Solomon Builds the Temple
1 So Solomon began to build the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David, his father. The Temple was built on the threshing floor of Araunah3:1 Hebrew reads Ornan, a variant spelling of Araunah; compare 2 Sam 24:16. the Jebusite, the site that David had selected. 2 The construction began in midspring,3:2 Hebrew on the second [day] of the second month. This day of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in April or May. during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign.
3 These are the dimensions Solomon used for the foundation of the Temple of God (using the old standard of measurement).3:3a The "old standard of measurement" was a cubit equal to 18 inches [46 centimeters]. The new standard was a cubit of approximately 21 inches [53 centimeters]. It was 90 feet long and 30 feet wide.3:3b Hebrew 60 cubits [27.6 meters] long and 20 cubits [9.2 meters] wide.4 The entry room at the front of the Temple was 30 feet3:4a Hebrew 20 cubits [9.2 meters]; also in 3:8, 11, 13. wide, running across the entire width of the Temple, and 30 feet3:4b As in some Greek and Syriac manuscripts, which read 20 cubits [9.2 meters]; Hebrew reads 120 [cubits], which is 180 feet or 55 meters. high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold.
5 He paneled the main room of the Temple with cypress wood, overlaid it with fine gold, and decorated it with carvings of palm trees and chains. 6 He decorated the walls of the Temple with beautiful jewels and with gold from the land of Parvaim. 7 He overlaid the beams, thresholds, walls, and doors throughout the Temple with gold, and he carved figures of cherubim on the walls.
8 He made the Most Holy Place 30 feet wide, corresponding to the width of the Temple, and 30 feet deep. He overlaid its interior with 23 tons3:8 Hebrew 600 talents [20.4 metric tons]. of fine gold. 9 The gold nails that were used weighed 20 ounces3:9 Hebrew 50 shekels [570 grams]. each. He also overlaid the walls of the upper rooms with gold.
10 He made two figures shaped like cherubim, overlaid them with gold, and placed them in the Most Holy Place. 11 The total wingspan of the two cherubim standing side by side was 30 feet. One wing of the first figure was 7-1/2 feet3:11 Hebrew 5 cubits [2.3 meters]; also in 3:11b, 12, 15. long, and it touched the Temple wall. The other wing, also 7-1/2 feet long, touched one of the wings of the second figure. 12 In the same way, the second figure had one wing 7-1/2 feet long that touched the opposite wall. The other wing, also 7-1/2 feet long, touched the wing of the first figure. 13 So the wingspan of the two cherubim side by side was 30 feet. They stood on their feet and faced out toward the main room of the Temple.
14 Across the entrance of the Most Holy Place he hung a curtain made of fine linen, decorated with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and embroidered with figures of cherubim.
15 For the front of the Temple, he made two pillars that were 27 feet3:15 As in Syriac version (see also 1 Kgs 7:15; 2 Kgs 25:17; Jer 52:21), which reads 18 cubits [8.3 meters]; Hebrew reads 35 cubits, which is 52.5 feet or 16.5 meters. tall, each topped by a capital extending upward another 7-1/2 feet. 16 He made a network of interwoven chains3:16 Hebrew He made chains in the inner sanctuary. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. and used them to decorate the tops of the pillars. He also made 100 decorative pomegranates and attached them to the chains. 17 Then he set up the two pillars at the entrance of the Temple, one to the south of the entrance and the other to the north. He named the one on the south Jakin, and the one on the north Boaz.3:17 Jakin probably means "he establishes"; Boaz probably means "in him is strength."