^1:2Solomon addressed all Israel, including those who commanded units of a thousand and a hundred, the judges, and all the leaders of all Israel who were heads of families. ^1:3Solomon and the entire assembly went to the worship center³ in Gibeon, for the tent where they met God⁴ was located there, which Moses the Lord’s servant had made in the wilderness. ^1:4(Now David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.⁵^1:5But the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, was in front of the Lord’s tabernacle.⁶ Solomon and the entire assembly prayed to him⁷ there.) ^1:6Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the Lord which was at the meeting tent, and he offered up a thousand burnt sacrifices.

^1:7That night God appeared⁸ to Solomon and said to him, “Tell me⁹ what I should give you.” ^1:8Solomon replied to God, “You demonstrated¹⁰ great loyalty to my father David and have made me king in his place. ^1:9Now, Lord God, may your promise¹¹ to my father David be realized,¹² for you have made me king over a great nation as numerous as the dust of the earth. ^1:10Now give me wisdom and discernment so¹³ I can effectively lead this nation.¹⁴ Otherwise¹⁵ no one is able¹⁶ to make judicial decisions for¹⁷ this great nation of yours.”¹⁸

^1:11God said to Solomon, “Because you desire this,¹⁹ and did not ask for riches, wealth, and honor, or for vengeance on your enemies,²⁰ and because you did not ask for long life,²¹ but requested wisdom and discernment so you can make judicial decisions for my people over whom I have made you king, ^1:12you are granted wisdom and discernment.²² Furthermore I am giving you riches, wealth, and honor surpassing that of any king before or after you.”²³

^1:13Solomon left the meeting tent at the worship center in Gibeon and went to Jerusalem, where he reigned over Israel.²⁴

Solomon’s Wealth

^1:14Solomon accumulated²⁵ chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem.²⁶^1:15The king made silver and gold as plentiful²⁷ in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was²⁸ as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands.²⁹^1:16Solomon acquired his horses from Egypt³⁰ and from Que; the king’s traders purchased them from Que. ^1:17They paid 600 silver pieces for each chariot from Egypt, and 150 silver pieces for each horse. They also sold chariots and horses to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria.³¹

Solomon Gathers Building Materials for the Temple

^{2:1 (1:18)}¹ Solomon ordered a temple to be built to honor the Lord, as well as a royal palace for himself.²^2:2Solomon had³ 70,000 common laborers⁴ and 80,000 stonecutters⁵ in the hills, in addition to 3,600 supervisors.⁶

^2:3Solomon sent a message to King Huram⁷ of Tyre:⁸ “Help me⁹ as you did my father David, when you sent him cedar logs¹⁰ for the construction of his palace.¹¹^2:4Look, I am ready to build a temple to honor¹² the Lord my God and to dedicate it to him in order to burn fragrant incense before him, to set out the bread that is regularly displayed,¹³ and to offer burnt sacrifices each morning and evening, and on Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and at other times appointed by the Lord our God. This is something Israel must do on a permanent basis.¹⁴^2:5I will build a great temple, for our God is greater than all gods. ^2:6Of course, who can really build a temple for him, since the sky¹⁵ and the highest heavens cannot contain him? Who am I that I should build him a temple! It will really be only a place to offer sacrifices before him.¹⁶

^2:7“Now send me a man who is skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as purple, crimson, and violet colored fabrics, and who knows how to engrave. He will work with my skilled craftsmen here in Jerusalem¹⁷ and Judah, whom my father David provided. ^2:8Send me cedars, evergreens, and algum¹⁸ trees from Lebanon, for I know your servants are adept¹⁹ at cutting down trees in Lebanon. My servants will work with your servants ^2:9to supply me with large quantities of timber, for I am building a great, magnificent temple. ^2:10Look, I will pay your servants who cut the timber 20,000 kors²⁰ of ground wheat, 20,000 kors of barley, 120,000 gallons²¹ of wine, and 120,000 gallons of olive oil.”

^2:11King Huram²² of Tyre sent this letter to Solomon: “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king.” ^2:12Huram also said, “Worthy of praise is the Lord God of Israel, who made the sky and the earth! He has given David a wise son who has discernment and insight and will build a temple for the Lord, as well as a royal palace for himself.²³^2:13Now I am sending you Huram Abi,²⁴ a skilled and capable man, ^2:14whose mother is a Danite and whose father is a Tyrian.²⁵ He knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stones, and wood, as well as purple, violet, white, and crimson fabrics. He knows how to do all kinds of engraving and understands any design given to him. He will work with your skilled craftsmen and the skilled craftsmen of my lord David your father. ^2:15Now let my lord send to his servants the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine he has promised; ^2:16we will get all the timber you need from Lebanon²⁶ and bring it²⁷ in raft-like bundles²⁸ by sea to Joppa. You can then haul it on up to Jerusalem.”

