The house, that is, the nave in front of the inner sanctuary, was forty cubits long.
Here, I. We have a particular account of the details of the building. 1. The wainscot of the temple. It was of cedar (Kg1 6:15), which was strong and durable, and of a very sweet smell. The wainscot was curiously carved with knops (like eggs or apples) and flowers, no doubt as the fashion then was, Kg1 6:18. 2. The gilding.
Commenting on 1 Kings 6:15-38
And the cedar of the house within,.... With which the inside of the place was lined: was carved with knops; of an oval form; so the Targum says, they had the appearance of eggs; and Ben Gersom likewise, that they were in the form of eggs: and open flowers; not in the figure of buds, but flowers blown, and open, as lilies and others; so...
And the house, that [is], the temple before it, was forty cubits [long]. (i) For when he spoke of the house in the first verse, he meant both the oracle and the temple.