Discovery Box1 Kings 3:1--8:66
Context3:1 Solomon made an alliance by marriage with Pharaoh, king of Egypt; he married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to the City of David 1 until he could finish building his residence and the temple of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 3:2 Now the people were offering sacrifices at the high places, 3 because in those days a temple had not yet been built to honor the Lord. 4 3:3 Solomon demonstrated his loyalty to the Lord by following 5 the practices 6 of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.
3:4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for it had the most prominent of the high places. 7 Solomon would offer up 8 a thousand burnt sacrifices on the altar there. 3:5 One night in Gibeon the Lord appeared 9 to Solomon in a dream. God said, “Tell 10 me what I should give you.” 3:6 Solomon replied, “You demonstrated 11 great loyalty to your servant, my father David, as he served 12 you faithfully, properly, and sincerely. 13 You have maintained this great loyalty to this day by allowing his son to sit on his throne. 14 3:7 Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in my father David’s place, even though I am only a young man and am inexperienced. 15 3:8 Your servant stands 16 among your chosen people; 17 they are a great nation that is too numerous to count or number. 3:9 So give your servant a discerning mind 18 so he can make judicial decisions for 19 your people and distinguish right from wrong. 20 Otherwise 21 no one is able 22 to make judicial decisions for 23 this great nation of yours.” 24 3:10 The Lord 25 was pleased that Solomon made this request. 26 3:11 God said to him, “Because you asked for the ability to make wise judicial decisions, and not for long life, or riches, or vengeance on your enemies, 27 3:12 I 28 grant your request, 29 and give 30 you a wise and discerning mind 31 superior to that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you. 32 3:13 Furthermore, I am giving 33 you what you did not request – riches and honor so that you will be the greatest king of your generation. 34 3:14 If you follow my instructions 35 by obeying 36 my rules and regulations, just as your father David did, 37 then I will grant you long life.” 38 3:15 Solomon then woke up and realized it was a dream. 39 He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, offered up burnt sacrifices, presented peace offerings, 40 and held a feast for all his servants.
3:16 Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 3:17 One of the women said, “My master, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was with me in the house. 3:18 Then three days after I had my baby, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one else in the house except the two of us. 41 3:19 This woman’s child suffocated 42 during the night when she rolled 43 on top of him. 3:20 She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your servant was sleeping. She put him in her arms, and put her dead son in my arms. 3:21 I got up in the morning to nurse my son, and there he was, 44 dead! But when I examined him carefully in the morning, I realized it was not my baby.” 45 3:22 The other woman said, “No! My son is alive; your son is dead!” But the first woman replied, “No, your son is dead; my son is alive.” Each presented her case before the king. 46
3:23 The king said, “One says, ‘My son is alive; your son is dead,’ while the other says, ‘No, your son is dead; my son is alive.’” 3:24 The king ordered, “Get me a sword!” So they placed a sword before the king. 3:25 The king then said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other!” 3:26 The real mother 47 spoke up to the king, for her motherly instincts were aroused. 48 She said, “My master, give her the living child! Whatever you do, don’t kill him!” 49 But the other woman said, “Neither one of us will have him! Let them cut him in two!” 3:27 The king responded, “Give the first woman the living child; don’t kill him. She is the mother.” 3:28 When all Israel heard about the judicial decision which the king had rendered, they respected 50 the king, for they realized 51 that he possessed supernatural wisdom 52 to make judicial decisions.
4:1 King Solomon ruled over all Israel. 4:2 These were his officials:
Azariah son of Zadok was the priest.
4:3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, wrote down what happened. 53
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was in charge of the records.
4:4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of 54 the army.
Zadok and Abiathar were priests.
4:5 Azariah son of Nathan was supervisor of 55 the district governors.
Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to 56 the king.
4:6 Ahishar was supervisor of the palace. 57
Adoniram son of Abda was supervisor of 58 the work crews. 59
4:7 Solomon had twelve district governors appointed throughout Israel who acquired supplies for the king and his palace. Each was responsible for one month in the year. 4:8 These were their names:
Ben-Hur was in charge of the hill country of Ephraim.
4:9 Ben-Deker was in charge of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan.
4:10 Ben-Hesed was in charge of Arubboth; he controlled Socoh and all the territory of Hepher.
4:11 Ben-Abinadab was in charge of Naphath Dor. (He was married to Solomon’s daughter Taphath.)
4:12 Baana son of Ahilud was in charge of Taanach and Megiddo, 60 as well as all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah and on past Jokmeam.
4:13 Ben-Geber was in charge of Ramoth Gilead; he controlled the tent villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan, including sixty large walled cities with bronze bars locking their gates.
4:14 Ahinadab son of Iddo was in charge of Mahanaim.
4:15 Ahimaaz was in charge of Naphtali. (He married Solomon’s daughter Basemath.)
4:16 Baana son of Hushai was in charge of Asher and Aloth.
4:17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah was in charge of Issachar.
4:18 Shimei son of Ela was in charge of Benjamin.
4:19 Geber son of Uri was in charge of the land of Gilead (the territory which had once belonged to King Sihon of the Amorites and to King Og of Bashan). He was sole governor of the area.
4:20 The people of Judah and Israel were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore; they had plenty to eat and drink and were happy. 4:21 (5:1) 61 Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River 62 to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms paid tribute as Solomon’s subjects throughout his lifetime. 63 4:22 Each day Solomon’s royal court consumed 64 thirty cors 65 of finely milled flour, sixty cors of cereal, 4:23 ten calves fattened in the stall, 66 twenty calves from the pasture, and a hundred sheep, not to mention rams, gazelles, deer, and well-fed birds. 4:24 His royal court was so large because 67 he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River from Tiphsah 68 to Gaza; he was at peace with all his neighbors. 69 4:25 All the people of Judah and Israel had security; everyone from Dan to Beer Sheba enjoyed the produce of their vines and fig trees throughout Solomon’s lifetime. 70 4:26 Solomon had 4,000 71 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses. 4:27 The district governors acquired supplies for King Solomon and all who ate in his royal palace. 72 Each was responsible for one month in the year; they made sure nothing was lacking. 4:28 Each one also brought to the assigned location his quota of barley and straw for the various horses. 73
4:29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment; the breadth of his understanding 74 was as infinite as the sand on the seashore. 4:30 Solomon was wiser than all the men of the east and all the sages of Egypt. 75 4:31 He was wiser than any man, including Ethan the Ezrahite or Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. He was famous in all the neighboring nations. 76 4:32 He composed 77 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs. 4:33 He produced manuals on botany, describing every kind of plant, 78 from the cedars of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows on walls. He also produced manuals on biology, describing 79 animals, birds, insects, and fish. 4:34 People from all nations came to hear Solomon’s display of wisdom; 80 they came from all the kings of the earth who heard about his wisdom.
