Solomon's Palace and Structural Works
1 Kings 7:1-12
1 K.7.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואת: CONJ
- ביתו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUFF,3,f,sg
- שלמה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- שלש: NUM,card,f,sg
- עשרה: NUM,card,m,pl
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- ביתו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Kgs 6:38 (structural): Gives the completion date for the temple (seven years); juxtaposes the temple’s seven-year building period with Solomon’s own house taking thirteen years (1 Kgs 7:1), highlighting the combined timeline of Solomon’s building projects.
- 1 Kgs 9:1-2 (verbal): Uses near-identical language about Solomon having “finished the building of the house of the LORD, and his own house,” linking the completion of both the temple and the king’s palace and recounting God’s subsequent appearance to Solomon.
- 2 Chr 8:1 (structural): Chronicle summary that at the end of twenty years Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own house, effectively summing the seven years for the temple and thirteen years for the king’s house (1 Kgs 6:38; 7:1).
- 2 Chr 2:1 (thematic): States Solomon’s decision to build both the house of the LORD and a house for his kingdom, thematically paralleling 1 Kgs 7:1’s report of Solomon’s palace construction as part of his larger building program.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Solomon built his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.
- As for his own house, Solomon built it thirteen years; he finished all his house.
1 K.7.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הלבנון: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מאה: NUM,f,sg,abs
- אמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ארכו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- וחמשים: CONJ+NUM,card,pl,m
- אמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רחבו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUFF,3,m,sg
- ושלשים: NUM,m,pl,abs
- אמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- קומתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs,3ms-suff
- על: PREP
- ארבעה: NUM,card,m,sg
- טורי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- עמודי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ארזים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וכרתות: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ארזים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- העמודים: NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- 2 Chr.4.2 (quotation): Virtually the same description of the 'House of the Forest of Lebanon'—gives identical measurements (100 x 50 x 30 cubits) and the four rows of cedar pillars and beams.
- 1 Kgs.6.2 (structural): Gives the temple's dimensions (60 x 20 x 30 cubits); shares the 30-cubit height and provides a structural contrast between the temple and the larger Hall of the Forest of Lebanon.
- 1 Kgs.6.15-22 (verbal): Describes interior construction with cedar, carved work and pillars/beams—parallels in the use of Lebanon cedar and the architectural/ornamental treatment of columns and beams.
- 2 Chr.2.16 (thematic): Records Hiram's supply of cedar and cypress from Lebanon for Solomon's building projects—thematic parallel about sourcing and use of Lebanon cedar for royal/temple construction.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he built the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon—one hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high; within it were four rows of cedar pillars and cedar beams upon the pillars.
- He built the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon: its length one hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. It stood on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar lintels upon the pillars.
1 K.7.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וספן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בארז: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ממעל: ADV
- על: PREP
- הצלעת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- על: PREP
- העמודים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ארבעים: NUM,m,pl
- וחמשה: CONJ+NUM,m,pl
- חמשה: NUM,m,pl
- עשר: NUM,card,m,sg,cons
- הטור: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- 1 Kings 7:2 (verbal): Immediate context describing Solomon’s construction of the House of the Forest of Lebanon with cedar pillars and related architectural work — directly connected to the same building project and materials mentioned in v.3.
- 1 Kings 6:5-6 (structural): Description of the temple’s side chambers built against the walls in successive stories; parallels the motif of side rooms/‘ribs’ (הצלעת) and their relation to the columns (העמודים).
- 2 Chronicles 3:4-6 (verbal): Chronicles’ retelling of Solomon’s building activity that repeats details about foundations, pillars and the side rooms, providing a parallel account of the same architectural features.
- 1 Kings 7:7 (structural): Continues the architectural description (porch, the two pillars, capitals and ornamentation) and links verbally and thematically to the columns and structural elements referenced in v.3.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he overlaid it with cedar above on the beams that were on the pillars—forty-five beams in a row.
- He overlaid it with cedar above upon the beams that were on the pillars—five in a row, five in a row.
1 K.7.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ושקפים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שלשה: NUM,m
- טורים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ומחזה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- מחזה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שלש: NUM,card,f,sg
- פעמים: NOUN,m,du,abs
Parallels
- 1 Kings 7:5 (structural): Immediate continuation/parallel in the same description of Solomon’s house: repeats the detail of three tiers of windows and the threefold latticework between the frames.
