1 Kings 7

Solomon's palace is built

1Solomon's palace took thirteen years to build.

2-3Forest Hall was the largest room in the palace. It was forty-four metres long, twenty-two metres wide, and thirteen and a half metres high, and was lined with cedar from Lebanon. It had four rows of cedar pillars, fifteen in a row, and they held up forty-five cedar beams. The ceiling was covered with cedar. 4Three rows of windows on each side faced each other, 5and there were three doors on each side near the front of the hall.

6Pillar Hall was twenty-two metres long and thirteen and a half metres wide. A covered porch supported by pillars went all the way across the front of the hall.

7Solomon's throne was in Justice Hall, where he judged cases. This hall was completely lined with cedar.

8The section of the palace where Solomon lived was behind Justice Hall and looked exactly like it. He had a similar place built for his wife, the daughter of the king of Egypt.#1 K 3.1.

9From the foundation all the way to the top, these buildings and the courtyard were made out of the best stones#7.9 From…best stones: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. carefully cut to size, then smoothed on every side with saws. 10The foundation stones were huge, good stones—some of them four and a half metres long and others three and a half metres long. 11The cedar beams and other stones that had been cut to size were on top of these foundation stones. 12The walls around the palace courtyard were made out of three layers of cut stones with one layer of cedar beams, just like the front porch and the inner courtyard of the temple.

Hiram makes the bronze furnishings

(2 Chronicles 3.15-17; 4.1-10)

13-14Hiram was a skilled bronze worker from the city of Tyre.#7.13,14 Hiram…city of Tyre: This is not the same person as “King Hiram of Tyre” (see 5.1). His father was now dead, but he also had been a bronze worker from Tyre, and his mother was from the tribe of Naphtali.

King Solomon asked Hiram to come to Jerusalem and make the bronze furnishings to use for worship in the LORD's temple, and he agreed to do it.

15Hiram made two bronze columns eight metres tall and almost two metres across. 16For the top of each column, he also made a bronze cap just over two metres high. 17The caps were decorated with seven rows of designs that looked like chains,#7.17 seven rows…chains: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. 18with two rows of designs that looked like pomegranates.#7.18 pomegranates: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 18. A pomegranate is a bright red fruit that looks like an apple. In ancient times, it was a symbol of life.

19The caps for the columns of the porch were almost two metres high and were shaped like lilies.#7.19 lilies: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 19.

20The chain designs on the caps were just above the rounded tops of the two columns, and there were two hundred pomegranates in rows around each cap. 21Hiram placed the two columns on each side of the main door of the temple. The column on the south side was called Jachin,#7.21 Jachin: Or “He makes secure.” and the one on the north was called Boaz.#7.21 Boaz: Or “He is strong.”

22The lily-shaped caps were on top of the columns.

This completed the work on the columns.

23Hiram also made a large bowl called the Sea. It was just over two metres deep, about four and a half metres across, and thirteen and a half metres around. 24Two rows of bronze gourds were around the outer edge of the bowl, ten gourds to about every forty-five centimetres. 25The bowl itself sat on top of twelve bronze bulls with three bulls facing outwards in each of four directions. 26The sides of the bowl were seventy-five millimetres thick, and its rim was like a cup that curved outwards like flower petals. The bowl held about forty thousand litres.

27Hiram made ten moveable bronze stands, each one over a metre high, almost two metres long, and almost two metres wide. 28-29The sides were made with panels attached to frames decorated with flower designs. The panels themselves were decorated with figures of lions, bulls, and winged creatures. 30-31Each stand had four bronze wheels and axles and a round frame sixty-eight centimetres across, held up by four supports forty-five centimetres high. A small bowl rested in the frame. The supports were decorated with flower designs, and the frame with carvings.

The side panels of the stands were square, 32and the wheels and axles were underneath them. The wheels were about sixty-eight centimetres high 33and looked like chariot wheels. The axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were made out of bronze.

34-35Around the top of each stand was a twenty-two-centimetre strip, and there were four braces#7.34,35 braces: Or “handles”. attached to the corners of each stand. The panels and the supports were attached to the stands, 36and the stands were decorated with flower designs and figures of lions, palm trees, and winged creatures. 37Hiram made the ten bronze stands from the same mould, so they were exactly the same size and shape.

38Hiram also made ten small bronze bowls, one for each stand. The bowls were almost two metres across and could hold about eight hundred litres.#Ex 30.17-21.

39He put five stands on the south side of the temple, five stands on the north side, and the large bowl at the south-east corner of the temple.

40Hiram made pans for hot ashes, and also shovels and sprinkling bowls.

