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Solomon's Palace
This passage lists parts of Solomon’s palace complex with measured details. It focuses on buildings, materials and layout, showing a royal set of structures made with cedar and costly stone.
Understanding the passage
Understanding this record
These verses turn to Solomon’s own house-building and name several connected structures. The passage describes the House of the Forest of Lebanon, a hall of pillars, a porch of judgment, Solomon’s dwelling, a house for Pharaoh’s daughter, and the great court around them.
1 Kings 7:1–12Main takeaway
This passage describes Solomon’s palace complex as carefully measured and built with cedar, cut stone and distinct spaces.
Explore the record
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01Thirteen years to finishThe passage opens by saying Solomon built his own house for thirteen years and finished all his house.
Explanation
The passage opens by saying Solomon built his own house for thirteen years and finished all his house. The verse gives a time span and stresses completion. It introduces the palace section by pointing directly to Solomon’s own building work.
02The House of the Forest of LebanonThis building receives the longest description. Its length, width and height are given, and cedar appears again and again in pillars, beams and covering.
Explanation
This building receives the longest description. Its length, width and height are given, and cedar appears again and again in pillars, beams and covering. The text also notes rows of beams and windows facing windows in three ranks, showing an ordered arrangement.
03Halls, porch and purposeNext come the hall of pillars and the porch of the throne, also called the porch of judgment.
Explanation
Next come the hall of pillars and the porch of the throne, also called the porch of judgment. The passage explains its purpose by saying it was where Solomon was to judge. Cedar is still prominent, since this porch was covered with cedar from floor to floor.
04Dwelling spaces and the great courtSolomon’s dwelling stood in another court within the porch and used the same construction.
Explanation
Solomon’s dwelling stood in another court within the porch and used the same construction. A similar house was made for Pharaoh’s daughter. The closing verses stress costly, measured stones and cedar wood. The great court around had three courses of cut stone and one course of cedar beams, like the inner court of Yahweh’s house and the porch of the house.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01Which repeated details show careful planning in these buildings?
Find the measurements, the rows and ranks, and the phrases about stone cut according to measure.
02What parts of the complex are named with a special use?
Notice which structures are simply described and which one is said to be the place where Solomon was to judge.
03What exactly is compared with Yahweh’s house in verse 12?
Read the sentence closely and identify the great court’s pattern of three courses of cut stone and one course of cedar beams.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
1 Kings 7:1–12
1Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.
2For he built the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was one hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars.
3It was covered with cedar above over the forty-five beams that were on the pillars, fifteen in a row.
4There were beams in three rows, and window was facing window in three ranks.
5All the doors and posts were made square with beams; and window was facing window in three ranks.
6He 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.
7He 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.
8His 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.
9All 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.
10The foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits.
11Above were costly stones, even cut stone, according to measure, and cedar wood.
12The great court around had three courses of cut stone with a course of cedar beams, like the inner court of Yahweh’s house and the porch of the house.