5:1 (5:15) 81 King Hiram of Tyre 82 sent messengers 83 to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place. (Hiram had always been an ally of David.) 5:2 Solomon then sent this message to Hiram: 5:3 “You know that my father David was unable to build a temple to honor the Lord 84 his God, for he was busy fighting battles on all fronts while the Lord subdued his enemies. 85 5:4 But now the Lord my God has made me secure on all fronts; there is no adversary or dangerous threat. 5:5 So I have decided 86 to build a temple to honor the Lord 87 my God, as the Lord instructed my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, is the one who will build a temple to honor me.’ 88 5:6 So now order some cedars of Lebanon to be cut for me. My servants will work with your servants. I will pay your servants whatever you say is appropriate, for you know that we have no one among us who knows how to cut down trees like the Sidonians.”
5:7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was very happy. He said, “The Lord is worthy of praise today because he 89 has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.” 5:8 Hiram then sent this message to Solomon: “I received 90 the message you sent to me. I will give you all the cedars and evergreens you need. 91 5:9 My servants will bring the timber down from Lebanon to the sea. I will send it by sea in raft-like bundles to the place you designate. 92 There I will separate the logs 93 and you can carry them away. In exchange you will supply the food I need for my royal court.” 94
5:10 So Hiram supplied the cedars and evergreens Solomon needed, 95 5:11 and Solomon supplied Hiram annually with 20,000 cors 96 of wheat as provision for his royal court, 97 as well as 20,000 baths 98 of pure 99 olive oil. 100 5:12 So the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he had promised him. And Hiram and Solomon were at peace and made a treaty. 101
5:13 King Solomon conscripted 102 work crews 103 from throughout Israel, 30,000 men in all. 5:14 He sent them to Lebanon in shifts of 10,000 men per month. They worked in Lebanon for one month, and then spent two months at home. Adoniram was supervisor of 104 the work crews. 5:15 Solomon also had 70,000 common laborers 105 and 80,000 stonecutters 106 in the hills, 5:16 besides 3,300 107 officials who supervised the workers. 108 5:17 By royal order 109 they supplied large valuable stones in order to build the temple’s foundation with chiseled stone. 5:18 Solomon’s and Hiram’s construction workers, 110 along with men from Byblos, 111 did the chiseling and prepared the wood and stones for the building of the temple. 112
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 113 (the second month), he began building the Lord’s temple. 6:2 The temple King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet 114 long, 30 feet 115 wide, and 45 feet 116 high. 6:3 The porch in front of the main hall of the temple was 30 feet 117 long, corresponding to the width of the temple. It was 15 feet 118 wide, extending out from the front of the temple. 6:4 He made framed windows for the temple. 6:5 He built an extension all around the walls of the temple’s main hall and holy place and constructed side rooms in it. 119 6:6 The bottom floor of the extension was seven and a half feet 120 wide, the middle floor nine feet 121 wide, and the third floor ten and a half 122 feet wide. He made ledges 123 on the temple’s outer walls so the beams would not have to be inserted into the walls. 124 6:7 As the temple was being built, only stones shaped at the quarry 125 were used; the sound of hammers, pickaxes, or any other iron tool was not heard at the temple while it was being built. 6:8 The entrance to the bottom 126 level of side rooms was on the south side of the temple; stairs went up 127 to the middle floor and then on up to the third 128 floor. 6:9 He finished building the temple 129 and covered it 130 with rafters 131 and boards made of cedar. 132 6:10 He built an extension all around the temple; it was seven and a half feet high 133 and it was attached to the temple by cedar beams.
6:11 134 The Lord said 135 to Solomon: 6:12 “As for this temple you are building, if you follow 136 my rules, observe 137 my regulations, and obey all my commandments, 138 I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father David. 139 6:13 I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”
6:14 So Solomon finished building the temple. 140 6:15 He constructed the walls inside the temple with cedar planks; he paneled the inside with wood from the floor of the temple to the rafters 141 of the ceiling. He covered the temple floor with boards made from the wood of evergreens. 6:16 He built a wall 30 feet in from the rear of the temple as a partition for an inner sanctuary that would be the most holy place. 142 He paneled the wall with cedar planks from the floor to the rafters. 143 6:17 The main hall in front of the inner sanctuary was 60 feet long. 144 6:18 The inside of the temple was all cedar and was adorned with carvings of round ornaments and of flowers in bloom. Everything was cedar; no stones were visible. 145
6:19 He prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord could be placed there. 6:20 The inner sanctuary was 30 feet 146 long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. He plated it with gold, 147 as well as the cedar altar. 148 6:21 Solomon plated the inside of the temple with gold. 149 He hung golden chains in front of the inner sanctuary and plated the inner sanctuary 150 with gold. 6:22 He plated the entire inside of the temple with gold, as well as the altar inside the inner sanctuary. 151
6:23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubs of olive wood; each stood 15 feet 152 high. 6:24 Each of the first cherub’s wings was seven and a half feet long; its entire wingspan was 15 feet. 153 6:25 The second cherub also had a wingspan of 15 feet; it was identical to the first in measurements and shape. 154 6:26 Each cherub stood 15 feet high. 155 6:27 He put the cherubs in the inner sanctuary of the temple. 156 Their wings were spread out. One of the first cherub’s wings touched one wall and one of the other cherub’s wings touched the opposite wall. The first cherub’s other wing touched the second cherub’s other wing in the middle of the room. 157 6:28 He plated the cherubs with gold.
6:29 On all the walls around the temple, inside and out, 158 he carved 159 cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom. 6:30 He plated the floor of the temple with gold, inside and out. 160 6:31 He made doors of olive wood at the entrance to the inner sanctuary; the pillar on each doorpost was five-sided. 161 6:32 On the two doors made of olive wood he carved 162 cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom, and he plated them with gold. 163 He plated the cherubs and the palm trees with hammered gold. 164 6:33 In the same way he made doorposts of olive wood for the entrance to the main hall, only with four-sided pillars. 165 6:34 He also made 166 two doors out of wood from evergreens; each door had two folding leaves. 167 6:35 He carved cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom and plated them with gold, leveled out over the carvings. 6:36 He built the inner courtyard with three rows of chiseled stones and a row of cedar beams.
