God's New Bible

The First Book of the Kings

Catholic Public Domain :: World English Bible Catholic

- Chapter 7 -

1
Now Solomon built his own house for thirteen years, and he brought it to perfection.
2
And he built the house from the forest of Lebanon: one hundred cubits in length, and fifty cubits in width, and thirty cubits in height, with four walkways between columns of cedar. For he had hewn the cedar trees into columns.
3
And he clothed the entire vaulted room with panels of cedar. And it was supported by forty-five columns. Now one row held fifteen columns,
4
each positioned opposite another,
5
and looking toward one another, with equal spacing between the columns. And above the columns there were square beams equal in all things.
6
And he made a portico of columns, fifty cubits in length and thirty cubits in width, and another portico, facing the greater portico, with columns and with crossbeams upon the columns.
7
He also made the portico of the throne, in which is the tribunal. And he overlaid it with cedar wood, from the floor even to the summit.
8
And in the midst of the portico, there was a small house, where he would sit in judgment, similar in workmanship. He also made a house for the daughter of Pharaoh (whom Solomon had taken as wife) of the same work and type as this portico.
9
All was of precious stones, which had been sawed by a particular standard and measure, as much within as without, from the foundation even to the summit of the walls, and outside even to the great atrium.
10
Now the foundations were of precious stones: great stones of eight or ten cubits.(a)
11
And above these, there were precious stones, of equal measure, which had been cut in a manner similar to boards of cedar.
12
And the great atrium was round, with three rows of cut stones and one row of cut cedar, even as it also was in the interior atrium of the house of the Lord, and in the portico of the house.

The Pillars and Capitals

(2 Chronicles 3:14–17)
13
And king Solomon sent and brought Hiram of Tyre,
14
the son of a widowed woman, from the tribe of Naphtali, whose father was a Tyrian, an artisan in brass, and full of wisdom, and understanding, and knowledge in order to form every work of brass. And when he had gone to king Solomon, he wrought all his work.
15
And he cast two columns of brass. Each column was eighteen cubits in height, and a line of twelve cubits encompassed both columns.
16
Also, he made two heads of molten brass, which would be set upon the tops of the columns: one head was five cubits in height, and the other head was five cubits in height.
17
And there was something like a network of chains, woven together in a wonderful manner. Both heads of the columns were cast, and seven rows of little nets traversed one head, and seven little nets were on the other head.
18
And he finished the columns with two rows all around each network, so that these covered the heads, which were at the top, with pomegranates. And he did in like manner to the second head.
19
Now the heads that were at the top of the columns, in the portico of four cubits, had been fabricated with a work of lilies.
20
And again, there were other heads at the tops of the columns above, in accord with the measure of the column opposite the netting. And there were two hundred of the pomegranates, in rows around the second head.
21
And he stationed the two columns in the portico of the temple. And when he had stationed the column on the right, he called its name Jachin. Similarly, he erected the second column, and he called its name Boaz.(b) (c)
22
And above the tops of the columns, he set a work in the manner of lilies. And the work of the columns was perfected.

The Molten Sea

(2 Chronicles 4:1–5)
23
He also made a molten sea, of ten cubits from brim to brim, rounded on all sides. Its height was five cubits, and a thin rope of thirty cubits wrapped it all around.
24
And a sculpted work under the brim encircled it for ten cubits going around the sea. There were two rows cast of striated sculptures.
25
And it was standing upon twelve oxen, of which three were looking toward the north, and three toward the west, and three toward the south, and three toward the east. And the sea above was over them. And their posteriors were entirely hidden within.
26
And the basin was the thickness of three twelfths. And its brim was like the brim of a chalice, or like the outturned petal of a lily. It contained two thousand baths.(d)

The Ten Bronze Stands

27
And he made ten bases of brass: each base was four cubits in length, and four cubits in width, and three cubits in height.
28
And the work itself of the bases was engraved; and there were sculptures between the junctures.
29
And between the little crowns and the edges, there were lions, and oxen, and cherubim; and similarly in the junctures above. And under the lions and oxen were something like bands of brass hanging down.
30
And each base had four wheels, with axels of brass. And at the four sides were something like little arms, under the cast basin, facing away from one another.
31
Also, the mouth of the interior of the basin was at the top of the head. And what was visible outside was of one cubit all around, and altogether it had one cubit and a half. Now at the corners of the columns were diverse engravings. And the spaces between the columns were square, not round.
32
And the four wheels, which were at the four corners of the base, were joined to one another under the base. The height of one wheel held one cubit and a half.
33
Now these were the kind of wheels such as are often made for a chariot. And their axels, and spokes, and tires, and centers were all cast.
34
And the four little arms, which were at each corner of a base, were cast and joined together as part of the base itself.
35
And at the summit of the base, there was a round stand of one half cubit, fabricated so that the basin could be placed upon it, having its engravings, and various sculptures of its own.(e)
36
He also engraved those plates, which were of brass. And at the corners were cherubim, and lions, and palm trees, standing out, as if in the likeness of a man, so that they seemed not to be engraved, but placed adjacent on all sides.
37
In this manner, he made ten bases with the same casting and measure, and very similar engravings.

