Then Sulayman1 began to build the House of YAHWEH at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where YAHWEH2 appeared to Dawud3 his father, which he made ready in the place that Dawud had appointed, in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2He began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
3Now these are the foundations which Sulayman laid for the building of the House of God4. The length by cubits after the first measure was sixty cubits, and the width twenty cubits. 4The porch that was before the house, its length, according to the width of the house, was twenty cubits, and the height one hundred twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold. 5He made the ceiling of the larger building with fir-wood, which he overlaid with fine gold, and worked thereon palm trees and chains. 6He garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold from Parvaim. 7He overlaid also the house, the beams, the thresholds, and its walls, and its doors, with gold; and engraved karubin5 on the walls.
8He made the most holy house: its length, according to the width of the house, was twenty cubits, and its width twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents. 9The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. He overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
10In the most holy house he made two karubin of image work; and they overlaid them with gold. 11The wings of the karubin were twenty cubits long: the wing of the one karubi 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 karubi6. 12The wing of the other karubi 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 karubi. 13The wings of these karubin spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were toward the house. 14He made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and worked karubin thereon.
15Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty-five cubits high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits. 16He made chains in the inner sanctuary, and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains. 17He set 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.
- 3:1 Sulayman, this Arabic name and the name Solomon are both derived from the Hebrew name Shlomo which means “peace.” ↩︎
- 3:1 YAHWEH, God’s personal Name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15: ‘God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”’ ↩︎
- 3:1 Dawud, this Arabic name is derived from David (Hebrew) and means “Beloved.” ↩︎
- 3:3 God, English translation of elohim. Elohim (Hebrew) is related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎
- 3:7 karubin, an Arabic word based on the plural Hebrew word cherubim, describing a class of angels first mentioned in Genesis 3:24 as living creatures guarding the way to the Garden of Eden after the expulsion of Adam and Hawa. ↩︎
- 3:11 karubi, an Arabic word based on the Hebrew word cherub, describing a class of angel first mentioned in Genesis 3:24 as living creatures guarding the way to the Garden of Eden after the expulsion of Adam and Hawa. ↩︎