Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options Listen to 1 Kings 7
Close NASB

1 Kings 7
New American Standard Bible

Solomon’s Palace

7 Now (A)Solomon built his own house over the course of thirteen years, and he finished all of his house. 2 (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. 3 And it was paneled with cedar above the side chambers which were on the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row. 4 There were artistic window frames in three rows, and window was opposite window at three [b]intervals. 5 And all the doorways and doorposts had squared artistic frames, and window was opposite window at three [c]intervals.

6 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.

7 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.

8 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.

9 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 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
Close NCB

1 Kings 7
New Catholic Bible

Chapter 7

Solomon’s Palace.[a] 1 Now Solomon took thirteen years to completely finish building his own palace. 2 He built the palace out of Lebanon wood. It was one hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. It was built upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams stretching out upon the pillars. 3 It was roofed with cedar that lay over the beams that rested on the pillars. There were forty-five beams, fifteen in a row. 4 Its windows were set high in the wall in sets of three, each set facing the other. 5 All of the doorways and windows had rectangular frames, with the windows facing each other in sets of three.

6 He made a hall of pillars. It was fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide. There was a porch in front of it with other pillars and covered over by a canopy.

7 There was a throne room, the hall of justice, where he would sit in judgment. He covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling. 8 The palace in which he lived had another court inside the hall which had the same design. Solomon also built another palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter whom he wed.

9 All of these, from the outside to the great courtyard, and from the foundations to the eaves, were built with costly stone that had been trimmed with saws on the inside and outside edges. 10 The foundations were laid with costly stones that were quite large, some being ten cubits and some eight cubits. 11 Above these were costly stone, cut to measure, and cedar beams.

12 The great courtyard was surrounded by three layers of cut stone and one layer of cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the Lord and its porch.

13 [b]King Solomon brought back Hiram from Tyre. 14 His mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father had been a craftsman from Tyre who worked in bronze. He was wise and knowledgeable and a skilled craftsman with all varieties of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all of his work.

15 He cast two bronze pillars, each of them measured eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.[c] 16 He also cast two bronze capitals to be set on the top of the pillars. Each of the capitals was five cubits high. 17 A network of chains decorated the capitals on top of the pillars, seven on each of the capitals. 18 He made two rows of pomegranates which covered the network upon the capitals on top of the pillars. He did this on each of the capitals. 19 The capitals on top of the pillars that were in the porch were in the shape of lilies, four cubits high. 20 Upon each of the capitals of the two pillars, on the outwardly curved surface between the network, there were two rows of pomegranates, two hundred in all. 21 He erected the pillars in the porch of the temple. He erected the pillar on the right and called it Jachin, and he erected the pillar on the left and called it Boaz. 22 On the top of the pillars there was lily work. Thus, the work on the pillars was completed.

23 Then he made a molten sea, ten cubits from one edge to the other. It was five cubits high, and thirty cubits in circumference. 24 Under the brim of its circumference there were gourds, ten to a cubit. There were two rows of gourds all around the sea, the gourds having been cast when the rest of it was cast. 25 It stood upon twelve oxen, three facing to the north, three facing to the west, three facing to the south, and three facing to the east. The sea rested upon them, and their hindquarters were on the inside. 26 It was a handsbreath thick, and its brim was like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.

27 He also made ten bronze carts. Each cart was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high. 28 This is how the carts were made. They had panels, and the panels were set in frames. 29 There were lions, oxen, and cherubim on the panels between the frames. On the top of the frames was a stand. Below the lions and the oxen there were embossed wreaths.

30 Each cart had four bronze wheels and bronze axles. There were supports for a basin at the four corners. The supports were cast with wreaths on either side. 31 The opening at the top of the cart was one cubit, and the opening was round, shaped like a pedestal, and it was one and a half cubits deep. There were carvings around the opening. The panels of the cart were square and not round.

32 The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles for the wheels were attached to the cart. Each wheel was one and a half cubits high. 33 The wheels were made like chariot wheels, with axles, rims, spokes, and hubs, all of which were made from cast metal.

34 Each cart had four handles, one on each corner, the handles being one piece with the cart. 35 There was a circular band a half a cubit high at the top of the cart. The supports and the panels were attached to the top of the cart. 36 He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surface of the supports and the panels wherever he could, with wreaths all around them.

37 This is how he made the ten carts. They were all cast from one mold, so they were the same size and shape. 38 He then made ten bronze basins. Each basin held forty baths and was four cubits across. There was one basin for each of the ten carts.

39 He placed five of the stands at the right side of the temple, and five of the stands on the left side of the temple. He placed the sea on the right side of the temple, toward the southeast.

40 Hiram also made basins, and shovels, and bowls. Thus Hiram completed all of the work that he was doing for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord: 41 the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on the top of the two pillars, the two networks that covered the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the two pillars, 42 the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each of the networks that covered the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars,[d] 43 the ten carts, and the ten basins upon the carts, 44 one sea, and the twelve oxen under the sea, 45 the pots, the shovels, and the basins.

All of the utensils that Hiram made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were made from bright bronze. 46 The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground that lie between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 Solomon did not weigh any of these utensils because there were too many of them; the weight of the bronze used in them was not determined.

48 Solomon also made all of the furnishings that were in the temple of the Lord: the golden altar; the golden table upon which they laid the shewbread; 49 the lampstands made of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left side; the flower work, the lamps, and the tongs, all made of gold; 50 the bowls, the snuffers, the sprinkling bowls, the spoons, and the censors, all made from pure gold; and the golden hinges for the inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, and for the doors of the main part of the temple.

51 When King Solomon had completed all of the work on the temple of the Lord, Solomon brought in the things that David, his father, had dedicated: the silver, the gold, and the furnishings. He placed them in the treasury of the temple of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:1 The royal palace was located south of the temple, to the right as one looked eastward. This location recalled that of the king in relation to the Lord (Ps 109:1): he has the place of honor; he is the Lord’s representative among the people, his “messiah” or anointed one.
  2. 1 Kings 7:13 We are grateful that the text has preserved for us the name of the expert craftsman in bronze, a man of Tyre (but with a Hebrew mother) who was thought worthy of executing the king’s great works. The “sea” (v. 23) is a great basin, containing the water for the priests’ ablutions. The ten basins on the movable stands were needed for supplying the water, of which a great deal was used, especially for washing the space in front after the immolation of the victims. There are other passages having to do with the temple objects and their use (Ex 30:17; 37; 38; 2 Chr 3–4; Ezek 20–43).
  3. 1 Kings 7:15 The bronze was booty taken by David in war (1 Chr 18:8).
  4. 1 Kings 7:42 The decorative aspects of the building seem extremely ornate, but each of the chosen materials have significant symbolism. Pomegranates had adorned the tabernacle that Moses oversaw, and their abundant use was a sign of the beauty and holiness of the temple.
Next
1 Kings 6
1 Kings 8
Next
dropdown
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible is made available by The Lockman Foundation
New Catholic Bible (NCB)

Copyright © 2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.

St. Joseph New Catholic Bible