1 Kings 7

Solomon's house

Solomon built a house for himself. It took 13 years to build his house.
[1] But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.


He used wood from Lebanon in his house. The length of the house was 100 cubits (150 feet). The width was 50 cubits (75 feet). The height was 30 cubits (45 feet). The house was supported with 4 rows of cedar logs.  There were 15 pillars in a row. There were 45 cedar beams.
[2] He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.
[3] And it was covered with cedar above upon the beams, that lay on forty five pillars, fifteen in a row.
 

There were windows on each side of the house. Three rows of windows faced each other.  The doors and doorposts were square.
[4] And there were windows in three rows, and light was against light in three ranks.
[5] And all the doors and posts were square, with the windows: and light was against light in three ranks.
 

There was a porch in front with 4 rows of pillars. The porch was 50 cubits (75 feet) long and 30 cubits (45 feet) wide.
[6] And he made a porch of pillars; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits: and the porch was before them: and the other pillars and the thick beam were before them.


There was a porch for Solomon's throne. He would sit on the porch and judge the Israelites' problems. The porch was covered with cedar.
[7] Then he made a porch for the throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other.


Solomon lived in a room near his throne area. The 2 areas looked the same. He also made the same kind of house for his wife. His wife was Pharaoh's daughter.
[8] And his house where he dwelt had another court within the porch, which was of the like work. Solomon made also an house for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken to wife, like unto this porch.


 

Solomon used much stone in his house. The stone was valuable ( possibly marble). The stones were cut and polished on all sides. The stones were used from the foundation in the ground up to the roof.  The foundation stones were big. Some were about 10 cubits (15 feet) and some were 8 cubits (12 feet).
[9] All these were of costly stones, according to the measures of hewed stones, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside toward the great court.
[10] And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.





There were other cut stones and cedar wood beams on top of the big stones.
[11] And above were costly stones, after the measures of hewed stones, and cedars.


There was a large yard around the house. The wall around the yard was 3 rows of cut stones and a row of cedar wood beams. The wall was the same as the wall around the temple's inner court and the porch of Solomon's house.
[12] And the great court round about was with three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of the LORD, and for the porch of the house.

 

 The 2 pillars of the temple.


Solomon asked a man named Hiram to come to Jerusalem (note:  this is not the same man as King Hiram).  Hiram lived in Tyre, but his mother was an Israelite. She was from the tribe of Naphtali. Hiram's father was from Tyre. Hiram and his father were very skilled with brass work. Hiram came to make brass objects for the temple.
[13] And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre.
[14] He was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.


Hiram made 2 brass pillars (large columns or poles). The pillars were 18 cubits (27 feet) tall and 12 cubits (6 feet) round.
[15] For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about.

Hiram made 2 brass chapiters (top part of the pillars). He set the chapiters on top of the pillars. Both chapiters were 5 cubits (7 1/2 tall).
[16] And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits:


The chapiters had brass chains on them. There were 7 brass chains on each one.
[17] And nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter.

 

Hiram made brass pomegranates on the chapiters. He also shaped them like lilies. The lily shapes were the same as the lilies in the temple. The lilies measured 4 cubits (6 feet).
[18] And he made the pillars, and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the chapiters that were upon the top, with pomegranates: and so did he for the other chapiter.
[19] And the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits.


The pomegranates were by the brass chains. There were 200 pomegranates on each chapiter.
[20] And the chapiters upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above, over against the belly which was by the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the other chapiter.


 

The pillars were on each side of the door. They were named Boaz and Jachin. Model of Solomon's Temple by Dr. Albert S. Maurer and Jonathan R. Caforio. SolomonsTemple.com

There were 2 pillars (thick poles) in front of the temple. The pillar on the right side was named Jachin.  The pillar on the left side was named Boaz.
[21] And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and he called the name thereof Boaz.


The tops of the pillars looked like lilies.
[22] And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished.

 

The large brass bowl -- also called the molten sea.
 

From Wikipedia

Hiram made a very big brass bowl. They called it a sea. It was 20 cubits wide (15 feet). It was 5 cubits (7 1/2 feet) deep. It was 30 cubits (45 feet)  around.
[23] And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.