^2:17Solomon took a census²⁹ of all the male resident foreigners in the land of Israel, after the census his father David had taken. There were 153,600 in all. ^2:18He designated³⁰ 70,000 as common laborers,³¹ 80,000 as stonecutters³² in the hills, and 3,600 as supervisors to make sure the people completed the work.³³

The Building of the Temple

^3:1Solomon began building the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem¹ on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. This was the place that David prepared at the threshing floor of Ornan² the Jebusite. ^3:2He began building on the second day of the second month of the fourth year of his reign.³

^3:3Solomon laid the foundation for God’s temple;⁴ its length (determined according to the old standard of measure) was 90 feet, and its width 30 feet.⁵^3:4The porch in front of the main hall was 30 feet long, corresponding to the width of the temple,⁶ and its height was 30 feet.⁷ He plated the inside with pure gold. ^3:5He paneled⁸ the main hall⁹ with boards made from evergreen trees¹⁰ and plated it with fine gold, decorated with palm trees and chains.¹¹^3:6He decorated the temple with precious stones; the gold he used came from Parvaim.¹²^3:7He overlaid the temple’s rafters, thresholds, walls and doors with gold; he carved decorative cherubim on the walls.

^3:8He made the most holy place;¹³ its length was 30 feet,¹⁴ corresponding to the width of the temple, and its width 30 feet.¹⁵ He plated it with 600 talents¹⁶ of fine gold. ^3:9The gold nails weighed 50 shekels; he also plated the upper areas with gold. ^3:10In the most holy place he made two images of cherubim and plated them with gold. ^3:11The combined wing span of the cherubs was 30 feet.¹⁷ One of the first cherub’s wings was seven and one-half feet long and touched one wall of the temple; its other wing was also seven and one-half feet long and touched one of the second cherub’s wings.¹⁸^3:12Likewise one of the second cherub’s wings was seven and one-half feet long and touched the other wall of the temple; its other wing was also seven and one-half feet long and touched one of the first cherub’s wings.¹⁹^3:13The combined wingspan of these cherubim was 30 feet.²⁰ They stood upright, facing inward.²¹^3:14He made the curtain out of violet, purple, crimson, and white fabrics, and embroidered on it decorative cherubim.

^3:15In front of the temple he made two pillars which had a combined length²² of 52½ feet,²³ with each having a plated capital seven and one-half feet high.²⁴^3:16He made ornamental chains²⁵ and put them on top of the pillars. He also made one hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments and arranged them within the chains. ^3:17He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right side and the other on the left.²⁶ He named the one on the right Jachin,²⁷ and the one on the left Boaz.²⁸

^4:1He made a bronze altar, 30 feet¹ long, 30 feet² wide, and 15 feet³ high. ^4:2He also made the big bronze basin called “The Sea.”⁴ It measured 15 feet⁵ from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood seven and one-half feet⁶ high. Its circumference was 45 feet.⁷^4:3Images of bulls were under it all the way around, ten every eighteen inches⁸ all the way around. The bulls were in two rows and had been cast with “The Sea.” ^4:4“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.⁹^4:5It was four fingers thick and its rim was like that of a cup shaped like a lily blossom. It could hold 18,000 gallons.¹⁰^4:6He made ten washing basins; he put five on the south side and five on the north side. In them they rinsed the items used for burnt sacrifices; the priests washed in “The Sea.”

^4:7He made ten gold lampstands according to specifications and put them in the temple, five on the right and five on the left. ^4:8He made ten tables and set them in the temple, five on the right and five on the left. He also made one hundred gold bowls. ^4:9He made the courtyard of the priests and the large enclosure and its doors;¹¹ he plated their doors with bronze. ^4:10He put “The Sea” on the south side, in the southeast corner.

^4:11Huram Abi¹² made the pots, shovels, and bowls. He finished all the work on God’s temple he had been assigned by King Solomon.¹³^4:12He made¹⁴ the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped tops of the pillars, the latticework for the bowl-shaped tops of the two…

