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Solomon’s Palace

But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own palace, and finally finished it. He built his own palace out of timber supplied from the forest of Lebanon. It was 100 cubits[a] long, 50 cubits[b] wide, 20 cubits[c] tall, and was constructed on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams interlocking the pillars. There were 45 pillars paneled with cedar above the side chambers, with rows of fifteen pillars, with three rows of framed windows facing each other in three ranks. All the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames, with the doorways facing each other in three tiers. There was also a hall of pillars 50 cubits[d] long and 30 cubits[e] wide, and a porch in front with pillars, and a canopy in front of the pillars.[f] He constructed the Judgment Hall for the throne room where he would be ruling, paneling it with cedar from floor to ceiling.[g] Solomon’s[h] personal dwelling quarters, a separate court behind the hall, was of similar workmanship. Solomon[i] also built a house similar to this for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom Solomon had married.

All of these were made with expensive stones, pre-cut according to specifications, hand-sawed inside and out from the foundation to the coping, including from inside to the great court. 10 The foundation was made of expensive stone, including large stones ten cubits[j] long and stones eight cubits[k] long. 11 Above these were expensive stones cut according to specifications, and cedar. 12 So the great court was surrounded by three rows of cut stone, along with a row of cedar beams, just like the inner court of the Lord’s Temple and the porch surrounding the Temple.

Contributions by Hiram the Bronzeworker(A)

13 King Solomon sent for Hiram[l] from Tyre, 14 the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, whose father was from Tyre. A bronze worker, he was wise, knowledgeable, and was skilled in all sorts of bronze working. He went to King Solomon and did all of his work.

15 He fashioned two bronze pillars, each one eighteen cubits[m] high, with a circumference of twelve cubits.[n] 16 He also crafted two capitals of cast bronze and set them on top of the pillars. The height of one capital was five cubits,[o] and the height of the other capital was five cubits.[p] 17 A network of latticework on top of the pillars was inlaid with ornamental wreaths and chains, the top of each pillar containing seven groups of ornamental structures. 18 The pillars contained two rows of ornaments shaped like pomegranates around the latticework covering the top of each pillar. 19 The capitals on top of each pillar above the rounded latticework contained four cubits[q] of lily designs, 20 with the capitals on the two pillars covered by 200 pomegranates in rows around both the capitals above and adjoining the rounded latticework. 21 That’s how he designed the pillars at the portico of the sanctuary. When he set up the right pillar, he named it Jachin.[r] When he set up the left pillar, he named it Boaz.[s] 22 The work on the pillars was finished with a lily design on top of the pillars.

The Bronze Sea

23 Hiram[t] also made a sea of cast metal ten cubits[u] from brim to brim, circular in shape and five cubits[v] and 30 cubits[w] in its inner circumference. 24 Under the brim, completely encircling it, were two rows of gourds inlaid as part of the original casting, ten to a cubit.[x] 25 The sea stood on top of twelve oxen. Three faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east. The sea was set on top of them, and their hind parts faced the center.[y] 26 The reservoir, which held about 2,000 baths,[z] stood about a handbreadth[aa] thick, and its rim looked like the brim of a cup or of a lily blossom.

The Ten Water Carts

27 Hiram[ab] also made ten bronze water carts.[ac] Each one was four cubits[ad] wide, four cubits long,[ae] and three cubits[af] high. 28 The carts were designed with borders between cross-pieces, 29 and on the borders between the cross-pieces were lions, oxen, and cherubim. A pedestal was placed above the cross-pieces, and beneath the lions and oxen there were wreaths hanging down. 30 Each cart had four bronze wheels equipped with bronze axles with four support feet. Beneath the basin were cast support structures made like wreaths on each side. 31 The opening to each water cart inside the crown on top was one cubit[ag] wide, with engravings on the opening. The borders to the frames surrounding the opening were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were placed underneath the borders, and the axles for the wheels were on the stand. Each wheel stood one and a half cubits[ah] high. 33 The wheels resembled those of a chariot, with their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs made of cast bronze. 34 Four supports stood at the four corners of each cart, built into the carts themselves. 35 On top of each stand was a circular structure one half of one cubit[ai] high, with its braces and support frames integral with it, forming a single piece. 36 Hiram[aj] engraved ornamental cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and frames wherever there was space to do so, and encircled the artwork with wreaths. 37 He made ten identical water carts by using the same plans, castings, and shapes for all of them.

