Solomon Builds the Temple(A)

And (B)it came to pass in the four hundred and [a]eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of [b]Ziv, which is the second month, (C)that he began to build the house of the Lord. Now (D)the house which King Solomon built for the Lord, its length was sixty cubits, its width twenty, and its height thirty cubits. The vestibule in front of the [c]sanctuary of the house was [d]twenty cubits long across the width of the house, and the width of [e]the vestibule extended [f]ten cubits from the front of the house. And he made for the house (E)windows with beveled frames.

Against the wall of the [g]temple he built (F)chambers all around, against the walls of the temple, all around the sanctuary (G)and the [h]inner sanctuary. Thus he made side chambers all around it. The lowest chamber was five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for he made narrow ledges around the outside of the temple, so that the support beams would not be fastened into the walls of the [i]temple. And (H)the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built. The doorway for the [j]middle story was on the right side of the temple. They went up by stairs to the middle story, and from the middle to the third.

(I)So he built the [k]temple and finished it, and he paneled the temple with beams and boards of cedar. 10 And he built side chambers against the entire temple, each five cubits high; they were attached to the temple with cedar beams.

11 Then the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying: 12 Concerning this [l]temple which you are building, (J)if you walk in My statutes, execute My judgments, keep all My commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform My [m]word with you, (K)which I spoke to your father David. 13 And (L)I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not (M)forsake My people Israel.”

14 So Solomon built the temple and finished it. 15 And he built the inside walls of the temple with cedar boards; from the floor of the temple to the ceiling he paneled the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the temple with planks of cypress. 16 Then he built the twenty-cubit room at the rear of the temple, from floor to ceiling, with cedar boards; he built it inside as the inner sanctuary, as the (N)Most Holy Place. 17 And in front of it the temple sanctuary was forty cubits long. 18 The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with ornamental buds and open flowers. All was cedar; there was no stone to be seen.

19 And he prepared the [n]inner sanctuary inside the temple, to set the ark of the covenant of the Lord there. 20 The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid it with pure gold, and overlaid the altar of cedar. 21 So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold. He stretched gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold. 22 The whole temple he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the temple; also he overlaid with gold (O)the entire altar that was by the inner sanctuary.

23 Inside the inner sanctuary (P)he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 One wing of the cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of the cherub five cubits: ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. 25 And the other cherub was ten cubits; both cherubim were of the same size and shape. 26 The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the other cherub. 27 Then he set the cherubim inside the inner [o]room; and (Q)they stretched out the wings of the cherubim so that the wing of the one touched one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall. And their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. 28 Also he overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 Then he carved all the walls of the temple all around, both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved (R)figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. 30 And the floor of the temple he overlaid with gold, both the inner and outer sanctuaries.

31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood; the lintel and doorposts were [p]one-fifth of the wall. 32 The two doors were of olive wood; and he carved on them figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees. 33 So for the door of the [q]sanctuary he also made doorposts of olive wood, [r]one-fourth of the wall. 34 And the two doors were of cypress wood; (S)two panels comprised one folding door, and two panels comprised the other folding door. 35 Then he carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers on them, and overlaid them with gold applied evenly on the carved work.

36 And he built the (T)inner court with three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams.

37 (U)In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of [s]Ziv. 38 And in the eleventh year, in the month of [t]Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its details and according to all its plans. So he was (V)seven years in building it.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 6:1 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX fortieth
  2. 1 Kings 6:1 Or Ayyar, April or May
  3. 1 Kings 6:3 Heb. heykal; here the main room of the temple; elsewhere called the holy place, Ex. 26:33; Ezek. 41:1
  4. 1 Kings 6:3 About 30 feet
  5. 1 Kings 6:3 Lit. it
  6. 1 Kings 6:3 About 15 feet
  7. 1 Kings 6:5 Lit. house
  8. 1 Kings 6:5 Heb. debir; here the inner room of the temple; elsewhere called the Most Holy Place, v. 16
  9. 1 Kings 6:6 Lit. house
  10. 1 Kings 6:8 So with MT, Vg.; LXX upper story; Tg. ground story
  11. 1 Kings 6:9 Lit. house
  12. 1 Kings 6:12 Lit. house
  13. 1 Kings 6:12 promise
  14. 1 Kings 6:19 The Most Holy Place
  15. 1 Kings 6:27 Lit. house
  16. 1 Kings 6:31 Or five-sided
  17. 1 Kings 6:33 temple
  18. 1 Kings 6:33 Or four-sided
  19. 1 Kings 6:37 Or Ayyar, April or May
  20. 1 Kings 6:38 Or Heshvan, October or November

