וַיָּחֶל שְׁלֹמֹה לִבְנוֹת אֶת־בֵּית־ה' בִּירוּשָׁלִַם בְּהַר הַמּוֹרִיָּה אֲשֶׁר נִרְאָה לְדָוִיד אָבִיהוּ אֲשֶׁר הֵכִין בִּמְקוֹם דָּוִיד בְּגֹרֶן אָרְנָן הַיְבוּסִי

Solomon began to build the House of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, in the place where He, the Lord, had appeared to David his father; the house that he, Solomon, had prepared in the place of the altar that David had built on the threshing floor of Ornan the Yevusite.

וַיָּחֶל לִבְנוֹת בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בַּשֵּׁנִי בִּשְׁנַת אַרְבַּע לְמַלְכוּתוֹ

He began to build on the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign. Apparently, it took four years to complete preparations for the construction of the building.

וְאֵלֶּה הוּסַד שְׁלֹמֹה לִבְנוֹת אֶת־בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים הָאֹרֶךְ אַמּוֹת בַּמִּדָּה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה אַמּוֹת שִׁשִּׁים וְרֹחַב אַמּוֹת עֶשְׂרִים

These are the measurements of what Solomon laid as foundation for building the House of God. The length in cubits for the first [harishona] measure was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. Alternatively, harishona is not referring to the first chronologically, but to the first building block of the construction, its foundation.

וְהָאוּלָם אֲשֶׁר עַל־פְּנֵי הָאֹרֶךְ עַל־פְּנֵי רֹחַב־הַבַּיִת אַמּוֹת עֶשְׂרִים וְהַגֹּבַהּ מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים וַיְצַפֵּהוּ מִפְּנִימָה זָהָב טָהוֹר

The Hall, whose length was along the width of the House, was twenty cubits. The length of the Hall, which served as an entryway to the Temple, was twenty cubits, corresponding to the width of the Temple. And the height of the Hall was one hundred and twenty cubits, and he plated it, the Temple, within, with pure gold.

וְאֵת הַבַּיִת הַגָּדוֹל חִפָּה עֵץ בְּרוֹשִׁים וַיְחַפֵּהוּ זָהָב טוֹב וַיַּעַל עָלָיו תִּמֹרִים וְשַׁרְשְׁרֹת

The great House, the entire Sanctuary, he overlaid with juniper wood, which he overlaid with fine gold, and fashioned upon it adornments in the shape of palm trees and chains.

וַיְצַף אֶת־הַבַּיִת אֶבֶן יְקָרָה לְתִפְאָרֶת וְהַזָּהָב זְהַב פַּרְוָיִם

He adorned the House with beautiful and precious stones for splendor; and the gold was gold of Parvayim. Gold of Parvayim might be reddish gold, like the blood of cows, parim.

וַיְחַף אֶת־הַבַּיִת הַקֹּרוֹת הַסִּפִּים וְקִירוֹתָיו וְדַלְתוֹתָיו זָהָב וּפִתַּח כְּרוּבִים עַל־הַקִּירוֹת

He overlaid the House, the beams, the thresholds, its walls, and its doors with gold, and engraved adornments in the shape of cherubs on the walls.

וַיַּעַשׂ אֶת־בֵּית־קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים אָרְכּוֹ עַל־פְּנֵי רֹחַב־הַבַּיִת אַמּוֹת עֶשְׂרִים וְרָחְבּוֹ אַמּוֹת עֶשְׂרִים וַיְחַפֵּהוּ זָהָב טוֹב לְכִכָּרִים שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת

He made the chamber of the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of the Temple; its length was along the width of the House, twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits; it was square, he overlaid it with a huge amount of fine gold, totaling six hundred talents.

וּמִשְׁקָל לְמִסְמְרוֹת לִשְׁקָלִים חֲמִשִּׁים זָהָב וְהָעֲלִיּוֹת חִפָּה זָהָב

The weight of the nails in shekels was fifty of gold, and he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.

