וַיְהִי בִשְׁמוֹנִים שָׁנָה וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה לְצֵאת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ־מִצְרַיִם בַּשָּׁנָה הָרְבִיעִית בְּחֹדֶשׁ זִו הוּא הַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי לִמְלֹךְ שְׁלֹמֹה עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּבֶן הַבַּיִת לַה'

It was in the four hundred and eightieth year after the exodus of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel. Solomon was unable to build the Temple straightaway, because the establishment of his reign and the preparations for the construction of the Temple took several years. It was in the month of Ziv, Iyar, which is the second month in the order of months of the year, that he built the House for the Lord.

וְהַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה לַה' שִׁשִּׁים־אַמָּה אָרְכּוֹ וְעֶשְׂרִים רָחְבּוֹ וּשְׁלֹשִׁים אַמָּה קוֹמָתוֹ

The chapter starts with a general overview of the Temple structure: The House that King Solomon built for the Lord, its length was sixty cubits, and its width twenty, and its height thirty cubits.

וְהָאוּלָם עַל־פְּנֵי הֵיכַל הַבַּיִת עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה אָרְכּוֹ עַל־פְּנֵי רֹחַב הַבָּיִת עֶשֶׂר בָּאַמָּה רָחְבּוֹ עַל־פְּנֵי הַבָּיִת

The Hall before the Sanctuary of the House, its length was twenty cubits along the width of the House, that is, the length of the Hall was equivalent to the width of the House; its width was ten cubits before, adjacent to, the House. The Hall was an external structure located in front of the Temple, through which one passed to enter the Sanctuary.

וַיַּעַשׂ לַבָּיִת חַלּוֹנֵי שְׁקֻפִים אֲטֻמִים

He made for the House recessed narrowing windows. The windows were slanted, so that they were narrow on the outside and wide on the inside. In this manner, only a small amount of sunlight illuminated the inside of the House. Others claim that the opposite was the case: The windows were narrow on the inside and broad on the outside. Alternatively, the verse means that there were small shutters for the windows.

וַיִּבֶן עַל קִיר הַבַּיִת יָצִיעַ סָבִיב אֶת־קִירוֹת הַבַּיִת סָבִיב לַהֵיכָל וְלַדְּבִיר וַיַּעַשׂ צְלָעוֹת סָבִיב

Against the wall of the House he built a surrounding annex, which contained several rooms, and it was against the walls of the House all around the Sanctuary, known as the Holy, and the Sanctum, the Holy of Holies, the innermost section of the Temple. And he made side chambers all around, three floors of rooms or cubicles, adjacent to the walls of the House from the outside.

הַיָּצִיעַ הַתַּחְתֹּנָה חָמֵשׁ בָּאַמָּה רָחְבָּהּ וְהַתִּיכֹנָה שֵׁשׁ בָּאַמָּה רָחְבָּהּ וְהַשְּׁלִישִׁית שֶׁבַע בָּאַמָּה רָחְבָּהּ כִּי מִגְרָעוֹת נָתַן לַבַּיִת סָבִיב חוּצָה לְבִלְתִּי אֲחֹז בְּקִירוֹת הַבָּיִת

The lowest floor of the annex was five cubits wide, and the middle one was six cubits wide, and the third, uppermost floor was seven cubits wide. Unlike a standard building, where the lower levels are generally wider than the upper ones, the width of the upper levels of this structure was larger, since he made recesses in the wall of the House all around on the outside. The outer side of the walls of the Temple were layered inward, to enable the beams of the side structure to be placed on those recesses so as not to be fixed in the walls of the House. The beams of the side structure were placed upon the layered section of the wall and were not secured within the walls. Alternatively, the verse means that the outer walls were narrower toward the bottom, to protect the Temple by preventing enemies from climbing the walls and attacking in the event of a war.

וְהַבַּיִת בְּהִבָּנֹתוֹ אֶבֶן־שְׁלֵמָה מַסָּע נִבְנָה וּמַקָּבוֹת וְהַגַּרְזֶן כָּל־כְּלִי בַרְזֶל לֹא־נִשְׁמַע בַּבַּיִת בְּהִבָּנֹתוֹ

The House, in its construction, was built of whole stones that were transported. Whole stones from which the Temple was constructed were transferred to the site of the Temple. Hammers, the axe, or any iron tools were not heard in the House in its construction, as the quarrying and the cutting of the stones was performed at an entirely different location.

