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 6 (the second month), he began building the Lord’s temple.
8:6 The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its assigned 19 place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubs.
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. 20
8:33 “The time will come when 21 your people Israel are defeated by an enemy 22 because they sinned against you. If they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, 23 and pray for your help 24 in this temple,
8:44 “When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies, 25 and they direct their prayers to the Lord 26 toward his chosen city and this temple I built for your honor, 27
9:15 Here are the details concerning the work crews 35 King Solomon conscripted 36 to build the Lord’s temple, his palace, the terrace, the wall of Jerusalem, 37 and the cities of 38 Hazor, 39 Megiddo, 40 and Gezer.
9:25 Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings 41 on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense along with them before the Lord. He made the temple his official worship place. 42
1 tn Heb “a house for the name of the
2 tn Heb “because of the battles which surrounded him until the
3 tn Heb “builders.”
4 tn Heb “the Gebalites.” The reading is problematic and some emend to a verb form meaning, “set the borders.”
5 tc The LXX includes the words “for three years.”
6 sn During the month Ziv. This would be April-May, 966
7 tc The Hebrew text has “middle,” but the remainder of the verse suggests this is an error.
8 tn Heb “by stairs they went up.” The word translated “stairs” occurs only here. Other options are “trapdoors” or “ladders.”
9 tc The translation reads with a few medieval Hebrew
10 tn Heb “walk in.”
11 tn Heb “do.”
12 tn Heb “and keep all my commandments by walking in them.”
13 tn Heb “I will establish my word with you which I spoke to David your father.”
14 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.”
15 tc The MT has קְלָעִים (qÿla’im, “curtains”), but this should be emended to קוֹרוֹת (qorot, “rafters”). See BDB 900 s.v. קוֹרָה.
16 sn In the month Bul. This would be October-November 959
17 tn Heb “he built it in seven years.”
18 tn Or “the porch of the temple.”
19 tn The word “assigned” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
20 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.
sn Be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false. At first it appears that Solomon is asking God to forgive the guilty party. But in v. 32 Solomon asks the
21 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.
22 tn Or “are struck down before an enemy.”
23 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
24 tn Heb “and they pray and ask for help.”
25 tn Heb “When your people go out for battle against their enemies in the way which you send them.”
26 tn Or perhaps “to you, O
27 tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.
28 tn Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”
29 tn Heb “I have heard.”
30 tn Heb “by placing my name there perpetually” (or perhaps, “forever”).
31 tn Heb “and my eyes and my heart will be there all the days.”
32 tn Heb “I will cut off Israel from upon the surface of the land.”
33 tn Heb “and the temple which I consecrated for my name I will send away from before my face.”
sn Instead of “I will send away,” the parallel text in 2 Chr 7:20 has “I will throw away.” The two verbs sound very similar in Hebrew, so the discrepancy is likely due to an oral transmissional error.
34 tn Heb “will become a proverb and a taunt,” that is, a proverbial example of destruction and an object of reproach.
35 sn The work crews. This Hebrew word מַס (mas) refers to a group of laborers conscripted for royal or public service.
36 tn Heb “raised up.”
37 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
38 tn The words “the cities of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
39 map For location see Map1-D2; Map2-D3; Map3-A2; Map4-C1.
40 map For location see Map1-D4; Map2-C1; Map4-C2; Map5-F2; Map7-B1.
41 tn Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”
42 tn Heb “and he made complete the house.”
43 tn Heb “the food on his table.”
44 tn Heb “the seating of his servants and the standing of his attendants.”
45 tn Heb “there was no breath still in her.”
46 tn This Hebrew architectural term occurs only here. The meaning is uncertain; some have suggested “banisters” or “parapets”; cf. TEV, NLT “railings.” The parallel passage in 2 Chr 9:11 has a different word, meaning “tracks,” or perhaps “steps.”
47 tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither” [?]), and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).
48 tn Heb “there has not come thus, the fine timber, and there has not been seen to this day.”
49 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
50 tn Heb “the heart of these people could return to their master.”