In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites left the land of Egypt, in the month of Ziv—that is, the second month—in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, Solomon began to build the House of GOD.
Against the outside wall of the House—the outside walls of the House enclosing the Great Hall and the Shrinebthe Shrine I.e., the inner sanctuary, designated in v. 16 and elsewhere as the “Holy of Holies.”—he built a storied structure; and he made side chambers all around.
The lowest story was 5 cubits wide, the middle one 6 cubits wide, and the third 7 cubits wide; for he had provided recesses around the outside of the House so as not to penetrate the walls of the House.
When the House was built, only finished stones cut at the quarry were used, so that no hammer or ax or any iron tool was heard in the House while it was being built.
The entrance to the middlecmiddle Septuagint and Targum read “lowest.” [story of] the side chambers was on the right side of the House; and winding stairs led up to the middle chambers, and from the middle chambers to the third story.
Word-by-Word Analysis
פתח
488
הצלע
195
התיכנה
490
אלכתף
531
הבית
417
הימנית
515
ובלולים
124
יעלו
116
עלהתיכנה
590
ומןהתיכנה
586
אלהשלשים
716
I Kings 6:9
Gematria: 3212
ויבןאתהביתויכלהוויספןאתהביתגביםושדרתבארזים
When he finished building the House, he paneled the House with beams and planks of cedar.dhe paneled the House with beams and planks of cedar Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
“With regard to this House you are building—if you follow My laws and observe My rules and faithfully keep My commandments, I will fulfill for you the promise that I gave to your father David:
Word-by-Word Analysis
הבית
417
הזה
17
אשראתה
907
בנה
57
אםתלך
491
בחקתי
520
ואתמשפטי
846
תעשה
775
ושמרת
946
אתכלמצותי
997
ללכת
480
בהם
47
והקמתי
561
אתדברי
617
אתך
421
אשר
501
דברתי
616
אלדוד
45
אביך
33
I Kings 6:13
Gematria: 3076
ושכנתיבתוךבניישראלולאאעזבאתעמיישראלפ
I will abide among the children of Israel, and I will never forsake My people Israel.”
Word-by-Word Analysis
ושכנתי
786
בתוך
428
בני
62
ישראל
541
ולא
37
אעזב
80
אתעמי
521
ישראלפ
621
I Kings 6:14
Gematria: 1338
ויבןשלמהאתהביתויכלהו
When Solomon had completed the construction of the House,
he paneled the walls of the House on the inside with planks of cedar. He also overlaid the walls on the inside with wood, from the floor of the House to the ceiling. And he overlaid the floor of the House with planks of cypress.
Twenty cubits from the rear of the House, he built [a partition] of cedar planks from the floor to the walls;ewalls Septuagint reads “rafters.” he furnished its interior to serve as a shrine, as the Holy of Holies.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויבן
68
אתעשרים
1021
אמה
46
מירכותי
686
מירכתי
680
הבית
417
בצלעות
598
ארזים
258
מןהקרקע
565
עדהקירות
795
ויבן
68
לו
36
מבית
452
לדביר
246
לקדש
434
הקדשים
459
I Kings 6:17
Gematria: 1066
וארבעיםבאמההיההביתהואההיכללפני
fMeaning of vv. 17–22 is unclear in part. The front part of the House, that is, the Great Hall, measured 40 cubits.
The interior of thegThe interior of the Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Shrine was 20 cubits long, 20 cubits wide, and 20 cubits high. He overlaid it with solid gold; he similarly overlaid [its] cedar altar.
Solomon overlaid the interior of the House with solid gold; and he inserted golden chains into the door ofhinto the door of Heb. “in front of.” the Shrine. He overlaid [the Shrine] with gold,
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויצף
186
שלמה
375
אתהבית
818
מפנימה
225
זהב
14
סגור
269
ויעבר
288
ברתיקות
1118
ברתוקות
1114
זהב
14
לפני
170
הדביר
221
ויצפהו
197
זהב
14
I Kings 6:22
Gematria: 3098
ואתכלהביתצפהזהבעדתםכלהביתוכלהמזבחאשרלדבירצפהזהב
so that the entire House was overlaid with gold; he even overlaid with gold the entire altar of the Shrine. And so the entire House was completed.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ואתכלהבית
874
צפה
175
זהב
14
עדתם
514
כלהבית
467
וכלהמזבח
118
אשרלדביר
747
צפה
175
זהב
14
I Kings 6:23
Gematria: 3371
ויעשבדבירשניכרוביםעצישמןעשראמותקומתו
In the Shrine he made two cherubim of olive wood, each 10 cubits high.
He placed the cherubim inside the inner chamber.iinner chamber I.e., the Shrine. Since the wings of the cherubim were extended, a wing of the one touched one wall and a wing of the other touched the other wall, while their wings in the center of the chamber touched each other.
All over the walls of the House, of both the inner area and the outer area, he carved reliefs of cherubim, palms, and calyxes,
Word-by-Word Analysis
ואת
407
כלקירות
766
הבית
417
מסב
102
קלע
200
פתוחי
504
מקלעות
646
כרובים
278
ותמרת
1046
ופטורי
311
צצים
230
מלפנים
250
ולחיצון
200
I Kings 6:30
Gematria: 1898
ואתקרקעהביתצפהזהבלפנימהולחיצון
and he overlaid the floor of the House with gold, both the inner and the outer areas.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ואתקרקע
877
הבית
417
צפה
175
זהב
14
לפנימה
215
ולחיצון
200
I Kings 6:31
Gematria: 4161
ואתפתחהדבירעשהדלתותעצישמןהאילמזוזותחמשית
For the entrance of the Shrine he made doors of olive wood, the pilasters and the doorposts having five sides.jthe pilasters and the doorposts having five sides Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
The double doors were of olive wood, and on them he carved reliefs of cherubim, palms, and calyxes. He overlaid them with gold, hammering the gold onto the cherubim and the palms.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ושתי
716
דלתות
840
עצישמן
560
וקלע
206
עליהם
155
מקלעות
646
כרובים
278
ותמרת
1046
ופטורי
311
צצים
230
וצפה
181
זהב
14
וירד
220
עלהכרובים
383
ועלהתמרות
1157
אתהזהב
420
I Kings 6:33
Gematria: 3188
וכןעשהלפתחההיכלמזוזותעצישמןמאתרבעית
For the entrance of the Great Hall, too, he made doorposts of oleaster wood, having four sides,khaving four sides Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
and in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul—that is, the eighth month—the House was completed according to all its details and all its specifications. It took him seven years to build it.