1 Kings Chapter 7

Solomon’s Palace and the Temple Furnishings

A. The construction of Solomon’s palace.

1. (1 Kings 7:1) Solomon builds his house.

But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house, so he finished all his house.

The writer notes that Solomon dedicated thirteen years to the construction of his personal palace, almost twice the time he invested in building the temple. The temple required seven years, but Solomon devoted nearly double that period to his royal complex. This comparison reveals something vital about Solomon’s life at this stage. Although he honored God by completing the temple first, he clearly allowed his personal comfort and royal splendor to take a prominent place in his priorities. Morgan observed that this simple detail exposes a deeper truth. Solomon’s affections were slowly shifting toward luxury and self indulgence. The length of the project demonstrates a growing taste for magnificence, wealth, and architectural grandeur that surpassed even the house of the Lord. Scripture does not condemn Solomon for constructing such a palace, but it allows the reader to discern the direction of his heart.

This contrast also provides a spiritual lesson for the believer. Solomon could say that he finished the work of building the temple, but the Christian cannot say that the work of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ is finished. The work of the Great Commission remains ongoing, and the believer’s labor for the Lord continues until God Himself calls His servants home. The Christian life is not to be dominated by the pursuit of earthly comfort but by dedication to the work of the kingdom. Solomon’s choice to spend thirteen years building his palace stands as a caution against allowing personal pursuits to overshadow the worship and service of God.

The text adds that Solomon finished all his house which introduces a description of how magnificent his palace truly was. The details that follow show a royal complex of enormous scale and lavish decoration that reflected the height of Israel’s political power and Solomon’s unparalleled wealth. His palace complex was a marvel of ancient craftsmanship. Yet the contrast with the temple remains intentional. The glory of the palace reveals the rising luxury in Solomon’s life which foreshadows the spiritual compromises that would later weaken his reign.

2. (1 Kings 7:2-12) The splendor of Solomon’s palace.

He also built the House of the Forest of Lebanon, its length was one hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, with four rows of cedar pillars, and cedar beams on the pillars. And it was paneled with cedar above the beams that were on forty five pillars, fifteen to a row. There were windows with beveled frames in three rows, and window was opposite window in three tiers. And all the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames, and window was opposite window in three tiers. He also made the Hall of Pillars, its length was fifty cubits, and its width thirty cubits, and in front of them was a portico with pillars, and a canopy was in front of them. Then he made a hall for the throne, the Hall of Judgment, where he might judge, and it was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling. And the house where he dwelt had another court inside the hall, of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had taken as wife. All these were of costly stones cut to size, trimmed with saws, inside and out, from the foundation to the eaves, and also on the outside to the great court. The foundation was of costly stones, large stones, some ten cubits and some eight cubits. And above were costly stones, hewn to size, and cedar wood. The great court was enclosed with three rows of hewn stones and a row of cedar beams. So were the inner court of the house of the Lord and the vestibule of the temple.

Solomon’s palace complex was a masterpiece of ancient architecture, rivaling the splendor of royal buildings anywhere in the ancient world. The first major structure described is the House of the Forest of Lebanon, named because the immense quantity of cedar wood used in its construction made the interior feel like walking through a vast forest. Its dimensions were one hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high which created a structure far larger than the temple itself. The forty five cedar pillars arranged in rows of fifteen created the sense of a grand woodland. The use of cedar beams above the pillars enhanced that impression. The abundant use of cedar, the finest building material available in the region, made this structure a symbol of immense wealth and power. The windows were arranged in three levels with beveled frames and were set directly opposite each other which allowed light to shine through the layered rows of pillars. This combination made the hall both massive and breathtaking. Later Scripture reveals that Solomon used this hall as an armory. According to 1 Kings 10:16-17, five hundred golden shields were hung here, and Isaiah 22:8 specifically identifies it as an armory which means that one of the most majestic structures ever built in Israel also served a military function.

