passive)

the pillar on the left was named Boaz

This can be stated in active form. AT: "The name of the pillar on the left side was Boaz" (See: Active or Passive)

The fashioning of the pillars was done

This can be stated in active form. AT: "Huram fashioned the pillars" or "Huram's men fashioned the pillars" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

raise

temple

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

Above [on the two columns] opposite the belly. Which is beyond the net [mesh] work at the end of the net [mesh] work, at its rim, that is at the middle, at the place where it is connected, (upon the upper net [mesh] work) (The proper text: Because the net [mesh] work) is attached to the bowl which is beneath it.

And two hundred pomegranates. Pomegranates made in two rows around, strung together on a chain and encircling the net [mesh] work.

On each crown. This, too, is an abbreviated sentence, meaning, “On the one [crown], and likewise, on the second.”

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.