1 Kings 7
English Standard Version
Solomon Builds His Palace
7 Solomon was (A)building his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house.
2 He built (B)the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was a hundred cubits[a] and its breadth fifty cubits and its height thirty cubits, and it was built on four[b] rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars. 3 And it was covered with cedar above the chambers that were on the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row. 4 There were window frames in three rows, and window opposite window in three tiers. 5 All the doorways and windows[c] had square frames, and window was opposite window in three tiers.
6 And he made (C)the Hall of Pillars; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth thirty cubits. There was a porch in front with pillars, and (D)a canopy in front of them.
7 And he made the Hall of the Throne where he was to pronounce judgment, even the Hall of Judgment. (E)It was finished with cedar from floor to rafters.[d]
8 His own house where he was to dwell, in the other court at the back of the hall, was of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter (F)whom he had taken in marriage.
9 All these were made of costly stones, cut according to measure, sawed with saws, back and front, even from the foundation to the coping, and from the outside to the great court. 10 The foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, stones of eight and ten cubits. 11 And above were costly stones, cut according to measurement, and cedar. 12 (G)The great court had three courses of cut stone all around, and a course of cedar beams; so had the inner court of the house of the Lord and (H)the vestibule of the house.
The Temple Furnishings
13 And King Solomon sent and brought (I)Hiram from Tyre. 14 He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And (J)he was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.
15 (K)He cast (L)two pillars of bronze. (M)Eighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits measured its circumference. It was hollow, and its thickness was four fingers. The second pillar was the same.[e] 16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of the one capital was five cubits, and (N)the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17 There were lattices of checker work with wreaths of chain work for the capitals on the tops of the pillars, a lattice[f] for the one capital and a lattice for the other capital. 18 Likewise he made pomegranates[g] in two rows around the one latticework to cover the capital that was on the top of the pillar, and 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. 20 The capitals were on the two pillars and also above the rounded projection which was beside the latticework. There were (O)two hundred pomegranates in two rows all around, and so with the other capital. 21 (P)He set up the pillars at the vestibule of the temple. He set up the pillar on the south and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the north and called its name Boaz. 22 And on the tops of the pillars was lily-work. Thus the work of the pillars was finished.
23 (Q)Then he made (R)the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. 24 Under its brim were (S)gourds, for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast. 25 It stood on (T)twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. 26 Its thickness was a handbreadth,[h] and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held two thousand baths.[i]
27 He also made the (U)ten stands of bronze. Each stand was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high. 28 This was the construction of the stands: they had panels, and the panels were set in the frames, 29 and on the panels 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 Moreover, each stand had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and at the four corners were supports for a basin. The supports were cast with wreaths at the side of each. 31 Its opening was within a crown that projected upward one cubit. Its opening was round, as a pedestal is made, a cubit and a half deep. At its opening there were carvings, and its panels were square, not round. 32 And the four wheels were underneath the panels. The axles of the wheels were of one piece with 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 And on the top of the stand there was a round band half a cubit high; and on the top of the stand its stays and its panels were of one piece with it. 36 And on the surfaces of its stays and on its panels, he carved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the space of each, with wreaths all around. 37 After this manner he made (V)the ten stands. All of them were cast alike, of the same measure and the same form.
38 And he made (W)ten basins of bronze. Each basin held forty baths, each basin measured four cubits, and there was a basin for each of the ten stands. 39 And he set the stands, five on the south side of the house, and five on the north side of the house. And he set the sea at the southeast corner of the house.
40 (X)Hiram also made (Y)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, and the two (Z)latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars; 42 and the (AA)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; 43 the ten stands, and the ten basins on the stands; 44 and (AB)the one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath the sea.
45 Now (AC)the pots, the shovels, and the basins, all these vessels in the house of the Lord, which Hiram made for King Solomon, were of burnished bronze. 46 In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between (AD)Succoth and (AE)Zarethan. 47 And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because there were so many of them; (AF)the weight of the bronze was not ascertained.
48 So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the Lord: (AG)the golden altar, (AH)the golden table for (AI)the bread of the Presence, 49 (AJ)the lampstands of pure gold, five on the south side and five on the north, before the inner sanctuary; (AK)the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; 50 the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and (AL)fire pans, of pure gold; and the sockets of gold, for the doors of the innermost part of the house, (AM)the Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the nave of the temple.
