1 The Temple of the Lord, and the porch are built, with other things thereto belonging.

So (A)Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, in mount [a]Moriah which had been declared unto David his father, in the place that David prepared in the threshing floor of (B)Ornan the Jebusite.

And he began to build in the second month and the second day, in the fourth year of his reign.

And these are the measures whereon Solomon grounded to build the house of God: the length of cubits after the first [b]measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits:

And the porch that was before the length in the front [c]of the breadth was twenty cubits, and the height was an [d]hundred and twenty, and he overlaid it within with pure gold.

And the greater house he ceiled with fir tree which he overlaid with good gold, and graved thereon palm trees and chains.

And he overlaid the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of [e]Parvaim.

The house, I say, the beams, posts, and walls thereof and the doors thereof overlaid he with gold, and graved Cherubims upon the walls.

¶ He made also the house of the most holy place: the length thereof was in the front of the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits: and he overlaid it with the best gold, of six hundred talents.

And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold, and he overlaid the chambers with gold.

10 ¶ And in the house of the most holy place he made two Cherubims wrought like children, and overlaid them with gold.

11 (C)And the wings of the Cherubims were twenty cubits long: the one wing was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house, and the other wing five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other Cherub.

12 Likewise the wing of the other Cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house, and the other wing five cubits, joining to the wing of the other Cherub.

13 The wings of these Cherubims were spread abroad twenty cubits, they stood on their feet, and their faces were toward the house.

14 ¶ He made also the [f]veil of blue silk and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought Cherubims thereon.

15 ¶ And he made before the house two pillars [g]of five and thirty cubits high: and the chapiter that was upon the top of each of them, was five cubits.

16 He made also chains for the Oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars, and made an [h]hundred pomegranates, and put them among the chains.

17 And he set up the pillars before the Temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left, and called that on the right hand Jachin, and that on the left hand Boaz.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 3:1 Which is the mountain where Abraham thought to have sacrificed his son, Gen. 22:2.
  2. 2 Chronicles 3:3 According to the whole length of the Temple, comprehending the most holy place with the rest.
  3. 2 Chronicles 3:4 It contained as much as did the breadth of the Temple, 1 Kings 6:3.
  4. 2 Chronicles 3:4 From the foundation to the top: for in the book of the kings mention is made from the foundation to the first stage.
  5. 2 Chronicles 3:6 Some think it is that place which is called Peru.
  6. 2 Chronicles 3:14 Which separated the Temple from the most holy place.
  7. 2 Chronicles 3:15 Every one was eighteen cubits long, but the half cubit could not be seen, for it was hid in the roundness of the chapiter, and therefore he giveth to every one but 17 and an half.
  8. 2 Chronicles 3:16 For every pillar an hundred, read 1 Kings 7:20.

Solomon Builds the Temple(A)

Then Solomon began to build(B) the temple of the Lord(C) in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah[a](D) the Jebusite, the place provided by David. He began building on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.(E)

The foundation Solomon laid for building the temple of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide[b](F) (using the cubit of the old standard). The portico at the front of the temple was twenty cubits[c] long across the width of the building and twenty[d] cubits high.

He overlaid the inside with pure gold. He paneled the main hall with juniper and covered it with fine gold and decorated it with palm tree(G) and chain designs. He adorned the temple with precious stones. And the gold he used was gold of Parvaim. He overlaid the ceiling beams, doorframes, walls and doors of the temple with gold, and he carved cherubim(H) on the walls.

He built the Most Holy Place,(I) its length corresponding to the width of the temple—twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. He overlaid the inside with six hundred talents[e] of fine gold. The gold nails(J) weighed fifty shekels.[f] He also overlaid the upper parts with gold.

10 For the Most Holy Place he made a pair(K) of sculptured cherubim and overlaid them with gold. 11 The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits[g] long and touched the temple wall, while its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the other cherub. 12 Similarly one wing of the second cherub was five cubits long and touched the other temple wall, and its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the first cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubim(L) extended twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the main hall.[h]

14 He made the curtain(M) of blue, purple and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim(N) worked into it.

15 For the front of the temple he made two pillars,(O) which together were thirty-five cubits[i] long, each with a capital(P) five cubits high. 16 He made interwoven chains[j](Q) and put them on top of the pillars. He also made a hundred pomegranates(R) and attached them to the chains. 17 He erected the pillars in the front of the temple, one to the south and one to the north. The one to the south he named Jakin[k] and the one to the north Boaz.[l]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 3:1 Hebrew Ornan, a variant of Araunah
  2. 2 Chronicles 3:3 That is, about 90 feet long and 30 feet wide or about 27 meters long and 9 meters wide
  3. 2 Chronicles 3:4 That is, about 30 feet or about 9 meters; also in verses 8, 11 and 13
  4. 2 Chronicles 3:4 Some Septuagint and Syriac manuscripts; Hebrew and a hundred and twenty
  5. 2 Chronicles 3:8 That is, about 23 tons or about 21 metric tons
  6. 2 Chronicles 3:9 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams
  7. 2 Chronicles 3:11 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verse 15
  8. 2 Chronicles 3:13 Or facing inward
  9. 2 Chronicles 3:15 That is, about 53 feet or about 16 meters
  10. 2 Chronicles 3:16 Or possibly made chains in the inner sanctuary; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  11. 2 Chronicles 3:17 Jakin probably means he establishes.
  12. 2 Chronicles 3:17 Boaz probably means in him is strength.