- 1 Kings 6:4 (structural): Description of the temple’s windows (also arranged in tiers/narrow lights); parallels the architectural motif of tiered windows in Solomon’s constructions.
- 2 Chronicles 3:5 (verbal): Chronicles’ account of Solomon’s temple repeats the temple’s architectural details (including windows) and often echoes the language and arrangement found in Kings.
- Ezekiel 41:8 (thematic): Ezekiel’s description of the inner sanctuary mentions narrow windows round about—themewise similar to the specialized, tiered windows of earlier temple/palace architecture.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the windows were in three tiers, with window opposite window in three ranks.
- He made windows in three tiers; window opposite window in three rows.
1 K.7.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- הפתחים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- והמזוזות: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- רבעים: NUM,ord,pl
- שקף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומול: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מחזה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- מחזה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שלש: NUM,card,f,sg
- פעמים: NOUN,m,du,abs
Parallels
- 1 Kings 7:4 (verbal): Describes the same building project (Solomon's palace) and uses comparable architectural language about windows, frames, and the workmanship of openings and jambs—close verbal/technical parallel within the same passage.
- 1 Kings 6:33–34 (structural): Earlier description of doors and doorposts in the temple construction; parallels in subject matter and in technical terms for door-frames and workmanship.
- 2 Chronicles 3:10–11 (thematic): Chronicles' account of the temple mirrors Kings' architectural details (doors, posts, inner chambers), offering a parallel retelling of similar construction features.
- 2 Chronicles 4:11–12 (verbal): Describes the making of doors (two leaves, carved and overlaid) in terms closely related to the Kings account of door construction and ornamentation—another direct parallel in the Deuteronomistic/Chronicle tradition.
- Exodus 26:26–30 (thematic): Tabernacle construction instructions about boards, posts and sockets provide an earlier Israelite technical vocabulary for temple doorways and jambs; thematically parallels the use of posts and framed openings in sacred architecture.
Alternative generated candidates
- All the entrances and their doorframes were square—windows facing windows in three tiers.
- All the doorways and doorframes were square, with jambs and lintels; window opposite window in three tiers.
1 K.7.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואת: CONJ
- אולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- העמודים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חמשים: NUM,card,pl
- אמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ארכו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ושלשים: NUM,m,pl,abs
- אמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רחבו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUFF,3,m,sg
- ואולם: CONJ
- על: PREP
- פניהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ועמדים: VERB,qal,ptc,0,m,pl
- ועב: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- פניהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- 1Kgs.7.2 (structural): Describes the 'house of the forest of Lebanon' with dimensions and courts in the same sequence of Solomon's building projects; echoes the use of large halls and measurement motifs (50 by 30 cubits appears in the chapter's architectural program).
- 1Kgs.7.15-22 (verbal): Immediate parallel within the same chapter describing the two free-standing pillars (Jachin and Boaz) and the porch; connects the mention of 'pillars and porches' in v.6 with the detailed account of those pillars later in the chapter.
- 2Chr.3:4-7 (structural): Chronicles' account of Solomon's temple and its porch/hall gives comparable architectural details (porch, halls, and supporting elements), providing a parallel temple-plan tradition to the Kings description.
- 2Chr.3:15-17 (quotation): Chronicles repeats the setting up of the pillars before the temple and names them (Jachin and Boaz), paralleling Kings' description of pillars and the porch and often functioning as a near-verbatim parallel to the Kings account.
Alternative generated candidates
- The hall of the pillars was fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide; a porch stood before them, projecting in front.
- He made the Hall of the Pillars fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide. The hall stood before the pillars, with a porch facing them and panelling upon their faces.
1 K.7.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואולם: CONJ
- הכסא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- ישפט: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- אלם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המשפט: NOUN,m,sg,def
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וספון: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בארז: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מהקרקע: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- עד: PREP
- הקרקע: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- 1 Kings 10:18-20 (verbal): Describes Solomon’s great throne made of ivory (and overlaid with precious material) and its rounded back — closely echoes the material and shape language of 1 Kgs 7:7.