פֶּתַח הַצֵּלָע הַתִּיכֹנָה אֶל־כֶּתֶף הַבַּיִת הַיְמָנִית וּבְלוּלִּים יַעֲלוּ עַל־הַתִּיכֹנָה וּמִן־הַתִּיכֹנָה אֶל־הַשְּׁלִשִׁים

The entrance of the middle side chambers, or the lowest row of chambers, was on the right side of the House, and they would ascend by a winding staircase to the middle floor, and from the middle to the third floor.

וַיִּבֶן אֶת־הַבַּיִת וַיְכַלֵּהוּ וַיִּסְפֹּן אֶת־הַבַּיִת גֵּבִים וּשְׂדֵרֹת בָּאֲרָזִים

He built the walls of the House, and he completed it by adding a roof, and he installed a ceiling in the House beneath the outer roof, with ornamental decorations and cut-out images in the form of hollows, or water holes, and also orderly rows of cedar beams.

וַיִּבֶן אֶת־הַיָּצִיעַ עַל כָּל־הַבַּיִת חָמֵשׁ אַמּוֹת קוֹמָתוֹ וַיֶּאֱחֹז אֶת־הַבַּיִת בַּעֲצֵי אֲרָזִים

He built the annex along the entire House; its height was five cubits, and he paneled the inside of the House with cedarwood.

וַיְהִי דְּבַר־ה' אֶל־שְׁלֹמֹה לֵאמֹר׃

The word of the Lord was with Solomon, saying:

הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּה בֹנֶה אִם־תֵּלֵךְ בְּחֻקֹּתַי וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַי תַּעֲשֶׂה וְשָׁמַרְתָּ אֶת־כָּל־מִצְוֹתַי לָלֶכֶת בָּהֶם וַהֲקִמֹתִי אֶת־דְּבָרִי אִתָּךְ אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתִּי אֶל־דָּוִד אָבִיךָ

As for this House that you are building: If you follow My statutes, perform My ordinances, and keep all My commandments to follow them, I will fulfill My word with you that I spoke to David your father, and the House that you built for Me will be established and maintained before Me.

וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא אֶעֱזֹב אֶת־עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל

I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel, and I will not forsake My people Israel. This is the first prophecy in the Bible that refers directly to the Temple itself. Here God apparently spoke directly to Solomon, not through a prophet.

וַיִּבֶן שְׁלֹמֹה אֶת־הַבַּיִת וַיְכַלֵּהוּ

Solomon built the House, and he completed it. The final activities necessary for its completion were finished.

וַיִּבֶן אֶת־קִירוֹת הַבַּיִת מִבַּיְתָה בְּצַלְעוֹת אֲרָזִים מִקַּרְקַע הַבַּיִת עַד־קִירוֹת הַסִּפֻּן צִפָּה עֵץ מִבָּיִת וַיְצַף אֶת־קַרְקַע הַבַּיִת בְּצַלְעוֹת בְּרוֹשִׁים

He built the walls of the House on the inside with cedar boards, from the floor of the House until the ceiling panels; he overlaid them with wood on the inside, and he overlaid the floor of the House with juniper boards.

וַיִּבֶן אֶת־עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה מִיַּרְכְּתֵי הַבַּיִת בְּצַלְעוֹת אֲרָזִים מִן־הַקַּרְקַע עַד־הַקִּירוֹת וַיִּבֶן לוֹ מִבַּיִת לִדְבִיר לקֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים

He built twenty cubits at the rear, on the inner part, of the House with cedar boards from the floor to the walls. He built it within as a Sanctum, as the Holy of Holies.

וְאַרְבָּעִים בָּאַמָּה הָיָה הַבָּיִת הוּא הַהֵיכָל לִפְנָי

Forty cubits was the House; that is the Sanctuary that was in front of the Holy of Holies.

וְאֶרֶז אֶל־הַבַּיִת פְּנִימָה מִקְלַעַת פְּקָעִים וּפְטוּרֵי צִצִּים הַכֹּל אֶרֶז אֵין אֶבֶן נִרְאָה

The majority of the walls of cedar on the House within had decorative carvings of braided fruits and carved flowers, or flower stalks; everything was constructed from cedar, and there was no stone seen on the inner side of the walls of the House.