The Other Bronze Implements

38 Hiram[ak] also fashioned ten bronze basins, each holding about 40 baths,[al] each basin measuring four cubits[am] in diameter,[an] with one basin for each stand. 39 He set five of the stands on the right side of the Temple and five on the left side of the Temple. He set the bronze sea on the right side of the Temple eastward facing the south. 40 Hiram also made the basins, shovels, and bowls to complete the work that he performed for King Solomon in the Lord’s Temple, 41 including the two pillars and the bowls for the capitals that stood on top of the two pillars, along with the two lattices that covered the two bowls of the capitals that stood on top of the pillars, 42 plus the 400 pomegranates for the two lattices (that is, the two rows of pomegranates for each lattice to cover the two bowls of the capitals that stood on top of the pillars), 43 the ten stands with the ten basins on the stands, 44 the single bronze[ao] sea and the twelve oxen that stood under the sea, 45 and the pots, shovels, and bowls—all of these utensils that Hiram made for King Solomon for the Lord’s Temple were made from polished bronze.

46 The king had them cast in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan in the Jordan plain. 47 Solomon never inventoried the weight of the bronze used, because there were too many utensils, so the weight of the bronze used was never ascertained. 48 Solomon made all the furnishings that were placed in the Lord’s Temple, including the golden altar and the golden table on which the bread of the Presence was placed, 49 along with the lamp stands (five on the right side and five on the left in front of the inner sanctuary), all made of pure gold, as well as the flower blossoms, lamps, and tongs of gold, 50 and the cups, snuffers, bowls, spoons, and the fire pans, all made of pure gold, and hinges for the doors of the inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place, and for the gates of the Temple that led to the nave, also of gold.

51 Thus all the work that King Solomon performed in the Lord’s Temple was finished. Then Solomon brought in the articles that had been dedicated by his father David, including silver, gold, and other utensils, and he placed them into storage in the treasuries of the Lord’s Temple.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:2 I.e. about 150 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  2. 1 Kings 7:2 I.e. about 75 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  3. 1 Kings 7:2 I.e. about 30 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  4. 1 Kings 7:6 I.e. about 75 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  5. 1 Kings 7:6 I.e. about 45 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  6. 1 Kings 7:6 Lit. of them
  7. 1 Kings 7:7 Lit. floor to floor
  8. 1 Kings 7:8 Lit. His
  9. 1 Kings 7:8 Lit. He
  10. 1 Kings 7:10 I.e. about 15 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  11. 1 Kings 7:10 I.e. about 12 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  12. 1 Kings 7:13 2Chr 2:13 identifies the man as Hiram-abi
  13. 1 Kings 7:15 I.e. about 27 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  14. 1 Kings 7:15 I.e. about 18 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  15. 1 Kings 7:16 I.e. about seven and a half feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  16. 1 Kings 7:16 I.e. about seven and a half feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  17. 1 Kings 7:19 I.e. about six feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  18. 1 Kings 7:21 The name means He Established
  19. 1 Kings 7:21 The name means In Strength
  20. 1 Kings 7:23 Lit. He
  21. 1 Kings 7:23 I.e. about fifteen feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  22. 1 Kings 7:23 I.e. about seven and a half feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  23. 1 Kings 7:23 I.e. 45 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  24. 1 Kings 7:24 I.e. ten in each one and a half feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  25. 1 Kings 7:25 Lit. were inward
  26. 1 Kings 7:26 I.e. about 12,000 gallons; Cf. 2Chron 4:52, where the volume is given at 3,000 baths
  27. 1 Kings 7:26 I.e. about three inches; a handbreadth was about one sixth of a cubit
  28. 1 Kings 7:27 Lit. He
  29. 1 Kings 7:27 Or stands, and so throughout this paragraph
  30. 1 Kings 7:27 I.e. about six feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  31. 1 Kings 7:27 I.e. about six feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  32. 1 Kings 7:27 I.e. about four and a half feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  33. 1 Kings 7:31 I.e. about one and a half feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  34. 1 Kings 7:32 I.e. about 27 inches; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  35. 1 Kings 7:35 I.e. about 9 inches; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  36. 1 Kings 7:36 Lit. He
  37. 1 Kings 7:38 Lit. He
  38. 1 Kings 7:38 I.e. about 240 gallons; a bath held about six gallons
  39. 1 Kings 7:38 I.e. about six feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  40. 1 Kings 7:38 The Heb. lacks in diameter
  41. 1 Kings 7:44 The Heb. lacks bronze