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Footnotes

1 Heb “and Solomon son of David strengthened himself over his kingdom.”
2 The disjunctive clause (note the vav [ו] + subject pattern) probably has a causal nuance here.
3 Or “high place.”
4 Heb “the tent of meeting of God.”
5 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
6 The tabernacle was located in Gibeon; see 1 Chr 21:29.
7 Heb “sought [or “inquired of”] him.”
8 Or “revealed himself.”
9 Heb “ask.”
10 Heb “did.”
11 Heb “you word.”
12 Or “be firm, established.”
13 The cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) following the imperative here indicates purpose/result.
14 Heb “so I may go out before this nation and come in.” The expression “go out … and come in” here means “to lead” (see יצא qal.4).
15 Heb “for.” The word “otherwise” is used to reflect the logical sense of the statement.
16 Heb “who is able?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”
17 Heb “to judge.”
18 Heb “these numerous people of yours.”
19 Heb “because this was in your heart.”
20 Heb “the life of those who hate you.”
21 Heb “many days.”
22 Heb “wisdom and discernment are given to you.”
23 Heb “which was not so for the kings who were before you, and after you there will not be so.”
24 Heb “and Solomon came from the high place which was in Gibeon [to] Jerusalem, from before the tent of meeting, and he reigned over Israel.”
25 Or “gathered.”
26 Heb “he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.” For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
27 The words “as plentiful” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
28 Heb “he made.”
29 Heb “as the sycamore fig trees which are in the Shephelah.”
30 Because Que is also mentioned, some prefer to see 1 Kgs 10:28–29 as a reference to Mutsur. Que and Mutsur were located in Cilicia or Cappadocia (in modern southern Turkey). See מִצְרַיִם.
31 Heb “and they brought up and brought out from Egypt a chariot for 600 silver (pieces), and a horse for 150, and in the same way to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram by their hand they brought out.”
1 Beginning with 2:1, the verse numbers through 2:18 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (), with 2:1 = 1:18 , 2:2 = 2:1 , 2:3 = 2:2 , etc., through 2:18 = 2:17 . Beginning with 3:1 the verse numbers in the and are again the same.
2 Heb “and Solomon said to build a house for the name of the Lord and house for his kingship.”
3 Heb “counted,” perhaps “conscripted” (so , , ).
4 Heb “carriers of loads.”
5 Or “quarry workers”; Heb “cutters” (probably referring to stonecutters).
6 The parallel text of in 1 Kgs 5:16 has “thirty-six hundred,” but some Greek there read “thirty-six hundred” in agreement with 2 Chr 2:2, 18. Heb “and 3,600 supervisors over them.”
7 Heb “Huram.” Some medieval Hebrew , along with the , , and spell the name “Hiram,” agreeing with 1 Chr 14:1. “Huram” is a variant spelling referring to the same individual.
8 For location see ; ; ; ; .
9 The words “help me” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
10 Heb “cedars.” The word “logs” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
11 Heb “to build for him a house to live in it.”
12 Heb “for the name of.”
13 Heb “and the regular display.”
14 Heb “permanently [is] this upon Israel.”
15 Or “heavens” (also in v. 12). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
16 Heb “Who retains strength to build for him a house, for the heavens and the heavens of heavens do not contain him? And who am I that I should build for him a house, except to sacrifice before him?”
17 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
18 This is probably a variant name for almug trees; see 9:10–11 and the parallel passage in 1 Kgs 10:11–12; cf. . One or the other probably arose through metathesis of letters.
19 Heb “know.”
20 As a unit of dry measure a kor was roughly equivalent to six bushels (about 220 liters).
21 Heb “20,000 baths” (also a second time later in this verse). A bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons (about 22 liters), so this was a quantity of about 120,000 gallons (440,000 liters).
22 Heb “Huram” (also in v. 12). Some medieval Hebrew , along with the , , and spell the name “Hiram,” agreeing with 1 Chr 14:1. “Huram” is a variant spelling referring to the same individual.
23 Heb “who has given to David a wise son [who] knows discernment and insight, who will build a house for the Lord and house for his kingship.”
24 The name Huram Abi means “Huram [is] my father.”
25 Heb “a son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father a man of Tyre.”
26 Heb “and we will cut down trees from Lebanon according to all your need.”
27 Heb “to you,” but this phrase has not been translated for stylistic reasons—it is somewhat redundant.
28 Or “on rafts.” See the note at .
29 Heb “counted.”
30 Heb “made.”
31 Heb “carriers of loads.”
32 Or “quarry workers”; Heb “cutters” (probably referring to stonecutters).
33 Heb “and thirty-six hundred [as] supervisors to compel the people to work.”
1 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
2 In 2 Sam 24:16 this individual is called אֲרַוְנָא (“Aravna”; traditionally “Araunah”). The form of the name found here also occurs in 1 Chr 21:15; 18–28.
3 This would be April–May, 966 b.c. by modern reckoning.
4 Heb “and these are the founding of Solomon to build the house of God.”
5 Heb “the length [in] cubits by the former measure was sixty cubits, and a width of twenty cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches (45 cm) for the standard cubit, the length of the foundation would be 90 feet (27 m) and its width 30 feet (9 m).