וּדְבִיר בְּתוֹךְ־הַבַּיִת מִפְּנִימָה הֵכִין לְתִתֵּן שָׁם אֶת־אֲרוֹן בְּרִית ה'

He prepared a Sanctum, the Holy of Holies, inside the House from within, in order to place there the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.

וְלִפְנֵי הַדְּבִיר עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה אֹרֶךְ וְעֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה רֹחַב וְעֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה קוֹמָתוֹ וַיְצַפֵּהוּ זָהָב סָגוּר וַיְצַף מִזְבּח אָרֶז

The interior of the Sanctum was a space of twenty cubits length and twenty cubits width, and its height was twenty cubits. He plated it with exceptionally fine and very expensive gold, and he overlaid an altar, the incense altar, with boards of cedarwood, which was placed before the Sanctum, in the Sanctuary.

וַיְצַף שְׁלֹמֹה אֶת־הַבַּיִת מִפְּנִימָה זָהָב סָגוּר וַיְעַבֵּר בְּרַתּוּקוֹת זָהָב לִפְנֵי הַדְּבִיר וַיְצַפֵּהוּ זָהָב

Solomon plated the House from within with fine gold; he drew decorative chains of gold across the wall before the Sanctum, and he plated it with gold. Some explain that he hung the golden chains on the front section of the ceiling of the Holy of Holies, which was 10 cubits lower than the roof of the outer section.

וְאֶת־כָּל־הַבַּיִת צִפָּה זָהָב עַד־תֹּם כָּל־הַבָּיִת וְכָל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ אֲשֶׁר־לַדְּבִיר צִפָּה זָהָב

He plated the entire House in gold, until the completion of the entire House, and he plated in gold the entire altar that is for the Sanctum, the incense altar.

וַיַּעַשׂ בַּדְּבִיר שְׁנֵי כְרוּבִים עֲצֵי־שָׁמֶן עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת קוֹמָתוֹ

In the Sanctum, above the Ark of the Covenant, he made two oil-wood [atzei shemen] cherubs, each ten cubits in height, approximately 5 m. Alternatively, atzei shemen means cedar, pine wood, or balsam. The wooden cherubim made by Solomon differed from the original cherubim fashioned together with the ark, which were smaller and made of gold.

וְחָמֵשׁ אַמּוֹת כְּנַף הַכְּרוּב הָאֶחָת וְחָמֵשׁ אַמּוֹת כְּנַף הַכְּרוּב הַשֵּׁנִית עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת מִקְצוֹת כְּנָפָיו וְעַד־קְצוֹת כְּנָפָיו

One wing of a cherub was five cubits, and the second wing of a cherub was five cubits; there were ten cubits from one edge of its wings to the other edge of its wings, which was thus the width of each cherub.

וְעֶשֶׂר בָּאַמָּה הַכְּרוּב הַשֵּׁנִי מִדָּה אַחַת וְקֶצֶב אֶחָד לִשְׁנֵי הַכְּרֻבִים

The second cherub was also ten cubits; both the cherubs had one measure and one form. They were identical in appearance.

קוֹמַת הַכְּרוּב הָאֶחָד עֶשֶׂר בָּאַמָּה וְכֵן הַכְּרוּב הַשֵּׁנִי

The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, the same as its width, and so was the second cherub.

וַיִּתֵּן אֶת־הַכְּרוּבִים בְּתוֹךְ הַבַּיִת הַפְּנִימִי וַיִּפְרְשׂוּ אֶת־כַּנְפֵי הַכְּרֻבִים וַתִּגַּע כְּנַף־הָאֶחָד בַּקִּיר וּכְנַף הַכְּרוּב הַשֵּׁנִי נֹגַעַת בַּקִּיר הַשֵּׁנִי וְכַנְפֵיהֶם אֶל־תּוֹךְ הַבַּיִת נֹגְעֹת כָּנָף אֶל־כָּנָף

He placed the cherubs inside the inner chamber, and they spread the cherubs’ wings, and the wing of the one was touching the wall, and the wing of the second cherub was touching the second wall, and their wings, which angled toward the middle of the chamber were touching wing to wing. With their wings outstretched, the two cherubim together filled the space of the Sanctum, the Holy of Holies, from wall to wall.

וַיְצַף אֶת־הַכְּרוּבִים זָהָב

He plated the cherubs with gold.

