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1 Kings 7
Common English Bible

Solomon builds palaces

7 Now as for Solomon’s palace, it took thirteen years for him to complete its construction. 2 He built the Forest of Lebanon Palace one hundred fifty feet in length, seventy-five feet in width, and forty-five feet in height. It had four rows of cedar columns with cedar engravings above the columns. 3 The palace’s cedar roof stood above forty-five beams resting on the columns, fifteen beams to each row. 4 Three sets of window frames faced each other. 5 All the doorframes were rectangular, facing each other in three sets. 6 He made a porch with columns that was seventy-five feet long and forty-five feet wide. Another porch was in front of these with roofed columns in front of them.[a] 7 He made the throne room the Hall of Justice, where he would judge. It was covered with cedar from the lower to the upper levels. 8 The royal residence where Solomon lived was behind this hall. It had a similar design. Solomon also made a similar palace for his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter. 9 He built all these with the best stones cut to size, sawed with saws, back and front, from the foundation to the highest points and from the outer boundary to the great courtyard. 10 The foundation was laid with large stones of high quality, some of fifteen feet and some of twelve feet. 11 Above them were high-quality stones cut to measure, as well as cedar. 12 The surrounding great courtyard had three rows of cut stones and a row of trimmed cedar just like the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple and its porch.

Solomon’s temple equipment

13 Then King Solomon sent a message and brought Hiram from Tyre. 14 Hiram’s mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali. His father was a Tyrian skilled in bronze work. He was amazingly skillful in the techniques and knowledge for doing all kinds of work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.

15 He[b] cast two bronze pillars. Each one was twenty-seven feet high and required a cord of eighteen feet to reach around it.[c] 16 He made two capitals of cast bronze for the tops of the columns. They were each seven and a half feet high. 17 He made an intricate network of chains for the capitals on top of the columns, seven for each capital. 18 He made the pillars and two rows of pomegranates for each network to adorn each of the capitals. 19 The capitals on top of the columns in the porch were made like lilies, each six feet high. 20 Above the round-shaped part and next to the network were two hundred pomegranates. These were placed in rows around both of the capitals on top of the columns. 21 He set up the columns at the temple’s porch. He named the south column Jachin. The north column he named Boaz. 22 After putting the lily shapes on top of the columns, he was finished with the columns.

23 He also made a tank of cast metal called the Sea. It was circular in shape, fifteen feet from rim to rim, seven and a half feet high, forty-five feet in circumference. 24 Under the rim were two rows of gourds completely encircling it, ten every eighteen inches, each cast in its mold. 25 The Sea rested on twelve oxen with their backs toward the center, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. 26 The Sea was as thick as the width of a hand. Its rim was shaped like a cup or an open lily blossom. It could hold two thousand baths.[d]

27 He also made ten bronze stands. Each was six feet long, six feet wide, and four and a half feet high. 28 This is how each stand was made: There were panels connected between the legs. 29 Lions, bulls, and winged otherworldly creatures appeared on the panels between the legs. On the legs above and below the lions and bulls were wreaths on panels hanging off the stands. 30 There were four bronze wheels with bronze axles for each stand. There were four feet and supports cast for each basin with wreaths on their sides.[e] 31 Inside the bowl was an opening eighteen inches deep. The opening was round, measuring twenty-seven inches, with engravings. The panels of the stands were square rather than round. 32 There were four wheels beneath the panels. The axles of the wheels were attached to the stand. Each wheel was twenty-seven inches in height. 33 The construction of the wheels resembled chariot wheels. The axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all made of cast metal. 34 There was a handle on each of the four corners of every stand, projecting from the side of the stand. 35 The top of the stand had a band running around the perimeter that was nine inches deep. The stand had its own supports and panels. 36 On the surfaces of the supports and panels he carved winged otherworldly creatures, lions, and palm trees with wreaths everywhere.[f] 37 In this manner he made ten stands, each one cast in a single mold of the same size and shape.

38 He made ten bronze washbasins, each able to hold forty baths.[g] Every washbasin was six feet across, and there was one for each of the ten stands. 39 He placed five stands on the south of the temple and five on the north of the temple. He placed the Sea at the southeast corner of the temple.

