From Solomon to Elijah
An EasyEnglish Bible Version with Notes (1200 word vocabulary) on the Book of 1 Kings
Gordon Churchyard
Words in boxes are comments on the text.
The translated Bible text has been through Advanced Checking.
A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.
Words in brackets, ( … ), are not in the *Hebrew Bible. They help us to understand the First Book of Kings. The writer wrote the book in the Hebrew language.
1 Kings is a book about the people called Israelites. The Books of 1 Kings and 2 Kings tell us what happened after King David’s time. The Book of 1 Kings records how Solomon became king after David.
After Solomon died, the country called Israel became two countries. The south was called Judah. Rehoboam was the first king of Judah. The north was still called Israel. Here Jeroboam became king (chapter 12). There were many other kings after these two kings.
When the kings obeyed God, the people had *peace. Sometimes the kings did not obey God and they *worshipped other gods instead. Then bad things happened. When the people in Israel stopped obeying God, he sent a *prophet. His name was Elijah. He did things that someone could only do with the help of God. He told the people that they should *worship God again.
v1 King David was old. He was very old. He could not get warm, even when people put blankets over him. v2 So his servants said to him, ‘We will look for a young woman who has never had sex for our master the king. She can be with the king and she can be his nurse. And she can lie at your side so that our master the king will be warm.’ v3 So they looked through all the country called Israel for a beautiful girl. And they found Abishag. She was from Shunem. And they brought her to the king. v4 The girl was very beautiful. And she was very kind to the king. She did what the king needed. But the king did not have sex with her.
v5 Then Adonijah (David’s son) demanded this. ‘I want to be the king.’ His mother’s name was Haggith. He got men that were ready to ride on horses. And he had 50 men to run in front of him. v6 His father had always let him do whatever he wanted to do. (So) his father never asked him, ‘Why are you doing that?’ Also, Adonijah was very handsome. He was (the son of David that was) born next after Absalom. v7 And Adonijah talked (about this) with Joab and Abiathar. Joab was the son of (David’s sister) Zeruiah and Abiathar was the *priest. They said that they would help Adonijah.
v8 But these people did not join Adonijah’s group:
· Zadok the *priest
· Benaiah the son of Jehoiada
· Nathan the *prophet
· Shimei and Rei
· David’s own soldiers.
v9 Then Adonijah *sacrificed sheep, cows and young fat cows. He did it at the Stone (called) Zoheleth. It was near to the well at Rogel. He asked all these people to come to the meeting:
· all his brothers, who were the sons of the king
· all the men in Judah who were the king’s officers.
v10 But he did not ask these people to come to the meeting:
· Nathan the *prophet
· Benaiah
· David’s own soldiers
· (Adonijah’s) brother Solomon.
v11 Bathsheba was the mother of Solomon. Nathan asked her, ‘Have you heard this? Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king. Our master, David, does not know about it. v12 Now I will tell you how you can save your life and the life of Solomon your son. v13 Go to King David and say to him, “My master the king, did you not promise this to me, your servant? ‘Your son Solomon will become king after me. He will sit on my *throne.’ So why has Adonijah become king?” v14 While you are still talking to the king, I will come in after you. I will say that your words are true.’
v15 So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. The king was very old. And Abishag, the girl from Shunem, was with him. v16 And Bathsheba bent down on her knees in front of the king. ‘What do you want?’ the king asked her. v17 And she said to him, ‘My master, you promised this to me, your servant, and to the *LORD your God. “Solomon, your son, will be king after me and he will sit on my *throne”, you said. v18 But now, Adonijah has become king. And you, my master the king, you do not know about it.
v19 He has *sacrificed many cows, fat young cows and sheep. He has asked these people to come to the meeting:
· Abiathar the *priest
· Joab the leader of the army.
But he did not ask your servant Solomon to come.
v20 My master the king, everyone in Israel is waiting for you to say something. They want to know from you who will sit on the *throne of my master the king after him. v21 If you do not tell them, this will happen. Soon after they bury you with your *ancestors, they will put me and my son Solomon into a prison.’
v22 While Bathsheba spoke to the king, Nathan the *prophet arrived. v23 And (his servants) told the king, ‘Nathan the *prophet is here.’ So Nathan the prophet went in to the king’s (bedroom). And he bent low, with his face to the ground. v24 Nathan said, ‘My master the king, have you said that Adonijah will become king after you? Will he sit on your *throne?
v25 This is what he has done today. He has *sacrificed large numbers of cows, fat young cows and sheep. He has asked these people to be with him:
· all the king’s sons
· the leaders of the army
· Abiathar the *priest.
Even now, they are eating and drinking with him. They are saying, “We pray that King Adonijah will live for a long time!”
v26 But he did not ask these people to be with him:
· me, your servant
· Zadok the *priest
· Benaiah the son of Jehoiada
· Solomon your servant.
v27 Has my master the king done this? Has he not told his servants who will sit on the *throne of my master the king after him?’
v28 Then King David answered him. He said, ‘Send Bathsheba to me!’ So Bathsheba came to the king and she stood in front of him. v29 Then the king spoke a very serious promise. He said, ‘I am sure that the *LORD is alive! He has saved me from every kind of trouble. v30 As surely as that is true, today I will *keep my promise to you. I said it to you and to the *LORD, the God of Israel. Your son Solomon will be king after me. He will sit on my *throne instead of me.’ v31 Then Bathsheba bent down low with her face to the ground. She said this, with her knees on the ground in front of the king. ‘I pray that my master King David will live always!’
v32 And King David said, ‘Send to me Zadok the *priest, Nathan the *prophet and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.’ And they came to the king. v33 And the king said to them, ‘Put my son Solomon on my own *donkey. Then take him down to Gihon with all your master’s servants. v34 There, Zadok the *priest and Nathan the *prophet can *anoint him king over Israel. Make a noise with a *trumpet and shout, “We pray that King Solomon will live for a long time!” v35 Then you must come up with him (to Jerusalem). He must come and he must sit on my *throne. He must rule instead of me. I have made him ruler over Israel and Judah.’ v36 Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, answered the king, ‘I agree! And I pray that the *LORD will say that too. He is the God of my master the king. v37 The *LORD was with my master the king. We pray that he will be with Solomon also. We pray that he will make the *throne of Solomon even greater than the *throne of my master King David!’
v38 So these people put Solomon on King David’s *donkey:
· Zadok the *priest
· Nathan the *prophet
· Benaiah the son of Jehoiada
· the *Kerethites and the *Pelethites.
