The Second Book of the Chronicles

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 3 -

(1 Kings 6:1–4)

Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared

(a)

to his father David. This was the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan (b) the Jebusite.

Solomon began construction on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

The foundation that Solomon laid for the house of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide,(c) according to the old standard.(d)

The portico at the front, extending across the width of the temple, was twenty cubits long

(e)

and twenty cubits high.(f) He overlaid the inside with pure gold.

The Temple’s Interior

(1 Kings 6:14–22)

He paneled the main room with cypress,(g) which he overlaid with fine gold and decorated with palm trees and chains.

He adorned the temple with precious stones for beauty, and its gold was from Parvaim.

He overlaid its beams, thresholds, walls, and doors with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.

Then he made the Most Holy Place;(h) its length corresponded to the width of the temple—twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. And he overlaid the inside with six hundred talents of fine gold.(i)

The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold.(j) He also overlaid the upper area with gold.

The Cherubim

(1 Kings 6:23–30)

In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim of sculptured work, and he overlaid them with gold.

The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long (k) and touched the wall of the temple, and its other wing was five cubits long and touched the wing of the other cherub.

The wing of the second cherub also measured five cubits and touched the wall of the temple, while its other wing measured five cubits and touched the wing of the first cherub.

So the total wingspan of these cherubim was twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the main room.

The Veil and Pillars

(1 Kings 7:13–22)

He made the veil of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim woven into it.

In front of the temple he made two pillars, which together were thirty-five cubits high,(l) each with a capital on top measuring five cubits.

He made interwoven chains

(m)

and put them on top of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegranates and fastened them into the chainwork.

Then he set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south and one on the north. The pillar on the south he named Jachin,(n) and the pillar on the north he named Boaz.(o)

Footnotes

(a)3:1 See LXX; Hebrew where He had appeared

(b)3:1 Ornan is a variant of Araunah; see 2 Samuel 24:16.

(d)3:3 The old standard of measurement was a cubit equal to 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters. The new standard, a cubit of approximately 21 inches or 53.3 centimeters (the long cubit) is the basic unit of length throughout Ezekiel 40 to 48.

(e)3:4 20 cubits is approximately 30 feet or 9.1 meters; also in verses 8, 11, and 13.

(f)3:4 Some LXX and Syriac manuscripts; Hebrew 120 cubits high (approximately 180 feet or 54.9 meters)

(g)3:5 Or pine or juniper or fir

(h)3:8 Or the Holy of Holies; also in verse 10

(i)3:8 600 talents is approximately 22.6 tons or 20.5 metric tons of gold.

(j)3:9 50 shekels is approximately 1.26 pounds or 569.8 grams of gold.

(k)3:11 5 cubits is approximately 7.5 feet or 2.3 meters; also in verse 15.

(l)3:15 35 cubits is approximately 52.5 feet or 16 meters.

(m)3:16 Or He made chains in the inner sanctuary

(n)3:17 Jachin probably means He establishes.

(o)3:17 Boaz probably means in Him is strength.

(1 Kings 6:1–4)

Then Solomon began to build the LORD’s house at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared to David his father, which he prepared in the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

He began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.

Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for the building of God’s house: the length by cubits(a) after the first measure was sixty cubits, and the width twenty cubits.

The porch that was in front, its length, across the width of the house, was twenty cubits, and the height one hundred twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold.

The Temple’s Interior

(1 Kings 6:14–22)

He made the larger room with a ceiling of cypress wood, which he overlaid with fine gold, and ornamented it with palm trees and chains.

He decorated the house with precious stones for beauty. The gold was gold from Parvaim.

He also overlaid the house, the beams, the thresholds, its walls, and its doors with gold, and engraved cherubim on the walls.

He made the most holy place. Its length, according to the width of the house, was twenty cubits, and its width twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.(b)

The weight of the nails was fifty shekels

(c)

of gold. He overlaid the upper rooms with gold.

The Cherubim

(1 Kings 6:23–30)

In the most holy place he made two cherubim by carving, and they overlaid them with gold.

The wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long: the wing of the one was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing was five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.

The wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing was five cubits, joining to the wing of the other cherub.

The wings of these cherubim spread themselves out twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, and their faces were toward the house.

The Veil and Pillars

(1 Kings 7:13–22)

He made the veil of blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and ornamented it with cherubim.

Also he made before the house two pillars thirty-five cubits high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.

He made chains in the inner sanctuary, and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.

He set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.

Footnotes

(a)3:3 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 centimeters.

(b)3:8 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces, so 600 talents is about 18 metric tons

(c)3:9 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.32 Troy ounces, so 50 shekels was about 0.5 kilograms or about 16 Troy ounces.