51 Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in (AN)the things that David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 7:2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
- 1 Kings 7:2 Septuagint three
- 1 Kings 7:5 Septuagint; Hebrew posts
- 1 Kings 7:7 Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew floor
- 1 Kings 7:15 Targum, Syriac (compare Septuagint and Jeremiah 52:21); Hebrew and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of the second pillar
- 1 Kings 7:17 Septuagint; Hebrew seven; twice in this verse
- 1 Kings 7:18 Two manuscripts (compare Septuagint); Hebrew pillars
- 1 Kings 7:26 A handbreadth was about 3 inches or 7.5 centimeters
- 1 Kings 7:26 A bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters
1 Kings 7
Expanded Bible
Solomon’s Palace
7 King Solomon also built a ·palace [L house] for himself; it took him thirteen years to finish it. 2 ·Built of cedars from [He built the House/Palace of] the Forest of Lebanon, it was ·one hundred fifty feet [L one hundred cubits] long, ·seventy-five feet [L fifty cubits] wide, and ·forty-five feet [L thirty cubits] high. It had four rows of cedar columns which supported the cedar beams. 3 There were forty-five beams on the roof, with fifteen beams in each row, and the ceiling was ·covered [paneled] with cedar above the beams. 4 Windows were placed in three rows facing each other. 5 All the doors ·were square [had rectangular frames], and the three ·doors [or windows] at each end faced each other.
6 Solomon also built the ·porch that had pillars [Hall of Pillars; Colonnade]. This porch was ·seventy-five feet [L fifty cubits] long and ·forty-five feet [L thirty cubits] wide. Along the front of the porch was a ·roof [cornice; canopy] supported by pillars.
7 Solomon also built a throne room where he ·judged people [dispensed justice/judgment; decided legal matters], called the Hall of ·Justice [or Judgment]. This room was ·covered [paneled] with cedar from floor to ·ceiling [beams; rafters; or floor]. 8 The ·palace [L house] where Solomon lived was built like the Hall of Justice, and it was behind this hall. Solomon also built the same kind of ·palace [L house] for his wife, who was the daughter of ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh].
9 All these buildings were made with blocks of ·fine [costly, high-grade] stone. First they were ·carefully cut [cut to measure/size]. Then they were trimmed with a saw in the front and back. These fine stones went from the foundations of the buildings to the ·top of the walls [eaves; coping]. ·Even the courtyard was made with blocks of stone […and all the way to the courtyard]. 10 The foundations were made with large blocks of ·fine [costly; high-grade] stone, some as long as ·fifteen feet [L ten cubits]. Others were ·twelve feet [L eight cubits] long. 11 On top of these foundation stones were other blocks of ·fine [costly; high-grade] stone and cedar beams [cut to measure/size]. 12 The ·palace courtyard [great court], the courtyard inside the ·Temple [L house], and the porch of the ·Temple [L house] were surrounded by walls. All of these walls had three ·rows [layers] of stone blocks ·and one row [for each layer] of cedar beams.
The Temple Is Completed Inside(A)
13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and had ·Huram [L Hiram; C a variant spelling of Huram (2 Chr. 2:13; 4:11); this craftsman is to be distinguished from the king of the same name (5:1)] brought to him. 14 ·Huram’s mother was [L He was the son of] a widow from the tribe of Naphtali. His father was from Tyre and had been ·skilled in making things from [a craftsman/artisan in] bronze. ·Huram [L He] was also very skilled and ·experienced [knowledgeable; wise] in bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all ·the bronze [his] work.
15 He made two bronze pillars, each one ·twenty-seven feet [L eighteen cubits] tall and ·eighteen feet [L twelve cubits] ·around [in circumference]. 16 He also made two bronze capitals that were ·seven and one-half feet [L five cubits] tall, and he put them on top of the pillars. 17 Then he made a net of seven ·chains [sets of filigree/latticework] for each capital, which covered the capitals on top of the two pillars. 18 He made two rows of bronze pomegranates to go ·on [around] the nets. These covered the capitals at the top of the pillars. 19 The capitals on top of the pillars in the porch were shaped like lilies, and they were ·six feet [L four cubits] tall. 20 The capitals were on top of both pillars, above the ·bowl-shaped [round] section and next to the nets. At that place there were two hundred pomegranates in rows all around the capitals. 21 ·Huram [L He] put these two bronze pillars at the ·porch [portico; entrance] of the ·Temple [L house]. He named the ·south [right-hand] pillar ·He Establishes [L Jachin] and the ·north [left-hand] pillar ·In Him Is Strength [L Boaz]. 22 The capitals on top of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the work on the pillars was finished [C pillars represent establishment].
23 Then ·Huram [L he] made from bronze a large round bowl, which was called the Sea [C symbol of chaos subdued]. It was ·forty-five feet [L thirty cubits] around, ·fifteen feet [L ten cubits] across, and ·seven and one-half feet [L five cubits] deep. 24 Around the outer edge of the bowl was a rim. Under this rim were two rows of ·bronze plants [gourds] which surrounded the ·bowl [Sea]. There were ten ·plants [gourds] every ·eighteen inches [L cubit], and these ·plants [gourds] were made in one piece with the bowl. 25 The ·bowl [Sea] rested on the backs of twelve ·bronze bulls [oxen] that faced outward from the center of the bowl. Three bulls faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east. 26 The sides of the bowl were ·four inches [L a hand’s breadth] thick, and it held ·about eleven thousand gallons [L two thousand baths]. The rim of the bowl was like the rim of a cup or like a lily blossom.