At the top, there were 2 rows of flower buds. There were 10 flower buds in each cubit (18 inches).
[24] And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast.


The sea sat on 12 brass oxen. The oxen faced out. 3 of the oxen faced north, 3 of the oxen faced west, 3 looked south, and 3 looked east.
[25] 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 above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.


The brass sea was as thick as the width of a hand.  The top was like the top of a cup. There were brass lilies on the top. It held the water of 2,000 baths (about 11,000 gallons).
[26] And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths.

 

The lavers (small bowls) and the bases under them.
 

Hiram made 10 brass bases (squares or boxes to set the smaller bowls on).  The bases were 4 cubits by 4 cubits (6 feet by 6 feet). They were 3 cubits (4 ½ feet) high. 
[27] And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it.
 

The bases were decorated. They had brass plates and brass bars around them.  The plates had engravings (pictures) of lions, oxen, and cherubim.
[28] And the work of the bases was on this manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges:
[29] And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work.
 

Each base had 4 brass wheels. The top part of the base was to support the laver (bowl). There was a square part on it. The square part was decorated with engravings (pictures). The square part was 1 ½ cubits (about 27 inches) high.
[30] And every base had four brasen wheels, and plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had undersetters: under the laver were undersetters molten, at the side of every addition.
[31] And the mouth of it within the chapiter and above was a cubit: but the mouth thereof was round after the work of the base, a cubit and an half: and also upon the mouth of it were gravings with their borders, foursquare, not round.


The base had 4 wheels. The wheels were 1 ½ cubits (about 27 inches) high. The axles of the wheels (round pipe between the wheels) were attached to the base.
[32] And under the borders were four wheels; and the axletrees of the wheels were joined to the base: and the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half a cubit.


The wheels looked like chariot wheels. All parts of the wheels and the axles were brass.
[33] And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel: their axletrees, and their naves, and their felloes, and their spokes, were all molten.


The base had 4 supports. There was a support for each corner.
[34] And there were four undersetters to the four corners of one base: and the undersetters were of the very base itself.
 

Hiram engraved cherubims, lions, and palm trees around the tops of the bases.
[35] And in the top of the base was there a round compass of half a cubit high: and on the top of the base the ledges thereof and the borders thereof were of the same.
[36] For on the plates of the ledges thereof, and on the borders thereof, he graved cherubims, lions, and palm trees, according to the proportion of every one, and additions round about.


Hiram made 10 bases. They were all the same. They were made with the same mould. They were all the same size.
[37] After this manner he made the ten bases: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one size.


Then Hiram made the 10 lavers (bowls).  Each laver could hold 40 baths (about 240 gallons).  The lavers were about 6 feet across. A laver sat on each base.
[38] Then made he ten lavers of brass: one laver contained forty baths: and every laver was four cubits: and upon every one of the ten bases one laver.
 

Hiram put 5 bases and lavers on the right side of the temple. He put 5 bases and lavers on the left side.  He put the molten sea (very big bowl) in the southeast corner.
[39] And he put five bases on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward over against the south.

 

Brass and gold items in the temple.


Hiram finished making all of the brass items.  Here is a list of what he made:

Brass pots, shovels, and bowls.
[40] And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basons. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made king Solomon for the house of the LORD:
[41] The two pillars, and the two bowls of the chapiters that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two networks, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars;
[42] And four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, even two rows of pomegranates for one network, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters that were upon the pillars;
[43] And the ten bases, and ten lavers on the bases;
[44] And one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea;
[45] And the pots, and the shovels, and the basons: and all these vessels, which Hiram made to king Solomon for the house of the LORD, were of bright brass.



Solomon had the brass items made in the area of the places named Succoth and Zarthan.  They used molds in the clay ground to make them. There were many brass items so Solomon didn't have them all weighed.
[46] In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan.
[47] And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many: neither was the weight of the brass found out.
 

