1 Kings 7:3

1Ki 7:3 And [it was] covered with cedar above upon the beams, that [lay] on forty five pillars, fifteen [in] a row.

Ver. 3. Upon the beams.] Heb., Ribs: for beams are to a building what ribs are to a living creature. In Africa they make, if not beams, yet rafters for houses, of the whale’s ribs.

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 7:3-5. Fifteen in a row — So in this second story there were only three rows of pillars, which were sufficient for the ornament of the second and for the support of the third story; and we may conjecture from hence that there were threescore pillars below. Light was against light — One directly opposite to another, as is usual in well-contrived buildings. In three ranks — One exactly under another in three rows. All the doors, &c., were square with the windows — That is, the figures of the doors and windows were one and the same, namely, square. And light was against light, &c. — This is meant of the smaller windows or lights which were over the door, and which were also square.

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

3. And it was covered with cedar above upon the beams] The word here rendered ‘beams’ is the same which has been rendered ‘side-chambers’ in 1Ki_6:5. In two descriptions which are so closely related as that chapter and this, it is difficult to suppose that the word has a different sense in the two places. And we have here an account of a series of side-chambers which ran all round the inside walls of this house of the forest of Lebanon, as the others did round the outside wall of the Temple. Taking the word as = ‘side-chambers,’ the text says that they were supported upon the pillars already mentioned in 1Ki_7:2, and then adds that these chambers were forty-five in number, fifteen in a row. This seems to mean that the whole three tiers of rooms numbered forty-five, each of the three stories being divided into fifteen chambers. If we suppose that the chambers were only on three sides like those surrounding the Temple, then six on each side and three at each end would exactly make up the number, and would suit with the dimensions of the house, which was twice as long as it was broad. The whole verse then may be translated ‘And it was covered with cedar above, over the forty and five side-chambers, which were upon the pillars, fifteen in a row.’

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 it was covered with cedar above the beams, that lay on forty five pillars, fifteen in a row. On the second floor were three rows of pillars, fifteen in a row, which made forty five, that stood to east, north, and south; and upon these pillars beams, which were the floor of the third story, over which was a roof of cedar wood.

And it was covered with cedar above the beams, that lay on forty five pillars, fifteen in a row. On the second floor were three rows of pillars, fifteen in a row, which made forty five, that stood to east, north, and south; and upon these pillars beams, which were the floor of the third story, over which was a roof of cedar wood.

1 Kings 7:4

kg1 7:4

kg1 7:4

kg1 7:4And there were windows in three rows,.... Both in the second and third stories, east, north, and south, there being none in the west, where the porch stood:

and light was against light in three ranks; or the windows, through which light was let, answered to each other.

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

So in this second story were only three rows of pillars, which was sufficient for the ornament of the second, and for the support of the third story.

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

3. Upon the beams — Rather, Upon the chambers; for צלעת, here rendered beams, is the same word that is rendered chambers in 1Ki_6:5; 1Ki_6:8. The meaning here is, that he covered over or wainscotted with cedar the chambers, which in the stories above rested upon the four rows of pillars previously described. The whole verse should be translated thus: And above he covered over with cedar the side-chambers which were upon the pillars, forty-five, (in number,) fifteen in a row. That is, the chambers, not the pillars, were forty-five in number.

Fifteen in a row — That is, fifteen chambers on each story, running in a row around the sides. שׂור, a row, may be used of a layer of stones (1Ki_6:36) or a series of chambers, as here, as well as of a range of pillars. 1Ki_7:2. A single row or tier of these chambers is represented in the annexed cut, one chamber at the end being the place of the stairway.

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

And it was covered or roofed with cedar above cf. 6:9, 15 upon the beams twOlx lit., ribs, the word used in 1Ki_6:5 of the side chambers, and in 6:34 (in the masculine) of the leaves of the doors, that lay on forty-five pillars, fifteen in a row. Rawlinson, al. are much exercised to reconcile this statement with that of ver. 2, which speaks of four rows, But the explanation is very simple, viz., that the "forty-five, fifteen in a row" does not refer to the pillars but to the side chambers or compartments (A.V, "beams"). The description is so very loose and general that positive statements are out of place, but the meaning certainly appears to be this, that there was a roofing of cedar over the side chambers (which rested upon the pillars mentioned in ver. 2) forty-five in number, fifteen in a row. It is true the Masoretic punctuation is against this view. It is also clear that the LXX understood the numbers forty-five and fifteen to refer to the pillars, for they have essayed to cut the knot by reading three rows instead of "four rows," in ver. 2. Similarly the Arab. in ver. 3 reads sixty instead of forty-five; obviously another desperate attempt to solve the difficulty by a corruption of the text. But the solution suggested above is so simple and natural that we can hardly be wrong in adopting it. Bahr says positively that forty-five pillars could not have supported a structure 100 cubits by 50 cubits, "nor could the building have been named "forest of Lebanon" from forty-five scattered pillars." It would follow hence, that there were side chambers only on three sides of the building, as was the case in the temple. And if (as has been inferred from vers. 4, 5) a three-storied structure is here described; if, that is to say, the forty-five chambers were divided fifteen to a tier or story, it is highly probable that they would be distributed six to each long side and three to the rear (Bahr). This arrangement a court surrounded by a colonnade and galleries is still found in the East; as all travellers know. And in its favour it may be said that it is such as to have been suggested by the plan of the temple. The ground plan is the same, with this difference, that a courtyard occupies the place of the temple proper.

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

Fifteen - So in this second story were only three rows of pillars, which was sufficient for the ornament of the second and for the support of the third story.

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

General Information:

Some details are given about the structure of the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

The house was roofed with cedar that rested on beams

This can be stated in active form. AT: "The carpenters built a roof from cedar planks and attached them to beams" (See: Active or Passive)

beams

long pieces of strong wood usually used to support a roof

were made square

"had rectangular frames"

translationWords

column

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

It was covered with cedar. A ceiling over it from above.

On top of the boards. The upper partitions which were on the cut [beams]. Four partitions, one next to the other along the width and extending along the length of the house. Each had openings and windows, because this was a summer home made for air. And on those partitions was the covering of the ceiling. The ceiling was [made] of forty-five boards, three rows of boards (for the three spaces) between the four rows of columns, fifteen boards to each row (i.e., fifteen of them were placed in each space). Their length was along the width of each row and their width was along the length of the house, one next to the other.

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.