Solomon’s Palace Complex

Solomon completed his entire palace complex after thirteen years of construction.(A) He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon.(B) It was one hundred fifty feet[a] long, seventy-five feet[b] wide, and forty-five feet[c] high on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on top of the pillars. It was paneled above with cedar at the top of the chambers that rested on forty-five pillars, fifteen per row. There were three rows of window frames, facing each other[d] in three tiers.[e](C) All the doors and doorposts had rectangular frames, the openings facing each other[f] in three tiers. He made the hall of pillars seventy-five feet long and forty-five feet wide. A portico was in front of the pillars, and a canopy with pillars[g] was in front of them. He made the Hall of the Throne where he would judge(D)—the Hall of Judgment. It was paneled with cedar from the floor to the rafters.[h] Solomon’s own palace where he would live, in the other courtyard behind the hall, was of similar construction. And he made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, his wife.[i](E)

All of these buildings were of costly stones, cut to size and sawed with saws on the inner and outer surfaces, from foundation to coping and from the outside to the great courtyard. 10 The foundation was made of large, costly stones twelve and fifteen feet[j] long. 11 Above were also costly stones, cut to size, as well as cedar wood. 12 Around the great courtyard, as well as the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple and the portico of the temple, were three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams.(F)

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Footnotes

  1. 7:2 Lit 100 cubits
  2. 7:2 Lit 50 cubits, also in v. 6
  3. 7:2 Lit 30 cubits, also in vv. 6,23
  4. 7:4 Lit frames, window to window
  5. 7:4 Lit three times; = at 3 different places, also in v. 5
  6. 7:5 Lit frames, opposing window to window
  7. 7:6 Hb obscure
  8. 7:7 Syr, Vg; MT reads floor
  9. 7:8 Lit daughter he had taken
  10. 7:10 Lit ten cubits and eight cubits

Solomon’s Palace

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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