27 Then ·Huram [L he] made ten bronze ·stands [water carts], each one ·six feet [L four cubits] long, ·six feet [L four cubits] wide, and ·four and one-half feet [L three cubits] high. 28 The ·stands [water carts] were made from ·square sides, which were put on frames [or side panels braced with crossbars/uprights]. 29 On the sides were bronze lions, ·bulls [oxen], and ·creatures with wings [L cherubim]. On the ·frames [panels] above and below the lions and ·bulls [oxen] were ·designs of flowers [wreaths] hammered into the bronze. 30 Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles. At the corners there were bronze supports for a ·large bowl [basin], and the supports had ·designs of flowers [wreaths]. 31 There was a frame on top of the bowls, ·eighteen inches [L one cubit] high above the bowls. The opening of the bowl was round, ·twenty-seven inches [L one and one-half cubits] deep. ·Designs [Engravings] were carved into the bronze on the frame, which was square, not round. 32 The four wheels, placed under the frame, were ·twenty-seven inches [L one and one-half cubits] high. The axles between the wheels were ·made as one piece with [within; attached to] the stand. 33 The wheels were like a chariot’s wheels. Everything on the wheels—the axles, rims, spokes, and hubs—were ·made [cast] of bronze.
34 The four supports were on the four corners of each stand. They were made as one piece with the stand. 35 A ·strip of bronze [rim; band] around the top of each stand was ·nine inches [L one-half cubit] deep. ·It was [The corner supports were] also made as one piece with the stand. 36 ·Wherever there was room [L According to the space of each], the sides of the stand and the frames were ·covered with carvings of [engraved with] ·creatures with wings [cherubim; 6:23], as well as lions, palm trees, and ·flowers [wreaths]. 37 This is the way ·Huram [L he; v. 13] made the ten ·stands [water carts]. ·The bronze for each stand [L Each] was melted and poured into a mold, ·so all the stands were [L all] the same size and shape.
38 ·Huram [L He] also made ten bronze ·bowls [basins], one ·bowl [basin] for each of the ten ·stands [water carts]. Each bowl was ·six feet [L four cubits] across and could hold ·about two hundred thirty gallons [L forty baths]. 39 ·Huram [Hiram] put five stands on the ·south [right] side of the ·Temple [L house] and five on the ·north [left] side. He put the ·large bowl [Sea on the right] in the southeast corner of the ·Temple [L house]. 40 ·Huram [Hiram] also made ·bowls [washbasins; pots], shovels, and small bowls.
So ·Huram [L Hiram; v. 13] finished all his work for King Solomon on the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord:
41 two pillars;
two ·large bowls for the [bowl-shaped] capitals on top of the pillars;
two ·nets [sets of latticework/filigree] to cover the two large bowls for the capitals on top of the pillars;
42 four hundred pomegranates for the two ·nets [sets of latticework/filigree] (there were two rows of pomegranates for each ·net [set of latticework/filigree] covering the bowls for the capitals on top of the pillars);
43 ten ·stands [water carts] with a ·bowl [basin] on each ·stand [one];
44 the ·large bowl [Sea] with twelve ·bulls [oxen] under it;
45 the ·pots [pails; ash buckets], shovels, small bowls, and all the utensils for the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord.
·Huram [L Hiram] made everything King Solomon wanted from ·polished [burnished] bronze. 46 The king had these things ·poured [cast] into clay molds that were made in the plain of the Jordan River between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 Solomon never weighed the bronze used to make these things, because there ·was too much to weigh [were so many]. So the total weight of all the bronze was never ·known [calculated].
48 Solomon also made all the items for the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord:
the golden altar;
the golden table which held the bread ·that shows God’s people are in his presence [of the Presence];
49 the lampstands of pure gold (five on the right side and five on the left side in front of the inner ·room [L house], the ·Most Holy Place [T Holy of Holies]);
the flowers, lamps, and tongs—all of gold;
50 the pure gold bowls, wick ·trimmers [snuffers], small bowls, pans, and ·dishes used to carry coals [firepans; incense burners];
the gold hinges for the doors of the inner ·room [L house], the ·Most Holy Place [T Holy of Holies] and the ·main room [main hall; nave] of the ·Temple [L house].
51 ·Finally [Thus] the work King Solomon did for the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord was finished. Solomon brought in everything his father David had ·set apart [dedicated; consecrated] for the ·Temple [L house]—silver, gold, and ·other articles [the various utensils]. He put everything in the treasuries of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord.
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