Discovery Box1 Kings 5:1--8:66 
Context5:1 (5:15) 1 King Hiram of Tyre 2 sent messengers 3 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 4 his God, for he was busy fighting battles on all fronts while the Lord subdued his enemies. 5 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 6 to build a temple to honor the Lord 7 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.’ 8 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 9 has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.” 5:8 Hiram then sent this message to Solomon: “I received 10 the message you sent to me. I will give you all the cedars and evergreens you need. 11 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. 12 There I will separate the logs 13 and you can carry them away. In exchange you will supply the food I need for my royal court.” 14
5:10 So Hiram supplied the cedars and evergreens Solomon needed, 15 5:11 and Solomon supplied Hiram annually with 20,000 cors 16 of wheat as provision for his royal court, 17 as well as 20,000 baths 18 of pure 19 olive oil. 20 5:12 So the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he had promised him. And Hiram and Solomon were at peace and made a treaty. 21
5:13 King Solomon conscripted 22 work crews 23 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 24 the work crews. 5:15 Solomon also had 70,000 common laborers 25 and 80,000 stonecutters 26 in the hills, 5:16 besides 3,300 27 officials who supervised the workers. 28 5:17 By royal order 29 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, 30 along with men from Byblos, 31 did the chiseling and prepared the wood and stones for the building of the temple. 32
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 33 (the second month), he began building the Lord’s temple. 6:2 The temple King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet 34 long, 30 feet 35 wide, and 45 feet 36 high. 6:3 The porch in front of the main hall of the temple was 30 feet 37 long, corresponding to the width of the temple. It was 15 feet 38 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. 39 6:6 The bottom floor of the extension was seven and a half feet 40 wide, the middle floor nine feet 41 wide, and the third floor ten and a half 42 feet wide. He made ledges 43 on the temple’s outer walls so the beams would not have to be inserted into the walls. 44 6:7 As the temple was being built, only stones shaped at the quarry 45 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 46 level of side rooms was on the south side of the temple; stairs went up 47 to the middle floor and then on up to the third 48 floor. 6:9 He finished building the temple 49 and covered it 50 with rafters 51 and boards made of cedar. 52 6:10 He built an extension all around the temple; it was seven and a half feet high 53 and it was attached to the temple by cedar beams.
6:11 54 The Lord said 55 to Solomon: 6:12 “As for this temple you are building, if you follow 56 my rules, observe 57 my regulations, and obey all my commandments, 58 I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father David. 59 6:13 I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”
6:14 So Solomon finished building the temple. 60 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 61 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. 62 He paneled the wall with cedar planks from the floor to the rafters. 63 6:17 The main hall in front of the inner sanctuary was 60 feet long. 64 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. 65
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 66 long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. He plated it with gold, 67 as well as the cedar altar. 68 6:21 Solomon plated the inside of the temple with gold. 69 He hung golden chains in front of the inner sanctuary and plated the inner sanctuary 70 with gold. 6:22 He plated the entire inside of the temple with gold, as well as the altar inside the inner sanctuary. 71
6:23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubs of olive wood; each stood 15 feet 72 high. 6:24 Each of the first cherub’s wings was seven and a half feet long; its entire wingspan was 15 feet. 73 6:25 The second cherub also had a wingspan of 15 feet; it was identical to the first in measurements and shape. 74 6:26 Each cherub stood 15 feet high. 75 6:27 He put the cherubs in the inner sanctuary of the temple. 76 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. 77 6:28 He plated the cherubs with gold.