Then they took him down to Gihon.
v39 Zadok the *priest *anointed Solomon. He used *oil from a special bottle that was in the *holy place. Then they made a loud noise with a *trumpet. And all the people shouted, ‘We pray that King Solomon will live for a long time!’ v40 And all the people went up after him. They used their mouths to make music with things called flutes. And they were very happy. The noise caused the ground to move under them!
v41 Adonijah and all the people that were with him heard the noise. They were finishing their special meal. When he heard the sound of the *trumpet, Joab asked, ‘What does all the noise in the city mean?’ v42 Even while Joab was speaking, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the *priest, arrived. Adonijah said to him, ‘Come in! You are a good man. I think that you are bringing good news.’ v43 Jonathan answered him and said, ‘No! Our master King David has made Solomon king.
v44 These people put Solomon on to the king’s *donkey:
· Zadok the *priest
· Nathan the *prophet
· Benaiah the son of Jehoiada
· the *Kerethites and the *Pelethites.
Then they took him to Gihon.
v45 Zadok the *priest and Nathan the *prophet *anointed Solomon king at Gihon. From there they have gone (to Jerusalem). While they went, they made loud, happy noises. The sound of them is in all the city called Gihon. That is the noise that you can hear. v46 Also, Solomon has sat down on the king’s *throne. v47 And the king’s officers have told our master King David that they are very happy about it. They said, “We pray that your God will make Solomon’s name more famous than your name. And we pray that his *throne will be greater than your *throne.” Then the king bent his head down on his bed. He said that God was great, v48 with these words. “The *LORD is the great God of Israel. He has let my eyes see who will be king after me. He is on my *throne today.” ’
v49 When they heard this, all the people with Adonijah were afraid. They all went away. v50 But Adonijah, because he was afraid of Solomon, went to the *holy place. He held the points on the corners of the *altar there. v51 Then a servant told Solomon, ‘Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon. He is holding the points on the corners of the *altar. He is saying, “I pray that Solomon will promise this to me today. (I pray that) he will not kill his servant with the *sword.” ’ v52 Solomon answered, ‘If he is a good man, not one hair from his head will fall to the ground. But if he is a bad man, he will die.’ v53 Then King Solomon sent men, and they brought Adonijah down from the *altar in the *holy place. And Adonijah came and he bent down in front of King Solomon. And Solomon said to him, ‘Go to your home.’
King David had several wives. They included Michal, Abigail, Bathsheba and Haggith. David had many children, (2 Samuel 3:2-5). Some of them were already dead, like Absalom. The story of his death is in 2 Samuel chapters 15-19. Now Adonijah was David’s oldest son who was still alive. So Adonijah thought that he should be the next king of Israel and Judah. But Solomon’s mother said this. David had promised that Solomon should be the next king. In this chapter, Bathsheba caused David to *keep his promise.
‘Sacrificed’, verse 9, is an important word in the Bible. In the first few chapters of Leviticus, it means that the *Jews burnt things, like meat and bread. They did it because of two reasons.
· God said that they should do it, Leviticus chapters 1-7.
· They believed that it made God happy, Genesis 8:20-22.
There are many names in this chapter.
· Adonijah was the fourth son of David, (2 Samuel 3:2-5). The first three were probably dead.
· Abishag was a girl from the town called Shunem. It was near the Sea of Galilee.
· A *priest and a *prophet.
Nathan was probably the prophet with David in Jerusalem.
Abiathar was probably the *priest with the *ark of the *covenant.
The story of the ark of the covenant is earlier in the Bible.
· Joab and Benaiah. They were leaders of the army.
Joab was David’s sister’s son. He was the leader of most of the army.
Benaiah was the leader of the soldiers that were with David.
· Shimei
and Rei.
Some
Bible students think that Shimei was David’s brother.
Rei
may mean ‘and friends’.
· Kerethites
and Pelethites. They were soldiers that David paid to help him.
They
came from countries like Philistia and Crete.
· Gihon was near Jerusalem, to the east.
· Rogel was near Jerusalem, to the south.
· Zoheleth. Bible students do not know where this was.
v1 The day when David should die was near. Then this is what he told his son Solomon. v2 (David) said, ‘Soon I will die like everyone else on the earth. So, be strong. And show people that you have grown into a man. v3 Do what the *LORD your God asks you to do. Live in his ways. Continue to obey his rules and his *laws. Do what he has decided. (Do this because) it is right. Do everything that he wants you to do. Moses wrote it all in his *law books. If you do that, you will do well everywhere and in everything.
v4 And the *LORD will *keep his promise to me. This is what he promised to me.
“Someone from your *family will always rule Israel. But they must (do these things):
· Live properly.
· Believe in me.
· Try as much as they can to obey me about everything.”
v5 Also, you know what Joab, the son of Zeruiah, did to me. He killed the two leaders of Israel’s armies. He killed Abner, the son of Ner and Amasa, the son of Jether. He did it like there was a war. But there was no war! Their blood is on the belt round his body and on the shoes on his feet. v6 So do the right thing as you thought. Do not let him die in *peace as an old man. v7 But be kind to the sons of Barzillai, who lived in Gilead. Let them eat at your table. (Do this) because they were kind to me. (They were kind) when I was running away from your brother Absalom. v8 And remember, Shimei, the son of Gera, is with you. He came from Bahurim, in Benjamin. He prayed that really bad things would happen to me. He did that when I went to Mahanaim. But he did come down to meet me at the (River) Jordan. So I promised him, with the *LORD’s name, that I would not kill him with the *sword. v9 But do not think that he has done nothing wrong. You are a *wise man. And so you will do what is right. You know what you must do to him. He is an old man. But you must (cause your servants to) kill him!’
v10 Then David (died and he) rested with his *ancestors. And they buried him in the City of David, (Jerusalem). v11 David had ruled Israel for 40 years. He was (king) 7 years in Hebron, then 33 years in Jerusalem.