6:37 In the month Ziv 168 of the fourth year of Solomon’s reign 169 the foundation was laid for the Lord’s temple. 6:38 In the eleventh year, in the month Bul 170 (the eighth month) the temple was completed in accordance with all its specifications and blueprints. It took seven years to build. 171
7:1 Solomon took thirteen years to build his palace. 172 7:2 He named 173 it “The Palace of the Lebanon Forest”; 174 it was 150 feet 175 long, 75 feet 176 wide, and 45 feet 177 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. 178 7:5 All of the entrances 179 were rectangular in shape 180 and they were arranged in sets of three. 181 7:6 He made a colonnade 182 75 feet 183 long and 45 feet 184 wide. There was a porch in front of this and pillars and a roof in front of the porch. 185 7:7 He also made a throne room, called “The Hall of Judgment,” where he made judicial decisions. 186 It was paneled with cedar from the floor to the rafters. 187 7:8 The palace where he lived was constructed in a similar way. 188 He also constructed a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married. 189 7:9 All of these were built with the best 190 stones, chiseled to the right size 191 and cut with a saw on all sides, 192 from the foundation to the edge of the roof 193 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. 194 7:11 Above the foundation 195 the best 196 stones, chiseled to the right size, 197 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. 198
7:13 King Solomon sent for Hiram 199 of Tyre. 200 7:14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, 201 and his father was a craftsman in bronze from Tyre. He had the skill and knowledge 202 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 203 high and 18 feet 204 in circumference. 7:16 He made two bronze tops for the pillars; each was seven-and-a-half feet high. 205 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. 206 7:18 When he made the pillars, there were two rows of pomegranate-shaped ornaments around the latticework covering the top of each pillar. 207 7:19 The tops of the two pillars in the porch were shaped like lilies and were six feet high. 208 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. 209 7:21 He set up the pillars on the porch in front of the main hall. He erected one pillar on the right 210 side and called it Jakin; 211 he erected the other pillar on the left 212 side and called it Boaz. 213 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.” 214 It measured 15 feet 215 from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood seven-and-a-half feet 216 high. Its circumference was 45 feet. 217 7:24 Under the rim all the way around it 218 were round ornaments 219 arranged in settings 15 feet long. 220 The ornaments were in two rows and had been cast with “The Sea.” 221 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. 222 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. 223
7:27 He also made ten bronze movable stands. Each stand was six feet 224 long, six feet 225 wide, and four-and-a-half feet 226 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. 227 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. 228 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. 229 On the edge of the opening were carvings in square frames. 230 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 231 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. 232 7:35 On top of each stand was a round opening three-quarters of a foot deep; 233 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, 234 with wreaths 235 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. 236 Each basin was six feet in diameter; 237 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 238 finished all the work on the Lord’s temple he had been assigned by King Solomon. 239 7:41 He made 240 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, 241 7:45 and the pots, shovels, and bowls. All these items King Solomon assigned Hiram to make for the Lord’s temple 242 were made from polished bronze. 7:46 The king had them cast in earth foundries 243 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. 244
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, 245 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. 7:51 When King Solomon finished constructing the Lord’s temple, he 246 put the holy items that belonged to his father David (the silver, gold, and other articles) in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.
8:1 247 Then Solomon convened in Jerusalem 248 Israel’s elders, all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families, so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the Lord’s covenant from the city of David (that is, Zion). 249 8:2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon during the festival 250 in the month Ethanim 251 (the seventh month). 8:3 When all Israel’s elders had arrived, the priests lifted the ark. 8:4 The priests and Levites carried the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, 252 and all the holy items in the tent. 253 8:5 Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered. 254
8:6 The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its assigned 255 place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubs. 8:7 The cherubs’ wings extended over the place where the ark sat; the cherubs overshadowed the ark and its poles. 256 8:8 The poles were so long their ends were visible from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from beyond that point. 257 They have remained there to this very day. 8:9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets Moses had placed there in Horeb. 258 It was there that 259 the Lord made an agreement with the Israelites after he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 8:10 Once the priests left the holy place, a cloud filled the Lord’s temple. 8:11 The priests could not carry out their duties 260 because of the cloud; the Lord’s glory filled his temple. 261
8:12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he lives in thick darkness. 8:13 O Lord, 262 truly I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live permanently.” 8:14 Then the king turned around 263 and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite assembly as they stood there. 264 8:15 He said, “The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has fulfilled 265 what he promised 266 my father David. 8:16 He told David, 267 ‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which to live. 268 But I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.’ 8:17 Now my father David had a strong desire 269 to build a temple to honor the Lord God of Israel. 270 8:18 The Lord told my father David, ‘It is right for you to have a strong desire to build a temple to honor me. 271 8:19 But you will not build the temple; your very own son will build the temple for my honor.’ 272 8:20 The Lord has kept the promise he made. 273 I have taken my father David’s place and have occupied the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised. I have built this temple for the honor 274 of the Lord God of Israel 8:21 and set up in it a place for the ark containing the covenant the Lord made with our ancestors 275 when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
8:22 Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward the sky. 276 8:23 He prayed: 277 “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You maintain covenantal loyalty 278 to your servants who obey you with sincerity. 279 8:24 You have kept your word to your servant, my father David; 280 this very day you have fulfilled what you promised. 281 8:25 Now, O Lord, God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant, my father David, when you said, ‘You will never fail to have a successor ruling before me on the throne of Israel, 282 provided that your descendants watch their step and serve me as you have done.’ 283 8:26 Now, O God of Israel, may the promise you made 284 to your servant, my father David, be realized. 285
8:27 “God does not really live on the earth! 286 Look, if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built! 8:28 But respond favorably to 287 your servant’s prayer and his request for help, O Lord my God. Answer 288 the desperate prayer 289 your servant is presenting to you 290 today. 8:29 Night and day may you watch over this temple, the place where you promised you would live. 291 May you answer your servant’s prayer for this place. 292 8:30 Respond to the request of your servant and your people Israel for this place. 293 Hear from inside your heavenly dwelling place 294 and respond favorably. 295
8:31 “When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false. 296 8:32 Listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants’ claims. Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent, and give both of them what they deserve. 297
8:33 “The time will come when 298 your people Israel are defeated by an enemy 299 because they sinned against you. If they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, 300 and pray for your help 301 in this temple, 8:34 then listen from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.
8:35 “The time will come when 302 the skies are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people 303 sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you, 304 and turn away from their sin because you punish 305 them, 8:36 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Certainly 306 you will then teach them the right way to live 307 and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess. 308
8:37 “The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight and disease, or a locust 309 invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land, 310 or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs. 8:38 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help, 311 as they acknowledge their pain 312 and spread out their hands toward this temple, 8:39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin, 313 and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of his motives. 314 (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.) 315 8:40 Then they will obey 316 you throughout their lifetimes as 317 they live on the land you gave to our ancestors.