- 2 Chronicles 9:17-19 (verbal): Parallel retelling of Solomon’s ivory throne (overlaid with gold) and its steps/rounded back; another direct literary parallel to the throne description.
- 1 Kings 6:9-10 (thematic): Describes the temple’s interior being lined/overlaid with cedar 'from floor to ceiling,' echoing the expression ספון בארז מהקרקע עד־הקרקע used for the throne’s cedar covering.
- 1 Kings 7:8 (structural): Immediate context/continuation in the same chapter that explicitly locates the king’s judgment-seat and reiterates its cedar construction — an internal parallel within the chapter.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he made the hall of the throne where he judged; it was overlaid with cedar from the floor to the ceiling.
- He also made the Hall of Judgment, where he sat to judge; it was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling.
1 K.7.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וביתו: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs,prsfx:3,m
- אשר: PRON,rel
- ישב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- חצר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- האחרת: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- מבית: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאולם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כמעשה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ובית: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,cs
- יעשה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- לבת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cons
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לקח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שלמה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- כאולם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
Parallels
- 1 Kgs 7:7 (verbal): Very close verbal parallel within the same chapter: mentions the king's house beside the hall and that Solomon made a house for Pharaoh’s daughter like the hall/porch.
- 2 Chr 8:11 (quotation): Parallel retelling in Chronicles: states Pharaoh’s daughter was brought to the house Solomon had built for her, echoing the same detail about a separate dwelling for her.
- 1 Kgs 9:16-17 (thematic): Describes Solomon’s building projects and explicitly notes cities and houses provided for his wives (including material about Pharaoh’s daughter), connecting to the establishment of a distinct house for her.
- 1 Kgs 11:1-3 (thematic): Summarizes Solomon’s marriages to many foreign women (including Pharaoh’s daughter) and the related domestic/political consequences, thematically linked to the separate dwelling mentioned in 7:8.
Alternative generated candidates
- And his house where he dwelt was beside the hall, toward the court; likewise he made a house for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom Solomon had taken, like the hall.
- The house in which he dwelt was beside the inner court of the house and had the same workmanship. He made a house like this for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom Solomon had taken as wife.
1 K.7.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כל: DET
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- אבנים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יקרת: ADJ,f,pl,abs
- כמדת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cs
- גזית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מגררות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- במגרה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מבית: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומחוץ: CONJ+PREP
- וממסד: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- הטפחות: ART+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ומחוץ: CONJ+PREP
- עד: PREP
- החצר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הגדולה: ADJ,f,sg,def
Parallels
- 1 Kings 6:7 (verbal): Uses the same idea and language of stones being prepared/cut in advance for the building so that workmen did not use iron tools on site — a close verbal and functional parallel about prepared building stones.
- 2 Chronicles 3:4-6 (quotation): Chronicles retells Solomon’s temple construction with parallel detail about measurements, prepared stones and the building’s parts (foundation, walls, elevations), echoing the Kings account’s phrasing and layout.
- 1 Chronicles 28:11-12 (structural): David gives Solomon the plans and measurements for the temple and its chambers — a structural parallel emphasizing measured construction and pre‑arranged building units for the house of the LORD.
- Ezekiel 41:10-12 (structural): Ezekiel’s vision of the temple includes careful measurements from foundation to eaves and descriptions of side chambers/pavement, thematically paralleling the Kings verse’s attention to measured stones and layered construction.]
Alternative generated candidates
- All these were costly stones, quarried and cut to measure—sawn with saws, from the foundation to the eaves, and from the inner place to the great court.
- All these were costly stones, hewn according to measure, sawn with saws from the quarry, both inside and outside, from the foundation to the eaves, and to the great court round about.
1 K.7.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומיסד: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- אבנים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יקרות: ADJ,f,pl,abs
- אבנים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- גדלות: ADJ,f,pl,abs
- אבני: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- עשר: NUM,card,m,sg,cons
- אמות: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- ואבני: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- שמנה: NUM,card,f,pl,abs
- אמות: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
Parallels
- 2 Chronicles 3:3 (verbal): Almost identical description in Chronicles of the temple’s foundation: costly/large stones, including stones of ten cubits and eight cubits — a direct verbal parallel to the dimensions and stone types.
