Commentary
Solomon acted as the temple’s architect. But the plans were not his own. He used the plans that David had already made. And David did not design the plans by means of his own imagination. God’s Spirit put these plans into his mind. Hebrews 9:24 explains the reason for this arrangement. The temple that Solomon built was a copy of the real temple in heaven. So the design had to be God’s design. God was using Solomon to carry out his work on earth. And, by means of Solomon’s temple, God would show his power and his honor.
The temple was splendid. But few people would see the beauty of its rooms. Only priests entered the main hall. However, the most special place was the inner room. It was called the Most Holy Place. And only one man, the chief priest, would enter it. Even he could only enter it once each year (Hebrews 9:7).
Construction of the Temple
v1 Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord. This was 480 years after the Israelites had come out of Egypt. He began to build in the 4th year of his rule over Israel. He started in the second month, the month called Ziv.
v2 So King Solomon built the temple for the Lord. The temple was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide and 45 feet high. v3 The entrance room was in front of the main room of the temple. The entrance room was 15 feet long and 30 feet wide. It was as wide as the temple itself. v4 He made windows in the temple. These were narrow on the outside and wide on the inside. v5 He built rooms onto the sides and back of the temple. These rooms were three stories high. Each story was about 7 and a half feet high. v6 Each room in the lowest story was 7 and a half feet wide. Each room in the middle story was 9 feet wide. Each room in the top story was 10 and a half feet wide. The temple wall on each floor was thinner than on the floor below. So the rooms leaned on the wall. But the builders did not build the beams into the wall itself.
v7 The builders prepared the stones for the temple at the place where they dug them. Therefore there was no sound from any tools like hammers while they built the temple.
Commentary
The temple was a small building by modern standards. It would be a house for God. But it was not like a modern church. It was not a place where a large number of people would worship. Only the priests would worship in the temple, as they carried out their duties. However, the temple was twice as long and wide as the tent that Moses had erected. They stored goods in the side rooms.
They built the temple silently. This probably showed that the temple was different from the buildings of other religions. It was a holy place, where the God of peace was present.
Entrance to the Lowest Part of the Temple
v8 The entrance to the lowest story was on the south side of the temple. Stairs led up to the middle and top stories. v9 So King Solomon finished the temple. He put on a roof that he made with beams and boards of cedar. v10 He built side rooms all along the temple. Each room was 7 and a half feet high. Cedar beams joined them to the temple.
v11 God spoke to Solomon. v12 "This is what I will do about this temple. You must obey all my laws and commands. Then I will carry out through you the promise that I made to David, your father. v13 I will live among the Israelites. I will never leave them."
v14 So Solomon finished the temple.
Commentary
The staircase wound up from the bottom to the top story. Solomon made the roof from cedarwood. The side rooms rested on beams that rested on narrow shelves. The builders attached these shelves to the walls.
God encouraged Solomon to finish the work. He promised Solomon that he would be present with the Israelites. And God referred to his promise to David. David’s family would always rule Israel, if they continued to obey him. And that would be God’s promise to Solomon too, if Solomon continued to obey God. The splendid building that Solomon made could not impress God. What mattered to God was the attitude of Solomon’s heart. And if Solomon obeyed God’s law, God would support Solomon and his kingdom. Hebrews 10:36 says, "You need to continue although things are difficult. Then you will receive what God has promised."
Solomon Continued Building the Temple
v15 Solomon covered the inner walls with cedar boards from the floor to the roof. He covered the floor with pine boards. v16 He built an inner room at the back of the temple. He called it the Most Holy Place. It was about 30 feet long. He separated it from the rest of the temple by cedar boards from the floor to the roof. v17 The main room in front of this was 60 feet long. v18 The inside of the temple was cedar. There were carvings of flowers and fruits. He completely covered the inside with cedar. So it was not possible to see the stones in the walls.
v19 At the back of the temple, Solomon had built the inner room. He prepared that room to be the place for the Lord’s Covenant Box. v20 This inner room was 30 feet long, 30 feet high, and 30 feet wide. He covered the inside of the room with pure gold. He made an altar with cedar. v21 Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold. He put gold chains across the front of the inner room. He covered this with gold. v22 So he covered the whole of the inside of the temple with gold. He also covered the altar in the Most Holy Place with gold.
Solomon covered the building with cedarwood. He covered the Most Holy Place with gold. It contained the box of the Lord’s covenant which Moses had made. Inside the box were the stones of the 10 commandments.
v23 Solomon made two angels out of olive wood. He put them in the Most Holy Place. Each one was about 15 feet high. v24 One wing of the first angel was 7 and a half feet long. The other wing was also 7 and a half feet long. It was 15 feet from the end of one wing to the end of the other. v25 The second angel had the same measurements. They were both the same shape and size. v26 Both angels were 15 feet high. v27 He put the angels inside the Most Holy Place of the temple. Their wings spread out. The wing of one angel touched one wall. The wing of the other angel touched the other wall. The other wings touched each other in the middle of the room. v28 He covered the angels with gold.
v29 He carved angels, palm trees, and flowers on the walls all round the temple. He did this in both inner and outer rooms. v30 He also covered the floors of both rooms with gold.
The angels were like guards for the Covenant Box. They were half of the height of the room. The room was 30 feet high. There were carvings of angels, trees, and flowers on the walls. They were like pictures of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:8). God sent people out of Eden because of their sin. They could only come near to God if he forgave their sin. The Most Holy Place was the place where they offered sacrifices for sin. We can only enter heaven if we trust in the sacrifice of Jesus for our sin.
v31 Solomon made a double door out of olive wood. This was at the entrance to the Most Holy Place. The top and the sides of the doorway formed a shape with 5 sides. v32 He carved angels, trees, and flowers on the olive wood doors. He covered the doors, the angels, and the trees with gold. v33 He made a frame with four sides out of olive wood. This was for the entrance to the main room. v34 He also made a double door out of pine. v35 On it he carved angels, trees, and flowers. And he covered them with gold.
v36 He built an inner courtyard. It had three rows of stone and one row of cedar beams.
v37 Solomon laid the foundation (strong base) of the Lord’s temple in the month called Ziv. This was in the 4th year of his rule. v38 He finished the temple in the 8th month, the month called Bul. This was in the 11th year of his rule. He followed all the original plans completely. Solomon took 7 years to build the temple.
Commentary
We are not sure what some of the words in these verses mean. People built such a splendid temple because they recognized the greatness of God. It also taught people that God was with them. It did not keep God in one place. Solomon says this in chapter 8:27.
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