(8-11) The residence of the king, and the separate palace for the queen, distinct from the apartments of the inferior wives and concubines, are not described; except that they lay "within the porch," that is, in the rear in another court, and were of "like work." This is further explained by saying that they had costly stones of great size in the foundation, and stones above, hewn and sawn from top to bottom, carefully finished on the outside towards the great court, as well as on the inside, and were in all cases roofed with cedar. Josephus tells us that the inner court was adorned with trees and fountains, and had colonnades round it; and gives an enthusiastic description of the internal decoration of the rooms, panelled up to a certain height with polished marble, with a band of highly-wrought metal-work of foliage of all kinds above this, and the rest of the wall up to the ceiling plastered and painted in colours ("ceiled with cedar, and painted with vermilion." Jeremiah 22:14). This description is curiously confirmed and illustrated by some of the recent discoveries at Nineveh.
Verse 8. - And his house where he dwelt [i.e., his private residence. Not to be identified with the" house" of ver. 1. The term is here expressly restricted to his dwelling house. There it as clearly includes all the several palaces] had [or was. The "court" is apparently in apposition to "his house." The words in italics, here as elsewhere, merely darken the sense] another [Heb. the hinder] court within [For the use ofנךהתךו ְ מִבֵּית לְ, compare 1 Kings 6:16; Numbers 18:7, and see Gesen., Thesaur. 1:193] the porch, which was of the like work [i.e., the walls were covered with cedar. The reference is clearly to materials, adornment, etc., not to size]. Solomon made also an house for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken to wife [Heb. he made also a house for... whom Solomon had taken, i.e., married], like unto this porch. [This would seem to have been the private residence of the queen, not the harem where all the wives and concubines (1 Kings 11:3) were collected. It was evidently distinct from and behind the residence of the king, an arrangement which still prevails in Eastern palaces.]
7:1-12 All Solomon's buildings, though beautiful, were intended for use. Solomon began with the temple; he built for God first, and then his other buildings. The surest foundations of lasting prosperity are laid in early piety. He was thirteen years building his house, yet he built the temple in little more than seven years; not that he was more exact, but less eager in building his own house, than in building God's. We ought to prefer God's honour before our own ease and satisfaction.
had another court within the porch, which was of the like work; a court between that and the porch, called the inner court, 2 Kings 20:4.
Solomon made also a house for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken to wife; see 1 Kings 3:1,
like unto this porch: being built of the same sort of materials, though in a different form.