081. LVII. Solomon’s Temple

§ LVII. SOLOMON’S TEMPLE 1 Kings 5:1-18; 1 Kings 6:1-38; 1 Kings 7:13-51; 1 Kings 8:1-13; 1 Kings 9:25

1. Solomon’s request of Hiram. And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon because he had heard that they had anointed him king in the place of his father; for Hiram had loved David. And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, Now I purpose to build a temple for the name of Jehovah my God. Therefore command that they cut for me cedar timber from Lebanon; and my servants will go with your servants, and I will give you wages for your servants just as you shall say; for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber as the Sidonians.

2. Hiram’s reply and conditions. So Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard your message to me; I, on my part, will fulfil all your wishes in regard to cedar and cypress timber. My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place that you shall appoint, and will have them broken up there, and you shall receive them. You also shall fulfil my wish by providing food for my household. So Hiram furnished Solomon cypress timber, as much as he wished. And Solomon gave Hiram four hundred thousand bushels of wheat for food for his household, and one hundred and sixty thousand gallons of oil from the beaten olives. This much Solomon gave to Hiram year by year. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they made an alliance with each other.

3. Solomon’s forced levy of workmen. And King Solomon raised a forced levy out of all Israel; and the levy consisted of thirty thousand men. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in relays; a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; and Adoniram was in charge of the forced levy. And Solomon had seventy thousand burden-bearers and eighty thousand hewers of stone in the mountains; besides Solomon’s chief officers who were in charge of the work, three thousand, three hundred, who superintended the people who did the work. And the king commanded that they should hew out great, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the temple with cut stone. And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and especially the Gebalites shaped them and prepared the timber and the stones to build the temple.

4. Dimensions of the temple. In the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, he built the temple of Jehovah. And the length of the temple which King Solomon built for Jehovah was sixty and its breadth twenty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. And the porch before the large room of the temple was twenty cubits wide, corresponding to the breadth of the temple, ten cubits deep before the temple. And for the temple he made windows with narrowed frames.

5. The side-chambers. And around against the wall of the temple he built wings, both around the larger room and the inner room, and made side-chambers round about. The lower side-chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle six cubits broad, and the third seven cubits broad; for on the outside he made offsets around about the temple in order not to make an inset into the walls of the temple. The entrance into the lower side-chambers was on the south side of the temple. And one could go up by winding stairs into the middle story, and from the middle into the third. And he built the wings against all the temple, each story five cubits high; and they rested on the temple with timbers of cedar. So he built the temple and finished it; and he covered the temple with cedar.

6. The interior decorations. And he built the walls of the temple within with boards of cedar: from the floor of the temple to the rafters of the ceiling, overlaying them on the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the temple with boards of cypress. And he built off the back twenty cubits from the innermost part of the temple with boards of cedar from the floor to the rafters: he built it within for an inner room, even for the most holy place. And the temple, that is the large room before the inner room, was forty cubits long. And there was cedar in the interior of the temple, carving in the form of gourds and open flowers; all was cedar, no stone was seen. And he prepared an inner room in the interior of the temple in order to place there the ark of the covenant of Jehovah. And the inner room was twenty cubits long and twenty cubits broad and twenty cubits high. And he overlaid it with pure gold. And he made an altar of cedar wood. And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubim and palm trees and opening flowers, both in the inner and outer rooms.

7. The cherubim. And in the inner room he made two cherubim of olive wood. The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the other—each ten cubits high. And one wing of the cherub measured five cubits, and the other wing of the cherub also five cubits—ten cubits from the extremity of one wing to the extremity of the other. And the other cherub also measured ten cubits: both the cherubim were of the same measurement and form. And he set up the cherubim in the inner room of the temple, and the wings of the cherubim were stretched forth, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, while the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall, and their wings touched each other in the middle of the temple; and he overlaid the cherubim with gold.

8. Door of the inner room. And the door of the inner room he made with folding doors of olive wood: the pilasters formed a pentagonal. And on the two doors of olive wood he carved carvings of cherubim and palm trees and opening flowers, and he spread the gold over the cherubim and the palm trees.

