1 Kings 6: The House for God's Name
Solomon builds the temple in seven years, overlaying it with gold and carved cherubim, as God promises to dwell among his people if they obey.
1 Kings 6 (WEB)
1 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build Yahweh’s house.
2 The house which king Solomon built for Yahweh, its length was sixty cubits, and its breadth twenty, and its height thirty cubits.
3 The porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was its length, according to the breadth of the house. Ten cubits was its breadth before the house.
4 For the house he made windows of fixed lattice work.
5 Against the wall of the house he built stories all around, against the walls of the house all around, both of the temple and of the oracle; and he made side rooms all around.
6 The nethermost story was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house all around, that the beams should not have hold in the walls of the house.
7 The house, when it was in building, was built of stone prepared at the quarry; and there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.
8 The door for the middle side rooms was in the right side of the house: and they went up by winding stairs into the middle story, and out of the middle into the third.
9 So he built the house, and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar.
10 He built the stories against all the house, each five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.
11 Yahweh’s word came to Solomon, saying,
12 “Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, and execute my ordinances, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father.
13 I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.”
14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it.
15 He built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar: from the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the house with boards of fir.
16 He built twenty cubits on the hinder part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling: he built them for it within, for an oracle, even for the most holy place.
17 In front of the temple sanctuary was forty cubits.
18 There was cedar on the house within, carved with buds and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.
19 He prepared an oracle in the midst of the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of Yahweh.
20 Within the oracle was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in its height; and he overlaid it with pure gold: and he covered the altar with cedar.
21 So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he drew chains of gold across before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold.
22 The whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished: also the whole altar that belonged to the oracle he overlaid with gold.
23 In the oracle he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high.
24 Five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing to the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.
25 The other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubim were of one measure and one form.
26 The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub.
27 He set the cherubim within the inner house; and the wings of the cherubim were stretched out, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house.
28 He overlaid the cherubim with gold.
29 He carved all the walls of the house around with carved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, inside and outside.
30 The floor of the house he overlaid with gold, inside and outside.
31 For the entrance of the oracle he made doors of olive wood: the lintel and door posts were a fifth part of the wall.
32 So he made two doors of olive wood; and he carved on them carvings of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold on the cherubim, and on the palm trees.
33 So also made he for the entrance of the temple door posts of olive wood, out of a fourth part of the wall;
34 and two doors of fir wood: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.
35 He carved cherubim and palm trees and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted on the engraved work.
36 He built the inner court with three courses of cut stone, and a course of cedar beams.
37 In the fourth year was the foundation of Yahweh’s house laid, in the month Ziv.
38 In the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all its parts, and according to all its fashion. So was he seven years in building it.
1 Kings 6 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.
2 And the house which king Solomon built for the Lord, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits.
3 And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house.
4 And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.
5 And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about:
6 The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad: for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house.
7 And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.
8 The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third.
9 So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.
10 And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.
11 And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying,
12 Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:
13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.
14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it.
15 And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the cieling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir.
16 And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place.
17 And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long.
18 And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.
19 And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord.
20 And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.
21 So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold.
22 And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold.
23 And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high.
24 And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.
25 And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of one measure and one size.
26 The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub.
27 And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house.
28 And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.
29 And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.
30 And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.
31 And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall.
32 The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.
33 So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall.
34 And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.
35 And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.
36 And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.
37 In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the Lord laid, in the month Zif:
38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.
1 Kings 6 (ASV)
1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of Jehovah.
2 And the house which king Solomon built for Jehovah, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits.
3 And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house.
4 And for the house he made windows of fixed lattice-work.
5 And against the wall of the house he built stories round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle; and he made side-chambers round about.
6 The nethermost story was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house round about, that the beams should not have hold in the walls of the house.
7 And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready at the quarry; and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.
8 The door for the middle side-chambers was in the right side of the house: and they went up by winding stairs into the middle story, and out of the middle into the third.
9 So he built the house, and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar.
10 And he built the stories against all the house, each five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.
11 And the word of Jehovah came to Solomon, saying,
12 Concerning this house which thou art building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute mine ordinances, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I establish my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father.
13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.
14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it.
15 And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar: from the floor of the house unto the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the house with boards of fir.
16 And he built twenty cubits on the hinder part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor unto the walls of the ceiling: he built them for it within, for an oracle, even for the most holy place.
17 And the house, that is, the temple before the oracle, was forty cubits long.
18 And there was cedar on the house within, carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.
19 And he prepared an oracle in the midst of the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of Jehovah.
20 And within the oracle was a space of twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof; and he overlaid it with pure gold: and he covered the altar with cedar.
21 So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he drew chains of gold across before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold.
22 And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished: also the whole altar that belonged to the oracle he overlaid with gold.