6:29 On all the walls around the temple, inside and out, 78 he carved 79 cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom. 6:30 He plated the floor of the temple with gold, inside and out. 80 6:31 He made doors of olive wood at the entrance to the inner sanctuary; the pillar on each doorpost was five-sided. 81 6:32 On the two doors made of olive wood he carved 82 cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom, and he plated them with gold. 83 He plated the cherubs and the palm trees with hammered gold. 84 6:33 In the same way he made doorposts of olive wood for the entrance to the main hall, only with four-sided pillars. 85 6:34 He also made 86 two doors out of wood from evergreens; each door had two folding leaves. 87 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 88 of the fourth year of Solomon’s reign 89 the foundation was laid for the Lord’s temple. 6:38 In the eleventh year, in the month Bul 90 (the eighth month) the temple was completed in accordance with all its specifications and blueprints. It took seven years to build. 91
7:1 Solomon took thirteen years to build his palace. 92 7:2 He named 93 it “The Palace of the Lebanon Forest”; 94 it was 150 feet 95 long, 75 feet 96 wide, and 45 feet 97 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. 98 7:5 All of the entrances 99 were rectangular in shape 100 and they were arranged in sets of three. 101 7:6 He made a colonnade 102 75 feet 103 long and 45 feet 104 wide. There was a porch in front of this and pillars and a roof in front of the porch. 105 7:7 He also made a throne room, called “The Hall of Judgment,” where he made judicial decisions. 106 It was paneled with cedar from the floor to the rafters. 107 7:8 The palace where he lived was constructed in a similar way. 108 He also constructed a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married. 109 7:9 All of these were built with the best 110 stones, chiseled to the right size 111 and cut with a saw on all sides, 112 from the foundation to the edge of the roof 113 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. 114 7:11 Above the foundation 115 the best 116 stones, chiseled to the right size, 117 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. 118
7:13 King Solomon sent for Hiram 119 of Tyre. 120 7:14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, 121 and his father was a craftsman in bronze from Tyre. He had the skill and knowledge 122 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 123 high and 18 feet 124 in circumference. 7:16 He made two bronze tops for the pillars; each was seven-and-a-half feet high. 125 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. 126 7:18 When he made the pillars, there were two rows of pomegranate-shaped ornaments around the latticework covering the top of each pillar. 127 7:19 The tops of the two pillars in the porch were shaped like lilies and were six feet high. 128 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. 129 7:21 He set up the pillars on the porch in front of the main hall. He erected one pillar on the right 130 side and called it Jakin; 131 he erected the other pillar on the left 132 side and called it Boaz. 133 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.” 134 It measured 15 feet 135 from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood seven-and-a-half feet 136 high. Its circumference was 45 feet. 137 7:24 Under the rim all the way around it 138 were round ornaments 139 arranged in settings 15 feet long. 140 The ornaments were in two rows and had been cast with “The Sea.” 141 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. 142 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. 143
7:27 He also made ten bronze movable stands. Each stand was six feet 144 long, six feet 145 wide, and four-and-a-half feet 146 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. 147 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. 148 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. 149 On the edge of the opening were carvings in square frames. 150 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 151 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. 152 7:35 On top of each stand was a round opening three-quarters of a foot deep; 153 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, 154 with wreaths 155 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. 156 Each basin was six feet in diameter; 157 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 158 finished all the work on the Lord’s temple he had been assigned by King Solomon. 159 7:41 He made 160 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, 161 7:45 and the pots, shovels, and bowls. All these items King Solomon assigned Hiram to make for the Lord’s temple 162 were made from polished bronze. 7:46 The king had them cast in earth foundries 163 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. 164
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, 165 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 166 put the holy items that belonged to his father David (the silver, gold, and other articles) in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.
8:1 167 Then Solomon convened in Jerusalem 168 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). 169 8:2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon during the festival 170 in the month Ethanim 171 (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, 172 and all the holy items in the tent. 173 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. 174
8:6 The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its assigned 175 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. 176 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. 177 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. 178 It was there that 179 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 180 because of the cloud; the Lord’s glory filled his temple. 181
8:12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he lives in thick darkness. 8:13 O Lord, 182 truly I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live permanently.” 8:14 Then the king turned around 183 and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite assembly as they stood there. 184 8:15 He said, “The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has fulfilled 185 what he promised 186 my father David. 8:16 He told David, 187 ‘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. 188 But I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.’ 8:17 Now my father David had a strong desire 189 to build a temple to honor the Lord God of Israel. 190 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. 191 8:19 But you will not build the temple; your very own son will build the temple for my honor.’ 192 8:20 The Lord has kept the promise he made. 193 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 194 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 195 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. 196 8:23 He prayed: 197 “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You maintain covenantal loyalty 198 to your servants who obey you with sincerity. 199 8:24 You have kept your word to your servant, my father David; 200 this very day you have fulfilled what you promised. 201 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, 202 provided that your descendants watch their step and serve me as you have done.’ 203 8:26 Now, O God of Israel, may the promise you made 204 to your servant, my father David, be realized. 205
