1 Kings Chapter 7
1 Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.
2 For he built the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was one hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars.
3 It was covered with cedar above over the forty-five beams, that were on the pillars, fifteen in a row.
4 There were beams in three rows, and window was facing window in three ranks.
5 All the doors and posts were made square with beams: and window was facing window in three ranks.
6 He made the porch of pillars. Its length was fifty cubits and its width thirty cubits; with a porch before them, and pillars and a threshold before them.
7 He made the porch of the throne where he was to judge, even the porch of judgement; and it was covered with cedar from floor to floor.
8 His house where he was to dwell, the other court within the porch, was of the like work. He made also a house for Pharaoh's daughter (whom Solomon had taken as wife), like this porch.
9 All these were of costly stones, even of cut stone, according to measure, sawed with saws, inside and outside, even from the foundation to the coping, and so on the outside to the great court.
10 The foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.
11 Above were costly stones, even cut stone, according to measure, and cedar wood.
12 The great court around had three courses of cut stone, and a course of cedar beams; like the inner court of the LORD's house and the porch of the house.
13 King Solomon sent and brought Hiram out of Tyre.
14 He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill, to work all works in bronze. He came to king Solomon, and performed all his work.
15 For he fashioned the two pillars of bronze, eighteen cubits high apiece; and a line of twelve cubits encircled either of them.
16 He made two capitals of molten bronze, to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits.
17 There were nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital, and seven for the other capital.
18 So he made the pillars; and there were two rows around on the one network, to cover the capitals that were on the top of the pillars: and he did so for the other capital.
19 The capitals that were on the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily work, four cubits.
20 There were capitals above also on the two pillars, close by the belly which was beside the network. There were two hundred pomegranates in rows around the other capital.
21 He set up the pillars at the porch of the temple. He set up the right pillar, and called its name Jachin; and he set up the left pillar, and called its name Boaz.
22 On the top of the pillars was lily work: so the work of the pillars was finished.
23 He made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in shape. Its height was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits encircled it.
24 Under its brim around there were buds which encircled it for ten cubits, encircling the sea. The buds were in two rows, cast when it was cast.
25 It stood on twelve oxen, three looking towards the north, and three looking towards the west, and three looking towards the south, and three looking towards the east; and the sea was set on them above, and all their hindquarters were inward.
26 It was a hand width thick. Its brim was worked like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held two thousand baths.
27 He made the ten bases of bronze. The length of one base was four cubits, four cubits its width, and three cubits its height.
28 The work of the bases was like this: they had panels; and there were panels between the ledges;
29 and on the panels that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the ledges there was a pedestal above; and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work.
30 Every base had four bronze wheels, and axles of bronze; and the four feet of it had supports. The supports were cast beneath the basin, with wreaths at the side of each.
31 Its mouth within the capital and above was a cubit. Its mouth was round after the work of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and also on its mouth were engravings, and their panels were square, not round.
32 The four wheels were underneath the panels; and the axles of the wheels were in the base. The height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit.
33 The work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel. Their axles, and their rims, and their spokes, and their naves, were all of cast metal.
34 There were four supports at the four corners of each base. Its supports were of the base itself.
35 In the top of the base there was a round band half a cubit high; and on the top of the base its supports and its panels were the same.
36 On the plates of its supports, and on its panels, he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, each in its space, with wreaths all around.
37 He made the ten bases in this way: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one form.
38 He made ten basins of bronze. One basin contained forty baths; and every basin was four cubits; and on every one of the ten bases one basin.
39 He set the bases, five on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house. He set the sea on the right side of the house eastward and towards the south.
40 Hiram made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished doing all the work that he worked for king Solomon in the LORD's house:
41 the two pillars; the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars;
42 the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks; two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars;
43 the ten bases; the ten basins on the bases;
44 the one sea; the twelve oxen under the sea;
45 the pots; the shovels; and the basins: even all these vessels, which Hiram made for king Solomon, in the LORD's house, were of burnished bronze.
46 The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan.
47 Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because there were so many of them. The weight of the bronze could not be determined.
48 Solomon made all the vessels that were in the LORD's house: the golden altar and the table that the show bread was on, of gold;
49 and the lamp stands, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the inner sanctuary, of pure gold; and the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold;
50 the cups, the snuffers, the basins, the spoons, and the fire pans, of pure gold; and the hinges, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, of the temple, of gold.
51 Thus all the work that king Solomon did in the LORD's house was finished. Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and put them in the treasuries of the LORD's house.
Footnotes
- Verse 2 (Cubit)
- A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man's arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimetres.
- Verse 38 (forty baths)
- 1 bath is one tenth of a cor, or about 5.6 U. S. gallons or 21 litres, so 40 baths was about 224 gallons or 840 litres.
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1 Kings Chapter 7 Guide
Taking advantage of the treaty with Hiram, Solomon also built a house for himself, the house of the forest of Lebanon, a description of which is given in the commencement of this chapter.
It is surely significant that the chronicler says concerning the Temple, "So he was seven years in building It”; and then, 'And Solomon was building his own house thirteen years." Comment is hardly necessary, save, perhaps, to remind ourselves that however strong our zeal may be for the Ark of God, if the time and possessions devoted to our own comfort be greater than those devoted to the service of God, it is sure proof that the master passion is self-centred rather than God-centred.
The remainder of the chapter is occupied with a detailed description of the furniture of the Temple. An examination of this shows that essentially it is the same as the furniture of the Tabernacle, but that it is characterized by greater material magnificence and by durability.
From "An Exposition of the Whole Bible" by G. Campbell Morgan.
1 Kings Chapter 7 Commentary
Chapter Outline
- Solomon's buildings. -- (1-12)
- Furniture of the temple. -- (13-47)
- Vessels of gold. -- (48-51)
Verses 1-12
All Solomon's buildings, though beautiful, were intended for use. Solomon began with the temple; he built for God first, and then his other buildings. The surest foundations of lasting prosperity are laid in early piety. He was thirteen years building his house, yet he built the temple in little more than seven years; not that he was more exact, but less eager in building his own house, than in building God's. We ought to prefer God's honour before our own ease and satisfaction.
Verses 13-47
The two brazen pillars in the porch of the temple, some think, were to teach those that came to worship, to depend upon God only, for strength and establishment in all their religious exercises. "Jachin," God will fix this roving mind. It is good that the heart be established with grace. "Boaz," In him is our strength, who works in us both to will and to do. Spiritual strength and stability are found at the door of God's temple, where we must wait for the gifts of grace, in use of the means of grace. Spiritual priests and spiritual sacrifices must be washed in the laver of Christ's blood, and of regeneration. We must wash often, for we daily contract pollution. There are full means provided for our cleansing; so that if we have our lot for ever among the unclean it will be our own fault. Let us bless God for the fountain opened by the sacrifice of Christ for sin and for uncleanness.
Verses 48-51
Christ is now the Temple and the Builder; the Altar and the Sacrifice; the Light of our souls, and the Bread of life; able to supply all the wants of all that have applied or shall apply to him. Outward images cannot represent, words cannot express, the heart cannot conceive, his preciousness or his love. Let us come to him, and wash away our sins in his blood; let us seek for the purifying grace of his Spirit; let us maintain communion with the Father through his intercession, and yield up ourselves and all we have to his service. Being strengthened by him, we shall be accepted, useful, and happy.
From the "Concise Commentary on the Bible" by Matthew Henry.