v12 So Solomon sat on the *throne of his father David. He became a strong king.
v13 Adonijah was the son of Haggith. He went to Bathsheba, who was the mother of Solomon. And she said, ‘Do you come in *peace?’ He answered, ‘(I do come) in *peace.’ v14 Then he said, ‘I want to say something to you.’ ‘Say it’, she replied. v15 And he said, ‘You know that I should be king. All Israel thought that I should be their king. But things changed, and now my brother is the king. The *LORD has made him king. v16 Now I have one thing to ask you. Do not refuse me.’ ‘Tell me’, she replied. v17 So he said, ‘Ask King Solomon to give me Abishag, the girl from Shunem, as my wife. He will not refuse you.’ v18 And Bathsheba said, ‘I will speak to the king on your behalf.’
v19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak on behalf of Adonijah. The king stood up to meet her. He was polite to her. Then he sat down on his *throne. And he *ordered (his servants to bring) another *throne for his mother. So she sat down at his right side. v20 ‘I have one small thing to ask you’, she said. ‘Do not refuse me.’ And the king answered her, ‘Ask me, mother! I will not refuse you!’ v21 So she said, ‘Let your brother Adonijah marry Abishag, the girl from Shunem.’ v22 And King Solomon said to his mother, ‘You are asking that Adonijah can marry Abishag. You are almost asking me that my older brother should become king! (That is what) Abiathar the *priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah (want)!’ v23 Then King Solomon promised this to the *LORD. ‘I want God to hurt me very much if Adonijah does not die because of this. And that is what I pray!
v24 Now, as surely as God is alive, Adonijah will die today. God has done all these things, which he promised to me:
· He has made me safe.
· He has caused me to sit on the *throne of my father David.
· My children will be kings after me.’
v25 So King Solomon *ordered Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, to kill Adonijah. And so he attacked him and he died.
v26 The king said to Abiathar the *priest, ‘Go back to your fields in Anathoth. Really, you should die. But I will not kill you now. (That is) because you carried the *ark of the *LORD God in front of my father David. Also, the trouble that happened to my father happened to you.’ v27 So Solomon stopped Abiathar from being a *priest of the *LORD. The things that the *LORD said at Shiloh about Eli’s *family had now happened.
v28 Then the news about this came to Joab. Now Joab had talked with Adonijah, but not with Absalom (about how they could make Adonijah king.) So Joab hurried to the *holy place of the *LORD. He held the points on the corners of the *altar there. v29 And they told Solomon that Joab had hurried to the *holy place of the *LORD. (They said that) he was next to the *altar there. Then Solomon said to Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, ‘Go there! Knock him down!’ v30 So Benaiah went into the *holy place of the *LORD. He said to Joab, ‘The king says, “Come out!” ’ But (Joab) answered, ‘No! I will die here!’ So Benaiah sent a report to the king. He said, ‘This is what Joab said to me.’ v31 Then the king said to Benaiah, ‘Do as he says. Knock him down and bury him. So you will remove from me and from my father’s *family the blood that Joab poured out. It was the blood of people that he should not have killed.
v32 The *LORD will *punish him because of the blood that he poured out. He attacked two men and he killed them with his *sword. My father David did not know about this. Both men were better and more honest than Joab was. (These were the two men:)
· Abner, the son of Ner. He was the leader of Israel’s army.
· Amasa, the son of Jether. He was the leader of Judah’s army.
v33 So Joab and his children and their children will always have troubles because they killed those men. But David’s children, their children and his *throne will always be in *peace with (help from) the *LORD.’ v34 So Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, went and he knocked down Joab. He killed him and (Joab’s family) buried him in his own land in the country. v35 And the king chose Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, to be the leader of the army instead of (Joab). Also, the king chose Zadok the *priest to (be the leader of the *priests) instead of Abiathar.
v36 Then the king asked for Shimei to come to him. (The king) said (to Shimei), ‘Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live in it. Do not go out from it to anywhere else. v37 On the day that you leave it to cross the Kidron Valley, you will die. You will die because of what you yourself have done.’ v38 And Shimei said to the king, ‘Your words are good. Your servant (Shimei) will do as my master the king has said.’ So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for many days. v39 But after three years, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away. They went to Achish, who was the son of Maacah, the king of Gath. Someone told Shimei, ‘Your slaves are in Gath.’ v40 So Shimei went out and he prepared his *donkey (for a journey). He went to Achish in Gath to look for his slaves. He went out (from Jerusalem) and he brought back his slaves from Gath. v41 Someone reported to Solomon that Shimei had travelled from Jerusalem to Gath. Then he had returned (with his slaves). v42 So the king asked for Shimei to come to him. (The king) said (to Shimei), ‘You spoke a very serious promise to the *LORD (to obey me). I *ordered you not to leave (Jerusalem). If you did, you would die. And you said to me at that time, “Your words are good. I will obey you.” v43 But you have not *kept your promise to the *LORD. You did not do what I *ordered you to do.’ v44 The king also said to Shimei, ‘You know in your mind all the bad things that you did to my father David. Now the *LORD will *punish you because of the wrong things that you did. v45 But good things will happen to King Solomon. The *LORD will make David’s *throne to be safe for always.’ v46 Then the king told Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the thing to do. So he went out and he knocked Shimei down. And he killed him. So Solomon now ruled the country. Nobody could say that he was not the proper king.
The first 12 verses of this chapter tell us about the last days of David. In them, David told Solomon that some people were dangerous. They included Adonijah, Abiathar, Joab and Shimei.
Verses 13-46 tell us what Solomon did about this. He killed three of them so that they could not be a danger to him.
In verses 13-25, Adonijah thought that he should be king. That was because he was older than Solomon. If he could marry Abishag, he would take David’s place. Then he thought that the people would make him king! But Solomon sent Benaiah to kill Adonijah.
In verses 26-27, Solomon sent the *priest Abiathar away. He did not let Abiathar be an important *priest again. So what God had spoken about in 1 Samuel 2:31-36 happened. Now Zadok was the only important *priest, verse 35.
