In the first year of Cyrus the king, the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be built, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let its foundations be strongly laid; its height threescore cubits, and its breadth threescore cubits;
Read Chapter 6
Bede
AD 735
And from the first day of the seventh month they began to offer a holocaust to the Lord. It has been said more than once that the seventh month stands for the sevenfold enlightenment of spiritual grace. So now it is well said that from the first day of the seventh month they began to offer a holocaust to the Lord, doubtless because from the very beginning of divine inspiration, human conscience must be transformed and, as it neglects the delights of the lowest level, burn to think and do only those things which are the Lord's. Is it not true that from the first day of the seventh month (that is, from the first illumination of divine grace) they “the Apostles” were offering holocausts of virtues to the Lord? For when the Holy Spirit came upon them in tongues of fire, immediately, as though transformed from what they had been before, they began to burn with new torches of a now intimate love and to preach the wonderful works of God in the tongues of all nations, and they were so dedicate...
And.foundations is not found in Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic, but it is in Chaldean. The temple was thus of larger dimensions than that of Solomon, which was only 30 cubits high, and 20 broad inside, 3 Kings vi. 2. The Rabbins assign 100 for each, (Tr. Middot. iv. 6.) speaking perhaps of the temple rebuilt by Herod, with still greater magnificence. Josephus allows 100 in height, and 60 in breadth. But the Scripture only speaks of 54 cubits breadeth, and 99 in length including the adjoining edifices. (Calmet)
Breadth, from the front to the end of the holy of holies, which we should call the length. (Tirinus)
This temple was lower than Solomon's by one half, (2 Paralipomenon iii. 4.; Menochius) unless those 120 cubits refer only to a tower. (Haydock)
