5He then built a chambered structure6:5 Lit built the temple of chamber along the temple wall, encircling the walls of the temple, that is, the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary.6:5 1Kg 6:16,19–21 And he made side chambers6:5 Lit made ribs or sides all around.6:5 Jr 35:2; Ezk 41:5–6

6The lowest chamber was 7½ feet6:6 Lit five cubits, also in vv. 10,24 wide, the middle was 9 feet6:6 Lit six cubits wide, and the third was 10½ feet6:6 Lit seven cubits wide. He also provided offset ledges for the temple all around the outside so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.

7The temple’s construction used finished stones cut at the quarry so that no hammer, chisel, or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.6:7 1Kg 5:17

8The door for the lowest6:8 LXX, Tg; MT reads middle side chamber was on the right side of the temple. They6:8 = People went up a stairway6:8 Hb obscure to the middle chamber, and from the middle to the third.

9When he finished building the temple,6:9 1Kg 6:1,14,38 he paneled it with boards and planks of cedar.

10He built the chambers along the entire temple, joined to the temple with cedar beams;6:9–10 1Kg 5:6,8,10 each story was 7½ feet high.

11The word of the Lord came to Solomon:6:11 1Kg 3:5,11–15; 9:2

12“As for this temple you are building — if you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep all my commands by walking in them,6:12 1Kg 11:10 I will fulfill my promise to you, which I made to your father David.6:12 2Sm 7:12–16; 1Kg 9:5

13I will dwell among the Israelites and not abandon my people Israel.”6:13 Lv 26:11; Jos 1:5–6; Heb 13:5

14When Solomon finished building the temple,6:11–14 LXX omits these vv.6:14 1Kg 6:1,38

15he paneled the interior temple walls with cedar boards; from the temple floor to the surface of the ceiling he overlaid the interior with wood. He also overlaid the floor with cypress boards.6:15 1Kg 5:8,10; 7:7; Ezk 41:16

16Then he lined thirty feet of the rear of the temple with cedar boards from the floor to the surface of the ceiling,6:16 LXX; MT omits of the ceiling; 1Kg 6:15 and he built the interior as an inner sanctuary, the most holy place.6:16 Ex 26:33–34; 1Kg 8:6; Heb 9:3

17The temple, that is, the sanctuary in front of the most holy place,6:17 Lit front of me; Hb obscure was sixty feet6:17 Lit 40 cubits long.

18The cedar paneling inside the temple was carved with ornamental gourds6:18 1Kg 7:24 and flower blossoms. Everything was cedar;6:18 1Kg 5:8,10 not a stone could be seen.

19He prepared the inner sanctuary6:19 Ezk 41:3–4 inside the temple to put the ark of the Lord’s covenant6:19 Dt 10:16; Jos 3:11 there.

20The interior of the sanctuary was thirty feet long, thirty feet wide, and thirty feet high; he overlaid it with pure gold.6:20 2Ch 3:8–9 He also overlaid the cedar altar.

21Next, Solomon overlaid the interior of the temple with pure gold, and he hung6:21 Lit he caused to pass across gold chains6:21 2Ch 3:14; Mt 27:51 across the front of the inner sanctuary6:21 2Ch 3:16 and overlaid it with gold.

22So he added the gold overlay to the entire temple until everything was completely finished, including the entire altar6:22 1Kg 7:48; Heb 9:3–4 that belongs to the inner sanctuary.

23In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim6:23–27 Ex 25:18–22; 2Ch 3:10–13 15 feet6:23 Lit 10 cubits, also in vv. 24,25,26 high out of olive wood.

24One wing of the first cherub was 7½ feet long, and the other wing was 7½ feet long. The wingspan was 15 feet from tip to tip.

25The second cherub also was 15 feet; both cherubim had the same size and shape.

26The first cherub’s height was 15 feet and so was the second cherub’s.

27Then he put the cherubim inside the inner temple. Since their wings were spread out, the first one’s wing touched one wall while the second cherub’s wing touched the other6:27 Lit the second wall, and in the middle of the temple their wings were touching wing to wing.6:27 2Ch 5:8

28He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29He carved all the surrounding temple walls with carved engravings — cherubim,6:29 Ezk 41:18,25 palm trees, and flower blossoms — in the inner and outer sanctuaries.

30He overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and the outer sanctuaries.

31For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made olive wood doors.6:31–32 Ezk 41:23 The pillars of the doorposts were five-sided.6:31 Hb obscure

32The two doors were made of olive wood. He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold, hammering gold over the cherubim and palm trees.

33In the same way, he made four-sided6:33 Hb obscure olive wood doorposts for the sanctuary entrance.

34The two doors6:34–35 Ezk 41:23–25 were made of cypress wood; the first door had two folding sides, and the second door had two folding panels.

35He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold applied evenly over the carving.

36He built the inner courtyard6:36 2Ch 4:9; Jr 36:10 with three rows of dressed stone6:36 1Kg 7:12; Ezr 6:4 and a row of trimmed cedar beams.

37The foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid in Solomon’s fourth year in the month of Ziv.

38In his eleventh year in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month,6:38 = October–November the temple was completed in every detail and according to every specification.6:38 1Kg 6:1,14 So he built it in seven years.6:38 1Kg 7:1