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Texts -- 1 Kings 7:1-50 (NET)

Context
The Building of the Royal Palace
7:1 Solomon took thirteen years to build his palace . 7:2 He named it “The Palace of the Lebanon Forest ”; it was 150 feet long , 75 feet wide , and 45 feet high . It had four rows of cedar pillars and cedar beams above the pillars . 7:3 The roof above the beams supported by the pillars was also made of cedar ; there were forty-five beams, fifteen per row . 7:4 There were three rows of windows arranged in sets of three . 7:5 All of the entrances were rectangular in shape and they were arranged in sets of three . 7:6 He made a colonnade 75 feet long and 45 feet wide . There was a porch in front of this and pillars and a roof in front of the porch. 7:7 He also made a throne room , called “The Hall of Judgment ,” where he made judicial decisions . It was paneled with cedar from the floor to the rafters. 7:8 The palace where he lived was constructed in a similar way. He also constructed a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter , whom he had married . 7:9 All of these were built with the best stones , chiseled to the right size and cut with a saw on all sides , from the foundation to the edge of the roof and from the outside to the great courtyard . 7:10 The foundation was made of large valuable stones , measuring either 15 feet or 12 feet . 7:11 Above the foundation the best stones , chiseled to the right size , were used along with cedar . 7:12 Around the great courtyard were three rows of chiseled stones and one row of cedar beams , like the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple and the hall of the palace .
Solomon Commissions Hiram to Supply the Temple
7:13 King Solomon sent for Hiram of Tyre . 7:14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali , and his father was a craftsman in bronze from Tyre . He had the skill and knowledge to make all kinds of works of bronze . He reported to King Solomon and did all the work he was assigned. 7:15 He fashioned two bronze pillars ; each pillar was 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference . 7:16 He made two bronze tops for the pillars ; each was seven-and-a-half feet high . 7:17 The latticework on the tops of the pillars was adorned with ornamental wreaths and chains ; the top of each pillar had seven groupings of ornaments . 7:18 When he made the pillars , there were two rows of pomegranate-shaped ornaments around the latticework covering the top of each pillar . 7:19 The tops of the two pillars in the porch were shaped like lilies and were six feet high . 7:20 On the top of each pillar , right above the bulge beside the latticework , there were two hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments arranged in rows all the way around . 7:21 He set up the pillars on the porch in front of the main hall . He erected one pillar on the right side and called it Jakin ; he erected the other pillar on the left side and called it Boaz . 7:22 The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies . So the construction of the pillars was completed . 7:23 He also made the large bronze basin called “The Sea .” It measured 15 feet from rim to rim , was circular in shape , and stood seven-and-a-half feet high . Its circumference was 45 feet . 7:24 Under the rim all the way around it were round ornaments arranged in settings 15 feet long. The ornaments were in two rows and had been cast with “The Sea .” 7:25 “The Sea” stood on top of twelve bulls . Three faced northward , three westward , three southward , and three eastward . “The Sea ” was placed on top of them, and they all faced outward . 7:26 It was four fingers thick and its rim was like that of a cup shaped like a lily blossom . It could hold about 12,000 gallons . 7:27 He also made ten bronze movable stands . Each stand was six feet long , six feet wide , and four-and-a-half feet high . 7:28 The stands were constructed with frames between the joints . 7:29 On these frames and joints were ornamental lions , bulls , and cherubs . Under the lions and bulls were decorative wreaths . 7:30 Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles and four supports . Under the basin the supports were fashioned on each side with wreaths . 7:31 Inside the stand was a round opening that was a foot-and-a-half deep ; it had a support that was two and one-quarter feet long . On the edge of the opening were carvings in square frames . 7:32 The four wheels were under the frames and the crossbars of the axles were connected to the stand . Each wheel was two and one-quarter feet high . 7:33 The wheels were constructed like chariot wheels ; their crossbars , rims , spokes , and hubs were made of cast metal. 7:34 Each stand had four supports , one per side projecting out from the stand . 7:35 On top of each stand was a round opening three-quarters of a foot deep ; there were also supports and frames on top of the stands . 7:36 He engraved ornamental cherubs , lions , and palm trees on the plates of the supports and frames wherever there was room , with wreaths all around . 7:37 He made the ten stands in this way. All of them were cast in one mold and were identical in measurements and shape . 7:38 He also made ten bronze basins , each of which could hold about 240 gallons . Each basin was six feet in diameter; there was one basin for each stand . 7:39 He put five basins on the south side of the temple and five on the north side . He put “The Sea ” on the south side , in the southeast corner. 7:40 Hiram also made basins , shovels , and bowls . He finished all the work on the Lord’s temple he had been assigned by King Solomon . 7:41 He made the two pillars , the two bowl-shaped tops of the pillars , the latticework for the bowl-shaped tops of the two pillars , 7:42 the four hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments for the latticework of the two pillars (each latticework had two rows of these ornaments at the bowl-shaped top of the pillar ), 7:43 the ten movable stands with their ten basins , 7:44 the big bronze basin called “The Sea ” with its twelve bulls underneath , 7:45 and the pots , shovels , and bowls . All these items King Solomon assigned Hiram to make for the Lord’s temple were made from polished bronze . 7:46 The king had them cast in earth foundries in the region of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan . 7:47 Solomon left all these items unweighed ; there were so many of them they did not weigh the bronze . 7:48 Solomon also made all these items for the Lord’s temple : the gold altar , the gold table on which was kept the Bread of the Presence , 7:49 the pure gold lampstands at the entrance to the inner sanctuary (five on the right and five on the left ), the gold flower-shaped ornaments, lamps , and tongs , 7:50 the pure gold bowls , trimming shears, basins , pans , and censers , and the gold door sockets for the inner sanctuary (the most holy place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple .

Pericope

NET
  • 1Ki 7:1-12 -- The Building of the Royal Palace
  • 1Ki 7:13-51 -- Solomon Commissions Hiram to Supply the Temple

Bible Dictionary

  • Wall

    [ebd] Cities were surrounded by walls, as distinguished from "unwalled villages" (Ezek. 38:11; Lev. 25:29-34). They were made thick and strong (Num. 13:28; Deut. 3:5). Among the Jews walls were built of stone, some of those in the...

  • Temple, Solomon's

    [ebd] Before his death David had "with all his might" provided materials in great abundance for the building of the temple on the summit of Mount Moriah (1 Chr. 22:14; 29:4; 2 Chr. 3:1), on the east of the city, on the spot where ...

  • Temple

    [smith] There is perhaps no building of the ancient world which has excited so much attention since the time of its destruction as the temple which Solomon built by Herod. Its spoils were considered worthy of forming the principal il...
    [nave] TEMPLE. Solomon's Called also Temple of the Lord, 2 Kin. 11:10; Holy Temple, Psa. 79:1; Holy House, 1 Chr. 29:3; House of God, 1 Chr. 29:2; 2 Chr. 23:9; House of the Lord, 2 Chr. 23:5, 12; Jer. 28:5; Father's House, John 2...

  • TEMPLE, A1

    [isbe] TEMPLE, A1 - tem'-p'l (hekhal, "palace"; sometimes, as in 1 Ki 6:3,5, etc.; Ezek 41:1,15 ff, used for "the holy place" only; bayith, "house," thus always in the Revised Version (British and American); hieron, naos): A. STRUC...

  • Sea, The molten

    [ebd] the great laver made by Solomon for the use of the priests in the temple, described in 1 Kings 7:23-26; 2 Chr. 4:2-5. It stood in the south-eastern corner of the inner court. It was 5 cubits high, 10 in diameter from brim to...

  • SEA, MOLTEN

    [smith] In the place of the laver of the tabernacle Solomon caused a laver to be cast for a similar purpose, which from its size was called a sea. It was made partly or wholly of the brass, or rather copper, which was captured by Dav...

  • Phenicia

    [ebd] (Acts 21:2) = Phenice (11:19; 15:3; R.V., Phoenicia), Gr. phoinix, "a palm", the land of palm-trees; a strip of land of an average breadth of about 20 miles along the shores of the Mediterranean, from the river Eleutherus in...

  • KING; KINGDOM

    [isbe] KING; KINGDOM - king'-dum: I. KING 1. Etymology and Definition 2. Earliest Kings 3. Biblical Signification of the Title II. KINGDOM 1. Israel's Theocracy 2. Period of Judges 3. Establishment of the Monarchy 4. Appointment of...