40 Hiram made the basins, shovels, and bowls.

And so Hiram finished his work on the Lord’s temple for King Solomon:

41 two columns;

two circular capitals on top of the columns;

two networks, adorning the two circular capitals on top of the columns;

42 four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, with two rows of pomegranates for each network that adorned the two circular capitals on top of the columns;

43 ten stands with ten basins on them;

44 one Sea;

twelve oxen beneath the Sea;

45 and the pots, shovels, and bowls.

All the equipment that Hiram made for King Solomon for the Lord’s temple was made from polished bronze. 46 The king cast it in clay molds in the Jordan Valley between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 Due to the very large number of objects, Solomon didn’t even try to weigh the bronze.

48 Solomon also made all the equipment for the Lord’s temple: the gold altar; the gold table for the bread of the presence; 49 the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right and five on the left in front of the inner sanctuary; the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs of gold; 50 the cups, wick trimmers, bowls, ladles, and censers of pure gold; and the gold sockets for the doors to the most holy place and for the doors to the main hall. 51 When all King Solomon’s work on the Lord’s temple was finished, he brought the silver, gold, and all the objects his father David had dedicated and put them in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:6 Heb uncertain
  2. 1 Kings 7:15 Either Solomon or Hiram; this ambiguity continues in the following verses, but cf 1 Kgs 7:1, 8, 13; 1 Kgs 7:40.
  3. 1 Kings 7:15 Or the second; cf Jer 52:21
  4. 1 Kings 7:26 One bath is approximately twenty quarts or five gallons.
  5. 1 Kings 7:30 Heb uncertain
  6. 1 Kings 7:36 Heb uncertain
  7. 1 Kings 7:38 One bath is approximately twenty quarts or five gallons.
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1 Koenige 7
Hoffnung für Alle

Salomo baut sich einen Palast

7 An seinem Palast baute Salomo dreizehn Jahre.

2-3 Eines seiner neuen Gebäude war das sogenannte »Libanonwaldhaus«. Es war 50 Meter lang, 25 Meter breit und 15 Meter hoch. Das unterste Stockwerk war eine Halle mit drei Säulenreihen aus Zedernholz, 15 Säulen in jeder Reihe, also 45 insgesamt. Darüber lagen Balken aus Zedernholz, die als Boden für ein oberes Stockwerk dienten. Dies war in mehrere Kammern unterteilt, die ebenfalls mit Zedernbalken überdacht waren.[a] 4 In die beiden Längswände des Palasts wurden drei übereinanderliegende Reihen von je drei Fenstern eingelassen, und zwar so, dass die Fenster einander genau gegenüberlagen. 5 Auch die Türen lagen einander jeweils gegenüber. Es waren insgesamt sechs Türen mit viereckigen Rahmen.

6 Außerdem baute Salomo eine Säulenhalle, die 25 Meter lang und 15 Meter breit war. Davor ließ er eine weitere Säulenhalle mit einem Vordach errichten. 7 Er baute sich auch eine Halle, in der sein Thron stand und wo er Gericht hielt. Vom Fußboden bis zur Decke war dieser Raum mit Zedernholz getäfelt. 8 Der Wohnpalast Salomos befand sich in einem Hof, der weiter innen lag als die Thronhalle, und war von der gleichen Bauart. Auch das Haus für seine Frau, die Tochter des Pharaos, war im gleichen Stil wie die Thronhalle gehalten.

9 Für alle Gebäude wurden Quadersteine bester Qualität verwendet. Sie waren vorher mit Steinsägen genau zurechtgeschnitten worden. Alle Mauern dieser Gebäude – angefangen bei den äußeren Palästen bis hinein zum großen Innenhof – bestanden aus solchen Steinen. 10 Für die Fundamente benutzte man besonders große Quadersteine; sie waren vier bis fünf Meter lang. 11 Darüber wurden Mauern von Quadersteinen bester Qualität errichtet. Zwischen den einzelnen Mauerreihen waren immer wieder Zedernbalken eingefügt. 12 Den großen Hof rings um den Palast und den Tempel umgab eine Mauer, die abwechselnd aus drei Lagen Quadersteinen und einer Lage Zedernbalken bestand. Die Mauer um den inneren Vorhof, der den Tempel umgab, war genauso gebaut, ebenso die Mauer um die Tempelvorhalle.

