1 Kings 6:1-2

The Building of the Temple

6:1 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites left Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, during the month Ziv ¹  (the second month), he began building the Lord’s temple. 6:2 The temple King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet ²  long, 30 feet ³  wide, and 45 feet ⁴  high.

1 Kings 3:2

3:2 Now the people were offering sacrifices at the high places, ⁵  because in those days a temple had not yet been built to honor the Lord. ⁶ 

¹ sn During the month Ziv. This would be April-May, 966 b.c. by modern reckoning.

² tn Heb “sixty cubits.” A cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm. Measurements in vv. 2-10 have been converted to feet in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Heb “twenty cubits.”

⁴ tn Heb “thirty cubits.”

⁵ sn Offering sacrifices at the high places. The “high places” were places of worship that were naturally or artificially elevated.

⁶ tn Heb “for the name of the Lord.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor the Lord”). The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.