  • JACHIN AND BOAZ

    [ebd] the names of two brazen columns set up in Solomon's temple (1 Kings 7:15-22). Each was eighteen cubits high and twelve in circumference (Jer. 52:21, 23; 1 Kings 7:17-21). They had doubtless a symbolical import.
    [isbe] JACHIN AND BOAZ - ja'-kin (yakhin, "he shall establish"; bo`az, "in it is strength," 1 Ki 7:15-22; 2 Ki 25:16,17; 2 Ch 3:15-17; Jer 52:17): These were the names of the two bronze pillars that stood before the temple of Solom...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Esarhaddon

    [ebd] Assur has given a brother, successor of Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:37; Isa. 37:38). He ascended the throne about B.C. 681. Nothing further is recorded of him in Scripture, except that he settled certain colonists in Samaria (Ez...

  • Copper

    [ebd] derived from the Greek kupros (the island of Cyprus), called "Cyprian brass," occurs only in the Authorized Version in Ezra 8:27. Elsewhere the Hebrew word (nehosheth) is improperly rendered "brass," and sometimes "steel" (2...

  • Church and State

    [nave] CHURCH AND STATE (Identical in the theocratic period. No particular Scripture can be cited, but the student is directed to the legislative, judicial, and administrative functions of Moses, Joshua, the Judges, and Samuel as s...

  • COURT OF THE SANCTUARY; TABERNACLE; TEMPLE

    [isbe] COURT OF THE SANCTUARY; TABERNACLE; TEMPLE - kort, sank'~-tu-a-ri: By "court" (chatser) is meant a clear space enclosed by curtains or walls, or surrounded by buildings. It was always an uncovered enclosure, but might have w...

  • CHERUBIM (1)

    [isbe] CHERUBIM (1) - cher'-u-bim, cher'-oo-bim (kerubhim, plural of cherub, kerubh): Through the influence of the Septuagint, "cherubim" was used in the earlier English versions, also as a singular, hence, the plural was made to s...

  • Building

    [ebd] among the Jews was suited to the climate and conditions of the country. They probably adopted the kind of architecture for their dwellings which they found already existing when they entered Canaan (Deut. 6:10; Num. 13:19). ...

  • Baalbec

    [ebd] called by the Greeks Heliopolis i.e., "the city of the sun", because of its famous Temple of the Sun, has by some been supposed to be Solomon's "house of the forest of Lebanon" (1 Kings 7:2; 10:17; 2 Chr. 9:16); by others it...

  • BASE

    [isbe] BASE - bas: (1) Substantive from Latin basis, Greek basis, a foundation. (a) (mekhonah): the fixed resting-place on which the lavers in Solomon's temple were set (1 Ki 7:27-43; 2 Ki 16:17; 25:13,16; 2 Ch 4:14; Jer 27:19; 52:...

  • Arts and Crafts

    [nave] ARTS AND CRAFTS. Primitive Invention of musical instruments and instruments of iron and copper, Gen. 4:21, 22. Carpentry, Gen. 6:14-16; Ex. 31:2-9. Of the perfumer, Ex. 30:25, 35; armorer, 1 Sam. 8:12; baker, Gen. 40:1; ...

  • AHAZ

    [isbe] AHAZ - a'-haz ('achaz, "he has grasped," 2 Ki 16; 2 Ch 28; Isa 7:10 ff; Achaz). 1. Name: The name is the same as Jehoahaz; hence appears on Tiglath-pileser's Assyrian inscription of 732 BC as Ia-u-ha-zi. The sacred historian...