Die beiden Säulen am Eingang des Tempels (2. Chronik 3,15‒17)

13 König Salomo ließ einen Bronzegießer aus Tyrus an den Hof holen. Er hieß Hiram, 14 seine Mutter war eine verwitwete Israelitin aus dem Stamm Naftali und sein Vater ein Bronzegießer aus Tyrus. Hiram war sehr begabt, ein Meister seines Fachs, der alles nur Erdenkliche aus Bronze herstellen konnte. Er kam zu König Salomo an den Hof und arbeitete für ihn.

15 Als Erstes goss er zwei Säulen aus Bronze. Beide waren 9 Meter hoch und hatten einen Umfang von 6 Metern. 16 Auf jede Säule setzte er ein 2,5 Meter hohes Kapitell, aus Bronze gegossen. 17 Jedes Kapitell war mit sieben Reihen geflochtener Ketten geschmückt 18-20 sowie mit 200 Granatäpfeln, die in zwei Reihen oberhalb der Flechtornamente angebracht wurden. Die Kapitelle ruhten auf den Säulen. Sie waren wie Lilienblüten geformt, und ihre Blütenkelche waren 2 Meter hoch.[b] 21 Hiram ließ die beiden Säulen vor der Eingangshalle des Tempels aufstellen. Die rechte nannte er Jachin (»Er wird aufrichten«) und die linke Boas (»In ihm ist Stärke«). 22 Die beiden Kapitelle in Form von Lilienblüten wurden auf die Säulen gesetzt. Damit war diese Arbeit abgeschlossen.

Das Becken aus Bronze (2. Chronik 4,2‒5)

23 Danach fertigte Hiram ein rundes Bronzebecken an, »das Meer« genannt. Seine Höhe betrug 2,5 Meter, sein Durchmesser 5 Meter und sein Umfang 15 Meter. 24 Unterhalb des Randes war es ringsum mit zwei Reihen von Früchten[c] verziert, jeweils zehn auf einen halben Meter. Sie und das Becken waren aus einem Guss. 25 Das Becken stand auf zwölf Rinderfiguren, von denen drei nach Norden gewandt waren, drei nach Westen, drei nach Süden und drei nach Osten. Ihre Hinterbeine zeigten nach innen, und das Becken ruhte auf ihren Rücken. 26 Sein Rand war nach außen gewölbt wie der Kelch einer Lilienblüte. Das Becken hatte eine Wandstärke von knapp 8 Zentimetern und fasste etwa 44.000 Liter.

Die zehn Kesselwagen

27 Als Nächstes stellte Hiram zehn Kesselwagen aus Bronze her. Der Wagenkasten eines jeden war 2 Meter lang, 2 Meter breit und 1,5 Meter hoch. 28 Seine Wände wurden oben und unten durch waagerechte Leisten eingerahmt und durch senkrechte und waagerechte Stäbe verstärkt. 29 Alle Leisten und Stäbe verzierte Hiram mit aufgehämmerten Löwenfiguren, mit Rindern und Keruben. Über und unter den Löwen und Rindern wurden Kranzornamente angebracht. 30 Jeder Kesselwagen hatte unter dem Wagenkasten ein Fahrgestell mit vier Rädern und zwei Achsen aus Bronze. Jede Achse war an beiden Enden durch zwei schräg aufwärtslaufende Streben mit der untersten Leiste des Wagenkastens verbunden. Diese Streben stützten den Wagenkasten, der den Wasserkessel tragen musste. 31 Für den Wasserkessel wurde ein runder Aufsatz auf den Kasten gesetzt. Er stand auf einem viereckigen Rahmen, und sein Rand war mit eingravierten Bildern verziert. Aufsatz und Rahmen waren zusammen 75 Zentimeter hoch. 32 Die Räder der Fahrgestelle besaßen einen Durchmesser von 75 Zentimetern. Sie standen genau unter den Seitenwänden des Wagenkastens und waren an den Füßen der vier Seitenpfosten befestigt. Eine Achse verlief durch jeweils zwei Pfosten. 33 Die Räder waren gebaut wie die Räder von Streitwagen. Ihre Achsen, Felgen, Naben und Speichen wurden allesamt aus Bronze gegossen. 34 Die vier Eckpfosten und der Wagenkasten waren aus einem Guss. 35 Der stützende Rahmen, auf dem der Aufsatz für den Kessel ruhte, war 25 Zentimeter hoch. Er wurde mit Hilfe von Haltern und Platten befestigt, die sich am Wagenkasten befanden. 36 Wo auf Seitenwänden, Haltern oder Platten noch Platz frei war, ließ Hiram Bilder von Keruben, Löwen und Palmen eingravieren und alles mit Kränzen umrahmen. 37 Hiram benutzte für alle zehn Kesselwagen dieselbe Gussform. So sahen alle zehn gleich aus.

