This chapter is clearly dated – 480 years after the children of Israel had left Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, and we are even told the month – Ziv, the second month (v1), Solomon began the building of the house of the LORD. It is thought that Solomon’s reigned from 971BC to 913BC and the temple was begun in 967BC. On those dates, we can work out that the exodus took place in 1447BC.
1 Chronicles 28:11,12 tells us that the work was carefully planned by David, Solomon’s father, before Solomon became king. David had given Solomon the plans as instructed by the Spirit of God – its vestibule, houses, treasuries, upper chambers, inner chambers, the place for the mercy seat, the courts, and place for the dedicated things.
The house of the LORD (v1-6) was 60 cubits long, 20 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. There was a vestibule 20 cubits long across the width of the house and extended 10 cubits from the front. A cubit was roughly 18 inches (from fingertip to the elbow). It was the same dimensions as the tabernacle but twice as big. We are not told here where it was built but in 2 Chronicles 3:1 we are told it was on Mount Moriah, the same place where Abraham had been told to sacrifice Isaac, and where Jesus would be crucified nearly a thousand years later.
The windows had bevelled frames. Side chambers were built against the walls all around, the lowest chamber 5 cubits wide, the middles chamber 6 cubits and the third 7 cubits. He built narrow ledges around the outside of the temple so that the support beams would not be fastened to the walls of the temple. These chambers seemed to be side rooms, three stories, but not attached to the temple.
The stone for the temple was finished at the quarry. No hammer, chisel or any iron tool was used in the temple during building (v7). This was so important that it is repeated (v10).
The doorway for the middle story was on the right side of the temple and there were stairs to each storey (v8).
Solomon built the temple and completed it. The roof was panelled with beams and boarding of cedar (v9) and the side rooms along the temple, each 5 cubits high and attached by cedar beams (v10). Only the finest materials were used. Only the best for God.
Then the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying: “Concerning this temple which you are building, if you walk in My statutes, execute My judgments, keep all My commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform My word with you, which I spoke to your father David. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people, Israel.” (V11-13)
God’s promise to Solomon and his descendants was conditional on their obedience just as they were before. God had not changed.
In verses 14-38 we have the outline of the finished temple (v14). The inside walls were built with cedar boards, panelled from floor to ceiling, the floor covered with cypress (juniper) planks (v15). As it was in the tabernacle, the Most Holy Place was partitioned off within the temple at the rear twenty cubits with cedar boards from floor to ceiling (v16). Thus, the main hall was forty cubits long (v17) and was cedar carved with gourds and open flowers, no stone was to be seen (v18).
The inner sanctuary, which was 20 x 20 x 20 cubits, was overlaid with pure gold as was the altar of cedar, was set to contain the ark of the covenant (v19,20). The inside of the temple was overlaid with pure gold and there were gold chains across the veil which separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (v21). The latter, of course, was inaccessible to the everyone except the high priest once a year. The whole temple was overlaid with gold, also the entire altar by the inner sanctuary(v22). Inside the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each 10 cubits high (v23), their two wings were each 5 cubits high, 10 cubits from tip to tip (v23-26). The cherubim were set in the inner room each wing touching a wall and touching each other in the middle of the room and they were overlaid with gold (v27,28).
All the walls of the temple both inner and outer sanctuaries were carved with figures, palm trees and open flowers and the whole floor was overlaid with gold (v29,30). The doors at the entrance of the inner sanctuary were made of olive wood similarly carved and overlaid with gold which was also spread on the cherubim and palm trees. The doorposts were olive wood, and the two doors of the sanctuary were cypress wood with similar carvings and overlaid with gold. Two lots of folding doors with two panels similarly carved and overlaid with gold (v31-35).
The inner court was built with hewn stone and a row of cedar beams (v36).
The building took seven years to complete (v37,38). In the fourth year and the month of Ziv the foundations were laid and in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul (the eighth month) the whole house was finished according to the plans.