8:41 “Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a distant land because of your reputation. 318 8:42 When they hear about your great reputation 319 and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds, 320 they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple. 8:43 Then listen from your heavenly dwelling place and answer all the prayers of the foreigners. 321 Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your reputation, 322 obey 323 you like your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple I built belongs to you. 324
8:44 “When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies, 325 and they direct their prayers to the Lord 326 toward his chosen city and this temple I built for your honor, 327 8:45 then listen from heaven to their prayers for help 328 and vindicate them. 329
8:46 “The time will come when your people 330 will sin against you (for there is no one who is sinless!) and you will be angry with them and deliver them over to their enemies, who will take them as prisoners to their own land, 331 whether far away or close by. 8:47 When your people 332 come to their senses 333 in the land where they are held prisoner, they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their imprisonment, admitting, ‘We have sinned and gone astray; 334 we have done evil.’ 8:48 When they return to you with all their heart and being 335 in the land where they are held prisoner, 336 and direct their prayers to you toward the land you gave to their ancestors, your chosen city, and the temple I built for your honor, 337 8:49 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place to their prayers for help 338 and vindicate them. 339 8:50 Forgive all the rebellious acts of your sinful people and cause their captors to have mercy on them. 340 8:51 After all, 341 they are your people and your special possession 342 whom you brought out of Egypt, from the middle of the iron-smelting furnace. 343
8:52 “May you be attentive 344 to your servant’s and your people Israel’s requests for help and may you respond to all their prayers to you. 345 8:53 After all, 346 you picked them out of all the nations of the earth to be your special possession, 347 just as you, O sovereign Lord, announced through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”
8:54 When Solomon finished presenting all these prayers and requests to the Lord, he got up from before the altar of the Lord where he had kneeled and spread out his hands toward the sky. 348 8:55 When he stood up, he pronounced a blessing over the entire assembly of Israel, saying in a loud voice: 8:56 “The Lord is worthy of praise because he has made Israel his people secure 349 just as he promised! Not one of all the faithful promises he made through his servant Moses is left unfulfilled! 350 8:57 May the Lord our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he not abandon us or leave us. 8:58 May he make us submissive, 351 so we can follow all his instructions 352 and obey 353 the commandments, rules, and regulations he commanded our ancestors. 8:59 May the Lord our God be constantly aware of these requests of mine I have presented to him, 354 so that he might vindicate 355 his servant and his people Israel as the need arises. 8:60 Then 356 all the nations of the earth will recognize that the Lord is the only genuine God. 357 8:61 May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord our God 358 by following 359 his rules and obeying 360 his commandments, as you are presently doing.” 361
8:62 The king and all Israel with him were presenting sacrifices to the Lord. 8:63 Solomon offered as peace offerings 362 to the Lord 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. Then the king and all the Israelites dedicated the Lord’s temple. 8:64 That day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that is in front of the Lord’s temple. He offered there burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat from the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that stood before the Lord was too small to hold all these offerings. 363 8:65 At that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated a festival before the Lord our God for two entire weeks. This great assembly included people from all over the land, from Lebo Hamath in the north to the Brook of Egypt 364 in the south. 365 8:66 On the fifteenth day after the festival started, 366 he dismissed the people. They asked God to empower the king 367 and then went to their homes, happy and content 368 because of all the good the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.
[3:1] 1 sn The phrase City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[3:1] 2 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[3:2] 3 sn Offering sacrifices at the high places. The “high places” were places of worship that were naturally or artificially elevated.
[3:2] 4 tn Heb “for the name of the
[3:3] 5 tn Heb “Solomon loved the
[3:3] 6 tn Or “policies, rules.”
[3:4] 7 tn Heb “for it was the great high place.”
[3:4] 8 tn The verb form is an imperfect, which is probably used here in a customary sense to indicate continued or repeated action in past time. See GKC 314 §107.b.
[3:5] 9 tn Or “revealed himself.”
[3:6] 12 tn Heb “walked before.”
[3:6] 13 tn Heb “in faithfulness and in innocence and in uprightness of heart with you.”
[3:6] 14 tn Heb “and you have kept to him this great loyalty and you gave to him a son [who] sits on his throne as this day.”
[3:7] 15 tn Heb “and I do not know going out or coming in.”
[3:8] 16 tn There is no verb expressed in the Hebrew text; “stands” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[3:8] 17 tn Heb “your people whom you have chosen.”
[3:9] 18 tn Heb “a hearing heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)
[3:9] 20 tn Heb “to understand between good and evil.”
[3:9] 21 tn Heb “for”; the word “otherwise” is used to reflect the logical sense of the statement.
[3:9] 22 tn Heb “who is able?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”
[3:9] 24 tn Heb “your numerous people.”
[3:10] 25 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in v.15 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[3:10] 26 tn Heb “And the thing was good in the eyes of the Lord, for Solomon asked for this thing.”
[3:11] 27 tn Heb “because you asked for this thing, and did not ask for yourself many days and did not ask for yourself riches and did not ask for the life of your enemies, but you asked for yourself understanding to hear judgment.”
[3:12] 28 tn This statement is introduced in the Hebrew text by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to and emphasizes what follows.
[3:12] 29 tn Heb “I am doing according to your words.” The perfect tense is sometimes used of actions occurring at the same time a statement is made.
[3:12] 30 tn This statement is introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to and emphasizes what follows. The translation assumes that the perfect tense here indicates that the action occurs as the statement is made (i.e., “right now I give you”).
[3:12] 31 tn Heb “heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)
[3:12] 32 tn Heb “so that there has not been one like you prior to you, and after you one will not arise like you.”
[3:13] 33 tn The translation assumes that the perfect tense here indicates that the action occurs as the statement is made.
[3:13] 34 tn Heb “so that there is not one among the kings like you all your days.” The LXX lacks the words “all your days.”
[3:14] 35 tn Heb “walk in my ways.”
[3:14] 38 tn Heb “I will lengthen your days.”
[3:15] 39 tn Heb “and look, a dream.”
[3:15] 40 tn Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”
[3:18] 41 sn There was no one else in the house except the two of us. In other words, there were no other witnesses to the births who could identify which child belonged to which mother.
[3:19] 43 tn Heb “lay, slept.”
[3:21] 45 tn Heb “look, it was not my son to whom I had given birth.”
[3:22] 46 tn Heb “they spoke before the king.” Another option is to translate, “they argued before the king.”
[3:26] 47 tn Heb “the woman whose son was alive.”
[3:26] 48 tn Heb “for her compassions grew warm for her son.”
[3:26] 49 tn The infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the main verb.
[3:28] 50 tn Heb “feared,” perhaps in the sense, “stood in awe of.”
[3:28] 52 tn Heb “the wisdom of God within him.”
[4:3] 53 tn Heb “were scribes”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “secretaries”; TEV, NLT “court secretaries.”
[4:5] 56 tn Heb “close associate of”; KJV, ASV, NASB “the king’s friend” (a title for an adviser, not just an acquaintance).
[4:6] 57 tn Heb “over the house.”