38 Für jeden Wagen goss Hiram einen Kessel aus Bronze. Die Gefäße hatten einen Durchmesser von 2 Metern und fassten 900 Liter. 39 Man brachte die Kesselwagen an ihren vorgesehenen Platz: Fünf standen auf der rechten Tempelseite, fünf auf der linken. Das große Wasserbecken stellte man rechts vom Tempel auf, in der Südostecke des Vorhofs.

Liste der Gegenstände, die Hiram herstellte (2. Chronik 4,11‒18)

40 Zuletzt stellte Hiram noch Kübel und Schaufeln zum Beseitigen der Asche her sowie Schalen, in denen das Blut der Opfertiere aufgefangen wurde. Damit beendete er die Arbeiten für den Tempel des Herrn, die König Salomo ihm aufgetragen hatte.

41 Insgesamt hatte er folgende Gegenstände hergestellt:

zwei Säulen;

zwei kelchförmige Kapitelle, die oben auf den Säulen ruhten;

zwei geflochtene Ketten zur Verzierung der beiden Kapitelle;

42 für jedes Kapitell 200 Granatäpfel, die in zwei Reihen über den Ketten angebracht waren;

43 zehn Kesselwagen;

zehn Wasserkessel, die auf die Wagen gesetzt wurden;

44 das große Wasserbecken, genannt »das Meer«;

zwölf Rinderfiguren, auf denen das Becken stand;

45 Kübel, Schaufeln und Schalen.

Alle Gegenstände, die Hiram im Auftrag Salomos für den Tempel des Herrn herstellte, wurden aus Bronze gegossen und anschließend blank poliert. 46 König Salomo ließ sie in der Jordan-Ebene zwischen Sukkot und Zaretan gießen. Dort gab es Gießereien mit großen Gussformen aus Tonerde. 47 Für diese Gegenstände wurde so viel Bronze gebraucht, dass König Salomo ihr Gewicht gar nicht mehr feststellen ließ. Dies wäre auch kaum möglich gewesen.

Die Inneneinrichtung des Tempels (2. Chronik 4,19–5,1)

48 Für das Innere des Tempels ließ Salomo folgende Gegenstände aus Gold herstellen:

einen Altar;

einen Tisch, auf dem die Gott geweihten Brote liegen sollten;

49-50 zehn Leuchter, die vor dem Allerheiligsten stehen sollten: fünf auf der rechten und fünf auf der linken Seite der Tür;

Blumenornamente für die Leuchter;

Lampen, Dochtscheren und Messer zum Reinigen der Lampen;

Becken und Schüsseln;

Schalen und Eimer zum Tragen der glühenden Kohlen;

Türangeln für den Eingang zum Allerheiligsten und zum Heiligtum.

Alle diese Gegenstände wurden aus Gold angefertigt.

51 Als König Salomo den Bau des Tempels vollendet hatte, brachte er alle Silber- und Goldschätze mitsamt den übrigen Gegenständen, die sein Vater David Gott geweiht hatte, in die Schatzkammern des Tempels.

Footnotes

  1. 7,2‒3 Die Verse 2 und 3 sind nach der griechischen Übersetzung wiedergegeben. Der hebräische Text ist nicht sicher zu deuten.
  2. 7,18‒20 Der hebräische Text in den Versen 18‒20 ist nicht sicher zu deuten.
  3. 7,24 Vermutlich Flaschenkürbisse.
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1 Kings 7
New King James Version

Solomon’s Other Buildings

7 But Solomon took (A)thirteen years to build his own house; so he finished all his house.

2 He also built the (B)House of the Forest of Lebanon; its length was [a]one hundred cubits, its width [b]fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, with four rows of cedar pillars, and cedar beams on the pillars. 3 And it was paneled with cedar above the beams that were on forty-five pillars, fifteen to a row. 4 There were windows with beveled frames in three rows, and window was opposite window in three tiers. 5 And all the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames; and window was opposite window in three tiers.

