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Solomon’s Palace

But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own palace, and finally finished it. He built his own palace out of timber supplied from the forest of Lebanon. It was 100 cubits[a] long, 50 cubits[b] wide, 20 cubits[c] tall, and was constructed on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams interlocking the pillars. There were 45 pillars paneled with cedar above the side chambers, with rows of fifteen pillars, with three rows of framed windows facing each other in three ranks. All the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames, with the doorways facing each other in three tiers. There was also a hall of pillars 50 cubits[d] long and 30 cubits[e] wide, and a porch in front with pillars, and a canopy in front of the pillars.[f] He constructed the Judgment Hall for the throne room where he would be ruling, paneling it with cedar from floor to ceiling.[g] Solomon’s[h] personal dwelling quarters, a separate court behind the hall, was of similar workmanship. Solomon[i] also built a house similar to this for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom Solomon had married.

All of these were made with expensive stones, pre-cut according to specifications, hand-sawed inside and out from the foundation to the coping, including from inside to the great court. 10 The foundation was made of expensive stone, including large stones ten cubits[j] long and stones eight cubits[k] long. 11 Above these were expensive stones cut according to specifications, and cedar. 12 So the great court was surrounded by three rows of cut stone, along with a row of cedar beams, just like the inner court of the Lord’s Temple and the porch surrounding the Temple.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:2 I.e. about 150 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  2. 1 Kings 7:2 I.e. about 75 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  3. 1 Kings 7:2 I.e. about 30 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  4. 1 Kings 7:6 I.e. about 75 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  5. 1 Kings 7:6 I.e. about 45 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  6. 1 Kings 7:6 Lit. of them
  7. 1 Kings 7:7 Lit. floor to floor
  8. 1 Kings 7:8 Lit. His
  9. 1 Kings 7:8 Lit. He
  10. 1 Kings 7:10 I.e. about 15 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  11. 1 Kings 7:10 I.e. about 12 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches