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Then Solomon began to build Yahweh’s house at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where Yahweh appeared to David his father, which he prepared in the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. He began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign. Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for the building of God’s house. The length by cubits[a] after the first measure was sixty cubits, and the width twenty cubits. The porch that was in front, its length, according to the width of the house, was twenty cubits, and the height one hundred twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold. He made the larger room with a ceiling of cypress wood, which he overlaid with fine gold, and ornamented it with palm trees and chains. He decorated the house with precious stones for beauty. The gold was gold from Parvaim. He also overlaid the house, the beams, the thresholds, its walls, and its doors with gold; and engraved cherubim on the walls.

He made the most holy place. Its length, according to the width of the house, was twenty cubits, and its width twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.[b] The weight of the nails was fifty shekels[c] of gold. He overlaid the upper rooms with gold.

10 In the most holy place he made two cherubim by carving; and they overlaid them with gold. 11 The wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long: the wing of the one was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing was five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub. 12 The wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing was five cubits, joining to the wing of the other cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubim spread themselves out twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, and their faces were toward the house. 14 He made the veil of blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and ornamented it with cherubim.

15 Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty-five cubits height, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits. 16 He made chains in the inner sanctuary, and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains. 17 He set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:3 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.
  2. 3:8 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces, so 600 talents is about 18 metric tons
  3. 3:9 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.32 Troy ounces, so 50 shekels was about 0.5 kilograms or about 16 Troy ounces.

Building the Temple

Then Solomon began(A) to build the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah(B) where the Lord[a] had appeared to his father David, at the site David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan[b] the Jebusite. He began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign. These are Solomon’s foundations[c] for building God’s temple: the length[d] was ninety feet,[e] and the width thirty feet.[f] The portico, which was across the front extending across the width of the temple, was thirty feet wide; its height was thirty feet;[g] he overlaid its inner surface with pure gold. The larger room[h] he paneled with cypress wood, overlaid with fine gold, and decorated with palm trees and chains. He adorned the temple with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was the gold of Parvaim. He overlaid the temple—the beams, the thresholds, its walls and doors—with gold,(C) and he carved cherubim on the walls.(D)

The Most Holy Place

Then he made the most holy place; its length corresponded to the width of the temple, 30 feet, and its width was 30 feet.(E) He overlaid it with forty-five thousand pounds[i] of fine gold. The weight of the nails was twenty ounces[j] of gold, and he overlaid the ceiling with gold.

10 He made(F) two cherubim of sculptured work, for the most holy place, and he overlaid them with gold. 11 The overall length of the wings of the cherubim was 30 feet: the wing of one was 7½ feet,[k] touching the wall of the room; its other wing was 7½ feet, touching the wing of the other cherub. 12 The wing of the other[l] cherub was 7½ feet, touching the wall of the room; its other wing was 7½ feet, reaching the wing of the other cherub. 13 The wingspan of these cherubim was 30 feet. They stood on their feet and faced the larger room.[m]

14 He made the curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, and he wove cherubim into it.(G)

The Bronze Pillars

15 In front of the temple(H) he made two pillars, each 27 feet[n] high. The capital on top of each was 7½ feet high. 16 He had made chainwork in the inner sanctuary and also put it on top of the pillars.(I) He made a hundred pomegranates and fastened them into the chainwork. 17 Then he set up the pillars in front of the sanctuary, one on the right and one on the left. He named the one on the right Jachin[o] and the one on the left Boaz.[p]

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Footnotes

  1. 3:1 LXX; Tg reads the angel of the Lord; MT reads he
  2. 3:1 = Araunah in 2Sm 24:16–24
  3. 3:3 Tg reads The measurements which Solomon decreed
  4. 3:3 Lit length—cubits in the former measure
  5. 3:3 Lit 60 cubits
  6. 3:3 Lit 20 cubits, also in vv. 4,8,11,13
  7. 3:4 LXX, Syr; MT reads 120 cubits
  8. 3:5 Lit The house
  9. 3:8 Lit 600 talents
  10. 3:9 Lit 50 shekels
  11. 3:11 Lit five cubits, also in vv. 12,15
  12. 3:12 Syr, Vg; MT reads the one
  13. 3:13 Lit the house
  14. 3:15 Syr reads 18 cubits (27 feet); Hb reads 35 cubits (52½ feet)
  15. 3:17 = He Will Establish
  16. 3:17 = Strength Is in Him