1 Kings 7:1-51

God’s lessons from history

1 Kings

Philip Smith

Chapter 7

Solomon’s palaces

v1 Solomon took 13 years to build his palace.

v2 The first great hall that he made was called the ‘Hall of the Forest of Lebanon’. It was 150 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. (One foot is about 30 centimetres.) It had three rows of *cedar columns which supported *cedar beams. v3 He made the roof of *cedar above the beams that the columns supported. There were 45 beams, 15 in each row. v4 The windows were high in sets of three. They were opposite each other. v5 All the doorways had *rectangular *frames. They were in sets of three and they were opposite each other.

v6 The second great hall that Solomon made was called the ‘Hall of Columns’. It was 75 feet long and 45 feet wide. In front of it was a roof that had columns to support it.

v7 Solomon also built the ‘Hall of Judgement’. This is where he would sit on his royal seat to act as judge. He covered this hall with *cedar from the floor to the roof.

v8 The palace where he would live was further back. This was similar in design. Solomon also made a palace like this for the daughter of Pharaoh (king of Egypt). He had married her.

v9 Solomon made all these buildings including the great *courtyard. For all these buildings, he used the finest stone from the base to the roof. His workmen cut the stones to size. And they used a saw to make both the inner and outer surfaces smooth. v10 His workmen laid the foundations (strong bases for the buildings) with large stones of good quality. Some were 15 feet long and some were 12 feet. v11 On top of them were good quality stones, which the workmen had cut to size. There were also *cedar beams. v12 The palace *courtyard had walls with one row of *cedar beams. Then it had three rows of stones, which they had cut. So did the inner *courtyard of the *temple and the entrance room of the *temple.

Solomon took twice as long to build his own house as he did to build the *temple. However, he made sure that he built God’s house first.

Solomon’s own palace had many great halls. The halls had different designs.

• The ‘Hall of the Forest of Lebanon’ used much *cedar wood. That wood came from the forests in Lebanon. The hall received its name because of the use of the wood. The hall was a large room with an impressive design. Solomon kept much gold in this hall. He held great parties here (1 Kings 10:16-17; 1 Kings 10:21).

• The next room was the ‘Hall of Columns’. The columns were a very splendid entrance for the room.

• The ‘Hall of Judgement’ was a very important room. It contained Solomon’s throne (royal seat). Solomon used this throne when he acted as *Israel’s chief judge. The throne itself was magnificent. No other king had ever made such a wonderful throne (1 Kings 10:18-20).

The private rooms where Solomon actually lived were behind these halls. And Solomon built another palace for his wife, who was the daughter of the king of Egypt.

Solomon’s workmen used huge blocks of stone of the best quality to build all these buildings. They prepared the stone before they brought it to Jerusalem. They had to move the stone without any vehicles or motors, of course. The stone had to travel long distances. And Jerusalem is on the top of a mountain. They used carts, horses, and the strength of thousands of workmen.

The most common stone in *Israel is called limestone. There are different types of limestone. But some soft limestones have a useful quality for builders. When people cut this stone at first, it is fairly soft. So, it is easier to make smooth. Later, the weather causes it to become harder.

*Cedar wood is of the best quality. Solomon’s workmen chose very tall trees from the forests in Lebanon. They used some of the wood because of its strength. But they also used the wood for its beauty. In the ‘Hall of Judgement’, they covered the stone walls with wooden boards.

The furniture outside the *temple

v13 King Solomon asked a man called Huram to come from Tyre. v14 Huram’s father had been a man from Tyre who was a skilled worker in bronze (a brown metal). His mother was a widow from the *tribe of Naphtali. Huram was a very skilled worker in all kinds of work with bronze. He came to Solomon. He did all the work that Solomon asked him to do.

Huram’s mother was a widow from Naphtali so she was an *Israelite. After her husband’s death, she married a man from Tyre who became Huram’s father. Both father and son were good workers with bronze (a brown metal). The *Israelites did not know how to work with metal. So Solomon brought this skilled workmen from Tyre. His mother was an *Israelite so he was not a complete foreigner.

