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
Easy-to-Read Version
Solomon’s Palace
7 King Solomon also built a palace for himself. It took 13 years to build Solomon’s palace. 2 He also built the building called the “Forest of Lebanon.” It was 100 cubits[a] long, 50 cubits[b] wide, and 30 cubits[c] high. It had four rows of cedar columns. On top of each column was a cedar capital. 3 There were cedar beams going across the rows of columns. There were 15 beams for each section of columns, making a total of 45 beams. On top of these beams there were cedar boards for the ceiling. 4 There were three rows of windows across from each other on the side walls. 5 There were three doors at each end. All the door openings and frames were square.
6 Solomon also built the Porch of Columns. It was 50 cubits long and 30 cubits wide. Along the front of the porch, there was a covering supported by columns.
7 He also built a throne room where he judged people. He called this the Judgment Hall. The room was covered with cedar from floor to ceiling.
8 Behind the Judgment Hall was a courtyard. The palace where Solomon lived was built around that courtyard and looked like the Judgment Hall. He also built the same kind of palace for his wife, the daughter of the king of Egypt.
9 All these buildings were made with expensive blocks of stone. The stones were cut to the right size with a saw and then smoothed on front and back. These expensive stones went from the foundation all the way up to the top layer of the wall. Even the wall around the yard was made with expensive blocks of stone. 10 The foundations were made with large, expensive stones. Some of the stones were 10 cubits[d] long and the others were 8 cubits[e] long. 11 On top of these stones there were other expensive stones and cedar beams. 12 There were walls around the palace yard and around the yard and porch of the Lord’s Temple. The walls were built with three rows of stone and one row of cedar timbers.
13 King Solomon sent for a man named Huram[f] who lived in Tyre and brought him to Jerusalem. 14 Huram’s mother was an Israelite from the tribe of Naphtali. His dead father was from Tyre. Huram made things from bronze. He was a very skilled and experienced builder. So King Solomon asked him to come, and Huram accepted. King Solomon put him in charge of all the bronze work, and Huram did all the work he was given to do.
15 Huram made two bronze columns for the porch. Each column was 18 cubits[g] tall and 12 cubits[h] around. The columns were hollow and their metal walls were 3 inches[i] thick.[j] 16 He also made two bronze capitals that were 5 cubits[k] tall. He put these capitals on top of the columns. 17 He made two nets of chain to cover the capitals on top of the two columns. 18 Then he made two rows of bronze pomegranates. He put the bronze pomegranates on the nets of each column to cover the capitals at the top of the columns. 19 The capitals on top of the columns were shaped like flowers. 20 The capitals were on top of the columns, above the bowl-shaped net. There were 200 pomegranates in rows all around the capitals. 21 Huram put these two bronze columns at the porch of the Temple. One column was put on the south side of the entrance and one was put on the north side of it. The column on the south was named Jakin. The column on the north was named Boaz. 22 They put the flower-shaped capitals on top of the columns, and the work on the two columns was finished.
23 Then Huram melted bronze and poured it into a huge mold to make a tank,[l] which was called “The Sea.” The tank was about 30 cubits around. It was 10 cubits across and 5 cubits deep. 24 There was a rim around the outer edge of the tank. Under this rim there were two rows of bronze gourds all around the tank. The bronze gourds were made in one piece as part of the tank. 25 The tank rested on the backs of 12 bronze bulls. All 12 of the bulls were looking out, away from the tank. Three were looking north, three east, three south, and three west. 26 The sides of the tank were 3 inches thick. The rim around the tank was like the rim of a cup or like the petals on a flower. The tank held about 11,000 gallons[m] of water.
27 Then Huram made ten bronze carts. Each cart was 4 cubits[n] long, 4 cubits wide, and 3 cubits[o] high. 28 The carts were made with square panels set in frames. 29 On the panels and frames were bronze bulls, lions, and Cherub angels. There were designs of flowers hammered into the bronze above and below the bulls and lions. 30 Each cart had four bronze wheels with bronze axles. At the corners there were bronze supports for a large bowl. The supports had designs of flowers hammered into the bronze. 31 There was a frame around the top with an opening for the bowl. The frame was 1 cubit[p] tall, and the opening was 1 1/2 cubits[q] in diameter. There were designs carved into the bronze on the frame. The frame was square, not round. 32 There were four wheels under the frame. The wheels were 1 1/2 cubits in diameter. The axles between the wheels were made as one piece with the cart. 33 The wheels were like the wheels on a chariot. Everything on the wheels—the axles, the rims, the spokes, and the hubs were made from bronze.