וַיַּעַשׂ בְּבֵית־קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים כְּרוּבִים שְׁנַיִם מַעֲשֵׁה צַעֲצֻעִים וַיְצַפּוּ אֹתָם זָהָב

He made in the chamber of the Holy of Holies two sculpted cherubs, carved adornments. These were not the same cherubs as the ones on the cover of the Ark of the Covenant, but other cherubs modeled after them. And they plated them with gold.

וְכַנְפֵי הַכְּרוּבִים אָרְכָּם אַמּוֹת עֶשְׂרִים כְּנַף הָאֶחָד לְאַמּוֹת חָמֵשׁ מַגַּעַת לְקִיר הַבַּיִת וְהַכָּנָף הָאַחֶרֶת אַמּוֹת חָמֵשׁ מַגִּיעַ לִכְנַף הַכְּרוּב הָאַחֵר

The wings of the cherubs: Their length was twenty cubits, in the following manner: The wing of the one cherub was five cubits long, reaching the wall of the House, and the other wing was likewise five cubits long, reaching the wing of the other cherub.

וּכְנַף הַכְּרוּב הָאֶחָד אַמּוֹת חָמֵשׁ מַגִּיעַ לְקִיר הַבָּיִת וְהַכָּנָף הָאַחֶרֶת אַמּוֹת חָמֵשׁ דְּבֵקָה לִכְנַף הַכְּרוּב הָאַחֵר

The wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching the wall of the House, and the other wing was five cubits, adjacent to the wing of the other cherub. In sum, the two wings of each cherub were together ten cubits long, and therefore, the wings of both cherubs equaled twenty cubits, which meant they stretched from one wall to the other.

כַּנְפֵי הַכְּרוּבִים הָאֵלֶּה פֹּרְשִׂים אַמּוֹת עֶשְׂרִים וְהֵם עֹמְדִים עַל־רַגְלֵיהֶם וּפְנֵיהֶם לַבָּיִת

The wings of these cherubs spread twenty cubits, and they were standing on their feet, and their faces were facing towards the House. Unlike the cherubs atop the Ark of the Covenant, these cherubs were not placed one opposite the other, but rather they faced toward the open space of the Sanctuary. These cherubs evidently had wings and legs, but there is no description of their bodies. Apparently, the width of their bodies was incorporated within the space occupied by their wings.

וַיַּעַשׂ אֶת־הַפָּרֹכֶת תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְכַרְמִיל וּבוּץ וַיַּעַל עָלָיו כְּרוּבִים

He made the curtain at the entrance of the Holy of Holies of sky-blue, purple, and crimson wool, and fine linen, and fashioned the shape of cherubs on it, the curtain.

וַיַּעַשׂ לִפְנֵי הַבַּיִת עַמּוּדִים שְׁנַיִם אַמּוֹת שְׁלֹשִׁים וְחָמֵשׁ אֹרֶךְ וְהַצֶּפֶת אֲשֶׁר־עַל־רֹאשׁוֹ אַמּוֹת חָמֵשׁ

He made at the front of the House two pillars, thirty-five cubits long, and the ornamented capital that was atop each one was five cubits.

וַיַּעַשׂ שַׁרְשְׁרוֹת בַּדְּבִיר וַיִּתֵּן עַל־רֹאשׁ הָעַמֻּדִים וַיַּעַשׂ רִמּוֹנִים מֵאָה וַיִּתֵּן בַּשַּׁרְשְׁרוֹת

He made chains in the entrance to the Sanctum, the Holy of Holies, and put them, the chains, atop the pillars, and he made one hundred shapes of pomegranates, and put them in the chains.

וַיָּקֶם אֶת־הָעַמּוּדִים עַל־פְּנֵי הַהֵיכָל אֶחָד מִיָּמִין וְאֶחָד מֵהַשְּׂמֹאול וַיִּקְרָא שֵׁם־הַיְמָנִי יָכִין וְשֵׁם הַשְּׂמָאלִי בֹּעַז

He established the pillars before the Sanctuary, at the entrance, one to the right and one to the left, and he called the name of the one on the right Yakhin, and the name of the one on the left Boaz.