Sunday School Times 2 Samuel 7:1-17 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;… The cedar was largely used for decorative purposes throughout the whole East. In "Nineveh and its Remains," Layard thus describes the internal appearance of an Assyrian building: "The ceilings... were divided into square compartments, painted with flowers, or with the figures of animals. Some were inlaid with ivory, each compartment being surrounded by elegant borders and mouldings. The beams, as well as the sides of the chambers, may have been gilded, or even plated with gold and silver; and the rarest woods, in which the cedar was conspicuous, were used for the woodwork." (Zephaniah 2:14; Jeremiah 22:14; 1 Kings 6:15; 1 Kings 7:3.) The true relation of the houses of men to the house of God may be illustrated from Ancient Athens. The dwelling-houses of Athens were mean; its temples were the wonder of the world, abounding in all magnificence of wealth and art. (Sunday School Times.) Parallel Verses KJV: And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies; |