[4:6] 59 sn The work crews. This Hebrew word (מַס, mas) refers to a group of laborers conscripted for royal or public service.
[4:12] 60 map For location see Map1 D4; Map2 C1; Map4 C2; Map5 F2; Map7 B1.
[4:21] 61 sn Beginning with 4:21, the verse numbers through 5:18 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 4:21 ET = 5:1 HT, 4:22 ET = 5:2 HT, etc., through 5:18 ET = 5:32 HT. Beginning with 6:1 the numbering of verses in the English Bible and the Hebrew text is again the same.
[4:21] 62 tn Heb “the River” (also in v. 24). This is the standard designation for the Euphrates River in biblical Hebrew.
[4:21] 63 tn Heb “[They] were bringing tribute and were serving Solomon all the days of his life.”
[4:22] 64 tn Heb “the food of Solomon for each day was.”
[4:22] 65 tn As a unit of dry measure a cor was roughly equivalent to six bushels.
[4:23] 66 tn The words “in the stall” are added for clarification; note the immediately following reference to cattle from the pasture.
[4:24] 67 tn Heb “because.” The words “his royal court was so large” are added to facilitate the logical connection with the preceding verse.
[4:24] 68 sn Tiphsah. This was located on the Euphrates River.
[4:24] 69 tn Heb “for he was ruling over all [the region] beyond the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kingdoms beyond the River, and he had peace on every side all around.”
[4:25] 70 tn Heb “Judah and Israel lived securely, each one under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beer Sheba, all the days of Solomon.”
[4:26] 71 tn The Hebrew text has “40,000,” but this is probably an inflated number (nevertheless it is followed by KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, CEV). Some Greek
[4:27] 72 tn Heb “everyone who drew near to the table of King Solomon.”
[4:28] 73 tn Heb “barley and straw for the horses and the steeds they brought to the place which was there, each according to his measure.”
[4:29] 74 tn Heb “heart,” i.e., mind. (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)
[4:30] 75 tn Heb “the wisdom of Solomon was greater than the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.”
[4:31] 76 tn Heb “his name was in all the surrounding nations.”
[4:33] 78 tn Heb “he spoke about plants.”
[4:33] 79 tn Heb “he spoke about.”
[4:34] 80 tn Heb “the wisdom of Solomon.”
[5:1] 81 sn The verse numbers in the English Bible differ from those in the Hebrew text (BHS) here; 5:1-18 in the English Bible corresponds to 5:15-32 in the Hebrew text. See the note at 4:21.
[5:1] 82 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[5:1] 83 tn Heb “his servants.”
[5:3] 84 tn Heb “a house for the name of the
[5:3] 85 tn Heb “because of the battles which surrounded him until the
[5:5] 86 tn Heb “Look, I am saying.”
[5:5] 87 tn Heb “a house for the name of the
[5:5] 88 tn Heb “a house for my name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the
[5:7] 89 tn Or “Blessed be the
[5:8] 91 tn Heb “I will satisfy all your desire with respect to cedar wood and with respect to the wood of evergreens.”
[5:9] 92 tn Heb “I will place them [on? as?] rafts in the sea to the place where you designate to me.” This may mean he would send them by raft, or that he would tie them in raft-like bundles, and have ships tow them down to an Israelite port.
[5:9] 93 tn Heb “smash them,” i.e., untie the bundles.
[5:9] 94 tn Heb “as for you, you will satisfy my desire by giving food for my house.”
[5:10] 95 tn Heb “and Hiram gave to Solomon cedar wood and the wood of evergreens, all his desire.”
[5:11] 96 sn As a unit of dry measure a cor was roughly equivalent to six bushels.
[5:11] 98 tc The Hebrew text has “twenty cors,” but the ancient Greek version and the parallel text in 2 Chr 2:10 read “twenty thousand baths.”
[5:11] 100 tn Heb “and Solomon supplied Hiram with twenty thousand cors of wheat…pure olive oil. So Solomon would give to Hiram year by year.”
[5:12] 101 tn Heb “a covenant,” referring to a formal peace treaty or alliance.
[5:13] 102 tn Heb “raised up.”
[5:13] 103 sn Work crews. This Hebrew word (מַס, mas) refers to a group of laborers conscripted for royal or public service.
[5:15] 105 tn Heb “carriers of loads.”
[5:15] 106 tn Heb “cutters” (probably of stones).
[5:16] 107 tc Some Greek
[5:16] 108 tn Heb “besides thirty-three hundred from the officials of Solomon’s governors who were over the work, the ones ruling over the people, the ones doing the work.”
[5:17] 109 tn Heb “and the king commanded.”
[5:18] 111 tn Heb “the Gebalites.” The reading is problematic and some emend to a verb form meaning, “set the borders.”
[5:18] 112 tc The LXX includes the words “for three years.”
[6:1] 113 sn During the month Ziv. This would be April-May, 966
[6:2] 114 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.
[6:2] 115 tn Heb “twenty cubits.”
[6:2] 116 tn Heb “thirty cubits.”
[6:3] 117 tn Heb “twenty cubits.”
[6:3] 118 tn Heb “ten cubits.”
[6:5] 119 tn Heb “and he built on the wall of the temple an extension all around, the walls of the temple all around, for the main hall and for the holy place, and he made side rooms all around.”
[6:6] 120 tn Heb “five cubits.”
[6:6] 121 tn Heb “six cubits.”
[6:6] 122 tn Heb “seven cubits.”
[6:6] 123 tn Or “offsets” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “offset ledges.”
[6:6] 124 tn Heb “so that [the beams] would not have a hold in the walls of the temple.”
[6:7] 125 tn Heb “finished stone of the quarry,” i.e., stones chiseled and shaped at the time they were taken out of the quarry.
[6:8] 126 tc The Hebrew text has “middle,” but the remainder of the verse suggests this is an error.
[6:8] 127 tn Heb “by stairs they went up.” The word translated “stairs” occurs only here. Other options are “trapdoors” or “ladders.”
[6:8] 128 tc The translation reads with a few medieval Hebrew
[6:9] 129 tn Heb “ built the house and completed it.”
[6:9] 131 tn The word occurs only here; the precise meaning is uncertain.
[6:9] 132 tn Heb “and rows with cedar wood.”
[6:10] 133 tn Heb “five cubits.” This must refer to the height of each floor or room.
[6:11] 134 tc The LXX lacks vv. 11-14.
[6:11] 135 tn Heb “the word of the
[6:12] 138 tn Heb “and keep all my commandments by walking in them.”
[6:12] 139 tn Heb “I will establish my word with you which I spoke to David your father.”
[6:14] 140 tn Heb “ built the house and completed it.”
[6:15] 141 tc The MT reads קִירוֹת (qirot, “walls”), but this should be emended to קוֹרוֹת (qorot, “rafters”). See BDB 900 s.v. קוֹרָה.