The columns

v15 Huram made two columns out of bronze (a brown metal). They were 27 feet high and 18 feet round. (One foot is about 30 centimetres.) v16 He also made two tops of bronze on each column. Each top was 7 and a half feet high. v17 He *decorated each top with a design of chains. There were 7 chains for each top. v18 He made two rows in the shape of *pomegranates (round fruit with a thick skin). He made these out of bronze in order to make the tops beautiful. v19 The tops were in the shape of lilies (large flowers) about 6 feet tall. v20 He placed the tops on a round section above the chain design. There were 200 *pomegranates in two rows round each top. v21 Huram placed the columns in front of the entrance to the *temple. The one on the south side he named Jakin. The one on the north he named Boaz. v22 The tops were in the shape of lilies. So he finished the work on the columns.

Physically, the columns were just a way to *decorate the outside *courtyard of the *temple. Their size and beauty were impressive. But the columns also stood as a declaration about the *temple. They would remind people in the future why Solomon built this great *temple.

The names of the columns reminded the people about God. Jakin means ‘He (God) establishes’. That means, God establishes *Israel. In other words, God chose the people in *Israel to be his special people. And Boaz means ‘In him (God) there is strength’. In other words, the people in *Israel should receive their strength from God, not from armies or from wealth. God would keep the people strong in their beliefs. He would also give them the strength to do what he wanted them to do. We should remember these things when we go to give honour to God.

The great basin

v23 Huram made a round basin out of metal. It was 15 feet across, 7 and a half feet deep and 45 feet round. (One foot is about 30 centimetres.) v24 All round the edge there were two rows in the shape of gourds (a type of fruit). These were all part of the basin. There were 10 of these to each 18 inches (45 centimetres). v25 The basin rested on the backs of 12 *bulls that he made out of metal. The *bulls looked towards the outside. Three looked towards north, three south, three east and three west. v26 The basin was 3 inches (8 centimetres) thick. Its edge was like the edge of a cup, or, like the flower called the lily. The basin held about 11 000 gallons (44 000 litres) of water.

This was a very large basin, for water. The priests used it to wash themselves before they offered *sacrifices. A gourd was a fruit. Huram chose this shape to *decorate the metal basin. Everything in the *temple and its *courtyard would be beautiful.

The basin reminded people about this fact. They must be clean in order to come in front of God. And that would remind them that they also should be *holy.

The carts and the smaller basins

v27 Huram also made 10 carts out of bronze (a brown metal). Each was 6 feet long, 6 feet wide and about 4 and a half feet high. (One foot is about 30 centimetres.) v28 He made them out of square *panels that he fixed in *frames. v29 On the *panels were pictures of lions, *bulls and special *angels with wings. On the *frames above and below the lions and *bulls there were *spiral designs. v30 Each cart had 4 wheels and *rods which connected the wheels. He made these out of bronze. Each cart had a smaller basin on 4 supports which he *decorated with *spiral designs. v31 On the inside of the cart there was a round *frame. This was about one and a half feet deep. The *frame measured two and a quarter feet, including its base. It had *carvings round it. But the *panels were square; they were not round. v32 The wheels were under the *panels. He attached the *rods which connected the wheels to the cart. The wheels were two and a quarter feet high. v33 The wheels were like *chariot wheels. He made the *rods that connected the wheels out of metal. He made the edges of the wheels out of metal. He also made the *rods that connected the centre of the wheel to its edge. He made the centre part of the wheel. Both of these parts he again made out of metal.

v34 There were 4 handles at the bottom corners of each cart. v35 At the top of the cart there was a round band. This was about three quarters of a foot deep. He attached the supports and *panels to the top of each cart. v36 He *decorated the supports and *panels. He made pictures of *angels with wings, lions and palm trees (a tree with very big leaves). He placed the pictures wherever there was space on the supports and on the *panels. He made *spiral designs all round. v37 That is how he made the carts. They were all alike. They all had the same size and shape.

v38 Huram made 10 smaller basins. There was one for each cart. Each basin was 6 feet across and held about 230 gallons (880 litres). v39 He put 5 of the carts on the south side of the *temple. He put the other 5 on the north side. He put the great basin in the south-east corner of the *temple.

