Solomon Builds the Temple

(2 Chronicles 3:1-2)

1And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of the reign of Solomon over Israel, in the month Zio (the same is the second month), he began to build a house to the Lord. 2And the house, which king Solomon built to the Lord, was threescore cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and thirty cubits in height. 3And there was a porch before the temple of twenty cubits in length, according to the measure of the breadth of the temple: and it was ten cubits in breadth before the face of the temple. 4And he made in the temple oblique windows.

The Chambers

5And upon the wall of the temple he built floors round about, in the walls of the house round about the temple and the oracle, and he made sides round about. 6The floor that was underneath, was five cubits in breadth, and the middle floor was six cubits in breadth, and the third door was seven cubits in breadth. And he put beams in the house round about on the outside, that they might not be fastened in the walls of the temple.

7And the house, when it was in building, was built of stones hewed and made ready: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house when it was in building.

8The door for the middle side was on the right hand of the house : and by winding stairs they went up to the middle room, and from the middle to the third. 9So he built the house, and finished it: end he covered the house with roofs of cedar. 10And he built a floor over all the house five cubits in height, and he covered the house with timber of cedar.

God's Promise

11And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying: 12This house, which thou buildest, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments, walking in them, I will fulfil my word to thee which I spoke to David thy father. 13And I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.

14So Solomon built the house and finished it.

The Temple's Interior

15And he built the walls of the house on the inside, with boards of cedar, from the floor of the house to the top of the walls, and to the roots, he covered it with boards of cedar on the inside: and he covered the floor of the house with planks of fir. 16And he built up twenty cubits with boards of cedar at the hinder part of the temple, from the floor to the top: and made the inner house of the oracle to be the holy of holies. 17And the temple itself before the doors of the oracle was forty cubits long. 18And all the house was covered within with cedar, having the turnings, and the joints thereof artfully wrought and carvings projecting out: all was covered with boards of cedar: and no stone could be seen in the wall at all. 19And he made the oracle in the midst of the house, in the inner part, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord. 20Now the oracle was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in height. And he covered and overlaid it with most pure gold. And the altar also he covered with cedar. 21And the house before the oracle he overlaid with most pure gold, and fastened on the plates with nails of gold. 22And there was nothing in the temple that was not covered with gold: the whole altar of the oracle he covered also with gold.

The Cherubim

(2 Chronicles 3:11-13)

23And he made in the oracle two cherubims of olive tree, of ten cubits in height. 24One wing of the cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of the cherub was five cubits: that is, in all ten cubits, from the extremity of one wing to the extremity of the other wing. 25The second cherub also was ten cubits: and the measure, and the work was the same in both the cherubims: 26That is to say, one cherub was ten cubits high, and in like manner the other cherub. 27And he set the cherubims in the midst of the inner temple: and the cherubims stretched forth their wings, and the wing of the one touched one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall: and the other wings in the midst of the temple touched one another. 28And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.

29And all the walls of the temple round about he carved with divers figures and carvings: and he made in them cherubims and palm trees, and divers representations, as it were standing out, and coming forth from the wall. 30And the floor of the house he also overlaid with gold within and without.

The Doors

31And in the entrance of the oracle he made little doors of olive tree, and posts of five corners, 32And two doors of olive tree: and he carved upon them figures of cherubims, and figures of palm trees, and carvings very much projecting: and he overlaid them with gold: and he covered both the cherubims and the palm trees, and the other things with gold.

33And he made in the entrance of the temple posts of olive tree foursquare: 34And two doors of fir tree, one of each side : and each door was double, and so opened with folding leaves. 35And he carved cherubims, and palm trees, and carved work standing very much out: and he overlaid all with golden plates in square work by rule.

The Courtyard

36And he built the inner court with three rows of polished stones, and one row of beams of cedar.

37In the fourth year was the house of the Lord founded in the month Zio: 38And in the eleventh year in the month Bul (which is the eighth month) the house was finished in all the works thereof, and in all the appurtenances thereof: and he was seven years in building it.