And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, that he [a]began to build the house of Jehovah. And the house which king Solomon built for Jehovah, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits. And the porch before [b]the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house. And for the house he made [c]windows of fixed lattice-work. And against the wall of the house he built stories round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of [d]the oracle; and he made side-chambers round about. The nethermost story was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house round about, that the beams should not have hold in the walls of the house. And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready [e]at the quarry; and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building. The door for the middle side-chambers was in the right [f]side of the house: and they went up by winding stairs into the middle story, and out of the middle into the third. So he built the house, and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and [g]planks of cedar. 10 And he built the stories against all the house, each five cubits high: and [h]they rested on the house with timber of cedar.

11 And the word of Jehovah came to Solomon, saying, 12 Concerning this house which thou art building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute mine ordinances, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I establish my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father. 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.

14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it. 15 And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar: [i]from the floor of the house unto the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the house with boards of [j]fir. 16 And he built twenty cubits on the hinder part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor unto the walls of the ceiling: he built them for it within, for an oracle, even for the most holy place. 17 And the house, that is, the temple before the oracle, was forty cubits long. 18 And there was cedar on the house within, carved with [k]knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen. 19 And he prepared an oracle in the midst of the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of Jehovah. 20 And within the oracle was a space of twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof; and he overlaid it with pure gold: [l]and he covered the altar with cedar. 21 So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he drew chains of gold across before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold. 22 And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished: also the whole altar that belonged to the oracle he overlaid with gold.

23 And in the oracle he made two cherubim of olive-wood, each ten cubits high. 24 And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits. 25 And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubim were of one measure and one form. 26 The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub. 27 And he set the cherubim within the inner house; and the wings of the cherubim were stretched forth, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house. 28 And he overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers, within and without. 30 And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without. 31 And for the entrance of the oracle he made doors of olive-wood: the [m]lintel and door-posts were a fifth part of the wall. 32 So he made two doors of olive-wood; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold upon the cherubim, and upon the palm-trees. 33 So also made he for the entrance of the temple door-posts of olive-wood, out of a fourth part of the wall; 34 and two doors of [n]fir-wood: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. 35 And he carved thereon cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted upon the graven work. 36 And he built the inner court with three courses of hewn stone, and a course of cedar beams.

37 In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of Jehovah laid, in the month Ziv. 38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished [o]throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 6:1 Hebrew built.
  2. 1 Kings 6:3 That is, the holy place.
  3. 1 Kings 6:4 Or, windows broad within, and narrow without
  4. 1 Kings 6:5 That is, the most holy place.
  5. 1 Kings 6:7 Or, when it was brought away
  6. 1 Kings 6:8 Hebrew shoulder.
  7. 1 Kings 6:9 Hebrew rows.
  8. 1 Kings 6:10 Or, he fastened the house
  9. 1 Kings 6:15 Or, both the floors of the house and the walls etc. (and so verse 16)
  10. 1 Kings 6:15 Or, cypress
  11. 1 Kings 6:18 Or, gourds
  12. 1 Kings 6:20 Or, he overlaid the altar also, which was of cedar
  13. 1 Kings 6:31 Or, posts
  14. 1 Kings 6:34 Or, cypress
  15. 1 Kings 6:38 Or, with all the appurtenances thereof, and with all the ordinances thereof