Solomon’s Palace

Now (A)Solomon built his own house over the course of thirteen years, and he finished all of his house. (B)He built the house of the timber from Lebanon; its length was [a]a hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, on four rows of cedar pillars with cedar beams on the pillars. And it was paneled with cedar above the side chambers which were on the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row. There were artistic window frames in three rows, and window was opposite window at three [b]intervals. And all the doorways and doorposts had squared artistic frames, and window was opposite window at three [c]intervals.

Then he made (C)the hall of pillars; its length was [d]fifty cubits and its width thirty cubits, and a porch was in front of them and pillars and a (D)threshold in front of them.

And he made the hall of the (E)throne where he was to judge, the hall of judgment, and (F)it was paneled with cedar from floor to floor.

And his house where he was to live, the other courtyard inward from the hall, was of this same workmanship. (G)He also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, (H)whom Solomon had married.

All of these were made of valuable stones, of stone cut according to measure, sawed with saws, inside and outside; even from the foundation to the [e]coping, and from the outside to the large courtyard.

10 And the foundation was of valuable stones, large stones, stones of [f]ten cubits and stones of eight cubits. 11 And above were valuable stones, cut according to measure, and cedar. 12 So (I)the large courtyard all around had three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams as well as the inner courtyard of the house of the Lord, and (J)the porch of the house.

Hiram’s Work in the Temple

13 Now (K)King Solomon sent word and had Hiram brought from Tyre. 14 (L)He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, an artisan in bronze; and (M)he was filled with wisdom, skill, and knowledge for doing any work in bronze. So he came to King Solomon and (N)performed all his work.

15 He fashioned (O)the two pillars of bronze; [g](P)eighteen cubits was the height of [h]each pillar, and a line of [i]twelve cubits [j]measured the circumference of both. 16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze to put on the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was [k]five cubits and the height of the other capital was [l]five cubits. 17 There were lattices of latticework and wreaths of chainwork for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital. 18 So he made the pillars, and two rows around on the one lattice to cover the capitals which were on the top of the pomegranates; and so he did for the other capital. 19 The capitals which were on the tops of the pillars in the porch were of lily design, four cubits. 20 So there were capitals on the two pillars, also above and close to the [m]rounded projection which was beside the lattice; and (Q)the pomegranates totaled two hundred in rows around [n]both capitals. 21 (R)And he set up the pillars at the (S)porch of the [o]main room: he set up the right pillar and named it [p]Jachin, and he set up the left pillar and named it [q]Boaz. 22 On the top of the pillars was the lily design. So the work of the pillars was finished.

23 (T)He also he made the [r]Sea of (U)cast metal [s]ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in shape, and its height was five cubits, and [t]it was [u]thirty cubits in circumference. 24 Under its brim (V)gourds went around encircling it ten to a cubit, (W)completely surrounding the Sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast [v]with the rest. 25 (X)It was standing on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; and the Sea was set on top of them, and all their rear parts turned inward. 26 And it was a [w]hand width thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom; it could hold [x]two thousand baths.

27 Then (Y)he made the ten stands of bronze; the length of each stand was [y]four cubits, its width four cubits, and its height was three cubits. 28 This was the design of the stands: they had borders, that is, borders between the crossbars, 29 and on the borders which were between the crossbars were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the crossbars there was a pedestal above, and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. 30 Now each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and its four feet had supports; beneath the basin were cast supports with wreaths at each side. 31 And its opening inside the crown at the top was a [z]cubit, and its opening was round like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and on its opening also there were engravings, and their borders were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were underneath the borders, and the axles of the wheels were on the stand. And the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel. Their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. 34 Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; its supports were part of the stand itself. 35 And on the top of the stand there was a circular form [aa]half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand its [ab]stays and its borders were part of it. 36 And he engraved on the plates of its stays and on its borders cherubim, lions, and palm trees, as there was clear space on each, with wreaths all around. 37 (Z)He made the ten stands like this: all of them had the [ac]same casting, [ad]same measure, and [ae]same form.

38 (AA)And he made ten basins of bronze, [af]each holding [ag]forty baths; each basin was [ah]four cubits, and on each of the ten stands was one basin. 39 Then he placed the stands, five on the right side of the house and five on the left side of the house; and he set the [ai]Sea of cast metal on the right side of the house eastward toward the south.