[6:16] 142 tn Heb “He built twenty cubits from the rear areas of the temple with cedar planks from the floor to the walls, and he built it on the inside for an inner sanctuary, for a holy place of holy places.”
[6:16] 143 tc The MT has קְלָעִים (qÿla’im, “curtains”), but this should be emended to קוֹרוֹת (qorot, “rafters”). See BDB 900 s.v. קוֹרָה.
[6:17] 144 tn Heb “and the house was forty cubits, that is, the main hall before it.”
[6:18] 145 tn Heb “Cedar was inside the temple, carvings of gourds (i.e., gourd-shaped ornaments) and opened flowers; the whole was cedar, no stone was seen.”
[6:20] 146 tn Heb “twenty cubits” (this measurement occurs three times in this verse).
[6:20] 147 tn Heb “with plated gold” (or perhaps, “with pure gold”).
[6:20] 148 tn Heb “he plated [the] altar of cedar.”
[6:21] 149 tn Heb “with plated gold” (or perhaps, “with pure gold”).
[6:22] 151 tn Heb “all the temple he plated with gold until all the temple was finished; and the whole altar which was in the inner sanctuary he plated with gold.”
[6:23] 152 tn Heb “ten cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
[6:24] 153 tn Heb “The first wing of the [one] cherub was five cubits, and the second wing of the cherub was five cubits, ten cubits from the tips of his wings to the tips of his wings.”
[6:25] 154 tn Heb “and the second cherub was ten cubits, the two cherubs had one measurement and one shape.”
[6:26] 155 tn Heb “the height of the first cherub was ten cubits; and so was the second cherub.”
[6:27] 156 tn Heb “in the midst of the inner house,” i.e., in the inner sanctuary.
[6:27] 157 tn Heb “and their wings were in the middle of the room, touching wing to wing.”
[6:29] 158 sn Inside and out probably refers to the inner and outer rooms within the building.
[6:29] 159 tn Heb “carved engravings of carvings.”
[6:30] 160 sn Inside and out probably refers to the inner and outer rooms within the building.
[6:31] 161 tn Heb “the pillar, doorposts, a fifth part” (the precise meaning of this description is uncertain).
[6:32] 162 tn Heb “carved carvings of.”
[6:32] 163 tn Heb “he plated [with] gold” (the precise object is not stated).
[6:32] 164 tn Heb “and he hammered out the gold on the cherubs and the palm trees.”
[6:33] 165 tn Heb “and so he did at the entrance of the main hall, doorposts of olive wood, from a fourth.”
[6:34] 166 tn The words “he also made” are added for stylistic reasons.
[6:34] 167 tc Heb “two of the leaves of the first door were folding, and two of the leaves of the second door were folding.” In the second half of the description, the MT has קְלָעִים (qÿla’im, “curtains”), but this is surely a corruption of צְלָעִים (tsÿla’im, “leaves”) which appears in the first half of the statement.
[6:37] 168 sn In the month Ziv. This would be April-May, 966
[6:37] 169 tn The words “of Solomon’s reign” are added for clarification. See v. 1.
[6:38] 170 sn In the month Bul. This would be October-November 959
[6:38] 171 tn Heb “he built it in seven years.”
[7:1] 172 tn Heb “His house Solomon built in thirteen years and he completed all his house.”
[7:2] 174 sn The Palace of the Lebanon Forest. This name was appropriate because of the large amount of cedar, undoubtedly brought from Lebanon, used in its construction. The cedar pillars in the palace must have given it the appearance of a forest.
[7:2] 175 tn Heb “one hundred cubits.”
[7:2] 176 tn Heb “fifty cubits.”
[7:2] 177 tn Heb “thirty cubits.”
[7:4] 178 tn Heb “and framed [windows in] three rows, and opening to opening three times.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain. Another option might be, “overhung [in] three rows.” This might mean they were positioned high on the walls.
[7:5] 179 tn Heb “all of the doors and doorposts.”
[7:5] 180 sn Rectangular in shape. That is, rather than arched.
[7:5] 181 tn Heb “and all the entrances and the doorposts [had] four frames, and in front of opening to opening three times” (the precise meaning of the description is uncertain).
[7:6] 182 tn Heb “a porch of pillars.”
[7:6] 183 tn Heb “fifty cubits.”
[7:6] 184 tn Heb “thirty cubits.”
[7:6] 185 tn Heb “and a porch was in front of them (i.e., the aforementioned pillars) and pillars and a roof in front of them (i.e., the aforementioned pillars and porch).” The precise meaning of the term translated “roof” is uncertain; it occurs only here and in Ezek 41:25-26.
[7:7] 186 tn Heb “and a porch for the throne, where he was making judicial decisions, the Porch of Judgment, he made.”
[7:7] 187 tc The Hebrew text reads, “from the floor to the floor.” The second occurrence of the term הַקַּרְקָע (haqqarqa’, “the floor”) is probably an error; one should emend to הַקּוֹרוֹת (haqqorot, “the rafters”). See 6:16.
[7:8] 188 tn Heb “and his house where he lived, the other court [i.e., as opposed to the great court], separated from the house belonging to the hall, was like this work [i.e., this style of architecture].”
[7:8] 189 tn Heb “and a house he was making for the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Solomon had taken, like this porch.”
[7:9] 190 tn Or “valuable” (see 5:17).
[7:9] 191 tn Heb “according to the measurement of chiseled [stone].”
[7:9] 192 tn Heb “inside and out.”
[7:9] 193 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word טְפָחוֹת (tÿfakhot) is uncertain, but it is clear that the referent stands in opposition to the foundation.
[7:10] 194 tn Heb “stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits” (it is unclear exactly what dimension is being measured). If both numbers refer to the length of the stones (cf. NCV, CEV, NLT), then perhaps stones of two different sizes were used in some alternating pattern.
[7:11] 195 tn Heb “on top,” or “above.”
[7:11] 196 tn Or “valuable” (see 5:17).
[7:11] 197 tn Heb “according to the measurement of chiseled [stone].”
[7:12] 198 tn Or “the porch of the temple.”
[7:13] 199 tn Heb “King Solomon sent and took Hiram from Tyre.” In 2 Chr 2:13 (MT v. 12) and 4:11, 16 his name is spelled “Huram.”
[7:13] 200 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[7:14] 201 tn 2 Chr 2:14 (13 HT) says “from the daughters of Dan.”
[7:14] 202 tn Heb “he was filled with the skill, understanding, and knowledge.”
[7:15] 203 tn Heb “eighteen cubits.”
[7:15] 204 tn Heb “twelve cubits.”
[7:16] 205 tn Heb “two capitals he made to place on the tops of the pillars, cast in bronze; five cubits was the height of the first capital, and five cubits was the height of the second capital.”