6 He also made the Hall of Pillars: its length was fifty cubits, and its width thirty cubits; and in front of them was a portico with pillars, and a canopy was in front of them.

7 Then he made a hall for the throne, the Hall of Judgment, where he might judge; and it was paneled with cedar from floor to [c]ceiling.

8 And the house where he dwelt had another court inside the hall, of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, (C)whom he had taken as wife.

9 All these were of costly stones cut to size, trimmed with saws, inside and out, from the foundation to the eaves, and also on the outside to the great court. 10 The foundation was of costly stones, large stones, some ten cubits and some eight cubits. 11 And above were costly stones, hewn to size, and cedar wood. 12 The great court was enclosed with three rows of hewn stones and a row of cedar beams. So were the (D)inner court of the house of the Lord (E)and the vestibule of the temple.

Hiram the Craftsman

13 Now King Solomon sent and brought [d]Huram from Tyre. 14 (F)He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and (G)his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker; (H)he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all his work.

The Bronze Pillars for the Temple(I)

15 And he [e]cast (J)two pillars of bronze, each one eighteen cubits high, and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of each. 16 Then he made two capitals of cast bronze, to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17 He made a lattice network, with wreaths of chainwork, for the capitals which were on top of the pillars: seven chains for one capital and seven for the other capital. 18 So he made the pillars, and two rows of pomegranates above the network all around to cover the capitals that were on top; and thus he did for the other capital.

19 The capitals which were on top of the pillars in the hall were in the shape of lilies, four cubits. 20 The capitals on the two pillars also had pomegranates above, by the convex surface which was next to the network; and there were (K)two hundred such pomegranates in rows on each of the capitals all around.

21 (L)Then he set up the pillars by the vestibule of the temple; he set up the pillar on the right and called its name [f]Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the left and called its name [g]Boaz. 22 The tops of the pillars were in the shape of lilies. So the work of the pillars was finished.

The Sea and the Oxen

23 And he made (M)the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.

24 Below its brim were ornamental buds encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, (N)all the way around the Sea. The ornamental buds were cast in two rows when it was cast. 25 It stood on (O)twelve oxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward. 26 It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It contained [h]two thousand baths.

The Carts and the Lavers

27 He also made ten [i]carts of bronze; four cubits was the length of each cart, four cubits its width, and three cubits its height. 28 And this was the design of the carts: They had panels, and the panels were between frames; 29 on the panels that were between the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. And on the frames was a pedestal on top. Below the lions and oxen were wreaths of plaited work. 30 Every cart had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and its four feet had supports. Under the laver were supports of cast bronze beside each wreath. 31 Its opening inside the crown at the top was one cubit in diameter; and the opening was round, shaped like a pedestal, one and a half cubits in outside diameter; and also on the opening were engravings, but the panels were square, not round. 32 Under the panels were the four wheels, and the axles of the wheels were joined to the cart. The height of a wheel was one and a half cubits. 33 The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel; their axle pins, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all of cast bronze. 34 And there were four supports at the four corners of each cart; its supports were part of the cart itself. 35 On the top of the cart, at the height of half a cubit, it was perfectly round. And on the top of the cart, its flanges and its panels were of the same casting. 36 On the plates of its flanges and on its panels he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, wherever there was a clear space on each, with wreaths all around. 37 Thus he made the ten carts. All of them were of [j]the same mold, one measure, and one shape.

38 Then (P)he made ten lavers of bronze; each laver contained [k]forty baths, and each laver was four cubits. On each of the ten carts was a laver. 39 And he put five carts on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house. He set the Sea on the right side of the house, toward the southeast.

Furnishings of the Temple(Q)

40 (R)Huram[l] made the lavers and the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished doing all the work that he was to do for King Solomon for the house of the Lord: 41 the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two (S)networks covering the two bowl-shaped capitals which were on top of the pillars; 42 (T)four hundred pomegranates for the two networks (two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the pillars); 43 the ten carts, and ten lavers on the carts; 44 one Sea, and twelve oxen under the Sea; 45 (U)the pots, the shovels, and the bowls.