Arts

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • I. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-11A. Solomon's succession to David's throne 1:1-2:121. David's declining health 1:1-42. Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne 1:5-533. David's charge to Solomon 2:1-94. David's death 2:10-12B. ...
  • The Holy Spirit led the writer of Kings to give an interpretation of history, not just a chronologically sequential record of events. This is true of all the writers of the Old Testament historical books. Some of the events i...
  • The flowing narrative of chapters 1-2 now gives way to reports and lists that catalogue facts about Solomon's reign.The writer constructed the Solomon narrative (chs. 3-11), like so many others in the Old Testament, to draw a...
  • Should Solomon have married Pharaoh's daughter? In view of 11:1-2 and 2 Chronicles 8:1 there is no way we can say yes. Furthermore Solomon already had a wife when he married Pharaoh's daughter (14:21; cf. Gen. 2:24). Why then...
  • The altar (vv. 19, 22) refers to the altar of incense (cf. 7:48). This altar evidently stood in the west end of the holy place (cf. Exod. 30:6; 40:5; Lev. 16:2; Heb. 9:4, 7).The cherubim were figures of angels sculptured out ...
  • Solomon's palace complex took longer to build than the temple because it was much larger. The king evidently completed the temple and then began work on his palace (cf. 9:10). Solomon seems to have built several separate but ...
  • This Hiram was obviously a different person from the King of Tyre (5:1). God evidently guided him as he fashioned the furnishings (cf. Exod. 31:1-11).80The two pillars on the temple porch were common features that flanked the...
  • As in the Mosaic tabernacle, the metals used expressed the glory of God also. The closer to the ark, the throne of Yahweh, the more valuable was the metal. Everything inside the temple was gold or gold plated. Outside the tem...
  • During its history the Northern Kingdom had three capitals: first Shechem (v. 25), then Tirzah (14:17; 15:33), and finally Samaria (16:23-24). Perhaps the king strengthened Penuel in west-central Gilead as a Transjordanian pr...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. "The Building Activities of David and Solomon."Israel Exploration Journal24:1(1974):13-16.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonahl. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed., New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.,...
  • Numbers in Chronicles That Disagree With Their Old Testament Parallels89HigherSameLowerParallel PassageEvaluation of ChroniclesA.1 Chron. 11:11300 slain by Jashobeam, not 8002 Sam. 23:8Scribal errorB.1 Chron. 18:4Hadadezer's ...
  • The Chronicler's main interest in David's reign, as we have seen, focused on the Davidic Covenant with its promises to David and his descendants. In recounting the events of Solomon's reign he proceeded to emphasize the templ...
  • The cherubim (3:10-13) represented angelic beings (cf. Gen. 3:24). Probably they looked more like the sculptured combination human-animal-bird creatures that archaeologists have discovered in the ancient Assyrian and Babyloni...
  • As in the first series of oracles, God's people occupy the fourth place in this second series, which points farther into the future, surrounded by the nations of the world. In the first series the Northern Kingdom was in view...
  • This group of prophecies begins and ends with oracles concerning the kings' duties (21:11-12; 22:1-9). In the middle is an oracle against Jerusalem (21:13-14).21:11-12 Jeremiah was to tell the king of Judah and his administra...
  • This section reprises the destruction of the temple just described. Before the Babylonians burned the temple, they looted it. This was the second time they had done this, the first being in 597 B.C. (27:16; 2 Kings 24:13; cf....
  • 26:7-9 In an explanatory prophecy about Tyre's destruction, the Lord promised to send Nebuchadnezzar as an invader from the north (cf. 2 Kings 25:21; Jer. 52:9). He was a "king of kings"in that many rulers were subject to him...
  • The amount of detail devoted to the descriptions of the gate complexes, both outer and inner, emphasizes that access into the temple will be strictly controlled.40:6 Ezekiel's guide next measured the gate of the city that fac...
  • It is interesting to compare this temple with the one that Solomon built (1 Kings 6-7). There are similarities but also differences.
  • The walls that supported the door frames leading into the vestibule of the temple were five cubits deep on each side of the opening.524These walls protruded three cubits from the side walls of the temple on each side. The ves...
  • 4:1 Zechariah's guiding angel roused the prophet from his visionary slumber. Evidently when the last scene of his vision ended Zechariah remained in a sleep-like condition. Even in an ecstatic state human beings remain dull a...
  • 11:1 The prophet announced in vigorous poetic language that Lebanon's famous cedars would perish. The Israelites referred to the royal palace in Jerusalem as Lebanon because it contained so much cedar from Lebanon (Jer. 22:23...
  • Jesus Christ gave no rebuke to this church, as was true of the church in Smyrna. He gave the Christians five promises instead.1. Their Jewish antagonists would eventually have to acknowledge that the Christians were the true ...
  • 4:2 As soon as John heard this invitation, he entered another ecstatic state (cf. 1:10). His body remained on the earth, but he saw a throne and someone sitting on it in heaven (cf. Ezek. 11:1, 5). "Throne"occurs 45 times in ...
  • 15:5 "After these things I looked"(Gr. meta tauta eidon) indicates a transition to a new vision and a new subject: the bowl judgments. These are in a category of their own. John saw the heavenly temple opened. This gave the s...
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