9. Door of the large room. So also he made for the door of the large room posts of olive wood, four square, and two folding leaves of cypress wood: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. And he carved cherubim and palm trees and opening flowers, and overlaid them with gold applied evenly to the carving. And he built the inner court with three courses of hewn stone and a course of cedar beams.

10. Completion of the temple. In the fourth year was the foundation of the temple of Jehovah laid, in the month Ziv [April-May]. And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul [October-November], was the temple completed in all its parts. Thus he was seven years in building it.

11. The pillars at the entrance. Then King Solomon sent and brought Hiram-abi an Aramean worker in brass; and he was gifted with skill, understanding, and knowledge to carry on all kinds of work in brass. And he came to King Solomon and did all his work. For he cast the two pillars of brass for the porch of the temple. Eighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and its circumference measured twelve cubits; the thickness of the pillar was four fingers—it was hollow. And the second pillar was similar. And he made two capitals of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. And he made two nets for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; a net for the one capital, and a net for the other capital. And he made the pomegranates; and two rows of pomegranates in brass were upon the one network, and there were two hundred pomegranates—two rows round about the one capital. And he did the same to the other capital. And the capitals that were upon the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily-work—four cubits. And there were capitals above also upon the two pillars, in connection with the bowl-shaped part of the pillar which was beside the network. And he set up the pillars at the porch of the temple; and he set up the pillar at the right and called it Jachin; and he set up the pillar at the left and called it Boaz. And upon the top of the pillars was lily-work. So was the work of the pillars finished.

12. Molten sea. And he made the molten sea ten cubits in diameter from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and its circumference measured thirty cubits. And under its brim on the outside were gourds which encircled it, for thirty cubits, encircling the sea on the outside; the gourds were in two rows, cast when it was cast. And it was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was wrought like the brim of a cup, similar to the flower of a lily. It held about sixteen thousand gallons. It stood upon 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 down upon them, and all were turned inward back to back.

13. Movable brazen stands. And he made the ten stands of brass: each stand was four cubits long, four cubits broad, and three cubits high. And the stands were made as follows: they had border-frames, and the border-frames were between the upright supports; and on the border-frames that were between the upright supports were lions, oxen and cherubim; and upon the upright supports likewise; and above and beneath the lions and oxen and cherubim was bevelled work. And every stand had four wheels of brass and axles of brass. And the four wheels were underneath the border-frames; and the axles and the wheels were cast as a part of the stand. And the height of each wheel was a cubit and a half. And the construction of the wheels was like that of a chariot wheel: their axles, their felloes, their spokes, and their hubs, were all cast. And at the four corners of each stand were four shoulder-pieces; the shoulder-pieces were cast as part of the stand. And in the top of the stand was a round opening, half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand were its stays and its border-frames. And on the flat surface of the stays and border-frames, he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the space on each, with wreaths round about. And the four corners had shoulder-pieces: beneath the bowl the shoulder-pieces were cast, with wreaths at the side of each. And its opening within the shoulder-pieces was a cubit and more; and its opening was round after the form of a pedestal (a cubit and a half), and also upon its opening were gravings, and its border-frames were square, not round. Thus he made the ten stands: all of them had one casting, and were of the same measure and form.

14. Position of the stands with their lavers. And he made ten lavers of brass: one laver contained three hundred and twenty gallons, and each laver measured four cubits; and on each one of the ten stands was a laver. And he set the stands, five on the right side of the temple and five on the left side of the temple: and he set the sea on the right side of the temple eastward toward the south.

15. Completion of the work. And Hiram made the lavers and the shovels, and the bowls, So Hiram completed all the work that he wrought for King Solomon in the temple of Jehovah: the two pillars and the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on the top of the pillars, and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on the top of the pillars, and the ten stands and the ten lavers on the stands, and the one sea, with the twelve oxen under the sea.

