1 Kings 5:18--6:1

5:18 Solomon’s and Hiram’s construction workers, ¹  along with men from Byblos, ²  did the chiseling and prepared the wood and stones for the building of the temple. ³ 

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 ⁴  (the second month), he began building the Lord’s temple.

1 Kings 6:12

6:12 “As for this temple you are building, if you follow ⁵  my rules, observe ⁶  my regulations, and obey all my commandments, ⁷  I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father David. ⁸ 

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¹ tn Heb “builders.”

² tn Heb “the Gebalites.” The reading is problematic and some emend to a verb form meaning, “set the borders.”

³ tc The LXX includes the words “for three years.”

⁴ sn During the month Ziv. This would be April-May, 966 b.c. by modern reckoning.

⁵ tn Heb “walk in.”

⁶ tn Heb “do.”

⁷ tn Heb “and keep all my commandments by walking in them.”

⁸ tn Heb “I will establish my word with you which I spoke to David your father.”