1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.

Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.

And the porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was an hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure gold.

And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.

And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim.

He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubims on the walls.

And he made the most holy house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits: and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.

And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.

10 And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold.

11 And the wings of the cherubims were twenty cubits long: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.

12 And one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub.

13 The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward.

14 And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.

15 Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the chapiter that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.

16 And he made chains, as in the oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars; and made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.

17 And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.

Commentary

Verse 1

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Moriah - It was the belief of the ancient Jews, that the temple was built on that very place, where Abraham offered up Issac.
McArther Bible Commentary
Cf. 1Ki 6:1-38; 1Ki 7:15-22 for amplification and additional material on the building of the temple.
Bible Cross References
Acts 7:47 Genesis 22:2 1 Kings 6:1 1 Chronicles 6:10 1 Chronicles 21:18 1 Chronicles 22:1 2 Chronicles 3:2

Verse 2

McArther Bible Commentary
second month … fourth year. C. April-May of 966 B.C. (cf. 1Ki 6:1). The project took seven years and six months to complete, c. October - November 959 B.C. (cf. 1Ki 6:37-38).
Bible Cross References
1 Kings 6:1 2 Chronicles 3:1 2 Chronicles 3:3

Verse 3

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Instructed - By David, and by the Spirit of God. The measure - According to he measure which was first fixed.
McArther Bible Commentary
cubits … former measure. About eighteen inches or possibly the royal cubit of twenty-one inches (cf. Eze 40:5).
Bible Cross References
1 Kings 6:2 2 Chronicles 3:2 Ezekiel 41:2

Verse 4

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
The height - This being a kind of turret to the building.
Bible Cross References
1 Kings 6:3 Ezekiel 40:48

Verse 5

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Greater house - The holy place, which was thrice as large as the holy of holies.
Bible Cross References
1 Kings 6:17 2 Chronicles 3:6 Song of Solomon 1:17 Ezekiel 40:16 Ezekiel 41:18

Verse 6

McArther Bible Commentary
Parvaim. An unknown location.
Bible Cross References
2 Chronicles 3:5 2 Chronicles 3:7

Verse 7

Bible Cross References
1 Kings 6:20 1 Kings 6:29 2 Chronicles 3:6

Verse 8

McArther Bible Commentary
six hundred talents. Equal to almost twenty-three tons of gold.
Bible Cross References
Exodus 26:33 1 Kings 6:16

Verse 9

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Nails - Each of the nails, screws, or pins, by which the golden plates were fastened to the walls, weighed, or rather was worth, fifty shekels, workmanship and all. Upper chambers - Rather, the roof.
McArther Bible Commentary
fifty shekels. Equal to one and one-fourth pounds. Most likely, this small amount gilded only the spike heads.
Bible Cross References
1 Chronicles 28:11 2 Chronicles 3:10

Verse 10

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Image work - Or, of moveable work, not fixed to the mercy - seat, as the Mosaical cherubim, but in a moving posture. It seems, they were designed to represent the angels, who attend the Divine Majesty.
McArther Bible Commentary
two cherubim. See note on 1Ki 6:23. This free-standing set of cherubim was in addition to the more diminutive set on the ark itself.
Bible Cross References
Exodus 25:18 1 Kings 6:23 2 Chronicles 3:11

Verse 11

Bible Cross References
2 Chronicles 3:10 2 Chronicles 3:12

Verse 12

Bible Cross References
2 Chronicles 3:11 2 Chronicles 3:13

Verse 13

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Inward - Heb. towards the house, that is, the most holy house.
Bible Cross References
2 Chronicles 3:12 2 Chronicles 3:14

Verse 14

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
The veil - The inner veil before the most holy place. This denoted the darkness of that dispensation and the distance at which the worshippers were kept. But at the death of Christ this veil was rent; for thro' him we are brought nigh, and have boldness, or liberty, not only to look, but to enter into the holiest.
McArther Bible Commentary
veil. Cf. Exo 26:31-35 on the veil of the tabernacle. The veil separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies), which was entered once annually by the high priest on the Day of Atonement (cf. Le2Ch 3:16). This highly limited access to the presence of God was eliminated by the death of Christ, when the veil in Herod's temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Mat 27:51). It signified that believers had immediate, full access to God's presence through their Mediator and High Priest, Jesus Christ, who was the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice (cf. Heb 3:14-16; Heb 9:19-22).
Bible Cross References
Exodus 26:31 Numbers 4:5 2 Chronicles 3:13

Verse 15

McArther Bible Commentary
thirty-five cubits. First Kings 1Ki 7:15, 2Ki 25:17, and Jer 52:21 uniformly describe these cast bronze pillars as eighteen cubits high (about twenty-seven feet). Most likely this is accounted for because the chronicler gave the combined height of both as they were lying in their molds (cf. 2Ch 3:17).
Bible Cross References
1 Kings 7:15 2 Kings 25:13 2 Chronicles 3:16 Jeremiah 52:21

Verse 16

Bible Cross References
1 Kings 7:20 2 Chronicles 3:15 2 Chronicles 3:17

Verse 17

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Jachin - That is, He shall establish. Boaz - That is, In it is strength.
McArther Bible Commentary
Jachin … Boaz. Most likely, these were so named because of the names' meanings rather than in honor of particular people. Jachin means "He shall establish," and Boaz means "In it is strength" (cf. 1Ki 7:21).
Bible Cross References
Genesis 46:10 1 Kings 7:21 2 Chronicles 3:16 Ezekiel 40:49