[7:17] 206 tn Heb “there were seven for the first capital, and seven for the second capital.”
[7:18] 207 tn Heb “he made the pillars, and two rows surrounding one latticework to cover the capitals which were on top of the pomegranates, and so he did for the second latticework.” The translation supplies “pomegranates” after “two rows,” and understands “pillars,” rather than “pomegranates,” to be the correct reading after “on top of.” The latter change finds support from many Hebrew
[7:19] 208 tn Heb “the capitals which were on the top of the pillars were the work of lilies, in the porch, four cubits.” It is unclear exactly what dimension is being measured.
[7:20] 209 tn Heb “and the capitals on the two pillars, also above, close beside the bulge which was beside the latticework, two hundred pomegranates in rows around, on the second capital.” The precise meaning of the word translated “bulge” is uncertain.
[7:21] 211 sn The name Jakin appears to be a verbal form and probably means, “he establishes.”
[7:21] 213 sn The meaning of the name Boaz is uncertain. For various proposals, see BDB 126-27 s.v. בעז. One attractive option is to revocalize the name as בְּעֹז (be’oz, “in strength”) and to understand it as completing the verbal form on the first pillar. Taking the words together and reading from right to left, one can translate the sentence, “he establishes [it] in strength.”
[7:23] 214 tn Heb “He made the sea, cast.”
[7:23] 215 tn Heb “ten cubits.”
[7:23] 216 tn Heb “five cubits.”
[7:23] 217 tn Heb “and a measuring line went around it thirty cubits all around.”
[7:24] 218 tn Heb “The Sea.” The proper noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“it”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:24] 219 tn Or “gourd-shaped ornaments.”
[7:24] 220 tn Heb “ten cubits surrounding the sea all around.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain.
[7:24] 221 tn Heb “the gourd-shaped ornaments were in two rows, cast in its casting.”
[7:25] 222 tn Heb “all their hindquarters were toward the inside.”
[7:26] 223 tn Heb “two thousand baths” (a bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons).
[7:27] 224 tn Heb “four cubits.”
[7:27] 225 tn Heb “four cubits.”
[7:27] 226 tn Heb “three cubits.”
[7:29] 227 tn The precise meaning of these final words is uncertain. A possible literal translation would be, “wreaths, the work of descent.”
[7:30] 228 tn The precise meaning of this last word, translated “wreaths,” is uncertain.
[7:31] 229 tn Heb “And its opening from the inside to the top and upwards [was] a cubit, and its opening was round, the work of a stand, a cubit-and-a-half.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain.
[7:31] 230 tn Heb “also over its opening were carvings and their frames [were] squared, not round.”
[7:32] 231 tn Heb “a cubit-and-a-half” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
[7:34] 232 tn Heb “four shoulders to the four sides of each stand, from the stand its shoulders.” The precise meaning of the description is uncertain.
[7:35] 233 tn Heb “and on top of the stand, a half cubit [in] height, round all around” (the meaning of this description is uncertain).
[7:36] 234 tn Heb “according to the space of each.”
[7:36] 235 tn The precise meaning of this last word, translated “wreaths,” is uncertain.
[7:38] 236 tn Heb “forty baths” (a bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons).
[7:38] 237 tn Heb “four cubits, each basin.” It is unclear which dimension is being measured.
[7:40] 238 tn Heb “Hiram.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:40] 239 tn Heb “Hiram finished doing all the work which he did for King Solomon [on] the house of the
[7:41] 240 tn The words “he made” are added for stylistic reasons.
[7:44] 241 tn Heb “underneath ‘The Sea.’”
[7:45] 242 tn Heb “which Hiram made for King Solomon [for] the house of the
[7:46] 243 tn Or perhaps, “molds.”
[7:47] 244 tn Heb “Solomon left all the items, due to their very great abundance; the weight of the bronze was not sought.”
[7:48] 245 tn Heb “the bread of the face [or presence].” Many recent English versions employ “the bread of the Presence,” although this does not convey much to the modern reader.
[7:51] 246 tn Heb “Solomon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:1] 247 tc The Old Greek translation includes the following words at the beginning of ch. 8: “It so happened that when Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple and his own house, after twenty years.”
[8:1] 248 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[8:1] 249 tn Heb “Then Solomon convened the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, the chiefs of the fathers belonging to the sons of Israel to King Solomon [in] Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the covenant of the
[8:2] 250 sn The festival. This was the Feast of Tabernacles, see Lev 23:34.
[8:2] 251 sn The month Ethanim. This would be September-October in modern reckoning.
[8:4] 252 tn Heb “the tent of assembly.”
[8:4] 253 tn Heb “and they carried the ark of the
[8:5] 254 tn Heb “And King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel, those who had been gathered to him, [were] before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle which could not be counted or numbered because of the abundance.”
[8:6] 255 tn The word “assigned” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[8:7] 256 sn And its poles. These poles were used to carry the ark. See Exod 25:13-15.
[8:8] 257 tn Heb “they could not be seen outside.”
[8:9] 258 sn Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai.
[8:9] 259 tn Heb “in Horeb where.”
[8:11] 260 tn Heb “were not able to stand to serve.”
[8:11] 261 tn Heb “the house of the
[8:13] 262 tn The words “O
[8:14] 263 tn Heb “turned his face.”
[8:14] 264 tn Heb “and he blessed all the assembly of Israel, and all the assembly of Israel was standing.”
[8:15] 265 tn The Hebrew text reads, “by his hand.”
[8:15] 266 tn The Hebrew text reads, “by his mouth.”
[8:16] 268 tn Heb “to build a house for my name to be there.”
[8:17] 269 tn Heb “and it was with the heart of David my father.”
[8:17] 270 tn Heb “to build a house for the name of the
[8:18] 271 tn Heb “Because it was with your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was with your heart.”
[8:19] 272 tn Heb “your son, the one who came out of your body, he will build the temple for my name.”
[8:20] 273 tn Heb “his word that he spoke.”
[8:21] 275 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 34, 40, 48, 53, 57, 58).
[8:23] 278 tn Heb “one who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys.
[8:23] 279 tn Heb “who walk before you with all their heart.”
[8:24] 280 tn Heb “[you] who kept to your servant David my father that which you spoke to him.”
[8:24] 281 tn Heb “you spoke by your mouth and by your hand you fulfilled, as this day.”
[8:25] 282 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from before me sitting on the throne of Israel.”
[8:25] 283 tn Heb “guard their way by walking before me as you have walked before me.”
[8:26] 284 tn Heb “the words that you spoke.”
[8:26] 285 tn Or “prove to be reliable.”
[8:27] 286 tn Heb “Indeed, can God really live on the earth?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not,” the force of which the translation above seeks to reflect.