8:27 “God does not really live on the earth! 206 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 207 your servant’s prayer and his request for help, O Lord my God. Answer 208 the desperate prayer 209 your servant is presenting to you 210 today. 8:29 Night and day may you watch over this temple, the place where you promised you would live. 211 May you answer your servant’s prayer for this place. 212 8:30 Respond to the request of your servant and your people Israel for this place. 213 Hear from inside your heavenly dwelling place 214 and respond favorably. 215
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. 216 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. 217
8:33 “The time will come when 218 your people Israel are defeated by an enemy 219 because they sinned against you. If they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, 220 and pray for your help 221 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 222 the skies are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people 223 sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you, 224 and turn away from their sin because you punish 225 them, 8:36 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Certainly 226 you will then teach them the right way to live 227 and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess. 228
8:37 “The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight and disease, or a locust 229 invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land, 230 or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs. 8:38 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help, 231 as they acknowledge their pain 232 and spread out their hands toward this temple, 8:39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin, 233 and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of his motives. 234 (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.) 235 8:40 Then they will obey 236 you throughout their lifetimes as 237 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. 238 8:42 When they hear about your great reputation 239 and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds, 240 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. 241 Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your reputation, 242 obey 243 you like your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple I built belongs to you. 244
8:44 “When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies, 245 and they direct their prayers to the Lord 246 toward his chosen city and this temple I built for your honor, 247 8:45 then listen from heaven to their prayers for help 248 and vindicate them. 249
8:46 “The time will come when your people 250 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, 251 whether far away or close by. 8:47 When your people 252 come to their senses 253 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; 254 we have done evil.’ 8:48 When they return to you with all their heart and being 255 in the land where they are held prisoner, 256 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, 257 8:49 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place to their prayers for help 258 and vindicate them. 259 8:50 Forgive all the rebellious acts of your sinful people and cause their captors to have mercy on them. 260 8:51 After all, 261 they are your people and your special possession 262 whom you brought out of Egypt, from the middle of the iron-smelting furnace. 263
8:52 “May you be attentive 264 to your servant’s and your people Israel’s requests for help and may you respond to all their prayers to you. 265 8:53 After all, 266 you picked them out of all the nations of the earth to be your special possession, 267 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. 268 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 269 just as he promised! Not one of all the faithful promises he made through his servant Moses is left unfulfilled! 270 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, 271 so we can follow all his instructions 272 and obey 273 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, 274 so that he might vindicate 275 his servant and his people Israel as the need arises. 8:60 Then 276 all the nations of the earth will recognize that the Lord is the only genuine God. 277 8:61 May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord our God 278 by following 279 his rules and obeying 280 his commandments, as you are presently doing.” 281
8:62 The king and all Israel with him were presenting sacrifices to the Lord. 8:63 Solomon offered as peace offerings 282 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. 283 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 284 in the south. 285 8:66 On the fifteenth day after the festival started, 286 he dismissed the people. They asked God to empower the king 287 and then went to their homes, happy and content 288 because of all the good the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.
1 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.
2 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
3 tn Heb “his servants.”
4 tn Heb “a house for the name of the
5 tn Heb “because of the battles which surrounded him until the
6 tn Heb “Look, I am saying.”
7 tn Heb “a house for the name of the
8 tn Heb “a house for my name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the
9 tn Or “Blessed be the
10 tn Heb “heard.”
11 tn Heb “I will satisfy all your desire with respect to cedar wood and with respect to the wood of evergreens.”
12 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.
13 tn Heb “smash them,” i.e., untie the bundles.
14 tn Heb “as for you, you will satisfy my desire by giving food for my house.”
15 tn Heb “and Hiram gave to Solomon cedar wood and the wood of evergreens, all his desire.”
16 sn As a unit of dry measure a cor was roughly equivalent to six bushels.
17 tn Heb “his house.”
18 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.”
sn A bath was a liquid measure equivalent to almost six gallons.
19 tn Or “pressed.”
20 tn Heb “and Solomon supplied Hiram with twenty thousand cors of wheat…pure olive oil. So Solomon would give to Hiram year by year.”
21 tn Heb “a covenant,” referring to a formal peace treaty or alliance.
22 tn Heb “raised up.”
23 sn Work crews. This Hebrew word (מַס, mas) refers to a group of laborers conscripted for royal or public service.
24 tn Heb “was over.”
25 tn Heb “carriers of loads.”
26 tn Heb “cutters” (probably of stones).
27 tc Some Greek
28 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.”
29 tn Heb “and the king commanded.”
30 tn Heb “builders.”
