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Solomon’s Palace

King Solomon also built a ·palace [L house] for himself; it took him thirteen years to finish it. ·Built of cedars from [He built the House/Palace of] the Forest of Lebanon, it was ·one hundred fifty feet [L one hundred cubits] long, ·seventy-five feet [L fifty cubits] wide, and ·forty-five feet [L thirty cubits] high. It had four rows of cedar columns which supported the cedar beams. There were forty-five beams on the roof, with fifteen beams in each row, and the ceiling was ·covered [paneled] with cedar above the beams. Windows were placed in three rows facing each other. All the doors ·were square [had rectangular frames], and the three ·doors [or windows] at each end faced each other.

Solomon also built the ·porch that had pillars [Hall of Pillars; Colonnade]. This porch was ·seventy-five feet [L fifty cubits] long and ·forty-five feet [L thirty cubits] wide. Along the front of the porch was a ·roof [cornice; canopy] supported by pillars.

Solomon also built a throne room where he ·judged people [dispensed justice/judgment; decided legal matters], called the Hall of ·Justice [or Judgment]. This room was ·covered [paneled] with cedar from floor to ·ceiling [beams; rafters; or floor]. The ·palace [L house] where Solomon lived was built like the Hall of Justice, and it was behind this hall. Solomon also built the same kind of ·palace [L house] for his wife, who was the daughter of ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh].

All these buildings were made with blocks of ·fine [costly, high-grade] stone. First they were ·carefully cut [cut to measure/size]. Then they were trimmed with a saw in the front and back. These fine stones went from the foundations of the buildings to the ·top of the walls [eaves; coping]. ·Even the courtyard was made with blocks of stone […and all the way to the courtyard]. 10 The foundations were made with large blocks of ·fine [costly; high-grade] stone, some as long as ·fifteen feet [L ten cubits]. Others were ·twelve feet [L eight cubits] long. 11 On top of these foundation stones were other blocks of ·fine [costly; high-grade] stone and cedar beams [cut to measure/size]. 12 The ·palace courtyard [great court], the courtyard inside the ·Temple [L house], and the porch of the ·Temple [L house] were surrounded by walls. All of these walls had three ·rows [layers] of stone blocks ·and one row [for each layer] of cedar beams.

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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.

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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