23 And in the oracle he made two cherubim of olive-wood, each ten cubits high.
24 And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.
25 And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubim were of one measure and one form.
26 The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub.
27 And he set the cherubim within the inner house; and the wings of the cherubim were stretched forth, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house.
28 And he overlaid the cherubim with gold.
29 And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers, within and without.
30 And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.
31 And for the entrance of the oracle he made doors of olive-wood: the lintel and door-posts were a fifth part of the wall.
32 So he made two doors of olive-wood; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold upon the cherubim, and upon the palm-trees.
33 So also made he for the entrance of the temple door-posts of olive-wood, out of a fourth part of the wall;
34 and two doors of fir-wood: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.
35 And he carved thereon cherubim and palm-trees and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold fitted upon the graven work.
36 And he built the inner court with three courses of hewn stone, and a course of cedar beams.
37 In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of Jehovah laid, in the month Ziv.
38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.
Summary
In the four hundred and eightieth year after the exodus and the fourth year of his reign, Solomon begins to build the house of Yahweh, a structure of careful proportions overlaid with extraordinary beauty. The walls are built of stone prepared at the quarry, so that no hammer, ax, or iron tool is heard in the house while it is being built. Inside, the walls are lined with cedar carved with buds and open flowers, so that no stone is seen, and the inner sanctuary, the most holy place, is overlaid with pure gold to house the ark of the covenant. In the inner room Solomon makes two great cherubim of olive wood, ten cubits high, their outstretched wings spanning the room, overlaid with gold. Walls, doors, and floor are carved with cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers and covered with gold. In the midst of the building, God's word comes with a promise and a condition: if Solomon walks in God's statutes and keeps his commandments, God will dwell among the children of Israel and not forsake his people. After seven years the house is finished in all its parts. The chapter holds together magnificent beauty and a sober reminder that the true glory of the temple is the presence and promise of the God who chooses to dwell among his people.
Key Figures
- Solomon — The king and builder who constructs the temple according to God's promise, lavishing it with cedar, gold, and carved cherubim over seven years.
- Yahweh (the LORD) / God — The God who promises to dwell among his people and not forsake them, conditioned on Solomon's obedience to his statutes and commandments.
- The cherubim — Two great olive-wood figures overlaid with gold, with outstretched wings, set in the most holy place to guard and crown the place of God's presence.
Key Verse
1 Kings 6:12 (WEB)
“Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, and execute my ordinances, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father.
Lessons Learned
- The greatest glory of any place of worship is the presence of God who promises to dwell there.
- God's promises to dwell among his people are joined to a call to walk in his ways.
- Beauty and care in worship can honor God when they flow from obedient hearts.
- God patiently builds his dwelling among his people over time, toward an even greater temple to come.
- Obedience opens the way to God's presence. God promises, “if you will walk in my statutes… then I will establish my word with you” (1 Kings 6:12, WEB). The temple's true value lies in the relationship of faithful obedience and dwelling presence.
- God desires to dwell with his people. “I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel” (1 Kings 6:13, WEB). The heart of the house is God's gracious choice to be near.
- Worship is offered with reverent care. The house was built so “there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house” (1 Kings 6:7, WEB). Reverence shaped even the manner of its construction.
- The glory points beyond itself. Walls and sanctuary are overlaid with “pure gold” (1 Kings 6:21, WEB), yet this glory anticipates a greater temple—Christ himself and his people, where God dwells forever (John 2:21).
- What details about the temple's construction stand out to you, and what might they communicate about worship?
- Why does God interrupt the building account with the promise and condition of verses 11-13?
- What is the significance of the cherubim and gold in the most holy place?
- How does the quiet, careful building in verse 7 reflect a posture toward God?
- The temple was where God promised to dwell. How does knowing that God now dwells with his people through Christ shape the way you live and worship?
- The stone shaped at the quarry, the cedar carved with flowers, and the gold overlay all reflect immense care and beauty offered to God (6:7, 18, 21-22). The details teach that worship is worthy of our best, while the silence of iron tools suggests a reverence that goes beyond mere grandeur.
- In the middle of the building project, God reminds Solomon that the house matters most as the meeting of obedience and presence (6:11-13). The promise to dwell among Israel is tied to walking in his ways, keeping the focus on relationship rather than the structure alone.
- The cherubim and gold mark the most holy place as the throne-room of God's presence, where the ark would rest (6:19-28). Their guarding wings and the lavish gold signal both the holiness and the glory of the God who graciously chose to dwell there.
- Building without the sound of hammer or iron tool in the house (6:7) reflects a hush of reverence, treating the place set apart for God with quiet care. It models an attitude of awe that befits drawing near to a holy God.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to marvel that, through Christ, God now dwells with and within his people by his Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). As leader, encourage reflection on living as God's temple, with reverence, holiness, and joyful nearness to him.