1 Kings 7

Solomon’s Palace Complex

1Solomon completed his entire palace complex after 13 years of construction. # 1Kg 9:10; 2Ch 8:1 2He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon. # 1Kg 10:21; 2Ch 9:16 It was 150 feet # Lit 100 cubits long, 75 feet # Lit 50 cubits wide, and 45 feet # Lit 30 cubits high on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on top of the pillars. 3It was paneled above with cedar at the top of the chambers that rested on 45 pillars, 15 per row. 4There were three rows of window frames, facing each other # Lit frames, window to window in three tiers. # Lit three times; = at 3 different places # 1Kg 10:16-17 5All the doors and doorposts had rectangular frames, the openings facing each other # Lit frames, opposing window to window in three tiers. # Lit three times; = at 3 different places 6He made the hall of pillars 75 feet # Lit 50 cubits long and 45 feet # Lit 30 cubits wide. A portico was in front of the pillars, and a canopy with pillars # Hb obscure was in front of them. 7He made the Hall of the Throne where he would judge # 1Kg 3:16-28 — the Hall of Judgment. It was paneled with cedar from the floor to the rafters. # Syr, Vg; MT reads floor 8Solomon’s own palace where he would live, in the other courtyard behind the hall, was of similar construction. And he made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, his wife. # Lit daughter he had taken # 1Kg 3:1; 9:24; 2Ch 8:11

9All of these buildings were of costly stones, cut to size and sawed with saws on the inner and outer surfaces, from foundation to coping and from the outside to the great courtyard. 10The foundation was made of large, costly stones 12 and 15 feet # Lit ten cubits and eight cubits long. 11Above were also costly stones, cut to size, as well as cedar wood. 12Around the great courtyard, as well as the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple and the portico of the temple, were three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams. # 1Kg 6:36

13King Solomon had Hiram # = Huram in 2Ch 4:11 # 1Kg 5:1-11; 2Ch 2:13-14 brought from Tyre. 14He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze craftsman. Hiram had great skill, # Ex 31:2-5 understanding, and knowledge to do every kind of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and carried out all his work. # 2Ch 4:11

The Bronze Pillars

15He cast two hollow bronze pillars: # 2Kg 25:16-17; 2Ch 3:15 each 27 feet # Lit 18 cubits high and 18 feet # Lit 12 cubits in circumference. # LXX adds and the thickness of the pillar was four fingers hollowed and similarly the second pillar # 1Kg 7:41 16He also made two capitals # 1Kg 7:42; 2Kg 25:17 of cast bronze to set on top of the pillars; 7 1/2 feet # Lit five cubits was the height of the first capital, and 7 1/2 feet # Lit five cubits was also the height of the second capital. 17The capitals on top of the pillars had gratings of latticework, wreaths # Lit tassels made of chainwork — seven for the first capital and seven for the second.

18He made the pillars with two encircling rows of pomegranates on the one grating to cover the capital on top; he did the same for the second capital. 19And the capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were shaped like lilies, six feet # Lit four cubits high. 20The capitals on the two pillars were also immediately above the rounded surface next to the grating, and 200 pomegranates # 2Ch 3:16; 4:13 were in rows encircling each # Lit encircling the second capital. 21He set up the pillars at the portico # 1Kg 6:3 of the sanctuary: he set up the right pillar and named it Jachin; # = He Will Establish then he set up the left pillar and named it Boaz. # = In Him Is Strength # 2Ch 3:17 22The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. Then the work of the pillars was completed. # 2Kg 25:17

The Reservoir

23He made the cast metal reservoir, # Lit sea # 2Kg 25:13; 1Ch 18:8; 2Ch 4:6 15 feet # Lit 10 cubits from brim to brim, perfectly round. It was 7 1/2 feet # Lit five cubits high and 45 feet # Lit 30 cubits in circumference. 24Ornamental gourds # 1Kg 6:18 encircled it below the brim, 10 every half yard, # Lit 10 per cubit completely encircling the reservoir. # 2Ch 4:3 The gourds were cast in two rows when the reservoir was cast. 25It stood on 12 oxen, # 2Kg 16:17; 2Ch 4:4-5; Jr 52:20 three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The reservoir was on top of them and all their hindquarters were toward the center. 26The reservoir was three inches # Lit a handbreadth thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup or of a lily blossom. It held 11,000 gallons. # Lit 2,000 baths