Solomon had the gold items made to use in the temple.  The altar was gold. The table for the showbread was gold. 
[48] And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was,


The candlesticks were gold. There were 5 candlesticks on each side.
[49] And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold,


Other items in the temple were made with pure gold:
Bowls
Snuffers--used to put the candles out
Basins (bowls)
Spoons
Censers--used to carry fire
Hinges on the doors--the doors inside the temple, the doors in the most holy place, and the      doors from the outside
[50] And the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple.

 

All of the work on the temple was finished.  When David was king, he saved some valuable things to put in the temple. Now Solomon brought those items into the temple.
[51] So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the LORD.
 

[1] Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.
[2] And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.


The Israelite leaders came to Jerusalem. Then the priests carried the Ark. The Levites helped and carried the tent of the tabernacle and all of the holy items in the tabernacle.
[3] And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.
[4] And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up.


King Solomon and the other Israelites walked in front of the Ark.  They sacrificed sheep and oxen on the way.  They sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that they couldn't count them all.
[5] And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.

 

The priests carried the Ark into the temple. Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, Folio 29r. Illustrated by the Limbourg brothers, Paul, Hermann and Jean in the 1400's. From About.com--Medieval History

The priests carried the Ark into the most holy place. They set it under the wings of the cherubims. The cherubims' wings covered the ark and the poles used to carry the Ark.
[6] And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims.
[7] For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.


The poles were long. They could see the ends of the poles in the room in front of the most holy place. But they couldn't see the poles from outside. When this book of the Bible was written, the poles were still there.
[8] And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day.

 

The only things in the Ark were the 2 stone tables with the Ten Commandments. God gave the tablets to Moses when the Israelites were at the place named Horeb.
[9] There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.


After the priests came out of the most holy place, there was a big cloud. The cloud filled up the temple. The cloud was God's glory. It was very bright, and the priests had to leave the temple. [10] And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
[11] So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.


 

Solomon dedicates the temple.


Solomon began to talk. He said that God said He would live in a dark cloud. Now he has built a house for God to live in.
[12] Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in thick darkness.
[13] I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.


All of the Israelites were there. Solomon turned and talked to them. He blessed them. 
[14] And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood;)


He said God was blessed. God told David that Solomon would build a temple. Now God has kept His promise.
[15] And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying,


Solomon told what God said about the temple. God said that since the time that He brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He did not choose a city for His home.  But He chose David to lead the Israelites.
[16] Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.


God said that David wanted to build a house for Him.  God said it was good that David wanted to build a house for Him, but God did not want David to build one. God told David that his son would build Him a house.
[17] And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
[18] And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.
[19] Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.

Now, David's son has finished the temple. God kept His promise.  David's son is now king of Israel, and he has built a house for God.
[20] And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.


Solomon brought the Ark to the temple. The Ark holds God's covenant (promise) to Israel. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, God promised that they would be special to Him.
[21] And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.


Solomon stood in front of the altar with the Israelites around him. He raised his hands toward heaven.  He praised God. He said there is no god like the God of Israel.  No other gods in heaven or earth keep their promises and have mercy. God shows mercy to the people who obey Him.
[22] And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:
[23] And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:


God made His promise to David with His mouth. He has kept His promise with His hand.
[24] Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.


God promised David that if his children, grandchildren, and descendants obeyed Him, his family would always be king of Israel. Solomon prayed that God would continue to keep His promise. 
[25] Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me.
[26] And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.
 

Solomon said that God is bigger than heaven and heaven's heaven. Solomon was amazed that God would be on earth and come to the temple. Solomon asked God to hear his prayers today and always. He prayed that God would watch over the temple day and night. He prayed for God to answer his prayers when he prayed facing toward the temple.
[27] But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
[28] Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:
[29] That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.
 

Solomon asked God to answer the Israelites' prayers when they prayed facing the temple.  He asked for God to forgive the Israelites for their sins.[30] And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive.


Solomon describes a situation in the future. The situation is that one man accuses another man of a sin. The accused man comes to the temple for judgment.  The accused man says he is innocent. He says he did not sin. Solomon prays that God will judge who is right and who is wrong. Solomon prays that God will punish the man who is wrong.
[31] If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house:
[32] Then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.


