circa 970–930 BC
Solomon & The Temple
Solomon builds the great Temple in Jerusalem and rules with unprecedented wisdom and wealth before foreign gods divide his heart.
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If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
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?
In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
- 1 Kings 6:22–38c. 1011 BC
22And 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.
23And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high.
24And 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.
25And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of one measure and one size.
26The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub.
27And 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.
28And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.
29And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.
30And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.
31And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall.
32The 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.
33So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall.
34And 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.
35And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.
36And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.
37In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif:
38And 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.
1But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.
2He 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.
3And it was covered with cedar above upon the beams, that lay on forty five pillars, fifteen in a row.
4And there were windows in three rows, and light was against light in three ranks.
5And all the doors and posts were square, with the windows: and light was against light in three ranks.
6And 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.
7Then 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.
8And 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.