In verses 28-35, Solomon sent Benaiah to kill Joab. Joab thought that he was safe in the *LORD’s *holy place. But he was wrong. Joab had killed innocent people. He had ‘poured out their blood’. ‘Innocent’ means that they had not done very bad things. Joab had no reason to kill them. This is what ‘remove the blood from me’ means. It seemed like the king had killed those innocent people! But when the king killed Joab, he removed that thought from people’s minds. David’s *family could now enjoy the promise in Deuteronomy 19:13.
In verses 36-46, Solomon removes the last of David’s enemies.
There are many names in this chapter. Some are in the notes on Chapter 1. Other names include these:
· Abner was the son of Ner. He was the cousin of King Saul. Joab killed him, 2 Samuel 3:27. David wrote a sad song about Abner, 2 Samuel 3:33-39.
· Ner was the brother of Kish, 1 Chronicles 9:36. Kish was the father of King Saul.
· Amasa was a son of David’s sister Abigail, (2 Samuel 17:25). 2 Samuel 20:10 says that Joab killed him.
· Jether was the husband of Abigail. 2 Samuel 17:25 spells it Ithra. Perhaps Ishmael was his *ancestor.
· Barzillai. The story starts at 2 Samuel 19:31. Perhaps Psalm 23 was also about what Barzillai did on behalf of David.
· Shimei met David, when David returned from Barzillai to Jerusalem, 2 Samuel 19:20.
v1 Solomon made a *covenant with Pharaoh, who was the king of Egypt. Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to the city of David. Then Solomon finished the things that he was building. (They were these buildings:)
· his *palace
· the *temple of the *LORD
· the wall round Jerusalem.
v2 But the people still *sacrificed in high places, because they had not yet built a *temple for the *LORD’s Name.
v3 (This is how) Solomon showed that he loved the *LORD. He obeyed all the rules of his father David except (one). He burned *sacrifices and he burned *incense in country places. v4 The king went to Gibeon to *sacrifice (to the *LORD). That was the most important country place. Solomon sacrificed there a thousand times on the *altar. v5 At Gibeon, Solomon saw the *LORD during the night, in a dream. And God said, ‘Ask me for whatever thing that you want me to give to you.’
v6 Solomon’s answered, ‘You were very kind to your servant, my father David. (This was) because he always believed in you. He was a good man and he was honest. You have continued to be very kind to him. You have given to him a son to sit on his *throne to this day. v7 Now, my *LORD and God, you have made (me,) your servant king, instead of my father. But I am only a little child. I do not know how to do my duties. v8 Your servant is here, among the people (in the country) that you have chosen. It is a great country. There are too many people to count, or to find out how many that there are. v9 So give to your servant a mind that understands things. So I will be able to rule your people. I will be able to see who is right. And I will be able to see who is wrong. That is how I will be able to rule your great country.’
v10 It made the *LORD happy that Solomon had asked for this.
v11-12 So God said to him, ‘I will give you what you have asked for. I will do it for (these reasons):
· You have asked for a mind that understands how to rule people fairly.
· You have not asked for a long life or to be very rich.
· You have not asked for the death of your enemies.
I will give to you a mind that is *wise. And I will give to you a mind that understands things. As a result, there never has been, or never will be, anyone like you.
v13 I will give you more than this. I will give to you the things that you did not ask for. (I will make you) rich. (People will know that you are) great. While you are alive, there will be no better king than you. v14 Also, I will give to you a long life, if you (do this). Live as I want you to live. Obey my rules and my *laws. That is what David your father did.’
v15 Then Solomon awoke. (And he knew) that it was a dream. He returned to Jerusalem and he stood in front of the *ark of the *covenant of the *LORD. He *sacrificed (animals) and he burned them. He gave a *peace gift (to God). Then he gave a very good meal to all his servants.
v16 Then two women came and they stood in front of the king. (The women) were *prostitutes. v17 And one woman said (to the king), ‘Oh! My *lord (and king)! I and this woman live in the same house. And I had a baby while she lived in the house (with me). v18 And three days after (my child) was born, she also had a baby. We were alone in the house. Only the two of us were there. There was no stranger there. v19 But this woman lay on her son in the night and he died. v20 So she got up at midnight and she took my son from my side. I, your servant, was asleep (when she did this). She put him by her breast and she put her dead son by my breast. v21 When I got up in the morning to feed my son, he was dead! So I looked carefully at him in the morning (light). Then I saw that he was not my son. He was not the son that was born to me!’ v22 Then the other woman said, ‘No! It is my son that is alive. Your son is dead!’ But the first woman answered, ‘No! The dead boy is yours. My son is alive!’ And so they argued in front of the king.
v23 Then the king said, ‘This (woman) says, “My son is alive and your son is dead.” But the other (woman) says, “No! Your son is dead and my son is alive.” ’ v24 So the king said, ‘Bring me a *sword.’ So they brought a sword to the king. v25 And the king said, ‘Cut the child that is alive into two pieces. Give half to one (woman) and half to the other (woman).’ v26 Then the woman whose son was alive spoke. She really loved her son. So she said to the king, ‘My *lord, please give the baby that is alive to her. Do not kill him.’ But the other (woman) said, ‘Neither you nor I will have him. Cut him in half!’ v27 Then this was what the king decided. ‘Give the baby that is alive to the first woman. She is its mother. Do not kill it.’ v28 Everybody in Israel heard what the king had decided. And they were really afraid of the king. They knew that he used the *wisdom from God to decide fairly.
The word ‘wisdom’ at the top of this chapter means this. You are able to use the things that you know in a good way.
Verse 1. In this kind of *covenant, their countries agreed to be friendly to each other. There should be no wars between them.
The city of David was probably the part of Jerusalem on the east. Solomon’s wife lived there in her own house. It was probably near to Solomon’s house, 1 Kings 7:8. She lived there 13 years, until Solomon had built his palace, 1 Kings 7:1. A palace is a big house that a king lives in.
The temple was the house that Solomon built for the *LORD in Jerusalem. He built it where David put the *ark of the *covenant, 2 Samuel 6:12-18.
Verse 2. Deuteronomy 12:13-14 contains an important rule for the *Jews. They must *sacrifice to God only in one place. But, because they had not built that one place, they did it in many places. They obeyed Exodus 20:24 instead!