- 1 Kings 5:17-18 (thematic): Describes quarrying and preparing great stones and timber for Solomon’s building projects—contextual parallel about procuring and shaping large foundation stones.
- 1 Kings 6:7 (structural): Notes that the stones for the house were prepared at the quarry (finished there) so no iron tool was heard in the temple—relates to the treatment and preparation of the building stones mentioned in 1 Kgs 7:10.
- Isaiah 9:10 (verbal): Uses the image of building with hewn stones (אבני גזית/‘hewn stones’) in defiant rebuilding—verbal/theme parallel emphasizing large, cut stones used in monumental construction.
- Ezra 3:10-11 (thematic): Reports laying the foundation of the restored temple and the reaction of the people—thematic parallel about foundations and large stones as central to temple-building.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the foundation was laid with costly stones: great stones, stones ten cubits long, and stones eight cubits long.
- The foundation stones were great stones—stones ten cubits long and stones eight cubits long.
1 K.7.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומלמעלה: CONJ+PREP
- אבנים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יקרות: ADJ,f,pl,abs
- כמדות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- גזית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וארז: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Kings 6:15 (verbal): Describes the use of cut/hewn stones and cedar in Solomon’s building work—verbal parallel to the mention of hewn stone and cedar in 1 Kgs 7:11.
- 1 Kings 7:9 (structural): Within the same chapter’s description of Solomon’s house, this verse similarly pairs stone cut at the quarry with cedar beams—closely parallels construction materials and technique.
- 2 Chronicles 3:5 (structural): Chronicles’ account of the temple construction likewise records large cut stones and cedar used in the building, a parallel description of materials and arrangement.
- Revelation 21:19-20 (thematic): Depicts a sacred building adorned with precious stones as its foundations—thematic parallel in which valuable stones serve as key building/ornamental elements of a holy structure.
Alternative generated candidates
- And above were costly stones, cut to measure, and cedar.
- Above were costly stones, hewn according to measure, and cedar.
1 K.7.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וחצר: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הגדולה: ADJ,f,sg,def
- סביב: ADV
- שלשה: NUM,m
- טורים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- גזית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וטור: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כרתת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- ארזים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ולחצר: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הפנימית: ADJ,f,sg,def
- ולאלם: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הבית: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- 1 Kgs 6:36 (verbal): Uses very similar vocabulary about finishing the house with cedar beams and covering the house—parallel wording about cedar and construction finishing.
- 2 Chr 3:4-6 (structural): Chronicles' description of the temple's courts, inner house and use of cedar and dressed stone parallels the architectural and material details in Kings.
- 2 Chr 2:8 (thematic): Solomon's appeal to Hiram for cedar and stone supplies the procurement context for the cedar beams and hewn-stone courses mentioned in Kings.
- 1 Chr 22:2 (thematic): David's preparation of cedar trees and stone for the LORD's house provides antecedent background for the extensive use of cedar and dressed stone in Solomon's building projects.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the great court all around had three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams—for the inner court of the house of the LORD and for the hall of the king’s house.
- And the great court all around was three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams, for the inner court of the house of the LORD and for the hall of the house.
And Solomon built his own house thirteen years, and he completed all his house.
He built the house of the Forest of Lebanon: its length was a hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits; upon four rows of cedar pillars, and cedar beams upon the pillars. And cedar was overlaid from above on the joists that were on the pillars—forty-five in the row. And window frames in three tiers, window opposite window in three ranks. And all the doorways and their lintels were square with the windows—window opposite window in three ranks. And he made the hall of the pillars fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide; and a hall before them, with pillars, and an upper room was over them.
He made the Hall of the Throne, where he judged; and it was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling. And his own house, where he dwelt, was in the court beyond the hall according to this design; and he made a house for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom Solomon had taken, like the hall.
All these were costly stones, cut to size and sawed with saws, quarried both within and without, from the foundation to the eaves, and from outside to the great court. And he hewed large stones, costly stones, stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits. And above were costly stones according to the measures of hewn stone, and cedar. And the great court round about had three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams, for the inner court of the house of the LORD and for the hall of the house.