A list of everything inside the temple

(2 Chronicles 4.11—5.1)

This is a list of the bronze items that Hiram made for the LORD's temple: 41two columns; two bowl-shaped caps for the tops of the columns; two chain designs on the caps; 42four hundred pomegranates#7.42 pomegranates: See the note at 7.18. for the chain designs; 43ten moveable stands; ten small bowls for the stands; 44a large bowl; twelve bulls that held up the bowl; 45pans for hot ashes, and also shovels and sprinkling bowls.

Hiram made these bronze things for Solomon 46near the River Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan by pouring melted bronze into clay moulds.

47There were so many bronze things that Solomon never bothered to weigh them, and no one ever knew how much bronze was used.

48Solomon gave orders to make the following temple furnishings out of gold: the altar; the table that held the sacred loaves of bread;#7.48 sacred loaves of bread: This bread was offered to the LORD and was a symbol of the LORD's presence in the temple. It was put out on a special table, and was replaced with fresh bread each week (see Leviticus 24.5-9).#Ex 30.1-3; Ex 25.23-30. 49ten lampstands that went in front of the most holy place; flower designs; lamps and tongs;#Ex 25.31-40. 50cups, lamp snuffers, and small sprinkling bowls; dishes for incense; fire pans; and the hinges for the doors to the most holy place and the main room of the temple.

51After the LORD's temple was finished, Solomon put into its storage rooms everything that his father David had dedicated to the LORD, including the gold and the silver.#2 S 8.11; 1 Ch 18.11.

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1 Kings 7: CEVUK

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1 Kings 7

Solomon's Other Buildings

1But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.

2He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was a hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars. 3And it was covered with cedar above upon the beams, that lay on forty-five pillars, fifteen in a row. 4And there were windows in three rows, and light was against light in three ranks. 5And all the doors and posts were square, with the windows: and light was against light in three ranks.

6And he made a porch of pillars; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits: and the porch was before them: and the other pillars and the thick beam were before them.

7Then he made a porch for the throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other.

8 # 1 Kgs 3.1. And his house where he dwelt had another court within the porch, which was of the like work. Solomon made also a house for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken to wife, like unto this porch.

9All these were of costly stones, according to the measures of hewed stones, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside toward the great court. 10And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits. 11And above were costly stones, after the measures of hewed stones, and cedars. 12And the great court round about was with three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of the Lord, and for the porch of the house.

Solomon Employs Hiram of Tyre

(2 Chronicles 2.13,14; 3.15-17)

13And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre. 14He was a widow's son of the tribe of Naph´tali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.

15For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about. 16And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits: 17and nets of checkerwork, and wreaths of chainwork, for the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter. 18And he made the pillars, and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the chapiters that were upon the top, with pomegranates: and so did he for the other chapiter. 19And the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits. 20And the chapiters upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above, over against the belly which was by the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the other chapiter. 21And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin:#7.21 That is, He shall establish. and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz.#7.21 That is, In it is strength. 22And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished.

The Furnishings for the Temple

(2 Chronicles 4.1—5.1)

23And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. 24And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast. 25It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward. 26And it was a handbreadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths.

27And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it. 28And the work of the bases was on this manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges: 29and on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubim: and upon the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work. 30And every base had four brazen wheels, and plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had undersetters: under the laver were undersetters molten, at the side of every addition. 31And the mouth of it within the chapiter and above was a cubit: but the mouth thereof was round after the work of the base, a cubit and a half: and also upon the mouth of it were gravings with their borders, foursquare, not round. 32And under the borders were four wheels; and the axletrees of the wheels were joined to the base: and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit. 33And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel: their axletrees, and their naves, and their felloes, and their spokes, were all molten. 34And there were four undersetters to the four corners of one base: and the undersetters were of the very base itself. 35And in the top of the base was there a round compass of half a cubit high: and on the top of the base the ledges thereof and the borders thereof were of the same. 36For on the plates of the ledges thereof, and on the borders thereof, he graved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the proportion of every one, and additions round about. 37After this manner he made the ten bases: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one size.

38 # Exod 30.17-21. Then made he ten lavers of brass: one laver contained forty baths: and every laver was four cubits: and upon every one of the ten bases one laver. 39And he put five bases on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, over against the south.

40And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made king Solomon for the house of the Lord: 41the two pillars, and the two bowls of the chapiters that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two networks, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; 42and four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, even two rows of pomegranates for one network, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters that were upon the pillars; 43and the ten bases, and ten lavers on the bases; 44and one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea.

45And the pots, and the shovels, and the basins: and all these vessels, which Hiram made to king Solomon for the house of the Lord, were of bright brass. 46In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan. 47And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many: neither was the weight of the brass found out.

48 # Exod 30.1-3; Exod 25.23-30. And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the showbread was, 49#Exod 25.31-40. and the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold, 50and the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple.

51 # 2 Sam 8.11; 1 Chr 18.11. So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the Lord. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the Lord.

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