1 Kings 6.1-38 begins to to tell us about the building of the Temple. It will give us information about the basic dimensions and structure. In the 480th year after the sons of Israel came out of Egypt (961 B.C.), in the fourth year of the reign of Solomon, he began to build the “House of Yehovah” (6.1). This shows how long Israel lived in the land without a Temple. The Mishkan served the people well, and it was being transformed into a more permanent “house” with a stone/tented structure at Shiloh. From this verse the Exodus can be dated. We go over this dating in our “Concepts in Exodus” study but we will do a brief review again here.
Of course, these dates are approximates but we believe Joseph begins to reign and Jacob arrives in 1651 B.C. and they were in the land approximately 210 years, and that brings us to 1441 B.C. and the Exodus. This Temple will built on the same set of hills that Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac and Jacob saw his vision of God in Gen 28.11-19. This is Mount Moriah (Gen 22.2), meaning “mount of the Teacher.” Yeshua said he would build his kingdom “on this rock” which is a name for the Messiah. So, “teacher” equals “rock” equals “Messiah.” Yeshua also said that he was greater than the Temple, and if you destroyed that Temple he would raise it up in three days (Matt 12.6; John 2.19).
Now, Here is another interesting concept with Solomon’s Temple. When you lay this temple out and look at it from above, you will see it looks like a human form. We know that Jacob had a dream in Gen 28.10-22 and laid down on that mount where the Temple would be built, and Jacob’s pillow was a rock. We also know that Isaac was laid out on the altar before Abraham. The rock that Jacob laid on corresponds to the rock in the Holy of Holies, called the “Even Shetiyah” or “foundation stone.” The Holy of Holies is called “Devir” meaning “word or speak” where the “mouth” is. So, for a moment, imagine a person (Isaac and Jacob) laying down and where the Holy of Holies is where the head was.
Jacob’s neck would then correspond to the steps leading up to the Holy of Holies. We know there will be ten wheeled lavers and these will correspond to Jacob’s fingers on both hands. Jacob’s legs correspond to the two pillars called “Jachin” (“he shall establish”) and “Boaz” (“in it is strength”). Jacob’s feet would correspond to the Altar.
Now, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a statue with four metals. It had a head of gold, arms of silver, a belly and thighs of bronze and feet of iron and clay. This temple in human form is the exact opposite of that. When you look at the Temple, the “head” (Holy of Holies) and the “chest” (Holy Place) was all gold. The “two legs” (the two pillars) were bronze, as well as the feet (the Altar). Nebuchadnezzar’s statue and image showed the kingdom’s of man. The Temple shows the Kingdom of God and the Messiah.
Furthermore, when you look at Solomon’s Temple from above, it also looks like a High Priest. The turban of the High Priest are the cells on the west side of the Holy of Holies. The Ark had two poles that poked out the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies (1 Kings 8.8) and could be seen from the Holy Place. Theses two poles are like nostrils.
Then the cells on the north and south side correspond to the two arms. The Holy place was the chest. Five lavers were on the north and south side, corresponding to the fingers of the hands. Then we have the two pillars corresponding to the two legs, followed by the Altar (feet). For a more detailed look at these concepts with pictures and commentary, go to “Temple Secrets.Info.” This site gets into detail about how the floor plan reveals a Temple in human form.
The next thing we want to establish is the cubits used. The royal Cubit was used in the 500 x 500 cubit Temple Mount, and it was 20.67 inches. In the Court of the Women area, a five hand-breadth cubit of 19.2 inches was used. In the Azarah (courtyard) a six hand-breadth cubit of 23.04 inches was used. As we have said before, this will not be a massive study on Solomon’s Temple, but we are going to touch on some verses that will have concepts that we should know and understand, and concepts you will not find in most commentaries.
1 Kings 6.4 talks about the windows in the Temple. They were narrow on the outside and wide on the inside. This added light to the inside and it also kept out bad weather. It also teaches that the glory is “narrow” reaching the outside world because for now we see “in part” (Song 2.8; Isa 55.8). We also have the Heichal (Holy Place) and the Kodesh Ha Kodeshim (Holy of Holies) mentioned in v 5. The Holy of Holies is called the “Devir” as we have said before and it is related to the word “Davar” meaning “word.” The Holy of Holies is called this because God spoke from there (Exo 25.22).
The Sanctuary was 60 cubits long, 20 cubits wide and 30 cubits high. The Porch (“ulam”) was 20 cubits long and 10 cubits wide and it ran along the front of the Sanctuary (north to south). There were side chambers three stores high on the north, south and west sides. The Azarah (“to help”) or “courtyard” surrounded the Temple sanctuary building (1 Kings 6.36).
The “house” (Sanctuary/Temple) was stones prepared beforehand at a quarry. This alludes to the painful work of the Ruach Ha Kodesh in our lives, before we can be fitted together with other stones (1 Pet 2.5-10). Neither hammer or ax or any iron tool could be heard in the house while it was being built. This applied during the assembly of these pre-fab stones. This teaches us that people are hewed and squared by the Ruach Ha Kodesh first, then fitted together into his “house” by God’s workmen in a quiet, peaceful way without fighting, clamor or contention.
In 1 Kings 6.8 it refers to “winding stairs” to the middle story, and from the middle story to the third. This tells us that we have “windings and turnings” which are afflictions in our lives as we pass from one stage to another. Solomon built the house and finished it, and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar, a high priced wood (6.9).
In 1 Kings 6.11-14 Yehovah speaks to Solomon and promises to dwell among Israel and will not forsake her as long as Solomon follows the Torah of Yehovah. The Temple will be built according to God’s blueprint and plan in 1 Chr 28.11-19. These verses also tell us that Solomon built the Temple and finished it, and as we read the verses we will see the Kodesh Ha Kodeshim is referred to as the “oracle” in the KJV and “inner sanctuary” in the NASB. We have mentioned before that the word in Hebrew is “devir” which means to “speak” and this alludes to the Ark being in there and how Yehovah actually spoke from between the wings of the keruvim over the Ark. What many people over look is Solomon also had two 14 foot keruvim wood sculptures in there, overlaid with gold.
The floor of the Temple was overlaid with gold, and the walls also (1 Kings 6.20-22). Gold was hammered into the doors (1 Kings 6.32). He also carved all the walls of cedar wood in the Temple sanctuary, and had keruvim, palm trees and flowers in the Holy of Holies and Holy Place. The two doors were olive wood and he had keruvim, palm trees and flowers carved on them overlaid with gold. The doors to the Heichal (Holy Place) were made of cypress wood, and he carved keruvim, palm trees and flowers on them overlaid with gold. This was similar to the Mishkan which also had designs on the inside. It also alludes to the Garden of Eden (Gen 2.8-9). Could these trees be alluding to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life? Could the palm tree (called the “tree of righteousness”) be the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the almond tree that budded on Aaron’s rod (in the Holy of Holies) be the Tree of Life?
It took Solomon seven years to build the Temple (v 38), but this number is “rounded off” because from Iyar (1 Kings 6.1) to Bul (Chesvan) is six months, so it is seven years and six months actually. The word “Bul” means “increase” and it is related to the word “mabul” meaning “flood” in Gen 6.17. It was the rainy season. It is not unusual for the numbers to be “rounded off” in the Scriptures.
We will pick up in 1 Kings 7 in Part 6.
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