40 Now Hiram made the basins and the shovels and the bowls. So Hiram finished doing all the work which he performed for King Solomon in the house of the Lord: 41 the two pillars and the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the (AB)two pillars, and the two lattices to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; 42 and the (AC)four hundred pomegranates for the two lattices, two rows of pomegranates for each lattice to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the tops of the pillars; 43 and the ten stands with the ten basins on the stands; 44 and (AD)the one [aj]Sea and the twelve oxen under the Sea; 45 and (AE)the buckets, the shovels, and the bowls; indeed, all these utensils which Hiram made for King Solomon in the house of the Lord were of polished bronze. 46 (AF)The king had them cast in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between (AG)Succoth and (AH)Zarethan. 47 However, Solomon left all the utensils unweighed, because they were too many; (AI)the weight of the bronze could not be determined.

48 Solomon also made all the furniture that was in the house of the Lord: (AJ)the golden altar and the golden table on which was set the (AK)bread of the Presence; 49 and the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary; and (AL)the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; 50 also the cups, the [ak]shears, the bowls, the ladles, and the (AM)firepans, of pure gold; and the hinges both for the doors of the inner house, the Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the house, that is, for the main room, of gold.

51 (AN)So all the work that King Solomon performed in the house of the Lord was finished. And (AO)Solomon brought in the offerings vowed by his father David, the silver and the gold and the utensils, and he put them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:2 About 150 ft. long, 75 wide, and 45 high or 46 m long, 23 wide, and 14 high;
  2. 1 Kings 7:4 Lit paces
  3. 1 Kings 7:5 Lit paces
  4. 1 Kings 7:6 About 75 ft. long and 45 ft. wide or 23 m long and 7 m wide
  5. 1 Kings 7:9 I.e., top sloping course of stone
  6. 1 Kings 7:10 About 15 and 12 ft. or 4.5 and 3.7 m
  7. 1 Kings 7:15 About 27 ft. or 8 m
  8. 1 Kings 7:15 Lit the one
  9. 1 Kings 7:15 About 18 ft. or 5.5 m
  10. 1 Kings 7:15 Lit went around the other pillar
  11. 1 Kings 7:16 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
  12. 1 Kings 7:16 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
  13. 1 Kings 7:20 Lit belly
  14. 1 Kings 7:20 Lit on the other capital
  15. 1 Kings 7:21 Lit sanctuary
  16. 1 Kings 7:21 I.e., he shall establish
  17. 1 Kings 7:21 I.e., in it is strength
  18. 1 Kings 7:23 I.e., large basin
  19. 1 Kings 7:23 About 15 ft. in diameter and 7.5 ft. high or 4.6 m and 2.3 m high
  20. 1 Kings 7:23 Lit a line of 30 cubits went around it all around;
  21. 1 Kings 7:23 About 45 ft. or 14 m
  22. 1 Kings 7:24 Lit in its casting
  23. 1 Kings 7:26 About 3 in. or 7.6 cm
  24. 1 Kings 7:26 About 12,000 gallons or 45,424 liters
  25. 1 Kings 7:27 About 6 ft. long and wide and 4.5 ft. high or 1.8 m and 1.4 m
  26. 1 Kings 7:31 About 18 in. or 45 cm
  27. 1 Kings 7:35 About 9 in. or 23 cm
  28. 1 Kings 7:35 Lit hands
  29. 1 Kings 7:37 Lit one
  30. 1 Kings 7:37 Lit one
  31. 1 Kings 7:37 Lit one
  32. 1 Kings 7:38 Lit the one basin held
  33. 1 Kings 7:38 About 240 gallons or 908 liters
  34. 1 Kings 7:38 About 6 ft. or 1.8 m
  35. 1 Kings 7:39 I.e., large basin
  36. 1 Kings 7:44 I.e., large basin
  37. 1 Kings 7:50 I.e., a tool to trim wicks

Solomon’s Palace and Other Buildings

Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house.(A)

He built the House of the Forest of the Lebanon one hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high, built on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars.(B) It was roofed with cedar on the forty-five rafters, fifteen in each row, which were on the pillars. There were window frames in the three rows, facing each other in the three rows. All the doorways and doorposts had four-sided frames, opposite, facing each other in the three rows.

He made the Hall of Pillars fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide. There was a porch in front with pillars and a canopy in front of them.

