1 Kings 7:15-21

7:15 He fashioned two bronze pillars; each pillar was 27 feet ¹  high and 18 feet ²  in circumference. 7:16 He made two bronze tops for the pillars; each was seven-and-a-half feet high. ³  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. ⁴  7:18 When he made the pillars, there were two rows of pomegranate-shaped ornaments around the latticework covering the top of each pillar. ⁵  7:19 The tops of the two pillars in the porch were shaped like lilies and were six feet high. ⁶  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  7:21 He set up the pillars on the porch in front of the main hall. He erected one pillar on the right ⁸  side and called it Jakin; ⁹  he erected the other pillar on the left ¹⁰  side and called it Boaz. ¹¹ 

1 Kings 7:2

7:2 He named ¹²  it “The Palace of the Lebanon Forest”; ¹³  it was 150 feet ¹⁴  long, 75 feet ¹⁵  wide, and 45 feet ¹⁶  high. It had four rows of cedar pillars and cedar beams above the pillars.

1 Kings 1:17

1:17 She replied to him, “My master, you swore an oath to your servant by the Lord your God, ‘Solomon your son will be king after me and he will sit on my throne.’

1 Kings 1:2

1:2 His servants advised ¹⁷  him, “A young virgin must be found for our master, the king, ¹⁸  to take care of the king’s needs ¹⁹  and serve as his nurse. She can also sleep with you ²⁰  and keep our master, the king, warm.” ²¹ 

1 Kings 3:15-17

3:15 Solomon then woke up and realized it was a dream. ²²  He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, offered up burnt sacrifices, presented peace offerings, ²³  and held a feast for all his servants.

Solomon Demonstrates His Wisdom

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.

[7:15]  ¹ tn Heb “eighteen cubits.”

[7:15]  ² tn Heb “twelve cubits.”

[7:16]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “there were seven for the first capital, and seven for the second capital.”

[7:18]  ⁵ 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 mss and the ancient Greek version.

[7:19]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Or “south.”

[7:21]  ⁹ sn The name Jakin appears to be a verbal form and probably means, “he establishes.”

[7:21]  ¹⁰ tn Or “north.”

[7:21]  ¹¹ 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.”

[7:2]  ¹² tn Heb “he built.”

[7:2]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “one hundred cubits.”

[7:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “fifty cubits.”

[7:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “thirty cubits.”

[1:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “said to.”

[1:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “let them seek for my master, the king, a young girl, a virgin.” The third person plural subject of the verb is indefinite (see GKC 460 §144.f). The appositional expression, “a young girl, a virgin,” is idiomatic; the second term specifically defines the more general first term (see IBHS 230 §12.3b).

[1:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and she will stand before the king.” The Hebrew phrase “stand before” can mean “to attend; to serve” (BDB 764 s.v. עָמַד).

[1:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and she will lie down in your bosom.” The expression might imply sexual intimacy (see 2 Sam 12:3 [where the lamb symbolizes Bathsheba] and Mic 7:5), though v. 4b indicates that David did not actually have sex with the young woman.

[1:2]  ²¹ tn Heb “and my master, the king, will be warm.”

[3:15]  ²² tn Heb “and look, a dream.”

[3:15]  ²³ tn Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”