וְאֵת כָּל־קִירוֹת הַבַּיִת מֵסַב קָלַע פִּתּוּחֵי מִקְלְעוֹת כְּרוּבִים וְתִמֹרֹת וּפְטוּרֵי צִצִּים מִלִּפְנִים וְלַחִיצוֹן

All the walls of the House around he engraved with braided cherubs, palm trees, and carved flowers, or flower stalks, all of which were placed both on the inside, in the Holy of Holies, and on the outside, in the Sanctuary.

וְאֶת־קַרְקַע הַבַּיִת צִפָּה זָהָב לִפְנִימָה וְלַחִיצוֹן

The floor of the House he also plated with gold, inside and outside.

וְאֵת פֶּתַח הַדְּבִיר עָשָׂה דַּלְתוֹת עֲצֵי־שָׁמֶן הָאַיִל מְזוּזוֹת חֲמִשִׁית

For the entrance of the Sanctum he made oil-wood doors, which were supported on either side by the lintel, and the doorposts of the fifth. Alternatively, this may be translated to mean that they were supported by the pillars of the doorposts. These doors and doorposts were from the fifth, innermost entranceway within the Temple, the entrance into the Sanctum, the Holy of Holies.

וּשְׁתֵּי דַּלְתוֹת עֲצֵי־שֶׁמֶן וְקָלַע עֲלֵיהֶם מִקְלְעוֹת כְּרוּבִים וְתִמֹרֹת וּפְטוּרֵי צִצִּים וְצִפָּה זָהָב וַיָּרֶד עַל־הַכְּרוּבִים וְעַל־הַתִּמֹרוֹת אֶת־הַזָּהָב

For the two oil-wood doors at the entrance, he engraved on them engravings of braided cherubs, palm trees, and carved flowers, plated with gold; he rolled out the gold over the cherubs and over the palm trees.

וְכֵן עָשָׂה לְפֶתַח הַהֵיכָל מְזוּזוֹת עֲצֵי־שָׁמֶן מֵאֵת רְבִעִית

So he made for the entrance of the Sanctuary, oil-wood doorposts of the fourth. The fourth entrance within the Temple was the entrance to the Sanctuary.

וּשְׁתֵּי דַלְתוֹת עֲצֵי בְרוֹשִׁים שְׁנֵי צְלָעִים הַדֶּלֶת הָאַחַת גְּלִילִים וּשְׁנֵי קְלָעִים הַדֶּלֶת הַשֵּׁנִית גְּלִילִים

And there were two juniper-wood doors, two boards folding on one door, and two boards folding on the second door. Each door was comprised of two boards that were attached to each other by a hinge, creating a folding door. Alternatively, some interpret the verse to mean that the shapes of pillars were sculpted on both sides of the door, or that the two door hinges were oval-shaped.

וְקָלַע כְּרוּבִים וְתִמֹרוֹת וּפְטֻרֵי צִצִּים וְצִפָּה זָהָב מְיֻשָּׁר עַל־הַמְּחֻקֶּה

He also engraved on these doors cherubs, palm trees, and carved flowers, and he plated them with gold, pressing it precisely on the inset design, so that the gold would take on the shape of the engraving.

וַיִּבֶן אֶת־הֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִית שְׁלֹשָׁה טוּרֵי גָזִית וְטוּר כְּרֻתֹת אֲרָזִים

He built the inner courtyard, the courtyard in which the Temple structure was located, of three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams. The courtyard was comprised of alternating rows of stones and cedar beams. This method of construction was possibly designed to strengthen the structure, as the outer courtyard was unroofed. In fact, the majority of the people never entered this inner courtyard. Only the priests, and occasionally individual Israelites, entered to perform the ritual of placing their hands on the head of the offering or to slaughter a sacrifice, as the altar for burnt offerings was located in this courtyard.

בַּשָּׁנָה הָרְבִיעִת יֻסַּד בֵּית ה' בְּיֶרַח זִו

In the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, the foundation of the House of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv.

וּבַשָּׁנָה הָאַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה בְּיֶרַח בּוּל הוּא הַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁמִינִי כָּלָה הַבַּיִת לְכָל־דְּבָרָיו וּלְכָל־מִשְׁפָּטָו וַיִּבְנֵהוּ שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים

In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, Heshvan, the House was completed, in all its components and in all its specifications. He built it for seven years.