The next structure was the Hall of Pillars which served as a formal gathering space. It measured fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide. A large portico and canopy stood in front of it which created a ceremonial entrance. The Hall of Judgment followed. This was the royal courtroom where Solomon sat on his throne to issue judgments and govern the nation. It was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling which again demonstrated Solomon’s unmatched wealth. The royal residence itself had an interior courtyard of the same craftsmanship. Solomon also constructed a separate house for Pharaoh’s daughter which matched the magnificence of his own residence. This detail reveals the deep integration of political alliances in Solomon’s reign. His marriage to the daughter of Pharaoh was a major diplomatic connection and he honored her with a palace equal to his own.

Every structure in the palace complex was built with costly stones cut to exact measurements. These stones were trimmed with saws both inside and outside which reflects an advanced level of craftsmanship. Some of the foundation stones were enormous, measuring ten cubits and eight cubits in length. The upper levels were also built with costly stones and cedar wood. The great court surrounding the palace was enclosed with three rows of hewn stones and one row of cedar beams. This architectural pattern was the same as that used in the inner court of the temple and in the vestibule of the house of the Lord. This repeated detail creates a deliberate comparison. The temple was magnificent in its own right, but the palace shared its architectural grandeur and in several ways exceeded it. The writer intends the reader to see that as magnificent as the house of the Lord was, Solomon’s royal buildings were larger, more elaborate, and more expansive.

This raises a spiritual question concerning values. When nations or rulers pour their greatest resources into places of worship, it says something about their priorities. Old European cathedrals, built at staggering cost, reflect societies that placed the glory of God at the center of their civilization. In contrast, when Solomon made his palace more extensive and more extravagant than the temple, the contrast reveals a shift in his values. He had begun to exalt his own prestige above the worship of the Lord. Scripture does not condemn fine buildings, but it warns that misplaced priorities produce spiritual decay. The prophet Haggai confronted a later generation of Israelites because they invested in their own houses while neglecting the house of God. Haggai 1:3-10 remains a powerful rebuke to anyone who elevates personal luxury above devotion and obedience to the Lord.

B. Huram makes the temple furnishings.

1. (1 Kings 7:13-14) Huram, half Israeli and the finest craftsman.

Now King Solomon sent and brought Huram from Tyre. He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker, he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all his work.

Huram was uniquely suited for the extraordinary craftsmanship required in completing the temple furnishings. He was the son of an Israelite mother from the tribe of Naphtali and a Gentile father from Tyre. This heritage gave him access to both Israel’s covenant identity and the internationally renowned Phoenician traditions of metal working. Scripture emphasizes that he was filled with wisdom, understanding, and skill in every form of bronze work. This description parallels the language used of Bezalel and Aholiab in the construction of the tabernacle. God equipped specific men for artistic excellence to honor His sanctuary. Solomon called Huram to Jerusalem because the skill needed to craft the massive bronze pillars, basins, and ornate decorations exceeded the abilities of ordinary workers. Huram therefore represents the union of God given skill and human diligence in the service of sacred worship.

2. (1 Kings 7:15-51) Huram makes the furnishings after the pattern of the tabernacle.

And he cast two pillars of bronze, each one eighteen cubits high, and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of each. Then he made two capitals of cast bronze, to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. He made a lattice network, with wreaths of chainwork, for the capitals which were on top of the pillars, seven chains for one capital and seven for the other capital. So he made the pillars, and two rows of pomegranates above the network all around to cover the capitals that were on top, and thus he did for the other capital. The capitals which were on top of the pillars in the hall were in the shape of lilies, four cubits. The capitals on the two pillars also had pomegranates above, by the convex surface which was next to the network, and there were two hundred such pomegranates in rows on each of the capitals all around. Then he set up the pillars by the vestibule of the temple, he set up the pillar on the right and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the left and called its name Boaz. The tops of the pillars were in the shape of lilies. So the work of the pillars was finished.

And he made the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other, it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. Below its brim were ornamental buds encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, all the way around the Sea. The ornamental buds were cast in two rows when it was cast. It stood on twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east, the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward. It was a handbreadth thick, and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It contained two thousand baths.

He also made ten carts of bronze, four cubits was the length of each cart, four cubits its width, and three cubits its height. And this was the design of the carts, They had panels, and the panels were between frames, on the panels that were between the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. And on the frames was a pedestal on top. Below the lions and oxen were wreaths of plaited work. Every cart had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and its four feet had supports. Under the laver were supports of cast bronze beside each wreath. Its opening inside the crown at the top was one cubit in diameter, and the opening was round, shaped like a pedestal, one and a half cubits in outside diameter, and also on the opening were engravings, but the panels were square, not round. Under the panels were the four wheels, and the axles of the wheels were joined to the cart. The height of a wheel was one and a half cubits. The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel, their axle pins, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all of cast bronze. And there were four supports at the four corners of each cart, its supports were part of the cart itself. On the top of the cart, at the height of half a cubit, it was perfectly round. And on the top of the cart, its flanges and its panels were of the same casting. On the plates of its flanges and on its panels he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, wherever there was a clear space on each, with wreaths all around. Thus he made the ten carts. All of them were of the same mold, one measure, and one shape.

Then he made ten lavers of bronze, each laver contained forty baths, and each laver was four cubits. On each of the ten carts was a laver. And he put five carts on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house. He set the Sea on the right side of the house, toward the southeast. Huram made the lavers and the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished doing all the work that he was to do for King Solomon for the house of the Lord, the two pillars, the two bowl shaped capitals that were on top of the two pillars, the two networks covering the two bowl shaped capitals which were on top of the pillars, four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowl shaped capitals that were on top of the pillars, the ten carts, and ten lavers on the carts, one Sea, and twelve oxen under the Sea, the pots, the shovels, and the bowls. All these articles which Huram made for King Solomon for the house of the Lord were of burnished bronze. In the plain of Jordan the king had them cast in clay molds, between Succoth and Zaretan. And Solomon did not weigh all the articles, because there were so many, the weight of the bronze was not determined. Thus Solomon had all the furnishings made for the house of the Lord, the altar of gold, and the table of gold on which was the showbread, the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left in front of the inner sanctuary, with the flowers and the lamps and the wick trimmers of gold, the basins, the trimmers, the bowls, the ladles, and the censers of pure gold, and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner room, the Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the main hall of the temple. So all the work that King Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished, and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated, the silver and the gold and the furnishings. He put them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

Huram’s work follows the pattern of the tabernacle yet exceeds it in scale, beauty, and architectural complexity. The first items described are the two bronze pillars which were eighteen cubits high and crowned with ornate capitals decorated with pomegranates and lily patterns. These pillars were so significant that they received names. The right pillar was called Jachin which means He shall establish. The left pillar was called Boaz which means In Him is strength. These names formed a perpetual testimony to every worshiper who approached the temple that God establishes His people and that God is the source of their strength. These pillars displayed theological truth in physical form. Every king of Judah who saw them was reminded that his rule depended entirely on the strength and faithfulness of the Lord.

Huram also crafted the Sea of cast bronze which was enormous in size and held approximately two thousand baths of water. It stood on twelve bronze oxen facing the four points of the compass. This massive basin supplied water for the ceremonial washings of the priests and possibly provided water for the rinse basins where offerings were washed. Its decorative elements included rows of ornamental buds and a brim shaped like a lily blossom. The Sea illustrated both purity and abundance within the sacrificial system.

The bronze carts and lavers added further complexity. Each cart was designed with remarkable detail. The frames and panels bore engravings of lions, oxen, cherubim, and palm motif wreaths. The wheels were constructed like chariot wheels with full bronze spokes and hubs. These carts gave mobility to the lavers which each held forty baths of water. Their placement, five on the north and five on the south side of the temple, reflects precise symmetry and order. All of this bronzework was cast in the plain of Jordan between Succoth and Zaretan using clay molds. Scripture stresses that the sheer quantity was so great that the bronze could not be weighed.

Solomon also furnished the interior with items made of pure gold. These included the altar of incense, the table of showbread, the ten golden lampstands, and all utensils necessary for priestly service such as bowls, censers, wick trimmers, and hinges. Gold dominated the Most Holy Place and the Holy Place which signified the heavenly glory of God’s presence.

Finally, Solomon brought in the treasures that David had dedicated to the Lord. Although David was forbidden to build the temple, he prepared abundantly for it through offerings of gold, silver, and sacred vessels. Solomon placed these in the temple treasuries which demonstrated continuity between father and son and showed that both generations labored together for the glory of God.