Solomon Builds His Palace

It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace.(A) He built the Palace(B) of the Forest of Lebanon(C) a hundred cubits long, fifty wide and thirty high,[a] with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams. It was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the columns—forty-five beams, fifteen to a row. Its windows were placed high in sets of three, facing each other. All the doorways had rectangular frames; they were in the front part in sets of three, facing each other.[b]

He made a colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty wide.[c] In front of it was a portico, and in front of that were pillars and an overhanging roof.

He built the throne hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge,(D) and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling.[d](E) And the palace in which he was to live, set farther back, was similar in design. Solomon also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.(F)

All these structures, from the outside to the great courtyard and from foundation to eaves, were made of blocks of high-grade stone cut to size and smoothed on their inner and outer faces. 10 The foundations were laid with large stones of good quality, some measuring ten cubits[e] and some eight.[f] 11 Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams. 12 The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses(G) of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the Lord with its portico.

The Temple’s Furnishings(H)(I)

13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram,[g](J) 14 whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was from Tyre and a skilled craftsman in bronze. Huram was filled with wisdom,(K) with understanding and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all(L) the work assigned to him.

15 He cast two bronze pillars,(M) each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.[h] 16 He also made two capitals(N) of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits[i] high. 17 A network of interwoven chains adorned the capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital. 18 He made pomegranates in two rows[j] encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars.[k] He did the same for each capital. 19 The capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four cubits[l] high. 20 On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates(O) in rows all around. 21 He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin[m] and the one to the north Boaz.[n](P) 22 The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars(Q) was completed.

23 He made the Sea(R) of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line(S) of thirty cubits[o] to measure around it. 24 Below the rim, gourds encircled it—ten to a cubit. The gourds were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.

25 The Sea stood on twelve bulls,(T) three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center. 26 It was a handbreadth[p] in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.[q]

27 He also made ten movable stands(U) of bronze; each was four cubits long, four wide and three high.[r] 28 This is how the stands were made: They had side panels attached to uprights. 29 On the panels between the uprights were lions, bulls and cherubim—and on the uprights as well. Above and below the lions and bulls were wreaths of hammered work. 30 Each stand(V) had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and each had a basin resting on four supports, cast with wreaths on each side. 31 On the inside of the stand there was an opening that had a circular frame one cubit[s] deep. This opening was round, and with its basework it measured a cubit and a half.[t] Around its opening there was engraving. The panels of the stands were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand. The diameter of each wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The wheels were made like chariot wheels; the axles, rims, spokes and hubs were all of cast metal.

34 Each stand had four handles, one on each corner, projecting from the stand. 35 At the top of the stand there was a circular band half a cubit[u] deep. The supports and panels were attached to the top of the stand. 36 He engraved cherubim, lions and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, in every available space, with wreaths all around. 37 This is the way he made the ten stands. They were all cast in the same molds and were identical in size and shape.

38 He then made ten bronze basins,(W) each holding forty baths[v] and measuring four cubits across, one basin to go on each of the ten stands. 39 He placed five of the stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north. He placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner of the temple. 40 He also made the pots[w] and shovels and sprinkling bowls.(X)

So Huram finished all the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of the Lord:

41 the two pillars;

the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;

the two sets of network decorating the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;

42 the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network decorating the bowl-shaped capitals(Y) on top of the pillars);

43 the ten stands with their ten basins;

44 the Sea and the twelve bulls under it;

45 the pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls.(Z)

All these objects that Huram(AA) made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were of burnished bronze. 46 The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain(AB) of the Jordan between Sukkoth(AC) and Zarethan.(AD) 47 Solomon left all these things unweighed,(AE) because there were so many;(AF) the weight of the bronze(AG) was not determined.