[8:28] 288 tn Heb “by listening to.”
[8:28] 289 tn Heb “the loud cry and the prayer.”
[8:28] 290 tn Heb “praying before you.”
[8:29] 291 tn Heb “so your eyes might be open toward this house night and day, toward the place about which you said, ‘My name will be there.’”
[8:29] 292 tn Heb “by listening to the prayer which your servant is praying concerning this place.”
[8:30] 293 tn Heb “listen to the request of your servant and your people Israel which they are praying concerning this place.”
[8:30] 294 tn Heb “and you, hear inside your dwelling place, inside heaven.” The precise nuance of the preposition אֶל (’el), used here with the verb “hear,” is unclear. One expects the preposition “from,” which appears in the parallel text in 2 Chr 6:21. The nuance “inside; among” is attested for אֶל (see Gen 23:19; 1 Sam 10:22; Jer 4:3), but in each case a verb of motion is employed with the preposition, unlike 1 Kgs 8:30. The translation above (“from inside”) is based on the demands of the immediate context rather than attested usage elsewhere.
[8:30] 295 tn Heb “hear and forgive.”
[8:31] 296 tn Heb “and forgive the man who sins against his neighbor when one takes up against him a curse to curse him and the curse comes before your altar in this house.” In the Hebrew text the words “and forgive” conclude v. 30, but the accusative sign at the beginning of v. 31 suggests the verb actually goes with what follows in v. 31. The parallel text in 2 Chr 6:22 begins with “and if,” rather than the accusative sign. In this case “forgive” must be taken with what precedes, and v. 31 must be taken as the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, with v. 32 being the apodosis (“then” clause) that completes the sentence.
[8:32] 297 tn Heb “and you, hear [from] heaven and act and judge your servants by declaring the guilty to be guilty, to give his way on his head, and to declare the innocent to be innocent, to give to him according to his innocence.”
[8:33] 298 tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 33-34 actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
[8:33] 299 tn Or “are struck down before an enemy.”
[8:33] 300 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
[8:33] 301 tn Heb “and they pray and ask for help.”
[8:35] 302 tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 35-36a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
[8:35] 303 tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:35] 304 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
[8:35] 305 tn The Hebrew text has “because you answer them,” as if the verb is from עָנָה (’anah, “to answer”). However, this reference to a divine answer is premature, since the next verse asks for God to intervene in mercy. It is better to revocalize the consonantal text as תְעַנֵּם (tÿ’annem, “you afflict them”), a Piel verb form from the homonym עָנָה (“to afflict”).
[8:36] 306 tn The translation understands כִּי (ki) in an emphatic or asseverative sense.
[8:36] 307 tn Heb “the good way in which they should walk.”
[8:36] 308 tn Or “for an inheritance.”
[8:37] 309 tn Actually two Hebrew terms appear here, both of which are usually taken as referring to locusts. Perhaps different stages of growth or different varieties are in view.
[8:37] 310 tn Heb “in the land, his gates.”
[8:38] 311 tn Heb “every prayer, every request for help which will be to all the people, to all your people Israel.”
[8:38] 312 tn Heb “which they know, each the pain of his heart.”
[8:39] 313 tn The words “their sin” are added for clarification.
[8:39] 314 tn Heb “and act and give to each one according to all his ways because you know his heart.” In the Hebrew text vv. 37-39a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided up for stylistic reasons.
[8:39] 315 tn Heb “Indeed you know, you alone, the heart of all the sons of mankind.”
[8:40] 317 tn Heb “all the days [in] which.”
[8:41] 318 tn Heb “your name.” In the OT the word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the
[8:42] 319 tn Heb “your great name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in the previous verse.
[8:42] 320 tn Heb “and your strong hand and your outstretched arm.”
[8:43] 321 tn Heb “and do all which the foreigner calls to [i.e., “requests of”] you.”
[8:43] 322 tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.
[8:43] 324 tn Heb “that your name is called over this house which I built.” The Hebrew idiom “to call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28.
[8:44] 325 tn Heb “When your people go out for battle against their enemies in the way which you send them.”
[8:44] 326 tn Or perhaps “to you, O
[8:44] 327 tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.
[8:45] 328 tn Heb “their prayer and their request for help.”
[8:45] 329 tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”
[8:46] 330 tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:46] 331 tn Heb “the land of the enemy.”
[8:47] 332 tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:47] 333 tn Or “stop and reflect”; Heb “bring back to their heart.”
[8:47] 334 tn Or “done wrong.”
[8:48] 336 tn Heb “in the land of their enemies.”
[8:48] 337 tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.
[8:49] 338 tn Heb “their prayer and their request for help.”
[8:49] 339 tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”
[8:50] 340 tn Heb “and forgive your people who have sinned against you, [forgive] all their rebellious acts by which they rebelled against you, and grant them mercy before their captors so they will show them mercy.”
[8:51] 342 tn Heb “inheritance.”
[8:51] 343 tn The Hebrew term כּוּר (kur, “furnace,” cf. Akkadian ku„ru) is a metaphor for the intense heat of purification. A כּוּר was not a source of heat but a crucible (“iron-smelting furnace”) in which precious metals were melted down and their impurities burned away (see I. Cornelius, NIDOTTE 2:618-19). Thus Egypt served not as a place of punishment for the Israelites, but as a place of refinement to bring Israel to a place of submission to divine sovereignty.
[8:52] 344 tn Heb “May your eyes be open.”
[8:52] 345 tn Heb “to listen to them in all their calling out to you.”
[8:53] 347 tn Heb “your inheritance.”
[8:54] 348 tn Or “toward heaven.”
[8:56] 349 tn Heb “he has given a resting place to his people Israel.”
[8:56] 350 tn Heb “not one word from his entire good word he spoke by Moses his servant has fallen.”
[8:58] 351 tn Heb “to bend our hearts toward him.” The infinitive is subordinate to the initial prayer, “may the
[8:58] 352 tn Heb “to walk in all his ways.”
[8:59] 354 tn Heb “May these words of mine, which I have requested before the
[8:59] 355 tn Heb “accomplish the justice of.”
[8:60] 357 tn Heb “the
[8:61] 358 tn Heb “may your hearts be complete with the
[8:61] 359 tn Heb “walking in.”
[8:61] 361 tn Heb “as this day.”
[8:63] 362 tn Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”
[8:64] 363 tn Heb “to hold the burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.”
[8:65] 364 tn Or “the Wadi of Egypt” (NAB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “the Egyptian Gorge.”
[8:65] 365 tn Heb “Solomon held at that time the festival, and all Israel was with him, a great assembly from Lebo Hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the
[8:66] 366 tn Heb “on the eighth day” (that is, the day after the second seven-day sequence).