31 tn Heb “the Gebalites.” The reading is problematic and some emend to a verb form meaning, “set the borders.”
32 tc The LXX includes the words “for three years.”
33 sn During the month Ziv. This would be April-May, 966
34 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.
35 tn Heb “twenty cubits.”
36 tn Heb “thirty cubits.”
37 tn Heb “twenty cubits.”
38 tn Heb “ten cubits.”
39 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.”
40 tn Heb “five cubits.”
41 tn Heb “six cubits.”
42 tn Heb “seven cubits.”
43 tn Or “offsets” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “offset ledges.”
44 tn Heb “so that [the beams] would not have a hold in the walls of the temple.”
45 tn Heb “finished stone of the quarry,” i.e., stones chiseled and shaped at the time they were taken out of the quarry.
46 tc The Hebrew text has “middle,” but the remainder of the verse suggests this is an error.
47 tn Heb “by stairs they went up.” The word translated “stairs” occurs only here. Other options are “trapdoors” or “ladders.”
48 tc The translation reads with a few medieval Hebrew
49 tn Heb “ built the house and completed it.”
50 tn Heb “the house.”
51 tn The word occurs only here; the precise meaning is uncertain.
52 tn Heb “and rows with cedar wood.”
53 tn Heb “five cubits.” This must refer to the height of each floor or room.
54 tc The LXX lacks vv. 11-14.
55 tn Heb “the word of the
56 tn Heb “walk in.”
57 tn Heb “do.”
58 tn Heb “and keep all my commandments by walking in them.”
59 tn Heb “I will establish my word with you which I spoke to David your father.”
60 tn Heb “ built the house and completed it.”
61 tc The MT reads קִירוֹת (qirot, “walls”), but this should be emended to קוֹרוֹת (qorot, “rafters”). See BDB 900 s.v. קוֹרָה.
62 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.”
63 tc The MT has קְלָעִים (qÿla’im, “curtains”), but this should be emended to קוֹרוֹת (qorot, “rafters”). See BDB 900 s.v. קוֹרָה.
64 tn Heb “and the house was forty cubits, that is, the main hall before it.”
65 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.”
66 tn Heb “twenty cubits” (this measurement occurs three times in this verse).
67 tn Heb “with plated gold” (or perhaps, “with pure gold”).
68 tn Heb “he plated [the] altar of cedar.”
69 tn Heb “with plated gold” (or perhaps, “with pure gold”).
70 tn Heb “it.”
71 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.”
72 tn Heb “ten cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
73 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.”
74 tn Heb “and the second cherub was ten cubits, the two cherubs had one measurement and one shape.”
75 tn Heb “the height of the first cherub was ten cubits; and so was the second cherub.”
76 tn Heb “in the midst of the inner house,” i.e., in the inner sanctuary.
77 tn Heb “and their wings were in the middle of the room, touching wing to wing.”
78 sn Inside and out probably refers to the inner and outer rooms within the building.
79 tn Heb “carved engravings of carvings.”
80 sn Inside and out probably refers to the inner and outer rooms within the building.
81 tn Heb “the pillar, doorposts, a fifth part” (the precise meaning of this description is uncertain).
82 tn Heb “carved carvings of.”
83 tn Heb “he plated [with] gold” (the precise object is not stated).
84 tn Heb “and he hammered out the gold on the cherubs and the palm trees.”
85 tn Heb “and so he did at the entrance of the main hall, doorposts of olive wood, from a fourth.”
86 tn The words “he also made” are added for stylistic reasons.
87 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.
88 sn In the month Ziv. This would be April-May, 966
89 tn The words “of Solomon’s reign” are added for clarification. See v. 1.
90 sn In the month Bul. This would be October-November 959
91 tn Heb “he built it in seven years.”
92 tn Heb “His house Solomon built in thirteen years and he completed all his house.”
93 tn Heb “he built.”
94 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.
95 tn Heb “one hundred cubits.”
96 tn Heb “fifty cubits.”
97 tn Heb “thirty cubits.”
98 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.
99 tn Heb “all of the doors and doorposts.”
100 sn Rectangular in shape. That is, rather than arched.
101 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).
102 tn Heb “a porch of pillars.”
103 tn Heb “fifty cubits.”
104 tn Heb “thirty cubits.”
105 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.
106 tn Heb “and a porch for the throne, where he was making judicial decisions, the Porch of Judgment, he made.”
107 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.
108 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].”
