tuagint say that "they prepared timber and stones to
build the temple for three years," 1 Kings 5:18; and although neither
our present Hebrew copy, nor Josephus, directly name that number of
years, yet do they both say the building itself did not begin till
Solomon's fourth year; and both speak of the preparation of materials
beforehand, 1 Kings v. 18; Antiq. B. VIII. ch. 5. sect. 1. There is
no reason, therefore, to alter the Septuagint's number; but we are to
suppose three years to have been the just time of the preparation, as I
have done in my computation of the expense in building that temple.

[13] This solemn removal of the ark from Mount Sion to Mount Moriah, at
the distance of almost three quarters of a mile, confutes that notion of
the modern Jews, and followed by many Christians also, as if those
two were after a sort one and the same mountain, for which there is, I
think, very little foundation.

[14] This mention of the Corinthian ornaments of architecture in
Solomon's palace by Josephus seems to be here set down by way of
prophecy although it appears to me that the Grecian and Roman most
ancient orders of architecture were taken from Solomon's temple, as from
their original patterns, yet it is not so clear that the last and most
ornamental order of the Corinthian was so ancient, although what the
same Josephus says, [Of the War, B. V. ch. 5. sect. 3,] that one of
the gates of Herod's temple was built according to the rules of this
Corinthian order, is no way improbable, that order being, without
dispute, much older than the reign of Herod. However, upon some trial, I
confess I have not hitherto been able fully to understand the structure
of this palace of Solomon, either as described in our Bibles, or even
with the additional help of this description here by Josephus; only
the reader may easily observe with me, that the measures of this first
building in Josephus, a hundred cubits long, and fifty cubits broad, are
the very same with the area of the cart of the tabernacle of Moses, and
just hall' an Egyptian orout, or acre.

[15] This signification of the name Pharaoh appears to be true. But what
Josephus adds presently, that no king of Egypt was called Pharaoh after
Solomon's father-in-law, does hardly agree to our copies, which have
long afterwards the names of Pharaoh Neehob, and Pharaoh Hophrah, 2
Kings 23:29; Jeremiah 44:30, besides the frequent mention of that name
Pharaoh in the prophets. However,