1 Kings Chapter 6

At a Glance

  • Chapter 6 centers on the construction of the temple itself.
  • Two critical moments punctuate the chapter: divine instruction and a promise.
  • Historically & Literary Context.
  • The setting reflects a mature Israel, now settled in the land, seeking to express worship in a centralized location.
  • - Sacred space and divine presence: the temple as the locus where God’s dwelling and human worship meet.

1 KINGS CHAPTER 6

Chapter Overview

Chapter 6 centers on the construction of the temple itself. The timing is precise: in the 480th year after the Israelites left Egypt, during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, the temple begins to rise. The dimensions are specified: the temple’s length, breadth, and height, with detailed descriptions of the porch, windows, and surrounding chambers. The text emphasizes meticulous craftsmanship, stonework, and carpentry—yet it also marks a shift from the cedar-laden grandeur to the sanctified, prepared space where the ark will eventually reside.

Two critical moments punctuate the chapter: divine instruction and a promise. The word of the LORD comes to Solomon with conditional blessings tied to obedience: if Solomon walks in God’s statutes, keeps commandments, and diligently follows the LORD, God will establish his word with Solomon. This echoes the covenantal formula from the historical books: fidelity yields blessing; deviation yields consequence. The chapter also preserves architectural precision about chambers, foundations, and the layering of cedar. The intention is to portray not merely a building project but a sacred cosmos—the temple as heaven touching earth, a physical space correspondingly anchored in obedience to the divine law.

Historically & Literary Context

This chapter belongs to the middle of the temple narrative, bridging Solomon’s diplomatic and material preparations with the actual heavenly presence that fills the sanctuary (to be described in subsequent chapters). The genre blends architectural chronicle with covenantal theology, underscoring that sacred space is contingent on fidelity to the law. The detailed measurements and craftsmanship reinforce the temple as a deliberate, divinely ordered cosmos, crafted with reverence and purpose.

The setting reflects a mature Israel, now settled in the land, seeking to express worship in a centralized location. The chapter’s emphasis on obedience as the condition for divine blessing aligns with Deuteronomistic themes that frame covenant faithfulness as the axis of national destiny. The “if… then” formula, repeated here, anchors the reader in the moral economy of the Sinai-to-Solomon arc.

Key Themes

- Sacred space and divine presence: the temple as the locus where God’s dwelling and human worship meet.

- Obedience as condition for blessing: the conditional promise drives the tractable relationship between king, people, and God.

- Craftsmanship under divine oversight: deliberate process and precision in building reflect reverence for God’s holiness.

- Centralized worship and covenant fidelity: temple-building signals a shift toward exclusive worship at a single locus in Jerusalem.

- The tension of grandeur and holiness: the temple’s magnificence must be matched by faithful living.

Modern Application

For contemporary readers, 1 Kings 6 invites reflection on how communities steward sacred spaces and rituals. It prompts questions about why and how we design worship environments—do our spaces cultivate reverence, reflection, and obedience? The chapter’s insistence on obedience as a condition for blessing can be translated into disciplines of faithful living: integrity, justice, and devotion accompany our public expressions of faith.

Additionally, the temple’s architectural fidelity invites believers to consider the “fit” between form and function: how does our worship shape souls and align with God’s purposes? The chapter also speaks to leadership and governance—how leaders foster environments where people encounter God through orderly, intentional worship, while remaining accountable to divine instruction.

- 2 Chronicles 3–4 (parallel temple construction details)

- Exodus 25–31 (instructions for tabernacle and holy space)

- Deuteronomy 12 (centralization of worship)

- 1 Kings 8 (Temple dedication and divine dwelling)

Recommended Personas

- Solomon (architect-wisdom figure)

- Levi and Priestly leaders (worship leadership and temple responsibilities)

- Moses (foundational lawgiver shaping the sacred space)

Chapter Text

1

And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

2

And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits.

3

And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house.

4

And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.

5

And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about:

6

The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad: for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house.

7

And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.

8

The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third.

9

So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.

10

And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.

11

And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying,

12

Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:

13

And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.

14

So Solomon built the house, and finished it.

15

And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the ceiling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir.

16

And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place.

17

And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long.

18

And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.

19

And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

20

And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.

21

So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold.

22

And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold.

23

And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high.

24

And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.

25

And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of one measure and one size.

26

The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub.

27

And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house.

28

And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.

29

And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.

30

And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.

31

And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall.

32

The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.

33

So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall.

34

And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.

35

And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.

36

And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.

37

In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif:

38

And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.

Discuss This Chapter with Biblical Personas

Explore 1 Kings Chapter 6 with Biblical figures who can provide unique perspectives grounded in Scripture.

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