34 There were supports at each of the four corners of the carts. They were made as one piece with the cart. 35 There was a strip of bronze around the top of each cart. It was made as one piece with the cart. 36 The sides of the cart and the frames had pictures of Cherub angels, lions, and palm trees carved into the bronze. These pictures were carved all over the carts—wherever there was room. And there were flowers carved on the frame around the cart. 37 Huram made ten carts, and they were all the same. Each cart was made from bronze. The bronze was melted and poured into a mold. So all the carts were the same size and shape.
38 Huram also made ten bowls. There was one bowl for each of the ten carts. Each bowl was 4 cubits across and could hold about 230 gallons.[r] 39 He put five carts on the south side of the Temple and five carts on the north side. He put the large tank in the southeast corner of the Temple. 40-45 Huram also made pots, small shovels, and small bowls. He finished making all the things King Solomon wanted him to make. This is a list of the things that Huram made for the Temple of the Lord:
2 columns;
2 capitals shaped like bowls for the top of the columns;
2 nets to go around the capitals;
400 pomegranates for the two nets (two rows of pomegranates for each net to cover the two bowls for the capitals on top of the columns);
10 carts with a bowl on each cart;
the large tank with 12 bulls under it;
the pots, small shovels, small bowls, and all the dishes for the Lord’s Temple.
Huram made everything King Solomon wanted. They were all made from polished bronze. 46-47 Solomon never weighed the bronze that was used to make these things. There was too much to weigh. So the total weight of all the bronze was never known. The king ordered these things to be made near the Jordan River between Succoth and Zarethan. They made them by melting the bronze and pouring it into molds in the ground.
48-50 Solomon also commanded that all these things be made from gold for the Temple:
the golden altar;
the golden table that held the special bread offered to God;
the lampstands of pure gold (five on the south side and five on the north side in front of the Most Holy Place);
the gold flowers, lamps, and tongs;
the pure gold bowls, lamp snuffers, small bowls, pans, and dishes for carrying coals;
the gold hinges for the doors to the inner room (the Most Holy Place) and for the doors to the main room of the Temple.
51 So King Solomon finished all the work he wanted to do for the Lord’s Temple. Then he took everything his father David had saved for this special purpose and put them in the Temple. He put the silver and gold in the special storage rooms in the Lord’s Temple.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 7:2 100 cubits 170' 5/8" (51.83 m).
- 1 Kings 7:2 50 cubits 85' 5/16" (25.92 m). Also in verse 6.
- 1 Kings 7:2 30 cubits 51' 3/16" (15.55 m). Also in verses 6, 23.
- 1 Kings 7:10 10 cubits 17' 1/16" (5.18 m). Also in verse 23.
- 1 Kings 7:10 8 cubits 13' 7 1/4" (4.2 m).
- 1 Kings 7:13 Huram Or “Hiram.” Also in verses 15, 23, 27, 37, 38, 40-45.
- 1 Kings 7:15 18 cubits 30' 7 5/16" (9.33 m).
- 1 Kings 7:15 12 cubits 20' 4 7/8" (6.22 m).
- 1 Kings 7:15 3 inches Literally, “1 handbreadth” (7.4 cm). Also in verse 26.
- 1 Kings 7:15 The columns … 3 inches thick This is from the ancient Greek version.
- 1 Kings 7:16 5 cubits 8' 6" (2.6 m). Also in verses 19, 23.
- 1 Kings 7:23 tank A very large container for water.
- 1 Kings 7:26 11,000 gallons Literally, “2000 baths” (44,000 l).
- 1 Kings 7:27 4 cubits 6' 9 5/8" (2.1 m). Also in verse 38.
- 1 Kings 7:27 3 cubits 5' 1 3/16" (1.55 m).
- 1 Kings 7:31 1 cubit 20 3/8" (51.83 cm).
- 1 Kings 7:31 1 1/2 cubits 30 5/8" (77.75 cm).