Verse 3. Some translations of the Bible say, ‘high places’ or ‘hills’, instead of ‘country places’. But they were probably any place out in the country. Solomon built the *temple on a hill called Moriah, or Zion, in Jerusalem. Incense makes a very nice smell when people burn it.
Verse 4. Gibeon was about 10 kilometres north-west of Jerusalem.
Verses 5-7. God accepted the meat and bread that Solomon *sacrificed in Gibeon. This was because there was no *temple in Jerusalem yet. God spoke often to people in dreams. There are examples in Genesis 31:11 and 41:25. Solomon was probably 17 or 18 years old when this happened.
Verse 8. ‘Country’ does not mean the same here as it does in verses 2-4.
Verse 9. ‘A mind that understands things’. We think that Solomon meant ‘a mind that knows what God wants’. Solomon wanted to know that so that he would always do the right thing.
Verse 14. ‘Live as I want you to live’ is another way to say ‘obey my rules’. Psalm 1 helps us to understand what it means.
Verse 15. ‘The *ark of the *covenant of the *LORD’ was very important. The ark was a box. Exodus 25:10-22 tells us how the *Jews made it. They put things in to it. These things helped them to remember that God was good to them in their journey from Egypt. The covenant included what God and the Jews agreed. They agreed to love and to obey him. He agreed to be their God and to make them safe. ‘LORD’, with four capital letters, is an English way to write the *Hebrew word ‘Jehovah’. Jehovah was God’s covenant name. Leviticus chapter 3 and 7:11-21 tell us about the ‘*peace gift’. When they gave it to God, people ate food together. This made them happy. They were ‘at *peace’ with each other and with God. When they burnt animals to God, they became ‘at peace’ with God.
Verses 16-28. Here is an example of how Solomon used his *wisdom. People who were arguing came to him. They knew that he would decide fairly. So perhaps it was the wrong people, like the second woman, who were afraid!
v1 So King Solomon was the king of all Israel.
v2 And these were his important officers:
Azariah, (who was) the son of Zadok. Zadok (was an important) *priest.
v3 Elihoreph and Ahijah. They were the sons of Shisha. They wrote down (what happened).
Jehoshaphat, (who was) the son of Ahilud. (Jehoshaphat) told people (what Solomon wanted).
v4 Benaiah, (who was) the son of Jehoiada. (Benaiah was) the leader of the army.
Zadok and Abiathar (were) *priests.
v5 Azariah, (who was) the son of Nathan. He told the 12 officers (in verse 7) what to do.
Zabud, (who was also) a son of Nathan. (Zabud was) a *priest and he was a friend of the king.
v6 Ahishar, (who) kept (the king’s) houses and fields well.
Adoniram, (who was) the son of Abda. (Adoniram) told the workers (what they should do).
v7 Solomon also had 12 (other) officers. They were in (different) places in all Israel. They supplied food for the king and for the people that lived in his houses. Each (officer) had to supply food for one month in (each) year.
v8 These are their names.
Ben-hur. (He supplied food from) the hills in Ephraim.
v9 Ben-deker. (He supplied food from) Makaz and Shaalbim and Beth Shemesh and Elon Beth Hanan.
v10 Ben-hesed. (He supplied food from) Arubboth. Socoh and all the fields round Hepher were his (also).
v11 Ben-abinadab. (He supplied food from) the hills near Dor. (Abinadab) had married Solomon’s daughter called Taphath.
v12 Baana, (who was) the son of Ahilud. (He supplied food from) Taanach and Megiddo and (from) all of Beth-shean. (Beth-shean) is near Zarethan, (which is) below Jezreel. (He also supplied food) from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and across to Jokmeam.
v13 Ben-geber. (He supplied food from) Ramoth Gilead. The villages of Manasseh’s son Jair in Gilead were his. Also, the country round Argob in Bashan (was his). It included 60 large cities. The cities had walls and long pieces of metal (to lock) the gates.
v14 Ahinadab, (who was) the son of Iddo. (He supplied food from) Mahanaim.
v15 Ahimaaz. (He supplied food from) Naphtali. (Ahimaaz) had married Basemath, (who was) Solomon’s daughter.
v16 Baana, (who was) the son of Hushai. (He supplied food from) Asher and (from) Aloth.
v17 Jehoshaphat, (who was) the son of Paruah. (He supplied food from) Issachar.
v18 Shimei, (who was) the son of Ela. (He supplied food from) Benjamin.
v19 Geber, (who was) the son of Uri. (He supplied food from) Gilead. (Gilead was) the country where Sihon was king. He was king of the people called Amorites. Also, (Gilead was) the country where Og was the King of Bashan. (Geber) was the only officer in (all) this country.
v20 There were very many people in Judah and Israel. There were as many of them as (there are bits of) sand by the sea (shore). They ate (their food) and they drank (their drink). So they were very happy.
v21 And Solomon ruled over all the *kingdom. (The kingdom) was from the River (Euphrates in Babylon) to the country where the Philistines live. (They live) near the border of Egypt. The people (from these places) brought gifts (to Solomon) and they were his servants all the days of his life.
v22 And this is what (his officers) supplied Solomon each day.
30 cors (6600 litres or 1700 gallons) of flour
60 cors (13 200 litres or 3400 gallons) of *wheat
v23 10 cows that ate in the farm buildings
20 cows that ate in the fields
100 sheep
also (animals called) deer, gazelle, roebuck and chickens.
v24 (This is) because (Solomon) ruled all (the land) west of the River (Euphrates in Babylon). (He ruled) from Tiphsah to Gaza. (He ruled) all the *kingdoms west of the River (Euphrates). There was no war in any of these places. v25 While Solomon ruled, Judah and Israel were safe. Each (person) lived under their *vine or *fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba. v26 Solomon had 4000 buildings for horses that pulled *chariots. And he had 12 000 horses. v27 The 12 officers supplied food for King Solomon and for everybody that ate with him. (The king) got everything that he needed. v28 (Each officer) brought his part (each month). They brought food and dry grass for the horses that pulled *chariots and for the other horses.
