The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 5 · Section 4 – Section 6
SECT. IV.
SOlomon having thus finiſhed the Temple, he now falls in hand with the building of a Palace for himſelf in Jeruſalem, and built alſo a ſtately Summer-houſe in Lebanon, [5. Ch. 7. from v. 2. to 7.] and an houſe for his Queen the daughter of Pharaoh, and his own Throne, ſo ſplendid and ſumptuous that there was none like it. In the 13th. year after the Temple was built, he made an end of theſe buildings. Before his Palace he built a ſtately Porch of Judgment, wherein was to be ſet his great and Royal Throne wherein he ſat in ſtate to judg the people. This Throne was a ſtately and magnificent piece; it was made of Ivory, and in ſeveral parts of it overlaid with pure Gold; ſo as the white Ivory and glittering Gold gave a fair luſter the one to the other, and made it appear the more glorious. The Throne had ſix ſteps to it, and ſo was a yard and half from the ground. It had a round ſtately Canopy, or covering over it, and ſtayes or Elbows on each ſide, and a Footſtool of Gold for the King to ſet his feet upon*Calcatas opes ſcabellum deſignat aureum.. Two Lions ſtood on the outſide of the Elbows for ſupport and ornament. And there were placed twelve Lions beſides that ſtood ſix on the one ſide, and ſix on the other of the ſteps or ſtairs, and ſtanding at an equal diſtance one from another were the more glorious to behold. There was not the like Throne for coſtlineſs and exquiſite workmanſhip in any Kingdom of the world. The Lions ſignified the power, majeſty, undaunted boldneſs, courage and magnanimity that ought to be in Princes, as alſo the great vigilancy and watchfulneſs that ought to be in them, ſo that they had need to wake while others ſleep, as 'tis ſaid of Lions that they ſleep always with their eyes open; they might ſignifie alſo that good Princes are protected by the ſpecial Providence of God, and their Thrones guarded with Lions. 1 King. 10. from 18, to 21.
Beſides this ſtately Throne he made alſo two hundred Targets (a)Targets were large Shields ſuch as Captains uſed to have carried before them, that as occaſion ſerved they might take and uſe for the defence of their bodies againſt Arrows, Darts, Javelins, and ſuch like piercing weapons. But Shields were leſs than Targets, and they uſed to carry them on their left arm for their own defence.of beaten Gold, not for ſervice but for pomp and ſtate to ſet forth his Royal Majeſty and Greatneſs. Theſe (it is likely) were ordinarily hung up in his great Hall or Armory, and at certain times carried before him by his Guard, as afterwards the Brazen ones that were made in the room of theſe were carried before Rehoboam. See 1 King. 14.27. He made alſo three hundred Shields of beaten Gold, and three hundred ſhekels (b)A ſhekel of ſilver was in weight half an ounce, and in worth 2 ſh. 6 d. The Jews prized Gold at ten times the value of Silver, ſo a ſhekel of Gold was 25 ſh. By this account every Target weighed 25 pounds Troy, and was worth 750 l. Sterling.of Gold went to make one of them, ſo that the Shields were not above half ſo big as the Targets, which weighed each of them 600 ſhekels. All theſe he put into the houſe of the Forreſt of Lebanon, which for civil uſe was the moſt ſumptuous building that Solomon made, and his Magnificence and Royalty was therein moſt manifeſted; and accordingly thoſe Golden Targets and Shields were there placed. But he that ſhall conſider how ſoon theſe Golden Tarkets and Shields became a prey to the enemy, will be apt to think there was an exceſs of pomp in them, which was not well-pleaſing to God. And furthermore all the drinking veſſels, cups, platters, baſons, ſpoons, &c. that were uſed in the houſe of Lebanon were all of pure Gold (this houſe being made for delight, and the glory of his Kingdom) none of them were of ſilver, ſilver †V. 21. Silver was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon: This is an Hyperbolical speech, for ſilver was brought to Solomon time after time by Ships, v. 22. and given him as an acceptable preſent, v. 25. So that hereby only the great abundance he had of Gold and Silver is intimated.(comparatively) was not eſteemed of for plate in Solomon's time; for they having ſuch abundance of Gold, moſt of their Plate was made of that metal, and ſilver-plate but little eſteemed of in thoſe days. But we muſt ſpeak more particularly of this houſe of the forreſt of Lebanon. It was ſo call'd as being a kind of abridgment of that famous Forreſt afar off from Jeruſalem, and containing in it and in the groves and gardens about it all the delights and pleaſures of that Forreſt, and ſomething more, viz. ſolitary walks, ſweet muſick of birds, wild beaſts, curious water-works, and all manner of other delightful things. See Eccleſ. 2.4, 5, 6. And it ſeems this houſe was alſo the chief ſtore-houſe and magazine of Armes which the Kings of Judah had, as appears from Iſa. 22.8. Thou didſt look in that day to the armour of the houſe of the Forreſt.
Thus Solomon finiſhed the Lords houſe, and his own houſe, and all that came into his heart to do, he proſperouſly effected, 2 Chron. 7.11. having ſpent full twenty years in this kind of work, [1 King. 9.10.] whereof ſeven and an half upon the Temple, and about twelve and an half upon his own houſes and buildings.
1 King. Ch. 7. from v. 1, to 13.
1 King. Ch. 10. from v. 16, 22.
1 Chron. Ch. 9. from v. 15, to 21.
SECT. V.
WHilſt Solomon was buſied about his Magnificent buildings, it ſeems Gezer a City allotted to the Levites in the Tribe of Ephraim [Joſh. 21.20, 21.] but never recovered out of the poſſeſſion of the Canaanites, gave to the King ſome great diſtaſte, ſo that (not being at leiſure himſelf) he intreated Pharaoh his Father-in-law to take it in for him by his Armes, and to rid him of thoſe troubleſome neighbours. Pharaoh accordingly did it, and burnt the City or ſome part of it with fire, and put the inhabitants thereof to the ſword, and ſo gave it for a preſent to his daughter, Solomon's wife.
1 King. 9.16.
SECT. VI.
HIram King of Tyre having furniſhed Solomon towards theſe magnificent buildings with Cedar-trees and Firr-trees, and ſixſcore Talents of Gold, Solomon in a grateful retribution, and to make him amends, gave him twenty Cities or Towns in the land of Galilee which were not (as it ſeems) a part of the land which God had given for an inheritance to his people, but lay in a tract of ground on the outſide of the borders of Aſher [Joſh. 19.24.] betwixt them and mount Libanus, and being now reduced under Solomon's Dominion, he preſented them to Hiram that he might by them receive ſatisfaction for what he had had of him. But it ſeems Hiram when he ſaw them liked them not, poſſibly becauſe they ſtood in a mooriſh ground, or becauſe he thought it would be long e're he ſhould from them receive that ſatisfaction which he expected. Therefore he return'd them to Solomon again, and choſe rather to expect ſatisfaction from him ſome other way; and thereupon Solomon repair'd and enlarged them, and planted certain colonies of the Iſraelites in them, [See 2 Chron. 8.1, 2.] whereas before they were inhabited only by the Heathen; and now that tract of ground was counted a part of Galilee which 'tis thought was the reaſon why Galilee was called Galilee of the Gentiles.
1 King. Ch. 9. from v. 10, to 15.