Solomon’s Palace Complex 1Solomon, however, took thirteen years to complete the construction of his entire palace. 2He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon a hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high,a with four rows of cedar pillars supporting the cedar beams. 3The house was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the pillars—forty-five beams, fifteen per row. 4There were three rows of high windows facing one another in three tiers. 5All the doorwaysb had rectangular frames, with the openings facing one another in three tiers. 6Solomon made his colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide,c with a portico in front of it and a canopy with pillars in front of the portico. 7In addition, he built a hall for the throne, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge. It was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling.d 8And the palace where Solomon would live, set further back, was of similar construction. He also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married. 9All these buildings were constructed with costly stones, cut to size and trimmed with saws inside and out from the foundation to the eaves, and from the outside to the great courtyard. 10The foundations were laid with large, costly stones, some ten cubits longe and some eight cubits long.f 11Above these were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams. 12The great courtyard was surrounded by three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams, as were the inner courtyard and portico of the house of the LORD. The Pillars and Capitals 13Now King Solomon sent to bring Huramg from Tyre. 14He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a craftsman in bronze. Huram had great skill, understanding, and knowledge for every kind of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and carried out all his work. 15He cast two pillars of bronze, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.h 16He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on top of the pillars, each capital five cubits high.i 17For the capitals on top of the pillars he made a network of lattice, with wreaths of chainwork, seven for each capital.j 18Likewise, he made the pillars with two rows of pomegranates around each grating to cover each capital atop the pillars. 19And the capitals atop the pillars in the portico were shaped like lilies, four cubits high.k 20On the capitals of both pillars, just above the rounded projection next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates in rows encircling each capital. 21Thus he set up the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jachin,l and the pillar to the north he named Boaz.m 22And the tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the work of the pillars was completed. The Molten Sea 23He also made the Sea of cast metal. It was circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim, five cubits in height, and thirty cubits in circumference.n 24Below the rim, ornamental buds encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea. 25The Sea stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The Sea rested on them, with all their hindquarters toward the center. 26It was a handbreadth thick,o and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could hold two thousand baths.p The Ten Bronze Stands 27In addition, he made ten movable stands of bronze, each four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high.q 28This was the design of the stands: They had side panels attached to uprights, 29and on the panels between the uprights were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the uprights was a pedestal above, and below the lions and oxen were wreaths of beveled work. 30Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles and a basin resting on four supports, with wreaths at each side. 31The opening to each stand inside the crown at the top was one cubit deep,r with a round opening like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half wide.s And around its opening were engravings, but the panels of the stands were square, not round. 32There were four wheels under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand; each wheel was a cubit and a half in diameter. 33The wheels were made like chariot wheels; their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of cast metal. 34Each stand had four handles, one for each corner, projecting from the stand. 35At the top of each stand was a circular band half a cubit high.t The supports and panels were cast as a unit with the top of the stand. 36He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and panels, wherever each had space, with wreaths all around. 37In this way he made the ten stands, each with the same casting, dimensions, and shape. The Ten Bronze Basins 38He also made ten bronze basins, each holding forty bathsu and measuring four cubits across, one basin for each of the ten stands. 39He set five stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north, and he put the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner of the temple. Completion of the Bronze Works 40Additionally, Huram made the pots,v shovels, and sprinkling bowls. So Huram finished all the work that he had undertaken for King Solomon in the house of the LORD: 41the two pillars; the two bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars; the two sets of network covering both bowls of the capitals atop the pillars; 42the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network covering both the bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars); 43the ten stands; 44the Sea; the twelve oxen underneath the Sea; 45and the pots, shovels, and sprinkling bowls. All the articles that Huram made for King Solomon in the house of the LORD were made of burnished bronze. 46The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan.w 47Solomon left all these articles unweighed, because there were so many. The weight of the bronze could not be determined. Completion of the Gold Furnishings 48Solomon also made all the furnishings for the house of the LORD: the golden altar; the golden table on which was placed the Bread of the Presence; 49the lampstands of pure gold in front of the inner sanctuary, five on the right side and five on the left; the gold flowers, lamps, and tongs; 50the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, ladles, and censers; and the gold hinges for the doors of the inner temple (that is, the Most Holy Placex) as well as for the doors of the main hall of the temple. 51So all the work that King Solomon had performed for the house of the LORD was completed. Then Solomon brought in the items his father David had dedicated—the silver, the gold, and the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD. Footnotes: 2 a The house was approximately 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high (45.7 meters long, 22.9 meters wide, and 13.7 meters high). 5 b Literally doorways and doorposts 6 c The colonnade was approximately 75 feet long and 45 feet wide (22.9 meters long and 13.7 meters wide). 7 d Syriac and Vulgate; Hebrew from floor to floor 10 e 10 cubits is approximately 15 feet or 4.6 meters. 10 f 8 cubits is approximately 12 feet or 3.7 meters. 13 g Hebrew Hiram , a variant of Huram ; also in verses 40 and 45; see 2 Chronicles 4:11. Note that this is not Hiram king of Tyre mentioned in 1 Kings 5:1. 15 h Each pillar was approximately 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference (8.2 meters high and 5.5 meters in circumference). 16 i 5 cubits is approximately 7.5 feet or 2.3 meters. 17 j Hebrew; LXX one for each capital 19 k 4 cubits is approximately 6 feet or 1.8 meters; also in verse 38. 21 l Jachin probably means He establishes . 21 m Boaz probably means in Him is strength . 23 n The Sea was approximately 15 feet from rim to rim, 7.5 feet in height, and 45 feet in circumference (4.6 meters from rim to rim, 2.3 meters in height, and 13.7 meters in circumference). 26 o A handbreadth is approximately 2.9 inches or 7.4 centimeters. 26 p 2,000 baths is approximately 11,600 gallons or 44,000 liters; LXX does not include this sentence. 27 q The stands were approximately 6 feet in length and width, and 4.5 feet high (1.8 meters in length and width, and 1.4 meters high). 31 r One cubit is approximately 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters. 31 s A cubit and a half is approximately 2.25 feet or 68.6 centimeters wide; similarly in verse 32. 35 t Half a cubit is approximately 9 inches or 22.9 centimeters high. 38 u 40 baths is approximately 232 gallons or 880 liters. 40 v Many Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate (see also verse 45 and 2 Chronicles 4:11); many other Hebrew manuscripts basins 46 w Zarethan is a variant of Zeredah ; see 2 Chronicles 4:17. 50 x Or the Holy of Holies The Berean Bible (www.Berean.Bible) Berean Study Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2020 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Free downloads and licensing available. See also the Berean Literal Bible and Berean Interlinear Bible. Bible Hub |