1 Kings 7

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1It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace.

2He built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon a hundred cubits long, fifty wide and thirty high, with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams.

3It was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the columns–forty-five beams, fifteen to a row.

4Its windows were placed high in sets of three, facing each other.

5All the doorways had rectangular frames; they were in the front part in sets of three, facing each other.

6He made a colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty wide. In front of it was a portico, and in front of that were pillars and an overhanging roof.

7He built the throne hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge, and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling.

8And the palace in which he was to live, set farther back, was similar in design. Solomon also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had married.

9All these structures, from the outside to the great courtyard and from foundation to eaves, were made of blocks of high-grade stone cut to size and trimmed with a saw on their inner and outer faces.

10The foundations were laid with large stones of good quality, some measuring ten cubits and some eight.

11Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams.

12The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the Lord with its portico.

13King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram,

14whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was a man of Tyre and a craftsman in bronze. Huram was highly skilled and experienced in all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all the work assigned to him.

15He cast two bronze pillars, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits around, by line.

16He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits high.

17A network of interwoven chains festooned the capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital.

18He made pomegranates in two rows encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars. He did the same for each capital.

19The capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four cubits high.

20On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates in rows all around.

21He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin and the one to the north Boaz.

22The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars was completed.

23He made the Sea of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line of thirty cubits to measure around it.

24Below the rim, gourds encircled it–ten to a cubit. The gourds were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.

25The Sea stood on twelve bulls, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center.

26It was a handbreadth in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.

27He also made ten movable stands of bronze; each was four cubits long, four wide and three high.

28This is how the stands were made: They had side panels attached to uprights.

29On the panels between the uprights were lions, bulls and cherubim–and on the uprights as well. Above and below the lions and bulls were wreaths of hammered work.

30Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and each had a basin resting on four supports, cast with wreaths on each side.

31On the inside of the stand there was an opening that had a circular frame one cubit deep. This opening was round, and with its basework it measured a cubit and a half. Around its opening there was engraving. The panels of the stands were square, not round.

32The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand. The diameter of each wheel was a cubit and a half.

33The wheels were made like chariot wheels; the axles, rims, spokes and hubs were all of cast metal.

34Each stand had four handles, one on each corner, projecting from the stand.

35At the top of the stand there was a circular band half a cubit deep. The supports and panels were attached to the top of the stand.

36He engraved cherubim, lions and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, in every available space, with wreaths all around.

37This is the way he made the ten stands. They were all cast in the same molds and were identical in size and shape.

38He then made ten bronze basins, each holding forty baths and measuring four cubits across, one basin to go on each of the ten stands.

39He placed five of the stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north. He placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner of the temple.

40He also made the basins and shovels and sprinkling bowls. So Huram finished all the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of the Lord:

41the two pillars; the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars; the two sets of network decorating the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;

42the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network, decorating the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars);

43the ten stands with their ten basins;

44the Sea and the twelve bulls under it;

45the pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls. All these objects that Huram made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were of burnished bronze.

46The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan.

47Solomon left all these things unweighed, because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not determined.

48Solomon also made all the furnishings that were in the Lord's temple: the golden altar; the golden table on which was the bread of the Presence;

49the lampstands of pure gold (five on the right and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary); the gold floral work and lamps and tongs;

50the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and censers; and the gold sockets for the doors of the innermost room, the Most Holy Place, and also for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

51When all the work King Solomon had done for the temple of the Lord was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated–the silver and gold and the furnishings–and he placed them in the treasuries of the Lord's temple.

Commentary

But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years,.... He made more haste with the house of God than with his own, for that was but seven years in building; which showed greater regard to the honour of God then to his own glory, or even convenience; nor was this built till after that:

and finished all his house; or houses he undertook to build, the singular for the plural; even the house of God, his own palace, and that for the daughter of Pharaoh, and that which is next mentioned, which were in all twenty years building, 1Ki 9:10.