The ceremonies that happened at the *temple were very unlike the ceremonies in a modern church.

People would bring animals to offer as *sacrifices. They would hand over these animals to the priests. The priests would kill the animals at the entrance of the *temple.

Then the priests would prepare the *sacrifices. There were several different types of *sacrifice. The priests had to be careful to obey the right rules for the type of *sacrifice. The law permitted the priests to take some meat for their own use. And the priests would burn other parts of the animals as a gift to God. They would do this on the *altar in front of the *temple.

The priests would cut up the *sacrifices on these carts. They would be careful to obey all the rules in Leviticus Chapter s 1 to 7.

There were 10 carts (or stands), which Huram made out of bronze (a brown metal). On them, there were smaller basins that would be full of water. These basins contained a supply of water for the priests to use as they worked. They would wash everything constantly as they prepared the *sacrifices. The carts were on wheels so people could move them. Usually they stood in two rows in the *courtyard that surrounded the *temple. There were 5 on one side of the *courtyard and 5 on the other.

The small objects

v40 Huram also made the pots, spades and bowls.

So Huram finished all the work that King Solomon had ordered for the *temple of the *Lord.

Huram also made some small objects for the *temple. The priests would use the spades to remove the ashes from the *altar. They would place the ashes in the pots (Exodus 27:3). The bowls were for the blood of *sacrifices. The priests would scatter some blood during certain ceremonies.

A list of Huram’s work for the *temple

v41 Huram made the two columns and their two tops, which had the same shape as bowls. He also made the design of chains on each top. v42 He made the 400 *pomegranates in two rows on each column. These were round the design on each top. v43 He also made the 10 carts with their 10 basins. v44 He made the great basin and the 12 *bulls under it. v45 He also made the pots, spades and bowls.

Huram made all these objects for King Solomon for the *temple of the *Lord. He made them all out of bronze (a brown metal). v46 The king arranged for the workmen to shape the metal in the valley of the river Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan. They poured the hot metal into holes that they had dug in the ground. v47 Solomon did not weigh any of these objects because there were so many of them. Therefore, they never found out the weight of the bronze.

This was a good area in which to make things from metal. There was plenty of clay (sticky earth) that the workmen dug from the ground. The clay that remained would keep its shape during the process. The workmen heated the metal until it melted. Trees provided fuel for the fires. The north wind would provide a current of air to make the fires hot. The workmen would pour the hot metal into the ground. When the metal was cool again, the workmen would dig it out of the ground. And the metal would now have the right shape.

All these bronze (brown metal) objects were for the *courtyard outside the *temple building. In fact, these verses do not contain a complete list. The most important other object was the *altar. This was also bronze. It stood in front of the entrance to the *temple. Here, the priests would burn the *sacrifices.

These objects were bronze. This metal reminds us about the nature of people. Bronze is not a pure metal. It is a mixture of other metals. It is not a pure, perfect metal like gold or silver. And people are not perfect, because of their *sin. God provided these objects so that people could offer *sacrifices for their *sin. And therefore, they could have a relationship with him. These *sacrifices show God’s plan to free people from *sin. That happened by the death of Jesus, who was the perfect *sacrifice for *sin.

The objects inside the *temple itself would be gold. Gold is a pure metal. It is also very beautiful. It reminds us that God is perfect. God never *sins. He is *holy.

The furniture inside the *temple

v48 Solomon made all the furniture for the *Lord’s *temple. He made the *altar out of gold. He also made the table out of gold. This table was for the bread that the priests offered to God. v49 He also made the lamp holders out of gold. There were 5 on the right and 5 on the left in front of the most *holy place. There were the flowers, lamps and tongs (tools to pick up things) of gold. v50 There were dishes of gold. There were tools to put out lamps. And there were bowls. There were larger spoons to hold *incense and dishes to burn *incense. There were also gold *hinges for the doors of the most *holy place. There were also some *hinges for the outer doors of the *temple.

v51 So Solomon had finished all the work on the *temple. Then he placed in the *temple store-rooms everything that his father David had given to the *Lord. These included the silver, gold and all the furniture.

