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Solomon’s Palace and Other Buildings

Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house.(A)

He built the House of the Forest of the Lebanon one hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high, built on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars.(B) It was roofed with cedar on the forty-five rafters, fifteen in each row, which were on the pillars. There were window frames in the three rows, facing each other in the three rows. All the doorways and doorposts had four-sided frames, opposite, facing each other in the three rows.

He made the Hall of Pillars fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide. There was a porch in front with pillars and a canopy in front of them.

He made the Hall of the Throne where he was to pronounce judgment, the Hall of Justice, covered with cedar from the floor to the rafters.[a](C)

His own house where he would reside, in the other court back of the hall, was of the same construction. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had taken in marriage.(D)

All these were made of costly stones, cut according to measure, sawed with saws, back and front, from the foundation to the coping and from outside to the great court. 10 The foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, stones of eight and ten cubits. 11 There were costly stones above, cut to measure, and cedarwood. 12 The great court had three courses of dressed stone to one layer of cedar beams all around; so had the inner court of the house of the Lord and the vestibule of the house.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 7.7 Syr Vg: Heb floor

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