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5-6 He built the structure surrounding the central sanctuary of the temple that supported the sanctuary’s walls and served as storehouses. The lower level of the structure was 7½ feet wide, the middle level was 9 feet wide, and the top level was 10½ feet wide. He constructed coffers in the temple so that the ceiling beams would not intersect with the temple walls.

The temple was constructed out of rocks that had been finished and polished at the quarry. Not a single hammer, hatchet, or other iron tool was heard inside the temple during construction. The entrance into the lowest[a] level was on the right side of the temple. From there a winding staircase led up to the middle level, and from there, to the top level.

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Footnotes

  1. 6:8 Hebrew manuscripts read, “middle.”

The lowest floor was five cubits[a] wide, the middle floor six cubits[b] and the third floor seven.[c] He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.

In building the temple, only blocks dressed(A) at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool(B) was heard at the temple site while it was being built.

The entrance to the lowest[d] floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verses 10 and 24
  2. 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 9 feet or about 2.7 meters
  3. 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 11 feet or about 3.2 meters
  4. 1 Kings 6:8 Septuagint; Hebrew middle