Verse 27. The 12 officers are the men in verses 8-19.
v29 God gave Solomon *wisdom. He could see what things mean. So he understood them well. (He had more wisdom) than there are bits of sand on the sea shore! v30 Solomon had more *wisdom than all the men (that lived) in the East. (His wisdom) was greater than all the wisdom in Egypt. v31 He had more *wisdom than any other man. This includes the man called Ethan the Ezrahite. And (it includes) Heman, Calcol and Darda. (Calcol and Darda were) the sons of Mahol. (Solomon) was famous in all the countries round (Israel). v32 (Solomon) spoke 3000 *proverbs and (he wrote) 5000 songs. v33 And he described (many) plants: (He described large ones) like the *cedar trees that grow in Lebanon. And (he described small ones) like the small plant called hyssop. Hyssop grows on walls. And he taught (people) about all kinds of animals, birds, fishes and things that move on their stomachs. v34 (People) came from all countries to listen to the *wisdom of Solomon. Every king on earth who had heard about his wisdom (sent) someone.
Verses 7-19. The *Hebrew word ‘ben’ means ‘son’ or ‘son of’. So, Ben-hur is ‘son of Hur’, and so on. ‘He supplied food from’ is not in the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew Bible just has ‘in’ in each verse. So, verse 8 is ‘Ben-hur in the hills in Ephraim’, and so on. This translation uses the words from verse 7 for all 12 officers. Some Bible students think this: Each place grew food that was best for just one month. That was the month when they had to supply food!
Verse 13. The long pieces of metal locked the gates so that people outside could not open them.
Verse 19. The reports about Sihon and Og are in Numbers 21:21-35.
Verse 21. A kingdom is the country where a king rules.
Verse 22. Wheat is the fruit of a plant. People make bread from it.
Verse 25. The vine is a plant. It grows fruits called grapes. The fig is a fruit, too.
Verse 26. Bible students are not sure if it is 4000 or 40 000. A chariot is a like a car but horses pulled it. Soldiers rode in them. Some Bible students think that ‘12 000 horses’ should be ‘12 000 men that rode on horses’.
Verses 29-34. The notes in front of 1 Kings 3:1 explain the word ‘wisdom’. The ‘East’ and ‘Egypt’ (verse 30) mean ‘everywhere’. 1 Chronicles 2:6 tells us that Ethan, Heman, Calcol and Darda (verse 31) were famous because of their wisdom. Some Bible students think ‘sons of Mahol’ should be ‘singers’.
Verse 32. There is a whole book of Solomon’s proverbs in the Bible. Each proverb teaches something that is important.
v1 Hiram (was the) king of Tyre. He heard that Solomon had become king after his father (David). So (Hiram) sent his servants to Solomon, because Hiram had always been a friend of David. v2 And Solomon sent (this message) to Hiram. It said, v3 ‘You know about my father David. He was unable to build a *temple for the Name of the *LORD his God. This was because people on all sides fought wars against my father David. (They did this) until God caused him to beat his enemies. v4 But now the *LORD my God has made it quiet all round (me). There are no enemies and nothing to destroy anything. v5 So, I have decided to build a *temple for the Name of the *LORD my God. This is what the LORD said to my father David. (The LORD) said, “I will put your son on your *throne after you. He will build the temple for my Name.” v6 And you know that none of us can make wood from trees like the men from Sidon. So now, tell (your men) that they should cut down *cedar trees in Lebanon for me. And my men will (work) with your men. And I will pay you whatever you ask for your men.’
v7 Hiram was very happy when he heard Solomon’s message. And he said, ‘*Praise the *LORD today, because he gave David a *wise son to rule over this great country.’ v8 So Hiram sent this message to Solomon. ‘I have received (the message) that you sent to me. I will do all that you ask. (I will send you) *cedar wood and *pine wood. v9 My men will pull them from Lebanon to the sea. And I will tie several trees together. And then I will pull them along the top of the sea to where you want them. There I will make them into separate trees again, and you will take them away. And you will supply food for my *palace, as I want.’ v10 So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the *cedar wood and *pine wood that (Solomon) wanted. v11 Then Solomon supplied Hiram with 20 000 cors (4.4 million litres or 1.1 million gallons) of *wheat as food for his *palace. He also (supplied) 20 cors (4400 litres or 1100 gallons) of *olive oil. Solomon sent this every year to Hiram. v12 And the *LORD gave *wisdom to Solomon, as (the LORD) had promised to him. Also, there was no war between Hiram and Solomon. They agreed that they would not fight.
v13 Then King Solomon caused 30 000 men from all Israel to work for him. v14 He sent them to Lebanon in groups of 10 000 men each month. So, they were one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was the master of these men. v15 Solomon had 70 000 men that carried things. And he had 80 000 men that cut stones in the hills. v16 He also had 3300 leaders. They told the workers what they should do. v17 The king *ordered them to take large pieces of the best stone that they had cut. They had to take these from the hills where they had cut them. These were the stones that they would build the *foundation of the *temple with. v18 So the men that worked for Solomon and for Hiram prepared the stone and the wood to build the *temple.
Verses 1-6. The temple was God’s special house in Jerusalem. God did not let David build it, because David was a ‘man of war’, 1 Chronicles 22:8-9. Now there was no war, so Solomon could build a temple for ‘the Name of the *LORD his God’. God had promised this to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-13. Solomon asked Hiram to supply wood for the temple. Lebanon was famous because of its beautiful *cedar trees. Hiram ruled Lebanon, where his people lived. Sidon was the most important city in Lebanon. Hiram lived in a city called Tyre. It was on an island near the coast of Lebanon.
Verse 7. ‘Praise’ means ‘tell someone that they are very good and great’.
Verse 11. Hiram’s palace means all the people that live in it. This includes his family and his servants. A palace is a special house that a king lives in. Olive oil comes from a fruit called the olive. They used this oil to cook things in. Some Bible students think that 20 cors should be 20 000 cors.