Chapter 7 As, in the story of David, one chapter of wars and victories follows another, so, in the story of Solomon, one chapter concerning his buildings follows another. In this chapter we have, I. His fitting up several buildings for himself and his own use (v. 1–12). II. His furnishing the temple which he had built for God, 1. With two pillars (v. 13–22). 2. With a molten sea (v. 23–26). 3. With ten basins of brass (v. 27–37), and ten layers upon them (v. 38, 39). 4. With all the other utensils of the temple (v. 40–50). 5. With the things that his father had dedicated (v. 51). The particular description of these things was not needless when it was written, nor is it now useless.Verses 1-12 Never had any man so much of the spirit of building as Solomon had, nor to better purpose; he began with the temple, built for God first, and then all his other buildings were comfortable. The surest foundations of lasting prosperity are those which are laid in an early piety, Mt. 6:33. 1. He built a house for himself (v. 1), where he dwelt, v. 8. His father had built a good house; but it was no reflection upon his father for him to build a better, in proportion to the estate wherewith God had blessed him. Much of the comfort of this life is connected with an agreeable house. He was thirteen years building this house, whereas he built the temple in little more than seven years; not that he was more exact, but less eager and intent, in building his own house than in building God’s. He was in no haste for his own palace, but impatient till the temple was finished and fit for use. Thus we ought to prefer God’s honour before our own ease and satisfaction. 2. He built the house of the forest at Lebanon (v. 2), supposed to be a country seat near Jerusalem, so called from the pleasantness of its situation and the trees that encompassed it. I rather incline to think that it was a house built in the forest of Lebanon itself, whither (though far distant from Jerusalem) Solomon (having so many chariots and horses, and those dispersed into chariot-cities, which probably were his stages) might frequently retire with ease. It does not appear that his throne (mentioned v. 7) was at the house of the forest of Lebanon, and it was not at all improper to put his shields there as in a magazine. Express notice is taken of his buildings, not only in Jerusalem, but in Lebanon (ch. 9:19), and we read of the tower of Lebanon, which looks towards Damascus (Cant. 7:4), which probably was part of this house. A particular account is given of this house, that being built in Lebanon, a place famed for cedars, the pillars, and beams, and roof, were all cedar (v. 2, 3), and, being designed for pleasant prospects, there were three tiers of windows on each side, light against light (v. 4, 5), or, as it may be read, prospect against prospect. Those whose lost i cast in the country may be well reconciled to a country life by this, that some of the greatest princes have thought those the most pleasant of their days which they have spent in their country retirements. 3. He built piazzas before one of his houses, either that at Jerusalem or that in Lebanon, which were very famous—a porch of pillars (v. 6), perhaps for an exchange or a guard-house, or for those to walk in that attended him about business till they could have audience, or for state and magnificence. He himself speaks of Wisdom’s building her house, and hewing out her seven pillars (Prov. 9:1), for the shelter of those that, three verses before (ch. 8:34), are said to watch daily at her gates and to wait at the posts of her doors. 4. At his house where he dwelt in Jerusalem he built a great hall, or porch of judgment, where was set the throne, or king’s bench, for the trial of causes, in which he himself was appealed to (placita coram ipso rege tenenda—causes were to be adjusted in the king’s presence), and this was richly wainscoted with cedar, from the floor to the roof, v. 7. He had there also another court within the porch, nearer his house, of similar work, for his attendants to walk in, v. 8. 5. He built a house for his wife, where she kept her court, v. 8. It is said to be like the porch, because built of cedar like it, though not in the same form; this, no doubt, was nearer adjoining to his own palace, yet perhaps if it had been as near as it ought to have been Solomon would not have multiplied wives as he did.The wonderful magnificence of all these buildings is taken notice of, v. 9, etc. All the materials were the best of their kind. The foundation-stones were costly for their size, four or five yards square, or at least so many yards long (v. 10), and the stones of the building were costly for the workmanship, hewn and sawn, and in all respects finely wrought, v. 9, 11. The court of his own house was like that of the temple (v. 12, compare ch. 6:36); so well did he like the model of God’s courts that he made his own by it.

CHAPTER 71Ki 7:1. Building of Solomon's House.1. Solomon was building his own house thirteen years—The time occupied in building his palace was nearly double that spent in the erection of the temple [1Ki 6:38], because neither had there been the same previous preparations for it, nor was there the same urgency as in providing a place of worship, on which the national well-being so much depended.

7:1-12 All Solomon's buildings, though beautiful, were intended for use.

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Translations8 · 5

AMHEVG ሰሎሞንም የራሱን ቤት በአሥራ ሦስት ዓመት ሠራ፥ የቤቱንም ሥራ ሁሉ ጨረሰ። አማርኛ BCV ሰሎሞን ንቤቱ ብዓሰርተ ሰለስተ ዓመት ሰሪሑ ፈፀሞ። ትግርኛ GAZBIB Solomoon mana mootummaa isaa ijaaree waggaa kudha sadiitti in raawwate. Afaan Oromoo BCV GIZ ወሐነፀ ቤቶ ሰሎሞን በዓሠርቱ ወሠለስቱ ዓመት ወፈጸመ ኵሎ ቤቶ። giz GAZGAZ Solomoon mana mootummaa isaa ijaaree waggaa kudha sadiitti in raawwate. Afaan Oromoo BCV aksum ሰሎሞን ንቤቱ ብዓሰርተ ሰለስተ ዓመት ሰሪሑ ፈፀሞ። ትግርኛ AMHNIV ሰሎሞን የራሱን ቤተ መንግሥት ሠርቶ ለመጨረስ ዐሥራ ሦስት ዓመት ወስዶበታል፤ አማርኛ SWAHSUV Naye Sulemani alikuwa katika kuijenga nyumba yake mwenyewe miaka kumi na mitatu, akaimaliza nyumba yake yote. Kiswahili