Solomon describes another situation in the future. This situation is that the Israelites have sinned.  They did not obey God's laws. An army from another place comes and defeats them in a war.  Then the Israelites pray to God. They admit that they sinned. They pray to God and ask Him to help them. Solomon prays that God will hear them and forgive their sins. He prays that God will bring them back to Israel.
[33] When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house:
[34] Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.


In the future, there may be a drought (a long time with no rain). There will be no rain because the Israelites sinned.  Then the Israelites may look toward the temple and pray. They will say that God is Lord. They will stop sinning. Solomon prays that God will hear them and forgive them. He asks God to show them how to obey His laws.  He asks God to make it rain on Israel.  
[35] When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them:
[36] Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.


In the future, there may be a time with little food, many bugs, plant diseases, a lot of mildew, and a lot of locusts and caterpillars eating plants.  The Israelites' enemies may come and attack them.  Many Israelites may be sick.  One man or all of the Israelites may pray for help.  Each person knows the sins in his own heart.  He will open his hands toward the temple.  Solomon prays that God will hear the prayers and forgive them.  God knows what is in each person's heart. God will know if he is sincere and truthful. Solomon prays that God will help each person equal to his good actions. The Israelites will respect and worship God and continue to live in Israel.
[37] If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be;
[38] What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house:
[39] Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)
[40] That they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
 

In the future, strangers from far away will hear about God. They will hear how God helps the Israelites. They will travel to Israel.  The strangers will pray and open their arms toward the temple.  Solomon asks God to hear their prayers and do what they ask for.  Then all of the people all over the world will learn about God.  They will know that the temple is God's house. They will know that Solomon built the temple in God's name.
[41] Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name's sake;
[42] (For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house;
[43] Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded, is called by thy name.

In the future, God may send the Israelites to fight a war. The Israelites may look toward Jerusalem and the temple and pray. Solomon prays that God will hear their prayers and help them.
[44] If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto the LORD toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for thy name:
[45] Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.


In the future, the Israelites may sin because all people sin. God will be angry with them. God may allow people from another country to come and take them far away. After they are far away, they may think about their sins. They will be sorry they sinned. They will face toward Jerusalem and the temple and pray to God. They will tell Him that they sinned. They will start to obey God again. Solomon asks God to hear their prayers and help them.  Solomon prays that God will forgive them and make the people who took them away treat them well.
[46] If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;
[47] Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;
[48] And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:
[49] Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,
[50] And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:


The Israelites are God's special people. God chose the Israelites to be His people. God helped Moses bring the Israelites out of Egypt because they had hard lives in Egypt. Solomon prays that God will hear the Israelites' prayers and help them.
[51] For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron:
[52] That thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee.
[53] For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.


Solomon prayed in front of the altar of God. He was on his knees with his hands open to heaven. When he finished praying, he stood up. He talked to the Israelites.  He blessed the Israelites.
[54] And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
[55] And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying,


Solomon said that God was blessed. God helped the Israelites to rest. God kept the promise He made to Moses.
[56] Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.


Solomon said that God is with the Israelites now the same as He was with their fathers. Solomon prays that God will not leave or stop helping the Israelites. Solomon prays that God will help the Israelites to follow Him and obey the laws He gave their fathers.
[57] The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us:
[58] That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.


Solomon prays that God will remember his prayers day and night. He prays that God will continue to help the Israelites. Then everyone on earth will know that God is the Lord. There are no other gods. Solomon tells the Israelites they should continue to love God and obey His rules the same as they are doing today.
[59] And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require:
[60] That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else.
[61] Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.


The king and all of the Israelites offered sacrifices to God.
[62] And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD.


Solomon offered a peace offering to God.  He sacrificed 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. The king and the Israelites dedicated the temple to God.
[63] And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.


Solomon made the courtyard a holy place. That is where he made his burnt offerings, meat offerings, and peace offerings. The brass altar inside the temple was too small for all of Solomon's offerings.
[64] The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the brasen altar that was before the LORD was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.


The special temple dedication lasted 7 days. Then for 7 more days, Solomon and all of the Israelites had a big feast (dinner and celebration).  There were Israelites there from many different parts of Israel.  Some were from near Egypt, and others were from the area of Hamath in the north.
[65] And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days.