16. Vast amount of brass required. And the pots, the shovels, and the bowls, and all these vessels which Hiram made for King Solomon in the temple of Jehovah, were of burnished brass. There was no weighing the brass from which he made all these vessels, because it was so very much that the weight of the brass could not be determined. In the plain of the Jordan he cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan.

17. Arrangement of the vessels. And Solomon placed all the vessels which he had made in the temple of Jehovah. Thus all the work that King Solomon wrought in the temple of Jehovah was finished. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated, even the silver and the gold and the vessels, placing them in the treasuries of the temple of Jehovah.

18. Dedication of the temple. Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of Jehovah out of the city of David. And all the men of Israel assembled about King Solomon at the feast, in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent. Then King Solomon and all Israel were with him before the ark sacrificing so many sheep and oxen, that they could neither be counted nor numbered. So the priests brought in the ark of Jehovah to its place in the inner room of the temple under the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim formed a covering above the ark and its staves. And the staves were so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the place before the inner room; but further out they could not be seen. And there they are to this day. There was nothing in the ark except the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb. And when the priests had come from the sanctuary, the cloud filled the temple of Jehovah, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of Jehovah filled the temple of Jehovah.

19. Solomon’s hymn of dedication. Then Solomon said, Jehovah hath set the sun in the heavens, But he hath himself determined to dwell in thick darkness. So I have built thee a temple as a place of abode, A dwelling for thee to abide in forever. Is it not written in the Book of Jashar?

20. Institution of the regular service of the temple. And three times in the year Solomon used to offer burnt-offerings and peace-offerings upon the altar which he built to Jehovah, and he used to cause the savor of the sacrifice to rise before Jehovah. So he finished the temple.

I. Solomon’s Motive in Building the Temple. The temple which Solomon built was but one of the many expressions of his ambition as a builder. The examples of the Egyptians, and especially that of the Phoenicians under the leadership of his contemporary Hiram, were clearly before him. Originally Solomon’s temple was but a royal chapel connected with his palace and court. There is no evidence that he intended that it should supersede the many other high places scattered throughout his realm. These long continued to flourish and to receive the homage of their devotees. The temple at Jerusalem at first performed a double function; it was the court sanctuary, where henceforth the king and the growing army of public officials worshipped Jehovah. Occupying the highest point on the hill of Ophel, it probably stood on or near the site of an old Jebusite high place. It quickly became the chief shrine of Jerusalem. Under the shadow of the throne and supported by the royal bounty, the temple 1 inevitably gained in prestige and importance with each succeeding generation. Its geographical position and magnificence also from the first exalted it above all the other sanctuaries in the land. Its preëminence likewise gave added strength and prestige to the house of David. As it attracted more and more all members of the nation, it silently but powerfully emphasized the fact that one God, Jehovah, ruled supreme in Israel.

II. Preparations for the Temple. From earliest times the cedars, which grew on the summits of the Lebanons, had been especially prized for building purposes. The Egyptian kings frequently sent to secure supplies of this precious timber. Its attractive color and sweet odor made it especially appropriate for interior temple decoration. It was natural that a close commercial alliance should spring up between the Hebrews, who possessed abundant grain fields, and the Phoenicians, whose productive territory was limited, but whose artisans were skilled in producing those works of art which the Hebrews most needed. Permission, therefore, was readily granted to cut down the needed supply of cedar and cypress timber, and a small army of Hebrew workmen was detailed for the task. Phoenician artisans directed all the details in the construction of the temple. Its position facing east, with two great pillars at its entrance, the decorative motives, the palm tree and cherubim, and the general plan are perhaps all traceable to Phoenician influence. The stones for the walls of the temple were probably hewn from the limestone hill on which the sanctuary was reared. Even with the large army of men enlisted, the building of the temple required seven and a half years.