All these articles which [m]Huram made for King Solomon for the house of the Lord were of burnished bronze. 46 (V)In the plain of Jordan the king had them cast in clay molds, between (W)Succoth and (X)Zaretan. 47 And Solomon did not weigh all the articles, because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not (Y)determined.

48 Thus Solomon had all the furnishings made for the house of the Lord: (Z)the altar of gold, and (AA)the table of gold on which was (AB)the showbread; 49 the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left in front of the inner sanctuary, with the flowers and the lamps and the wick-trimmers of gold; 50 the basins, the trimmers, the bowls, the ladles, and the [n]censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner room (the Most Holy Place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

51 So all the work that King Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished; and Solomon brought in the things (AC)which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and the furnishings. He put them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:2 About 150 feet
  2. 1 Kings 7:2 About 75 feet
  3. 1 Kings 7:7 Lit. floor of the upper level
  4. 1 Kings 7:13 Heb. Hiram; cf. 2 Chr. 2:13, 14
  5. 1 Kings 7:15 fashioned
  6. 1 Kings 7:21 Lit. He Shall Establish
  7. 1 Kings 7:21 Lit. In It Is Strength
  8. 1 Kings 7:26 About 12,000 gallons; three thousand, 2 Chr. 4:5
  9. 1 Kings 7:27 Or stands
  10. 1 Kings 7:37 one
  11. 1 Kings 7:38 About 240 gallons
  12. 1 Kings 7:40 Heb. Hiram; cf. 2 Chr. 2:13, 14
  13. 1 Kings 7:45 Heb. Hiram; cf. 2 Chr. 2:13, 14
  14. 1 Kings 7:50 firepans
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1 Kings 7
New International Version

Solomon Builds His Palace

7 It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace.(A) 2 He built the Palace(B) of the Forest of Lebanon(C) a hundred cubits long, fifty wide and thirty high,[a] with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams. 3 It was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the columns—forty-five beams, fifteen to a row. 4 Its windows were placed high in sets of three, facing each other. 5 All the doorways had rectangular frames; they were in the front part in sets of three, facing each other.[b]

6 He made a colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty wide.[c] In front of it was a portico, and in front of that were pillars and an overhanging roof.

7 He built the throne hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge,(D) and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling.[d](E) 8 And the palace in which he was to live, set farther back, was similar in design. Solomon also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.(F)

9 All these structures, from the outside to the great courtyard and from foundation to eaves, were made of blocks of high-grade stone cut to size and smoothed on their inner and outer faces. 10 The foundations were laid with large stones of good quality, some measuring ten cubits[e] and some eight.[f] 11 Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams. 12 The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses(G) of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the Lord with its portico.

The Temple’s Furnishings(H)(I)

13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram,[g](J) 14 whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was from Tyre and a skilled craftsman in bronze. Huram was filled with wisdom,(K) with understanding and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all(L) the work assigned to him.

15 He cast two bronze pillars,(M) each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.[h] 16 He also made two capitals(N) of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits[i] high. 17 A network of interwoven chains adorned the capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital. 18 He made pomegranates in two rows[j] encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars.[k] He did the same for each capital. 19 The capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four cubits[l] high. 20 On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates(O) in rows all around. 21 He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin[m] and the one to the north Boaz.[n](P) 22 The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars(Q) was completed.

23 He made the Sea(R) of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line(S) of thirty cubits[o] to measure around it. 24 Below the rim, gourds encircled it—ten to a cubit. The gourds were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.

25 The Sea stood on twelve bulls,(T) three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center. 26 It was a handbreadth[p] in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.[q]

27 He also made ten movable stands(U) of bronze; each was four cubits long, four wide and three high.[r] 28 This is how the stands were made: They had side panels attached to uprights. 29 On the panels between the uprights were lions, bulls and cherubim—and on the uprights as well. Above and below the lions and bulls were wreaths of hammered work. 30 Each stand(V) had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and each had a basin resting on four supports, cast with wreaths on each side. 31 On the inside of the stand there was an opening that had a circular frame one cubit[s] deep. This opening was round, and with its basework it measured a cubit and a half.[t] Around its opening there was engraving. The panels of the stands were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand. The diameter of each wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The wheels were made like chariot wheels; the axles, rims, spokes and hubs were all of cast metal.