109 tn Heb “and a house he was making for the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Solomon had taken, like this porch.”
110 tn Or “valuable” (see 5:17).
111 tn Heb “according to the measurement of chiseled [stone].”
112 tn Heb “inside and out.”
113 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.
114 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.
115 tn Heb “on top,” or “above.”
116 tn Or “valuable” (see 5:17).
117 tn Heb “according to the measurement of chiseled [stone].”
118 tn Or “the porch of the temple.”
119 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.”
120 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
121 tn 2 Chr 2:14 (13 HT) says “from the daughters of Dan.”
122 tn Heb “he was filled with the skill, understanding, and knowledge.”
123 tn Heb “eighteen cubits.”
124 tn Heb “twelve cubits.”
125 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.”
126 tn Heb “there were seven for the first capital, and seven for the second capital.”
127 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
128 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.
129 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.
130 tn Or “south.”
131 sn The name Jakin appears to be a verbal form and probably means, “he establishes.”
132 tn Or “north.”
133 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.”
134 tn Heb “He made the sea, cast.”
sn This large basin that was mounted on twelve bronze bulls and contained water for the priests to bathe themselves (2 Chr 4:6; cf. Exod 30:17-21).
135 tn Heb “ten cubits.”
136 tn Heb “five cubits.”
137 tn Heb “and a measuring line went around it thirty cubits all around.”
138 tn Heb “The Sea.” The proper noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“it”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
139 tn Or “gourd-shaped ornaments.”
140 tn Heb “ten cubits surrounding the sea all around.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain.
141 tn Heb “the gourd-shaped ornaments were in two rows, cast in its casting.”
142 tn Heb “all their hindquarters were toward the inside.”
143 tn Heb “two thousand baths” (a bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons).
144 tn Heb “four cubits.”
145 tn Heb “four cubits.”
146 tn Heb “three cubits.”
147 tn The precise meaning of these final words is uncertain. A possible literal translation would be, “wreaths, the work of descent.”
148 tn The precise meaning of this last word, translated “wreaths,” is uncertain.
149 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.
150 tn Heb “also over its opening were carvings and their frames [were] squared, not round.”
151 tn Heb “a cubit-and-a-half” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
152 tn Heb “four shoulders to the four sides of each stand, from the stand its shoulders.” The precise meaning of the description is uncertain.
153 tn Heb “and on top of the stand, a half cubit [in] height, round all around” (the meaning of this description is uncertain).
154 tn Heb “according to the space of each.”
155 tn The precise meaning of this last word, translated “wreaths,” is uncertain.
156 tn Heb “forty baths” (a bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons).
157 tn Heb “four cubits, each basin.” It is unclear which dimension is being measured.
158 tn Heb “Hiram.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
159 tn Heb “Hiram finished doing all the work which he did for King Solomon [on] the house of the
160 tn The words “he made” are added for stylistic reasons.
161 tn Heb “underneath ‘The Sea.’”
162 tn Heb “which Hiram made for King Solomon [for] the house of the
163 tn Or perhaps, “molds.”
164 tn Heb “Solomon left all the items, due to their very great abundance; the weight of the bronze was not sought.”
165 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.
sn This bread was viewed as a perpetual offering to God and was regarded as holy. See Lev 24:5-9.
166 tn Heb “Solomon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
167 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.”
168 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
169 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
170 sn The festival. This was the Feast of Tabernacles, see Lev 23:34.
171 sn The month Ethanim. This would be September-October in modern reckoning.
172 tn Heb “the tent of assembly.”
sn The tent of meeting. See Exod 33:7-11.
173 tn Heb “and they carried the ark of the
174 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.”
175 tn The word “assigned” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
176 sn And its poles. These poles were used to carry the ark. See Exod 25:13-15.
177 tn Heb “they could not be seen outside.”
178 sn Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai.
179 tn Heb “in Horeb where.”
180 tn Heb “were not able to stand to serve.”
181 tn Heb “the house of the
182 tn The words “O
183 tn Heb “turned his face.”
184 tn Heb “and he blessed all the assembly of Israel, and all the assembly of Israel was standing.”
185 tn The Hebrew text reads, “by his hand.”
186 tn The Hebrew text reads, “by his mouth.”
187 tn Heb “saying.”
188 tn Heb “to build a house for my name to be there.”
sn To build a temple in which to live (Heb “to build a house for my name to be there”). In the OT, the word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the
189 tn Heb “and it was with the heart of David my father.”