He made the Hall of the Throne where he was to pronounce judgment, the Hall of Justice, covered with cedar from the floor to the rafters.[a](C)

His own house where he would reside, in the other court back of the hall, was of the same construction. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had taken in marriage.(D)

All these were made of costly stones, cut according to measure, sawed with saws, back and front, from the foundation to the coping and from outside to the great court. 10 The foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, stones of eight and ten cubits. 11 There were costly stones above, cut to measure, and cedarwood. 12 The great court had three courses of dressed stone to one layer of cedar beams all around; so had the inner court of the house of the Lord and the vestibule of the house.(E)

Products of Hiram the Bronzeworker

13 Now King Solomon invited and received Hiram from Tyre.(F) 14 He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, whose father, a man of Tyre, had been an artisan in bronze; he was full of skill, intelligence, and knowledge in working bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.(G)

15 He cast two pillars of bronze. Eighteen cubits was the height of the one, and a cord of twelve cubits would encircle it; the second pillar was the same.[b](H) 16 He also made two capitals of molten bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17 There were nets of checker work with wreaths of chain work for the capitals on the tops of the pillars, seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital. 18 He made the columns with two rows around each latticework to cover the capitals that were above the pomegranates; he did the same with the other capital. 19 Now the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars in the vestibule were of lily-work, four cubits high. 20 The capitals were on the two pillars and also above the rounded projection that was beside the latticework; there were two hundred pomegranates in rows all around, and so with the other capital.(I) 21 He set up the pillars at the vestibule of the temple; he set up the pillar on the south and called it Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the north and called it Boaz.(J) 22 On the tops of the pillars was lily-work. Thus the work of the pillars was finished.

23 Then he made the molten sea; it was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high. A line of thirty cubits would encircle it completely.(K) 24 Under its brim were gourds[c] all around it, each of ten cubits, surrounding the sea; there were two rows of gourds,[d] cast when it was cast.(L) 25 It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; the sea was set on them. The hindquarters of each were toward the inside.(M) 26 Its thickness was a handbreadth; its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily; it held two thousand baths.[e]

27 He also made the ten stands of bronze; each stand was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high.(N) 28 This was the construction of the stands: they had borders; the borders were within the frames; 29 on the borders that were set in the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the frames, both above and below the lions and oxen, there were wreaths of beveled work. 30 Each stand had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze; at the four corners were supports for a basin. The supports were cast with wreaths at the side of each.(O) 31 Its opening was within the crown, whose height was one cubit; its opening was round, as a pedestal is made; it was a cubit and a half wide. At its opening there were carvings; its borders were four-sided, not round. 32 The four wheels were underneath the borders; the axles of the wheels were in the stands; and the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The wheels were made like a chariot wheel; their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. 34 There were four supports at the four corners of each stand; the supports were of one piece with the stands. 35 On the top of the stand there was a round band half a cubit high; on the top of the stand, its stays and its borders were of one piece with it. 36 On the surfaces of its stays and on its borders he carved cherubim, lions, and palm trees where each had space, with wreaths all around. 37 In this way he made the ten stands; all of them were cast alike, with the same size and the same form.(P)

38 He made ten basins of bronze; each basin held forty baths;[f] each basin measured four cubits; there was a basin for each of the ten stands.(Q) 39 He set five of the stands on the south side of the house and five on the north side of the house; he set the sea on the southeast corner of the house.

40 Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished all the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of the Lord: 41 the two pillars, the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars, the two latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars;(R) 42 the four hundred pomegranates for the two latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars;(S) 43 the ten stands, the ten basins on the stands; 44 the one sea and the twelve oxen underneath the sea.(T)

45 The pots, the shovels, and the basins—all these vessels that Hiram made for King Solomon for the house of the Lord were of burnished bronze.(U) 46 In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan.(V) 47 Solomon left all the vessels unweighed because there were so many of them; the weight of the bronze was not determined.

48 So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the Lord: the golden altar, the golden table for the bread of the Presence,(W) 49 the lampstands of pure gold, five on the south side and five on the north, in front of the inner sanctuary; the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold;(X) 50 the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and firepans, of pure gold; the sockets for the doors of the innermost part of the house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the main hall of the temple, of gold.

51 Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the Lord was finished. Solomon brought in the things that his father David had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.(Y)

Footnotes

  1. 7.7 Syr Vg: Heb floor
  2. 7.15 Cn: Heb and a cord of twelve cubits encircled the second pillar
  3. 7.24 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  4. 7.24 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  5. 7.26 A Heb measure of volume
  6. 7.38 A Heb measure of volume