34 Each stand had four handles, one on each corner, projecting from the stand. 35 At the top of the stand there was a circular band half a cubit[u] deep. The supports and panels were attached to the top of the stand. 36 He engraved cherubim, lions and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, in every available space, with wreaths all around. 37 This is the way he made the ten stands. They were all cast in the same molds and were identical in size and shape.

38 He then made ten bronze basins,(W) each holding forty baths[v] and measuring four cubits across, one basin to go on each of the ten stands. 39 He placed five of the stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north. He placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner of the temple. 40 He also made the pots[w] and shovels and sprinkling bowls.(X)

So Huram finished all the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of the Lord:

41 the two pillars;

the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;

the two sets of network decorating the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;

42 the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network decorating the bowl-shaped capitals(Y) on top of the pillars);

43 the ten stands with their ten basins;

44 the Sea and the twelve bulls under it;

45 the pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls.(Z)

All these objects that Huram(AA) made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were of burnished bronze. 46 The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain(AB) of the Jordan between Sukkoth(AC) and Zarethan.(AD) 47 Solomon left all these things unweighed,(AE) because there were so many;(AF) the weight of the bronze(AG) was not determined.

48 Solomon also made all(AH) the furnishings that were in the Lord’s temple:

the golden altar;

the golden table(AI) on which was the bread of the Presence;(AJ)

49 the lampstands(AK) of pure gold (five on the right and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary);

the gold floral work and lamps and tongs;

50 the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes(AL) and censers;(AM)

and the gold sockets for the doors of the innermost room, the Most Holy Place, and also for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

51 When all the work King Solomon had done for the temple of the Lord was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated(AN)—the silver and gold and the furnishings(AO)—and he placed them in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:2 That is, about 150 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 45 meters long, 23 meters wide and 14 meters high
  2. 1 Kings 7:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
  3. 1 Kings 7:6 That is, about 75 feet long and 45 feet wide or about 23 meters long and 14 meters wide
  4. 1 Kings 7:7 Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew floor
  5. 1 Kings 7:10 That is, about 15 feet or about 4.5 meters; also in verse 23
  6. 1 Kings 7:10 That is, about 12 feet or about 3.6 meters
  7. 1 Kings 7:13 Hebrew Hiram, a variant of Huram; also in verses 40 and 45
  8. 1 Kings 7:15 That is, about 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference or about 8.1 meters high and 5.4 meters in circumference
  9. 1 Kings 7:16 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verse 23
  10. 1 Kings 7:18 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts made the pillars, and there were two rows
  11. 1 Kings 7:18 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts pomegranates
  12. 1 Kings 7:19 That is, about 6 feet or about 1.8 meters; also in verse 38
  13. 1 Kings 7:21 Jakin probably means he establishes.
  14. 1 Kings 7:21 Boaz probably means in him is strength.
  15. 1 Kings 7:23 That is, about 45 feet or about 14 meters
  16. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters
  17. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 12,000 gallons or about 44,000 liters; the Septuagint does not have this sentence.
  18. 1 Kings 7:27 That is, about 6 feet long and wide and about 4 1/2 feet high or about 1.8 meters long and wide and 1.4 meters high
  19. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
  20. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 2 1/4 feet or about 68 centimeters; also in verse 32
  21. 1 Kings 7:35 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters
  22. 1 Kings 7:38 That is, about 240 gallons or about 880 liters
  23. 1 Kings 7:40 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac and Vulgate (see also verse 45 and 2 Chron. 4:11); many other Hebrew manuscripts basins
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1 Kings 7
The Message

7 1-5 It took Solomon another thirteen years to finish building his own palace complex. He built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon a hundred and fifty feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. There were four rows of cedar columns supporting forty-five cedar beams, fifteen in each row, and then roofed with cedar. Windows in groupings of three were set high in the walls on either side. All the doors were rectangular and arranged symmetrically.

6 He built a colonnaded courtyard seventy-five feet long and forty-five wide. It had a roofed porch at the front with ample eaves.

7 He built a court room, the Hall of Justice, where he would decide judicial matters, and paneled it with cedar.

8 He built his personal residence behind the Hall on a similar plan. Solomon also built another one just like it for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.