48 Solomon also made all(AH) the furnishings that were in the Lord’s temple:

the golden altar;

the golden table(AI) on which was the bread of the Presence;(AJ)

49 the lampstands(AK) of pure gold (five on the right and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary);

the gold floral work and lamps and tongs;

50 the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes(AL) and censers;(AM)

and the gold sockets for the doors of the innermost room, the Most Holy Place, and also for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

51 When all the work King Solomon had done for the temple of the Lord was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated(AN)—the silver and gold and the furnishings(AO)—and he placed them in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:2 That is, about 150 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 45 meters long, 23 meters wide and 14 meters high
  2. 1 Kings 7:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
  3. 1 Kings 7:6 That is, about 75 feet long and 45 feet wide or about 23 meters long and 14 meters wide
  4. 1 Kings 7:7 Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew floor
  5. 1 Kings 7:10 That is, about 15 feet or about 4.5 meters; also in verse 23
  6. 1 Kings 7:10 That is, about 12 feet or about 3.6 meters
  7. 1 Kings 7:13 Hebrew Hiram, a variant of Huram; also in verses 40 and 45
  8. 1 Kings 7:15 That is, about 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference or about 8.1 meters high and 5.4 meters in circumference
  9. 1 Kings 7:16 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verse 23
  10. 1 Kings 7:18 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts made the pillars, and there were two rows
  11. 1 Kings 7:18 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts pomegranates
  12. 1 Kings 7:19 That is, about 6 feet or about 1.8 meters; also in verse 38
  13. 1 Kings 7:21 Jakin probably means he establishes.
  14. 1 Kings 7:21 Boaz probably means in him is strength.
  15. 1 Kings 7:23 That is, about 45 feet or about 14 meters
  16. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters
  17. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 12,000 gallons or about 44,000 liters; the Septuagint does not have this sentence.
  18. 1 Kings 7:27 That is, about 6 feet long and wide and about 4 1/2 feet high or about 1.8 meters long and wide and 1.4 meters high
  19. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
  20. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 2 1/4 feet or about 68 centimeters; also in verse 32
  21. 1 Kings 7:35 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters
  22. 1 Kings 7:38 That is, about 240 gallons or about 880 liters
  23. 1 Kings 7:40 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac and Vulgate (see also verse 45 and 2 Chron. 4:11); many other Hebrew manuscripts basins

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

He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was an 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.

And it was covered with cedar above upon the beams, that lay on forty five pillars, fifteen in a row.

And there were windows in three rows, and light was against light in three ranks.

And all the doors and posts were square, with the windows: and light was against light in three ranks.

And 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.

Then 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.

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

All 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.

10 And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.

11 And above were costly stones, after the measures of hewed stones, and cedars.

12 And 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.

13 And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre.

14 He was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, 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.

15 For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about.

16 And 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:

17 And nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter.

18 And 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.

19 And the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits.

20 And 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.

21 And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz.

22 And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished.

23 And 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.

24 And 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.

25 It 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.

26 And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths.

27 And 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.

28 And the work of the bases was on this manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges:

29 And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work.

30 And every base had four brasen wheels, and plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had undersetters: under the laver were undersetters molten, at the side of every addition.

31 And 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 an half: and also upon the mouth of it were gravings with their borders, foursquare, not round.

32 And 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.

33 And 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.

34 And there were four undersetters to the four corners of one base: and the undersetters were of the very base itself.

35 And 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.

36 For on the plates of the ledges thereof, and on the borders thereof, he graved cherubims, lions, and palm trees, according to the proportion of every one, and additions round about.

37 After this manner he made the ten bases: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one size.

38 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.

39 And 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.

40 And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basons. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made king Solomon for the house of the Lord:

41 The 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;

42 And 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;

43 And the ten bases, and ten lavers on the bases;

44 And one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea;

45 And the pots, and the shovels, and the basons: and all these vessels, which Hiram made to king Solomon for the house of the Lord, were of bright brass.

46 In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan.

47 And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many: neither was the weight of the brass found out.

48 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 shewbread was,

49 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,

50 And the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basons, 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 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.