Verse 18. The *Hebrew Bible has ‘the men of Gebal’ after ‘Hiram’. Bible students are not sure what this means. They are not sure who these men are.
v1 So, Solomon began to build the *temple of the *LORD. It was 480 years after the *Jews had come out from Egypt. Solomon had been king for 4 years. It was in the month called Ziv, the second month (of the year). v2 The *temple that Solomon the king built for the *LORD was 60 *cubits long. It was 20 cubits wide and 30 cubits high. v3 The *temple had a group of *columns. It was at the front of the larger room (in the *temple). (This group) was as wide as the temple. That is, it was 20 *cubits wide. It was 10 cubits from the front (of the columns) to the temple itself. v4 And (Solomon) made narrow windows near the tops of the *temple (walls). v5 Outside the walls of the *temple (Solomon) built rooms at the side. These were outside the larger room of the temple and the *holy of holies. (The side rooms) had (three) *storeys. v6 The lowest *storey was 5 *cubits wide. The middle storey was 6 cubits wide and the third one was 7 cubits wide. Beams (of wood) kept the (storeys) up. (The beams) rested on stone *pillars so they did not go into the *temple walls. v7 When they made the *temple, there was no sound of hammers, axes or any iron tools. They used only big stones that they had cut already. They cut them into the right shape at the place where they found them. v8 The door to the lowest *storey was on the south side of the *temple. And stairs went up to the middle storey and to the top storey. v9 So (Solomon) built the *temple and he finished it. He made the roof out of beams (of wood) and *cedar boards. v10 And he built the rooms all along the sides of the *temple. Each room was 5 *cubits high. *Cedar beams fastened (the rooms) to the temple.
v11 And the *word of the LORD came to Solomon. (The LORD) said,
v12 ‘You are building this *temple (for me). I will do everything for you that I promised to your father David. But you must (do these things):
· You must obey my *laws.
· You must obey my rules.
· You must do everything that I *order you to do.
v13 If you do those things, I will live among the *Israelites. And I will not leave my people Israel.’
v14 So Solomon built the *temple and he finished it. v15 He put boards (that his men made from) *cedar wood on the inside walls. The boards went from the floor of the *temple to its ceiling. (The men) covered the floor of the temple with *pine wood. v16 (Solomon) made a Most *Holy Place at the back of the *temple. It was inside the temple and it was 20 *cubits long. It had *cedar boards from floor to ceiling. It made a very special place (inside the temple). v17 The room in front of this (Most *Holy) Place was 40 *cubits long. v18 (They made) the inside of the *temple with *cedar (wood). (They made) pictures (in the wood) of plants like flowers. (They made) everything out of cedar (wood). You could not see any stone. v19 (Solomon) made the (Most *Holy) place inside the *temple for the *ark of the *LORD’s *covenant. v20 This (Most *Holy Place was called) the inside *sanctuary. It was 20 *cubits long, 20 cubits wide and 20 cubits high. (Solomon) put *pure gold on everything (in the *sanctuary). He also did this with the *cedar *altar. v21 Solomon covered everything inside the *temple with *pure gold. Also, he put a curtain that they made out of gold in front of the *sanctuary. (Everything in the sanctuary) he covered with gold. v22 So he covered everything inside (the *temple) with gold. He also covered with gold the *altar by the inside *sanctuary.
v23 In the inside *sanctuary, (Solomon) made two *cherubs from *olive wood. Each one was 10 *cubits high. v24 One *wing of the first *cherub was 5 *cubits long. Its other *wing was also 5 cubits long. So it was 10 cubits from the end of one wing to the end of the other wing. v25 The second *cherub was also 10 *cubits long. (This was because) the two cherubs were the same in size and shape. v26 Each *cherub was 10 *cubits high. v27 (Solomon) put the *cherubs in the inside room of the *temple. Their *wings were very wide. The wing of one cherub touched one wall (of the temple). The wing of the other (cherub) touched the other wall. And their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. v28 (Solomon) covered the *cherubs with gold.
v29 (Solomon) made pictures in the wood of *cherubs, *palm trees and open flowers. He put them on the walls, all round both the rooms in the *temple. v30 He also covered the floors of both the rooms in the *temple with gold. v31 He made the doors to the *sanctuary out of *olive wood. The wood that held the doors had 5 sides. v32 And on the doors he put pictures in the wood of *cherubs, *palm trees and open flowers. Then he covered the cherubs and the palm trees with very thin gold. v33 The *olive wood that held the doors to the (*temple) itself had 4 sides. v34 (Solomon) also made two doors out of *pine wood (for the *temple). Each door had two parts that turned separately. v35 He put pictures of *cherubs, *palm trees and open flowers on (the doors). He covered them with gold. v36 (Solomon) also built a yard, (called a *courtyard, round the *temple). (The wall round the courtyard) was three stones high. There were *cedar wood boards on top of it.
v37 They put down the first stones of the *temple of the *LORD in the 4th year (that Solomon was king). It was in the month called Ziv. v38 They finished building the *temple in the 11th year (that Solomon was king). It was the 8th month, the month called Bul. Everything was as it was in (Solomon’s) plans. It had taken him 7 years to build it.
Verse 2. A cubit was about 18 inches. So 60 cubits means about 30 yards or 28 metres.
Verse 3. The columns were large, tall, round pieces of stone.
Verse 4. The windows were narrow. They may have let smoke out rather than let light in.
Verse 5. There were only two rooms inside the *temple. There was a larger room and a smaller room, called the ‘*holy of holies’. Only the leader of the *priests could go in to it, and that only on one day every year. Buildings with two or three storeys means that they have one or two floors upstairs.
Verse 8. Each *storey was about 7½ feet (2.3 metres) high. So this is why the windows were high up, verse 4.
Verse 13. The Israelites were the people that lived in Israel.
Verses 16-38. It says ‘Solomon made’. But it means that his men did the work. He told them what they should do. The *temple itself was the *Holy Place. They believed that God lived there. Because the *holy God lived there it also was called holy. Only the *priests could go into this *temple. At the back was a Most *Holy Place. Only the leader of the *priests could go in to it, and that only on one day every year. The usual name for this Most Holy Place was the sanctuary, or the *holy of holies. A sanctuary is the most holy part of any temple or church. Bible students have many problems with these verses. Here are two of them.
· Was the *altar in verse 22 in the *temple, or in the inside *sanctuary? Or were there two altars?
· Was the wall in verse 36 low enough for people to look over? Or was the whole *courtyard three stones high with wood on top? Only the *priests could go into this courtyard.