- 1 Kings 7:38 230 gallons Literally, “40 baths” (880 l).
1 Kings 7
World English Bible
7 Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house. 2 For he built the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was one hundred cubits,[a] its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars. 3 It was covered with cedar above over the forty-five beams that were on the pillars, fifteen in a row. 4 There were beams in three rows, and window was facing window in three ranks. 5 All the doors and posts were made square with beams; and window was facing window in three ranks. 6 He made the hall of pillars. Its length was fifty cubits and its width thirty cubits, with a porch before them, and pillars and a threshold before them. 7 He made the porch of the throne where he was to judge, even the porch of judgment; and it was covered with cedar from floor to floor. 8 His house where he was to dwell, the other court within the porch, was of the same construction. He made also a house for Pharaoh’s daughter (whom Solomon had taken as wife), like this porch. 9 All these were of costly stones, even of stone cut according to measure, sawed with saws, inside and outside, even from the foundation to the coping, and so on the outside to the great court. 10 The foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits. 11 Above were costly stones, even cut stone, according to measure, and cedar wood. 12 The great court around had three courses of cut stone with a course of cedar beams, like the inner court of Yahweh’s house and the porch of the house.
13 King Solomon sent and brought Hiram out of 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 he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill to work all works in bronze. He came to King Solomon and performed all his work. 15 For he fashioned the two pillars of bronze, eighteen cubits high apiece; and a line of twelve cubits encircled either of them. 16 He 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 and wreaths of chain work 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 there were two rows of pomegranates around the one network, to cover the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; and he did so for the other capital. 19 The capitals that were on the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily work, four cubits. 20 There were capitals above also on the two pillars, close by the belly which was beside the network. There were two hundred pomegranates in rows around the other capital. 21 He set up the pillars at the porch of the temple. He set up the right pillar and called its name Jachin; and he set up the left pillar and called its name Boaz. 22 On the tops of the pillars was lily work. So the work of the pillars was finished.
23 He made the molten sea ten cubits from brim to brim, round in shape. Its height was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits encircled it. 24 Under its brim around there were buds which encircled it for ten cubits, encircling the sea. The buds were in two rows, cast when it was cast. 25 It stood on twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; and the sea was set on them above, and all their hindquarters were inward. 26 It was a hand width thick. Its brim was worked like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held two thousand baths.
27 He made the ten bases of bronze. The length of one base was four cubits, four cubits its width, and three cubits its height. 28 The work of the bases was like this: they had panels; and there were panels between the ledges; 29 and on the panels that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the ledges there was a pedestal above; and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. 30 Every base had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze; and its four feet had supports. The supports were cast beneath the basin, with wreaths at the side of each. 31 Its opening within the capital and above was a cubit. Its opening was round like the work of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and also on its opening were engravings, and their panels were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were underneath the panels; and the axles of the wheels were in the base. The height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit. 33 The work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel. Their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all of cast metal. 34 There were four supports at the four corners of each base. Its supports were of the base itself. 35 In the top of the base there was a round band half a cubit high; and on the top of the base its supports and its panels were the same. 36 On the plates of its supports and on its panels, he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, each in its space, with wreaths all around. 37 He made the ten bases in this way: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one form. 38 He made ten basins of bronze. One basin contained forty baths.[b] Every basin measured four cubits. One basin was on every one of the ten bases. 39 He set the bases, five 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 eastward and toward the south.
40 Hiram made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished doing all the work that he worked for King Solomon in Yahweh’s house: 41 the two pillars; the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; 42 the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks; two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars; 43 the ten bases; the ten basins on the bases; 44 the one sea; the twelve oxen under the sea; 45 the pots; the shovels; and the basins. All of these vessels, which Hiram made for King Solomon in Yahweh’s house, were of burnished bronze. 46 The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because there were so many of them. The weight of the bronze could not be determined.
48 Solomon made all the vessels that were in Yahweh’s house: the golden altar and the table that the show bread was on, of gold; 49 and the lamp stands, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary, of pure gold; and the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; 50 the cups, the snuffers, the basins, the spoons, and the fire pans, 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, of the temple, of gold.
51 Thus all the work that King Solomon did in Yahweh’s house was finished. Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated—the silver, the gold, and the vessels—and put them in the treasuries of Yahweh’s house.
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