9-12 No expense was spared—everything here, inside and out, from foundation to roof was constructed using high-quality stone, accurately cut and shaped and polished. The foundation stones were huge, ranging in size from twelve to fifteen feet, and of the very best quality. The finest stone was used above the foundation, shaped to size and trimmed with cedar. The courtyard was enclosed with a wall made of three layers of stone and topped with cedar timbers, just like the one in the porch of The Temple of God.

* * *

13-14 King Solomon sent to Tyre and asked Hiram (not the king; another Hiram) to come. Hiram’s mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali. His father was a Tyrian and a master worker in bronze. Hiram was a real artist—he could do anything with bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all the bronze work.

15-22 First he cast two pillars in bronze, each twenty-seven feet tall and eighteen feet in circumference. He then cast two capitals in bronze to set on the pillars; each capital was seven and a half feet high and flared at the top in the shape of a lily. Each capital was dressed with an elaborate filigree of seven braided chains and a double row of two hundred pomegranates, setting the pillars off magnificently. He set the pillars up in the entrance porch to The Temple; the pillar to the south he named Security (Jachin) and the pillar to the north Stability (Boaz). The capitals were in the shape of lilies.

22-24 When the pillars were finished, Hiram’s next project was to make the Sea—an immense round basin of cast metal fifteen feet in diameter, seven and a half feet tall, and forty-five feet in circumference. Just under the rim there were two bands of decorative gourds, ten gourds to each foot and a half. The gourds were cast in one piece with the Sea.

25-26 The Sea was set on twelve bulls, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; the bulls faced outward supporting the Sea on their hindquarters. The Sea was three inches thick and flared at the rim like a cup, or like a lily. It held about 11,500 gallons.

27-33 Hiram also made ten washstands of bronze. Each was six feet square and four and a half feet tall. They were made like this: Panels were fastened to the uprights. Lions, bulls, and cherubim were represented on the panels and uprights. Beveled wreath-work bordered the lions and bulls above and below. Each stand was mounted on four bronze wheels with bronze axles. The uprights were cast with decorative relief work. Each stand held a basin on a circular engraved support a foot and a half deep set on a pedestal two and a quarter feet square. The washstand itself was square. The axles were attached under the stand and the wheels fixed to them. The wheels were twenty-seven inches in diameter; they were designed like chariot wheels. Everything—axles, rims, spokes, and hubs—was of cast metal.

34-37 There was a handle at the four corners of each washstand, the handles cast in one piece with the stand. At the top of the washstand there was a ring about nine inches deep. The uprights and handles were cast with the stand. Everything and every available surface was engraved with cherubim, lions, and palm trees, bordered by arabesques. The washstands were identical, all cast in the same mold.

38-40 He also made ten bronze washbasins, each six feet in diameter with a capacity of 230 gallons, one basin for each of the ten washstands. He arranged five stands on the south side of The Temple and five on the north. The Sea was placed at the southeast corner of The Temple. Hiram then fashioned the various utensils: buckets and shovels and bowls.

40-45 Hiram completed all the work he set out to do for King Solomon on The Temple of God:

two pillars;

two capitals on top of the pillars;

two decorative filigrees for the capitals;

four hundred pomegranates for the two filigrees

(a double row of pomegranates for each filigree);

ten washstands each with its washbasin;

one Sea;

twelve bulls under the Sea;

miscellaneous buckets, shovels, and bowls.

45-47 All these artifacts that Hiram made for King Solomon for The Temple of God were of burnished bronze. He cast them in clay in a foundry on the Jordan plain between Succoth and Zarethan. These artifacts were never weighed—there were far too many! Nobody has any idea how much bronze was used.

48-50 Solomon was also responsible for all the furniture and accessories in The Temple of God:

the gold Altar;

the gold Table that held the Bread of the Presence;

the pure gold candelabras, five to the right and five to the left in front of the Inner Sanctuary;

the gold flowers, lamps, and tongs;

the pure gold dishes, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, ladles, and censers;

the gold sockets for the doors of the Inner Sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, used also for the doors of the Main Sanctuary.

51 That completed all the work King Solomon did on The Temple of God. He then brought in the items consecrated by his father David, the silver and the gold and the artifacts. He placed them all in the treasury of God’s Temple.

* * *

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