on the southern, western, and northern sides (1 Kings 6:5-10). These
formed a part of the building.
Round about the building were, (1.) The court of the priests (2 Chronicles
4:9), called the “inner court” (1 Kings 6:36). It contained the altar of
burnt-offering (2 Chronicles 15:8), the brazen sea (4:2-5, 10), and ten
lavers (1 Kings 7:38, 39). (2.) The great court, which surrounded the whole
temple (2 Chronicles 4:9). Here the people assembled to worship God
(Jeremiah 19:14; 26:2).
This temple erected by Solomon was many times pillaged during the
course of its history, (1) 1 Kings 14:25, 26; (2) 2 Kings 14:14; (3) 2 Kings
16:8, 17, 18; (4) 2 Kings 18:15, 16. At last it was pillaged and destroyed
by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:13; 2 Chronicles 36:7). He burned the
temple, and carried all its treasures with him to Babylon (2 Kings 25:9-17;
2 Chronicles 36:19; Isaiah 64:11). These sacred vessels were at length, at
the close of the Captivity, restored to the Jews by Cyrus (Ezra 1:7-11).
- TEMPLE, THE SECOND After the return from captivity, under
Zerubbabel (q.v.) and the high priest Jeshua, arrangements were almost
immediately made to reorganize the long-desolated kingdom. The body of
pilgrims, forming a band of 42,360, including children, having completed
the long and dreary journey of some four months, from the banks of the
Euphrates to Jerusalem, were animated in all their proceeding by a strong
religious impulse, and therefore one of their first cares was to restore their
ancient worship by rebuilding the temple. On the invitation of Zerubbabel,
the governor, who showed them a remarkable example of liberality by
contributing personally 1,000 golden darics (probably about $6,000),
besides other gifts, the people with great enthusiasm poured their gifts into
the sacred treasury (Ezra 2). First they erected and dedicated the altar of
Jehovah on the exact spot where it had formerly stood, and they then
cleared away the charred heaps of debris which occupied the site of the old
temple; and in the second month of the second year (B.C. 535), amid great
public excitement and rejoicing (Psalm 116; 117; 118), the foundations of
the second temple were laid. A wide interest was felt in this great
movement, although it was regarded with mingled feelings by the
spectators (Hag. 2:3; Zechariah 4:10). The Samaritans made proposals for
a co-operation in the work. Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the elders,
however, declined all such cooperation: Judah must build the temple
without help. Immediately evil reports were spread regarding the Jews.