The Ten Bronze Basins

(2 Chronicles 4:6–8)
38
He also made ten hand basins of brass. One hand basin contained four baths, and was of four cubits. And each basin he set upon a base, which is ten bases.
39
And he stationed the ten bases, five to the right side of the temple, and five to the left. And the sea he placed to the right side of the temple, opposite the east, toward the south.

Completion of the Bronze Works

(2 Chronicles 4:11–18)
40
Then Hiram made cooking pots, and trays, and small hooks. And he completed all the work of king Solomon in the temple of the Lord:
41
the two columns, and the two cords of the heads over the tops of the columns, and the two networks which covered the two cords that were above the tops of the columns;
42
and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two turnings of pomegranates for each network, in order to cover the cords of the heads, which were above the tops of the columns;
43
and the ten bases, and the ten basins on the bases;
44
and the one sea, and the twelve oxen under the sea;
45
and the cooking pots, and the trays, and the small hooks. All of the items that Hiram made for king Solomon, for the house of the Lord, were of golden brass.
46
In the open regions near the Jordan, the king cast these, in the clay soil between Succoth and Zarethan.
47
And Solomon positioned all the items. But because of its exceedingly great amount, the brass was not weighed.

Completion of the Gold Furnishings

(2 Chronicles 4:19–22)
48
And Solomon made all the furniture for the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, upon which the bread of the presence would be placed;
49
and the gold lampstands, five to the right, and five to the left, opposite the oracle, of pure gold; and likenesses of lily blossoms, with lamps above them, of gold; and gold tongs;
50
and water pots, and little forks, and bowls, and little mortars, and censers, of the purest gold; and the hinges of the doors, for the interior house of the Holy of Holies and for the doors of the house of the temple, which were of gold.
51
And Solomon perfected all the work that he was doing in the house of the Lord. And he brought in the things that his father David had sanctified: the silver, and the gold, and the vessels. And he stored these in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

Footnotes

(a)7:10 The phrasing ‘eight or ten cubits’ probably means that the lowest foundation stones were ten cubits, with each successive row slightly smaller, being reduced to eight cubits at the top of the foundation.(Conte)
(b)7:21 Jachin:That is, firmly established.(Challoner)
(c)7:21 Booz:That is, in its strength. By recording these names in holy writ, the spirit of God would have us understand the invincible firmness and strength of the pillars on which the true temple of God, which is the church, is established.(Challoner)
(d)7:26 Two thousand bates:That is, about ten thousand gallons. This was the quantity of water which was usually put into it: but it was capable, if brimful, of holding three thousand. See 2 Par. 4:5.(Challoner)
(e)7:35 The 1590 Vulgate adds stabant after rotunditas, indicating that the object was a stand for the basin.(Conte)
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,(a) 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 hall 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 judgment; 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 same construction. 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 stone cut 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 with a course of cedar beams, like the inner court of the LORD’s house and the porch of the house.

The Pillars and Capitals

(2 Chronicles 3:14–17)
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 of pomegranates around 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 tops of the pillars was lily work. So the work of the pillars was finished.

The Molten Sea

(2 Chronicles 4:1–5)
23
He made the molten sea 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 toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward 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.

The Ten Bronze Stands

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 its four feet had supports. The supports were cast beneath the basin, with wreaths at the side of each.
31
Its opening within the capital and above was a cubit. Its opening was round like the work of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and also on its opening 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, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs 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.

The Ten Bronze Basins

(2 Chronicles 4:6–8)
38
He made ten basins of bronze. One basin contained forty baths.(b) Every basin measured four cubits. One basin was on every one of the ten bases.
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 toward the south.

Completion of the Bronze Works

(2 Chronicles 4:11–18)
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. All of 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.

Completion of the Gold Furnishings

(2 Chronicles 4:19–22)
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, in front of 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 dedicatedthe silver, the gold, and the vesselsand put them in the treasuries of the LORD’s house.

Footnotes

(a)7:2 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)7:38 1 bath is one tenth of a cor, or about 5.6 U. S. gallons or 21 liters, so 40 baths was about 224 gallons or 840 liters.