III. Plan and Dimensions. With the aid of a restored text and the later descriptions of Ezekiel (chapters 40–48), it is possible to gain a very definite idea of the general plan and dimensions of Solomon’s temple. Compared with many of the public structures of to-day, it was small, but compared with the diminutive houses and hovels in which the Hebrews at this period lived, it seemed huge and magnificent. The central feature of the temple was the oracle, a perfect cube between thirty and thirty-five feet square, and lighted only through the door which led into the larger audience chamber. This outer room or audience chamber was between ninety and one hundred feet long, and was apparently lighted on both sides by small windows, protected by the overhanging roofs. The outer room was entered through an imposing porch, rising higher than the rest of the temple. The walls of the temple were exceedingly thick; wider on the outside at the bottom, they grew narrower by successive steps toward the top. The interior walls were covered with cedar work, which appears in turn to have been adorned with figures of palm trees and cherubim. Later tradition has also overlaid its walls and floors with gold and elaborate carving. The original temple, however, was stately in its simplicity and adaptation to its purpose.

About the two sides and rear of the temple were built a series of chambers, three stories in height, in which the garments of the priests, the vessels used in the sacrifice, and possibly public and private treasures, were kept. These chambers were entered only from the outside. From this general plan it is evident that the temple was literally thought of as Jehovah’s house in which he dwelt and where he received, like an earthly king, the homage of his subjects.

IV. The Equipment of the Temple. In front of the temple, cut out of the native rock, stood the great altar on which the sacrifices in behalf of the king, the court and the nation were offered. Near by was the great molten sea, about fifty feet in circumference and eight feet in height, holding sixteen thousand gallons of water. This water was for purification in connection with the sacrificial ritual. Ten lavers, on highly decorated, movable, brazen stands, were provided to transport the water. In the outer room of the temple was found the table of showbread. This ancient form of sacrifice goes back to the beginnings of Hebrew history, and was shared in common with the Babylonians and Egyptians, who placed similar loaves of bread as food before their gods. A seven-branched candlestick also lighted this outer room by night.

Within the inner room or oracle stood two huge cherubim, about sixteen feet in height, with outstretched wings extending about sixteen feet from tip to tip. These probably resembled the great colossi, with the body of a bull and the wings of an eagle, which guarded the old Assyrian palaces. Between the cherubim was placed the ark of Jehovah, the symbol of the abiding presence of the God who had ever led and cared for his people.

V. Dedication of the Temple. The completion of the temple was celebrated by the king and the assembled representatives of the nation, first by the formal transfer of the ark to the place prepared for it within the oracle, and second, by elaborate sacrifices. With the aid of the Greek text, it is possible to restore the song of dedication which was sung by Solomon on this occasion. Later prophets have also added an address and a noble dedicatory prayer, which are appropriate to the occasion, but which embody the nobler ethical and religious ideals of a later prophetic period. In keeping with the earlier usage, Solomon himself, as the religious head of his kingdom, directed the offering of the sacrifices. The king also offered the various offerings in behalf of the nation at the three great annual festivals. In the earliest record, the primary duty of the priests was to care for the ark and doubtless to take charge of the divine oracle. They probably also assisted Solomon in offering the public sacrifices. Because of their close connection with the temple, it was natural that in time the entire charge of the ritual should be turned over to the descendants of Zadok.

Although its importance was not appreciated at the time, it is clear in the light of later history that in many ways the most important event in the period of the united monarchy was the building of the temple. Its priesthood and institutions soon became the most powerful support of the Davidic dynasty. As the prestige of the temple increased, it became the centre about which the thought and religious life of the Hebrew race revolved. The people ceased to look back to Mount Sinai, and came to regard Jerusalem as the special dwelling place of Jehovah. In the sacred precincts of the temple, later prophets, like Jeremiah, proclaimed their immortal messages. Here the ritual slowly developed to meet new conditions and to incorporate the principles set forth by succeeding prophets. Under the direction of prophets, priests and reformers, the inherited heathen elements in Israel’s religion were gradually eliminated, until at last, by Josiah and his supporters, the temple was declared to be the only legitimate temple, and Solomon’s royal chapel became the one recognized sanctuary of the Hebrew race.

PLAN OF SOLOMON’S PALACE (ACCORDING TO STADE)