190 tn Heb “to build a house for the name of the
191 tn Heb “Because it was with your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was with your heart.”
192 tn Heb “your son, the one who came out of your body, he will build the temple for my name.”
193 tn Heb “his word that he spoke.”
194 tn Heb “name.”
195 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 34, 40, 48, 53, 57, 58).
196 tn Or “heaven.”
197 tn Heb “said.”
198 tn Heb “one who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys.
199 tn Heb “who walk before you with all their heart.”
200 tn Heb “[you] who kept to your servant David my father that which you spoke to him.”
201 tn Heb “you spoke by your mouth and by your hand you fulfilled, as this day.”
202 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from before me sitting on the throne of Israel.”
203 tn Heb “guard their way by walking before me as you have walked before me.”
204 tn Heb “the words that you spoke.”
205 tn Or “prove to be reliable.”
206 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.
207 tn Heb “turn to.”
208 tn Heb “by listening to.”
209 tn Heb “the loud cry and the prayer.”
210 tn Heb “praying before you.”
211 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.’”
212 tn Heb “by listening to the prayer which your servant is praying concerning this place.”
213 tn Heb “listen to the request of your servant and your people Israel which they are praying concerning this place.”
214 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.
215 tn Heb “hear and forgive.”
216 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
217 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.”
218 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.
219 tn Or “are struck down before an enemy.”
220 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
221 tn Heb “and they pray and ask for help.”
222 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.
223 tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
224 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
225 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”).
226 tn The translation understands כִּי (ki) in an emphatic or asseverative sense.
227 tn Heb “the good way in which they should walk.”
228 tn Or “for an inheritance.”
229 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.
230 tn Heb “in the land, his gates.”
231 tn Heb “every prayer, every request for help which will be to all the people, to all your people Israel.”
232 tn Heb “which they know, each the pain of his heart.”
233 tn The words “their sin” are added for clarification.
234 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.
235 tn Heb “Indeed you know, you alone, the heart of all the sons of mankind.”
236 tn Heb “fear.”
237 tn Heb “all the days [in] which.”
238 tn Heb “your name.” In the OT the word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the
239 tn Heb “your great name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in the previous verse.
240 tn Heb “and your strong hand and your outstretched arm.”
241 tn Heb “and do all which the foreigner calls to [i.e., “requests of”] you.”
242 tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.
243 tn Heb “fear.”
244 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.
245 tn Heb “When your people go out for battle against their enemies in the way which you send them.”
246 tn Or perhaps “to you, O
247 tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.
248 tn Heb “their prayer and their request for help.”
249 tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”
250 tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
251 tn Heb “the land of the enemy.”
252 tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
253 tn Or “stop and reflect”; Heb “bring back to their heart.”
254 tn Or “done wrong.”
255 tn Or “soul.”
256 tn Heb “in the land of their enemies.”
257 tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.
258 tn Heb “their prayer and their request for help.”
259 tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”
260 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.”
261 tn Or “for.”
262 tn Heb “inheritance.”
263 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.
sn From the middle of the iron-smelting furnace. The metaphor of a furnace suggests fire and heat and is an apt image to remind the people of the suffering they endured while slaves in Egypt.
264 tn Heb “May your eyes be open.”
265 tn Heb “to listen to them in all their calling out to you.”
266 tn Or “For.”
267 tn Heb “your inheritance.”
268 tn Or “toward heaven.”
269 tn Heb “he has given a resting place to his people Israel.”
270 tn Heb “not one word from his entire good word he spoke by Moses his servant has fallen.”
271 tn Heb “to bend our hearts toward him.” The infinitive is subordinate to the initial prayer, “may the
272 tn Heb “to walk in all his ways.”
273 tn Heb “keep.”
274 tn Heb “May these words of mine, which I have requested before the
275 tn Heb “accomplish the justice of.”
276 tn Heb “so that.”
277 tn Heb “the
278 tn Heb “may your hearts be complete with the
279 tn Heb “walking in.”
280 tn Heb “keeping.”
281 tn Heb “as this day.”
282 tn Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”
283 tn Heb “to hold the burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.”
284 tn Or “the Wadi of Egypt” (NAB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “the Egyptian Gorge.”
285 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
286 tn Heb “on the eighth day” (that is, the day after the second seven-day sequence).
287 tn Heb “they blessed the king.”
288 tn Heb “good of heart.”
