Compare 1 Chronicles 28:19. As God had revealed to Moses the pattern of the tabernacle Exodus 26; 27, so He had made known by revelation to David the pattern of the temple and its furniture. This pattern, which consisted of a set of directions in writing, David now handed over to Solomon.

The houses - The "holy place" and the "holy of holies " - called respectively "the house" and the "inner house" 1 Kings 6:17, 1 Kings 6:27, and 2 Chronicles 3:5, 2 Chronicles 3:8 "the greater house" and "the most holy house."

The upper chambers - Compare 2 Chronicles 3:9 note.

The inner parlours - The small rooms of the "lean-to" (1 Kings 6:5 note), entered one from another.

David gave to Solomon - the pattern - He gave him an ichnograph of the building, with elevations, sections, and specifications of every part; and all this he received by inspiration from God himself, (see 1 Chronicles 28:12, 1 Chronicles 28:19), just as Moses had received the plan of the tabernacle.

The treasuries thereof - גנזכיו ganzaccaiv. The word גנזך ganzach is not Hebrew, but is supposed to be Persian, the same word being found in Ezra 3:1-13 :19. In this tongue we have the word ganj, a granary, a hidden treasure, and gunjoor, and gunjineh, a treasure, treasury, or barn. Parkhurst supposes that it is compounded of גנז ganaz, to treasure up, and זך zach, pure; a treasury for the most precious things.

Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch,.... The breadth, and length, and height of it, which was to be placed at the east end of the temple, and was the entrance into it:

and, of the houses thereof; the holy place, and the most holy, which latter is called the greater house, 2 Chronicles 3:5,

and of the treasures; where things belonging to the temple were laid up, the priests' vestments, and other things:

and of the upper chambers; where the priests lay or met for conversation, Jeremiah 35:2.

and of the inner parlours thereof; where the priests ate of the holy things; all these seem to he buildings against the wall of the temple round about, 1 Kings 6:5.

and of the place of the mercy seat: the holy of holies, where that, with the cherubim over it, and the ark under it, were placed.

The sketches and plans of the sacred buildings and vessels. - The enumeration begins in 1 Chronicles 28:11 with the temple house, progressing from outside to inside, and in 1 Chronicles 28:12 goes on to the courts and the buildings in them, and in 1 Chronicles 28:13. to the vessels, etc. תּבנית, model, pattern; cf. Exodus 25:9; here the sketches and drawings of the individual things. ואת־בּתּיו is a contraction for בּתּיו ועת־תּבנית, and the suffix refers, as the succeeding words show, not to העוּלם, but to הבּית, which may be easily supplied from the context (1 Chronicles 28:10). In the porch there were no houses. The בּתּים are the buildings of the temple house, viz., the holy place and the most holy, with the three-storeyed side-building, which are specified in the following words. גּנזכּיו occurs only here, but is related to גּנזים, Esther 3:9; Esther 4:7; Ezekiel 27:24, and to the Chald. גּנזין, Ezra 7:20, and signifies store and treasure chambers, for which the chambers of the three-storeyed side-building served. עליּות are the upper chambers over the most holy place, 2 Chronicles 3:9; הפּנימים חדריו are the inner rooms of the porch and of the holy place, since הכּפּרת בּית, the house of the ark with the mercy-seat, i.e., the most holy place, is mentioned immediately after.

Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlors thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat,

28:11 The porch - Of the temple. The houses - The houses of the temple, namely, the holy place, and the holy of holies. Parlours - Those rooms which were made against the wall of the house round about, 1Kings 6:5. The place - In what particular part of the holy of holies it was to be placed.

11. Then David gave to Solomon . the pattern-He now put into the hands of his son and successor the plan or model of the temple, with the elevations, measurements, apartments, and chief articles of furniture, all of which were designed according to the pattern given him by divine revelation (1Ch 28:19).

28:11-21 The temple must be a sacred thing, and a type of Christ; it must be framed by Divine teaching. Christ is the true temple, the church is the gospel temple, and heaven the everlasting temple; all are framed according to the Divine counsels, and the plan laid in the Divine wisdom, ordained before the world, for God's glory and our good. David gave this pattern to Solomon, that he might go by rule. Materials were provided for the most costly utensils of the temple. Directions were given which way to look for help in this great undertaking. Be not dismayed; God will help thee, and thou must look up to him in the first place. We may be sure that God, who owned our fathers, and carried them through the services of their day, will, in like manner, never leave us, while he has any work to do in us, or by us. Good work is likely to go on, when all concerned are hearty in furthering it. Let us hope in God's mercy; if we seek him, he will be found of us.