On the 8th day, Solomon sent everyone home. The people blessed Solomon and went home happy. They were happy for the good things that God did for David and His Israelite people.
[66] On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people.
 

1 Kings 9
 

God warns Solomon.


Solomon finished building God's house, his own house, and everything else he wanted to build. Then God came to talk to Solomon.  This was like the time back in 1 Kings 3 when God talked to Solomon in the place named Gibeon.
[1] And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do,
[2] That the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.


God said that He heard Solomon's prayers. He has made the temple holy.  God's name will be on the temple forever.  God will watch over and love the temple from now on.
[3] And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
 

God said that if Solomon obeys Him, there will always be someone from his family as king.  God said that Solomon's father, David, obeyed His laws and was a good and honest man. God promised David that someone from his family would always be king.
[4] And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:
[5] Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.


But if Solomon or his descendants turn away from God -- if they do not obey His laws and they start to worship other gods, then God will put the Israelites out of Israel. God will not even look at the temple.  Other groups of people will talk badly about the Israelites.
[6] But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
[7] Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:


The temple will not be holy and beautiful anymore. Everyone who passes the temple will ask what happened. They will ask why God let bad things happen to the Israelites.  They will ask why the temple is not a holy place anymore. It will be because the Israelites did not obey God's laws.  God brought them out of Egypt, but then the Israelites started worshiping false gods.
[8] And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?
[9] And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil.


At the end of 20 years, Solomon had finished 2 houses:  God's house (the temple) and the king's house.
[10] And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD, and the king's house,
 

The king of the area of Tyre was named Hiram. Hiram had given Solomon cedar trees, fir trees, and gold to use to build the temple. Now Solomon gave Hiram 20 cities in the area of Galilee.
[11] (Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire,) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
 

Hiram went to see the cities. He didn't like them.  He asked Solomon about them. Hiram called the area Cabul. Cabul means "no good" or "worthless".
[12] And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not.
[13] And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this day.


Hiram sent Solomon about 5 tons of gold to pay his taxes. Solomon used tax money to pay for the building projects.  Solomon's building projects were:
The temple--God's house
His house--where Solomon lived
Millo--people who study the Bible are not sure what Millo was. Some people say it was a city, and others say it was a fort, walls, steps, or filled-in area.
The wall around Jerusalem

Beth-horon--there were 2 cities named Beth-horon. This one was Beth-horon, the nether, or the lower one.
Baalath--a town in the tribe of Dan's land.
Tadmor --a city in the land that is now the land of Syria.
[14] And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold.
[15] And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the LORD, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.
[16] For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon's wife.
[17] And Solomon built Gezer, and Beth-horon the nether,
[18] and Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land,


Solomon also built cities to keep his supplies.  He built cities to keep his chariots in. He built cities for his soldiers who rode horses. He built places in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and the other places that he ruled.
[19] And all the cities of store that Solomon had, and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
 

There were some people in Israel who were not Israelites. They were people from the groups:  the Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. They became slaves for Solomon.
[20] And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which were not of the children of Israel,
[21] Their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bondservice unto this day.


Solomon did not make any of the Israelites his slaves.  The Israelites were soldiers, workers, princes, army leaders, chariot soldiers, and soldiers who rode horses.
[22] But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen: but they were men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots, and his horsemen.


550 men were supervisors who were in charge of the workers.
[23] These were the chief of the officers that were over Solomon's work, five hundred and fifty, which bare rule over the people that wrought in the work.

 

Solomon's wife moves into her new house. Picture from Wikipedia.com

One of Solomon's wives was Pharaoh's daughter. She was first living in Jerusalem. Then David built a house for her in a different area. When her house was finished, she moved there. Then Solomon built Millo.
[24] But Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the city of David unto her house which Solomon had built for her: then did he build Millo.


Solomon made burnt offerings and peace offerings to God 3 times a year. He made the offerings on the big altar outside. He also made offerings of incense on the altar inside the temple.
[25] And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the LORD, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the house.

 

Solomon's navy

King Solomon had a navy in the place named Ezion-geber. Ezion-geber is by Eloth on the Red Sea. This is in Edom's land.
[26] And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom.