Solomon Builds His Palace
1 Solomon was ch. 3:1;9:10;2 Chr. 8:1building his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house.
2 He built ch. 10:17,21the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was a hundred cubits7:2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters and its breadth fifty cubits and its height thirty cubits, and it was built on four7:2 Septuagint three rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars. 3 And it was covered with cedar above the chambers that were on the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row. 4 There were window frames in three rows, and window opposite window in three tiers. 5 All the doorways and windows7:5 Septuagint; Hebrew posts had square frames, and window was opposite window in three tiers.
6 And he made [ver. 12] the Hall of Pillars; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth thirty cubits. There was a porch in front with pillars, and Ezek. 41:25,26a canopy in front of them.
7 And he made the Hall of the Throne where he was to pronounce judgment, even the Hall of Judgment. ch. 6:15,16It was finished with cedar from floor to rafters.7:7 Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew floor
8 His own house where he was to dwell, in the other court at the back of the hall, was of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter ch. 3:1;2 Chr. 8:11whom he had taken in marriage.
9 All these were made of costly stones, cut according to measure, sawed with saws, back and front, even from the foundation to the coping, and from the outside to the great court. 10 The foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, stones of eight and ten cubits. 11 And above were costly stones, cut according to measurement, and cedar. 12 ch. 6:36The great court had three courses of cut stone all around, and a course of cedar beams; so had the inner court of the house of the Lord and [ver. 6]the vestibule of the house.
The Temple Furnishings
13 And King Solomon sent and brought [2 Chr. 2:14]Hiram from Tyre. 14 He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And [Ex. 31:3-5;35:31]he was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.
15 For ver. 15-21, see 2 Chr. 3:15-17He cast 2 Kgs. 25:17;1 Chr. 18:8;2 Chr. 4:12;Jer. 52:21-23two pillars of bronze. ver. 41Eighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits measured its circumference. It was hollow, and its thickness was four fingers. The second pillar was the same.7:15 Targum, Syriac (compare Septuagint and Jeremiah 52:21); Hebrew and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of the second pillar16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of the one capital was five cubits, and [See ver. 15above]the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17 There were lattices of checker work with wreaths of chain work for the capitals on the tops of the pillars, a lattice7:17 Septuagint; Hebrew seven; twice in this verse for the one capital and a lattice for the other capital. 18 Likewise he made pomegranates7:18 Two manuscripts (compare Septuagint); Hebrew pillars in two rows around the one latticework to cover the capital that was on the top of the pillar, and he did the same with the other capital. 19 Now the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars in the vestibule were of lily-work, four cubits. 20 The capitals were on the two pillars and also above the rounded projection which was beside the latticework. There were [ver. 42; 2 Chr. 3:16;4:13;Jer. 52:23]two hundred pomegranates in two rows all around, and so with the other capital. 21 2 Chr. 3:17He set up the pillars at the vestibule of the temple. He set up the pillar on the south and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the north and called its name Boaz. 22 And on the tops of the pillars was lily-work. Thus the work of the pillars was finished.
23 For ver. 23-26, see 2 Chr. 4:2-5Then he made 2 Kgs. 16:17;25:13;1 Chr. 18:8;Jer. 52:17;[Ex. 30:18]the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. 24 Under its brim were [ch. 6:18]gourds, for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast. 25 It stood on Jer. 52:20twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. 26 Its thickness was a handbreadth,7:26 A handbreadth was about 3 inches or 7.5 centimeters and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held two thousand baths.7:26 A bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters
27 He also made the 2 Kgs. 25:13;2 Chr. 4:14;Jer. 52:17ten stands of bronze. Each stand was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high. 28 This was the construction of the stands: they had panels, and the panels were set in the frames, 29 and on the panels that were set in the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the frames, both above and below the lions and oxen, there were wreaths of beveled work. 30 Moreover, each stand had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and at the four corners were supports for a basin. The supports were cast with wreaths at the side of each. 31 Its opening was within a crown that projected upward one cubit. Its opening was round, as a pedestal is made, a cubit and a half deep. At its opening there were carvings, and its panels were square, not round. 32 And the four wheels were underneath the panels. The axles of the wheels were of one piece with the stands, and the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The wheels were made like a chariot wheel; their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. 34 There were four supports at the four corners of each stand. The supports were of one piece with the stands. 35 And on the top of the stand there was a round band half a cubit high; and on the top of the stand its stays and its panels were of one piece with it. 36 And on the surfaces of its stays and on its panels, he carved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the space of each, with wreaths all around. 37 After this manner he made [See ver. 27above]the ten stands. All of them were cast alike, of the same measure and the same form.
38 And he made 2 Chr. 4:6;[Ex. 30:18]ten basins of bronze. Each basin held forty baths, each basin measured four cubits, and there was a basin for each of the ten stands. 39 And he set the stands, five on the south side of the house, and five on the north side of the house. And he set the sea at the southeast corner of the house.
40 For ver. 40-51, see 2 Chr. 4:11–5:1Hiram also made Ex. 27:3;38:3the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished all the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of the Lord: 41 the two pillars, the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars, and the two ver. 17, 18latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars; 42 and the [ver. 20]four hundred pomegranates for the two latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars; 43 the ten stands, and the ten basins on the stands; 44 and ver. 23, 25the one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath the sea.
45 Now Ex. 27:3;38:3the pots, the shovels, and the basins, all these vessels in the house of the Lord, which Hiram made for King Solomon, were of burnished bronze. 46 In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Josh. 13:27Succoth and Josh. 3:16Zarethan. 47 And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because there were so many of them; [1 Chr. 22:3,14]the weight of the bronze was not ascertained.
48 So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the Lord: See Ex. 37:25-29the golden altar, [2 Chr. 4:8]; See Ex. 37:10-16the golden table for Ex. 25:30;See Lev. 24:5-8the bread of the Presence, 49 2 Chr. 4:7the lampstands of pure gold, five on the south side and five on the north, before the inner sanctuary; See Ex. 25:31-38the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; 50 the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and Ex. 27:3fire pans, of pure gold; and the sockets of gold, for the doors of the innermost part of the house, See ch. 6:16the Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the nave of the temple.
51 Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in 2 Sam. 8:11the things that David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.