1 Kings 6 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

1 Kings 6 Short Summary:

1 Kings 6 documents the construction of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. The building project took 7.5 years to complete, and the final design is described in chapter 6. The length, height, width, interior, and exterior of the Temple are detailed by the writer. It was a magnificent structure which was meant to honor God.

1 Kings 6 Extended Summary

WHEN:

• 1 Kings 6 discusses events that took place in the early years of Solomon’s reign, specifically from his 4th to 11th year as king. Solomon was king for 40 years according to 1 Kings 11:42, from approximately 1015-975 B.C.

CHARACTERS:

• Solomon – The son of David and the 3rd king of Israel and Judah.

• People of Israel and Judah - Thousands of Israelites were drafted to help with the Temple building project.

WHERE:

• The capital of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah was Jerusalem.

• The Temple was built in Jerusalem at the location where Araunah’s threshing floor once stood (2 Sam 24; 1 Chron 21:18; 2 Chron 3:1)

OUTLINE:

• THE DESIGN OF SOLOMON’S TEMPLE (6:1-38):

  • 480 years after the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt (1491 B.C.), Solomon started building the Temple (1011 B.C.).

  • *A cubit is generally estimated to be 18 inches or 45.7 cm.

  • The Temple was 90 feet long, 30 wide, and 45 tall. This made it twice the length and width of Moses’ Tabernacle.

  • The vestibule (NASB, “porch”), which was the entrance to the Temple proper, was 20 cubits wide and 10 cubits deep. According to 2 Chronicles 3:4, the height of the vestibule was 120 cubits (NASB, 20 cubits).

  • Surrounding the exterior of the Temple, on three sides, were a series of three-tiered chambers. These chambers were accessed through side doors, not through the main entrance to the nave (holy place).

  • The stones for the Temple were cut at the quarry, and no chisels or hammers were used on site (Deu 27:5).  

  • Just as the Tabernacle had two rooms, the Temple had two rooms, the larger external Holy Place, and the small internal Most Holy Place.

  • The Holy Place (nave) was 60 feet long.

  • The Most Holy Place was 30 feet long, 30 wide, and 30 tall.

  • Both rooms were overlaid with gold, even the floor.

  • In the Most Holy Place there were images of two cherubim (heavenly beings), made of wood and overlaid with gold, whose wings spread across the entire room. The cherubim were 15 feet tall.

  • The front door, which led into the Holy Place (nave) was made of cypress wood and covered with gold. Each side of the door had two parts, which folded when opened.  

  • The doors and interior walls of the Temple were adorned with carvings of flowers, cherubim, and palm trees.

  • The Temple foundation was laid in the 4th year of Solomon’s reign. The Temple was completed in the 7th year of his reign. The whole project took 7.5 years.