6 Heb “and the porch which was in front of the length corresponding to the width of the house, twenty cubits.” The phrase הֵיכַל הַבַּיִת (heykhal habbayit, “the main hall of the temple,” which appears in the parallel account in 1 Kgs 6:3) has been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton after עַל־פְּנֵי (’al-péney, “in front of”). Note that the following form, הָאֹרֶךְ (ha’orekh, “the length”), also begins with the Hebrew letter he (ה). A scribe’s eye probably jumped from the initial he on הֵיכַל to the initial he on הָאֹרֶךְ, leaving out the intervening letters in the process.
7 The Hebrew text has “one hundred and twenty cubits,” i.e. (assuming a cubit of 18 inches) 180 feet (54 m). An ancient Greek witness and the version read “twenty cubits,” i.e., 30 feet (9 m). It is likely that מֵאָה (me’ah, “a hundred”), is a corruption of an original אַמּוֹת (’ammot, “cubits”).
8 Heb “covered.”
9 Heb “the large house.”
10 Heb “wood of evergreens.”
11 Heb “and he put up on it palm trees and chains.”
12 Heb “and he plated the house [with] precious stone for beauty, and the gold was the gold of Parvaim.” The location of Parvaim, the source of the gold for Solomon’s temple, is uncertain. Some have identified it with modern Farwa in Yemen; others relate it to the Sanskrit parvam and understand it to be a general term for the regions east of Palestine.
13 Heb “the house of the holy place of holy places.”
14 Heb “twenty cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), this would give a length of 30 feet (9 m).
15 Heb “twenty cubits.” Some suggest adding, “and its height twenty cubits” (see 1 Kgs 6:20). The phrase could have been omitted by homoioteleuton.
16 The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the gold plating was 40,380 lbs. (18,360 kg).
17 Heb “and the wings of the cherubs, their length was twenty cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the wingspan of the cherubs would have been 30 feet (9 m).
18 Heb “the wing of the one was five cubits from the touching of the wall of the house, and the other wing was five cubits from the touching of the wing of the other cherub.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), each wing would have been 7.5 feet (2.25 m) long.
19 Heb “and the wing of the one (הָאֶחָד, ha’ekhad, “the one”; this should probably be emended to הָאַחֵר, ha’akher, “the other”) cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the house, and the other wing was five cubits, clinging to the wing of the other cherub.”
20 Heb “the wings of these cherubs were spreading twenty cubits.”
21 Heb “and they were standing on their feet, with their faces to the house.” An alternative translation of the last clause would be, “with their faces to the main hall.”
22 The figure given here appears to refer to the combined length of both pillars (perhaps when laid end-to-end on the ground prior to being set up; cf. v. 17); the figure given for the height of the pillars in 1 Kgs 7:15, 2 Kgs 25:17, and Jer 52:21 is half this (i.e., eighteen cubits).
23 The reads “eighteen cubits” (twenty-seven feet). This apparently reflects an attempt at harmonization with 1 Kgs 7:15, 2 Kgs 25:17, and Jer 52:21.
24 Heb “and he made before the house two pillars, thirty-five cubits [in] length, and the plated capital which was on its top [was] five cubits.” The significance of the measure “thirty-five cubits” (52.5 feet or 15.75 m, assuming a cubit of 18 inches) for the “length” of the pillars is uncertain. According to 1 Kgs 7:15, each pillar was eighteen cubits (27 feet or 8.1 m) high. Perhaps the measurement given here was taken with the pillars lying end-to-end on the ground before they were set up.
25 The Hebrew text adds here, “in the inner sanctuary,” but the description at this point is of the pillars, not the inner sanctuary.
26 Or “one on the south and the other on the north.”
27 The name “Jachin” appears to be a verbal form and probably means, “he establishes.”
28 The meaning of the name “Boaz” is uncertain. For various proposals, see 126–27 בֹּעַז. One attractive option is to revocalize the name as בְּעֹז (bé’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.”
1 Heb “twenty cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the length would have been 30 feet (9 m).
2 Heb “twenty cubits.”
3 Heb “ten cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the height would have been 15 feet (4.5 m).
4 Heb “He made the sea, cast.” The large bronze basin known as “The Sea” was mounted on twelve bronze bulls and contained water for the priests to bathe themselves (see v. 6; cf. Exod 30:17–21).
5 Heb “ten cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the diameter would have been 15 feet (4.5 m).
6 Heb “five cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the height would have been 7.5 feet (2.25 m).
7 Heb “and a measuring line went around it thirty cubits all around.”
8 Heb “ten every cubit.”
9 Heb “all their hindquarters were toward the inside.”
10 Heb “3,000 baths” (note that the capacity is given in 1 Kings 7:26 as “2,000 baths”). A bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons (about 22 liters), so 3,000 baths was a quantity of about 18,000 gallons (66,000 liters).
11 Heb “and the doors for the enclosure.”
12 Heb “Huram,” but here this refers to Huram Abi (2 Chr 2:13). The complete name has been used in the translation to avoid possible confusion with King Huram of Tyre.
13 Heb “Huram finished doing all the work which he did for King Solomon [on] the house of God.”
14 The words “he made” are added for stylistic reasons.