The *altar of gold was not the same as the bronze (brown metal) *altar that stood outside the building. Outside, the priests offered the *sacrifices for the people. But inside the *temple, the priests gave honour to God. So they offered no *sacrifices on the *altar of gold. Instead, they burned *incense on this *altar. So the *altar of gold was called the *altar of *incense.

Note that Solomon’s workmen made everything out of gold. This meant that the *temple was a place of great beauty and value. Solomon used gold because gold is a pure metal. The workmen would heat this gold in the hottest fires in order to remove any other substances.

This process teaches us how *holy God is. He is even more perfect than the purest gold. He is without any *sin whatever. And the nature of pure gold teaches us about God’s *glory (the splendid beauty and wonderful light of God’s perfect character).

Solomon did not choose himself what objects he would make for the *temple. He made objects like those that Moses had made for God’s sacred tent. And Moses had not chosen those objects himself. God directed Moses what to make (Exodus 35:10-19). So the design of the *temple and its furniture was God’s plan.

Verse 51 mentions David, Solomon’s father. David wanted to build this *temple, but God did not allow him. However, God gave David the plans for the *temple. And David himself was very generous. He gave much for the construction of the *temple (1 Chronicles 29:4). We usually call this building ‘Solomon’s *temple’. But in fact, Solomon was really just obeying his father’s orders.

So the people put the many objects that David gave into the store-rooms at the *temple. And then the *temple was complete. Solomon organised a special ceremony for the opening of the *temple (chapter 8).

cedar ~ a tall tree whose leaves are always green. Or, the wood from this tree. This wood has a sweet smell.
rectangular ~ a shape with four sides, two of which are longer than the other two.
frame ~ a border of wood in which people fix a door or part of a piece of furniture.
courtyard ~ an open space with walls or fences round it.
temple ~ the central place of worship that Solomon built in Jerusalem; or, a place where people worship a false god.
worship ~ to praise God and to give thanks to him; to show honour to God; to say that we love him very much. But some people worship false gods instead of the real God.
Israel ~ the country or nation of people who are descendants of Jacob; the northern part of that country after it divided.
descendants ~ people in your family who live after you.
cedar ~ a tall tree whose leaves are always green. Or, the wood from this tree. This wood has a sweet smell.
tribe ~ a group of people; a family or people that have the same ancestors; family from one man. Israel came from the 12 sons of Jacob. These 12 families formed the 12 tribes of Israel.
ancestor ~ any person from the past from whom the families of your father or mother have come.
Israel ~ the country or nation of people who are descendants of Jacob; the northern part of that country after it divided.
descendants ~ people in your family who live after you.
Israelite ~ someone who lives in Israel; or, a descendant of Jacob.
Israel ~ the country or nation of people who are descendants of Jacob; the northern part of that country after it divided.
descendants ~ people in your family who live after you.
decorate ~ to make something beautiful by means of a delicate or attractive design.
pomegranate ~ a large fruit with many seeds.
bull ~ the male animal that mates with a cow.
sacrifice ~ something valuable that people offered to a god.
holy ~ morally good; something people consider very important in their religion.
panel ~ wood that covers a door, wall or other structure. It is usually higher or lower than the area round it.
angel ~ a servant of God who is in heaven or who comes from heaven.
spiral ~ something that moves in a continuous curve round a central point.
rod ~ a thin straight piece of wood or metal.'carve/carving ~ people cut away material from wood or stone.
chariot ~ a cart with two wheels that soldiers used. Horses pulled it.
altar ~ a table on which people offer or burn gifts or sacrifices to a god.
sacrifice ~ something valuable that people offered to a god.
Lord ~ the name of God. It can translate either of two words in Hebrew, which is the original language of this book. The word ‘Yahweh’ is God’s most holy name, and means ‘God always’. The word ‘Adonai’ means ‘master’.'sin/sinful ~ an action that is wrong or wicked. It is against a religious or moral law.
religious ~ about religion.
incense ~ a substance that people use in religious celebrations. It has a pleasant smell.
religious ~ about religion.

celebrate/celebration ~ to praise a person and to give honour to that person. Or, to show great happiness at a special event.
hinge ~ a small piece of metal on which a door or gate turns as it opens.
glory ~ fame and honour.