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Solomon Continues to Build

Solomon built his house over thirteen years, and he finished all of his house.

He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon; one hundred cubits its length, fifty cubits its width, and thirty cubits its height, on four rows of cedar pillars and cedar beams atop the pillars. It was covered with cedar above, and the supporting beams which were on the forty-five pillars, fifteen to the row. There were three rows of specially designed windows; with window to window three times. All of the doorways and the doorframes had four-sided casings, with opening to opposite opening three times.

The hall of pillars he made fifty cubits in its length and thirty cubits in its width, and a porch was in front of them,[a] with pillars and an overhang in front of them.[b] He made the hall of the throne where he would pronounce judgment, the hall of justice, and it was covered with cedar from the floor to the rafters.[c] His house where he would live in the next courtyard on the inside of the porch was like this work, and he would make a house like this porch for the daughter of Pharaoh whom Solomon had taken as wife. All of these were of precious stones, according to the measurement of dressed stone, sawn with a saw on all sides;[d] from the foundation up to the eaves and from the outside up to the great courtyard. 10 The foundation was of precious stones, and large stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits 11 with precious stones above, just the right size,[e] and cedar. 12 The great courtyard all around had three rows of dressed stones and a row of cedar beams; for both the courtyard of the inner house[f] of Yahweh and for the porch of the house.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:6 Literally “on their face”
  2. 1 Kings 7:6 Literally “on their face”
  3. 1 Kings 7:7 Hebrew “floor,” but other ancient versions have “rafters”
  4. 1 Kings 7:9 Literally “on the inside and on the outside”
  5. 1 Kings 7:11 Literally “according to the measurement of dressed stones”
  6. 1 Kings 7:12 Or “temple”

Solomon builds palaces

Now as for Solomon’s palace, it took thirteen years for him to complete its construction. He built the Forest of Lebanon Palace one hundred fifty feet in length, seventy-five feet in width, and forty-five feet in height. It had four rows of cedar columns with cedar engravings above the columns. The palace’s cedar roof stood above forty-five beams resting on the columns, fifteen beams to each row. Three sets of window frames faced each other. All the doorframes were rectangular, facing each other in three sets. He made a porch with columns that was seventy-five feet long and forty-five feet wide. Another porch was in front of these with roofed columns in front of them.[a] He made the throne room the Hall of Justice, where he would judge. It was covered with cedar from the lower to the upper levels. The royal residence where Solomon lived was behind this hall. It had a similar design. Solomon also made a similar palace for his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter. He built all these with the best stones cut to size, sawed with saws, back and front, from the foundation to the highest points and from the outer boundary to the great courtyard. 10 The foundation was laid with large stones of high quality, some of fifteen feet and some of twelve feet. 11 Above them were high-quality stones cut to measure, as well as cedar. 12 The surrounding great courtyard had three rows of cut stones and a row of trimmed cedar just like the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple and its porch.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:6 Heb uncertain