The Bronze Water Carts

27Then he made 10 bronze water carts. # Lit bronze stands # 2Kg 25:13; 2Ch 4:14 Each water cart was six feet # Lit four cubits long, six feet # Lit four cubits wide, and 4 1/2 feet # Lit three cubits high. 28This was the design of the carts: They had frames; the frames were between the cross-pieces, 29and on the frames between the cross-pieces were lions, oxen, and cherubim. # 1Kg 6:29,32 On the cross-pieces there was a pedestal above, and below the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging # Or hammered-down work. 30Each cart # 2Kg 16:17 had four bronze wheels with bronze axles. Underneath the four corners of the basin were cast supports, each next to a wreath. 31And the water cart’s opening inside the crown on top was 18 inches # Lit a cubit wide. The opening was round, made as a pedestal 27 inches # Lit one and a half cubits wide. On it were carvings, but their frames were square, not round. 32There were four wheels under the frames, and the wheel axles were part of the water cart; each wheel was 27 inches # Lit was one and a half cubits tall. 33The wheels’ design was similar to that of chariot wheels: their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of cast metal. 34Four supports were at the four corners of each water cart; each support was one piece with the water cart. 35At the top of the cart was a band nine inches # Lit half a cubit high encircling it; also, at the top of the cart, its braces and its frames were one piece with it. 36He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees # 1Kg 6:29 on the plates of its braces and on its frames, wherever each had space, with encircling wreaths. 37In this way he made the 10 water carts using the same casting, dimensions, and shape for all of them.

Bronze Basins and Other Utensils

38Then he made 10 bronze basins # Ex 30:18; 2Ch 4:6 — each basin holding 220 gallons # Lit 40 baths and each was six feet # Lit four cubits wide — one basin for each of the 10 water carts. 39He set five water carts on the right side of the temple and five on the left side. He put the reservoir near the right side of the temple toward the southeast. # 2Ch 4:10 40Then Hiram made # 2Ch 4:11–5:1 the basins, the shovels, and the sprinkling basins.

Completion of the Bronze Works

So Hiram finished all the work that he was doing for King Solomon on the Lord’s temple: 41two pillars; # 1Kg 7:15 bowls for the capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two gratings for covering both bowls of the capitals that were on top of the pillars; # 1Kg 7:17 42the 400 pomegranates for the two gratings (two rows of pomegranates for each grating covering both capitals’ bowls on top of the pillars # 1Kg 7:20); 43the 10 water carts; # 1Kg 7:27 the 10 basins on the water carts; # 1Kg 7:38 44the reservoir; # 1Kg 7:23 the 12 oxen underneath the reservoir; # 1Kg 7:25 45and the pots, shovels, and sprinkling basins. # Ex 27:3 All the utensils that Hiram made for King Solomon at the Lord’s temple were made of burnished bronze. 46The king had them cast in clay molds in the Jordan Valley between Succoth # Gn 33:17 and Zarethan. # Jos 3:16; 1Kg 4:12 47Solomon left all the utensils unweighed because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not determined. # 1Ch 22:3,14

Completion of the Gold Furnishings

48Solomon also made all the equipment in the Lord’s temple: the gold altar; the gold table that the bread of the Presence was placed on; # Ex 25:30; 30:1-3; 2Ch 29:18 49the pure gold lampstands in front of the inner sanctuary, five on the right and five on the left; # Ex 25:31-36 the gold flowers, lamps, and tongs; 50the pure gold ceremonial bowls, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, ladles, # Or dishes, or spoons ; lit palms and firepans; # 2Kg 25:15 and the gold hinges for the doors of the inner temple (that is, the most holy place) and for the doors of the temple sanctuary.

51So all the work King Solomon did in the Lord’s temple was completed. # 1Kg 6:37-38 Then Solomon brought in the consecrated things of his father David # 2Sm 8:9-12; 2Ch 5:1 — the silver, the gold, and the utensils — and put them in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple. # 2Ch 36:18

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1 Kings 7: HCSB

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