We may never know the answers to these questions.
v1 Solomon was building his *palace for 13 years. Then he finished it. v2 He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon. It was 100 *cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high. It had 3 lines of *cedar *pillars. On top of them were (more) *cedar beams, which (his men had) cut. v3 They made the roof (also) from *cedar wood. (The roof was over the *pillars of) cedar wood. Also, it was over the cedar beams that were on top of (the pillars). There were 45 cedar pillars, in 3 lines of 15. v4 Its windows were very high. There were three groups of them. They were on the other side from other (groups of windows). v5 All the doors were a *rectangular shape. The wood that held the doors and the windows was rectangular too. There were three (groups) of windows in the front (of the building). v6 He also made a *hall of *pillars. It was 50 *cubits long and 30 cubits wide. The pillars were at the front of the hall, and there was a low wall in front of them. v7 And he built a room to put his throne (special seat for a king) in. He sat on it to decide who was right. And he decided who was wrong. He covered it with *cedar wood from floor to ceiling. v8 And he built his house behind (the room for the king’s special seat). This was where he lived. (His house) was like (the room for the king’s special seat). He also made a house like it for *Pharaoh’s daughter. She was (Solomon’s) wife.
v9 His workers made these buildings from very good, large stones. They cut (the stones) to the right size with a special tool. (They cut) the sides that were towards the inside and towards the outside (of the buildings). (They did this) from the front to the important *courtyard behind it. Also, (they did it) from the floor to the roof.
v10 (Solomon) had put very good, large stones in the ground. They were 8 or 10 *cubits long. He built everything on these. v11 Above (the ground) he used very good stones. (His men) cut them to (the right) size. He also used *cedar wood beams. v12 There was a wall all round the important *courtyard. It was 3 stones high, with *cedar beams on top. (Solomon’s men) cut the stones (to the right size). (This wall) was like the (wall in the) courtyard of the *temple of the *LORD. There were *pillars at the front of it.
v13 King Solomon sent (a message) to Tyre. (The message) brought Hiram (from Tyre). v14 (Hiram) was the son of a *widow from the *tribe of Naphtali. His father had come from the city called Tyre. His father was a very good worker with metals. (His son, Hiram,) was also a very good worker with metals. He knew how to make very many metal things. So he came to King Solomon. He did everything that (Solomon) asked him to do.
v15 He made two metal *pillars. Each pillar was 18 *cubits high. A line 12 cubits long would make a circle round each of them. The metal itself was about 7 centimetres thick. The two pillars were the same. v16 He also made two metal pieces, which were the shape of big cups. And he put one on the top of each *pillar. Each piece was 5 *cubits high. v17 (Each piece) had a group of metal *chains. He put 7 of them on the top of each *pillar. v18 And he made two *chains of *pomegranates. They went round each of the metal chains. They made the tops of the *pillars very beautiful. He did the same for each pillar. v19 The shapes on the tops of the *pillars were like (flowers called) lilies. Each one was 4 *cubits high. v20 There were 200 *pomegranates all round the tops of both *pillars. They were above the shapes (of flowers) next to the metal *chains. v21 He put these *pillars in the *hall of pillars in the *temple. The pillar at the south he called Jakin and the pillar at the north he called Boaz. v22 The tops of the *pillars were in the shape of (flowers called) lilies. And so (Solomon) finished the work on the pillars.
v23 And (Hiram) made with metal (what they called) a Sea. It was 10 *cubits from one side to the other side. It was 5 cubits deep. (Its shape) was a circle 30 cubits round. v24 All round it, below the top, were (shapes like) the fruit of wild plants called gourds. There were 10 for every *cubit. (Hiram) made them in one piece with the Sea. v25 He built the Sea on 12 metal male cows. Three pointed north and three pointed west. Three pointed south and three pointed east. Their backs were towards the middle (of the Sea). v26 The sides of the Sea were 3 inches thick. Its top was like the top of a cup. It was like a (flower called the) lily. (The Sea) contained 44 000 litres (12 000 gallons) (of water).
v27 (Hiram) also made 10 metal *carts (to carry water). Each one was 4 *cubits long, 4 cubits wide and 3 cubits deep. v28 This is how he made the water *carts. (He made them) with square pieces (of metal, that he) fastened at the corners. v29 There were (pictures of animals called) lions and oxen on the sides and on the corners. (There were) also (pictures of) *cherubs. There were shapes like leaves above and below the lions and the oxen. (The shapes were made) with hammers. v30 Each *cart had 4 metal *wheels with metal *axles. Each (cart) also had 4 corners and a bucket that was on 4 pieces of metal. There were metal shapes like leaves, which he made with hammers (next to the buckets). v31 On the top of the *cart there was a round hole. It was one *cubit deep and a cubit and a half across. Round the hole there were pictures (that Hiram) made with metal. The pieces of metal on the sides (of the carts) were square. They were not round. v32 There were 4 *wheels under each *cart. (Hiram) fastened the *axles of the wheels to the under sides of the carts. Each wheel was a *cubit and a half across. v33 The *wheels (of the *cart) were like the wheels of a *chariot. He *cast the metal (to make) the *axles and all the parts of the wheels. v34 Each *cart had 4 handles. There was one on each corner. (Hiram) made them as one piece with each cart. v35 There was a piece of metal round the top of each *cart. It was half a *cubit deep. (Hiram) fastened the handles and (square) pieces (of metal) to the tops of the carts. v36 And he cut pictures of *cherubs, *lions and *palm trees. He cut them on the handles and the (square) pieces (of metal on the *carts). He put them everywhere! There were also (metal pictures of) leaves everywhere! v37 This was how (Hiram) made the 10 *carts. They all had the same size and shape. (That is because) they were all *cast in the same *mould. v38 And (Hiram) also made 10 metal buckets. Each one contained about 230 gallons. Each bucket was 4 *cubits across. There was one bucket for each of the 10 *carts. v39 (Hiram) put 5 of the *carts on the south side of the *temple. He put the other 5 on the north side (of the temple). He put the Sea on the south side of the temple. It was at the south east corner.
v40 He also made pots, small *shovels and small cups.
So Hiram finished all the work in the *temple of the *LORD. He had promised to King Solomon that he would do these things:
v41-45 (He would make these things):
· 2 *pillars
· 2 metal pieces, the shape of big cups, on the top of each *pillar
· 2 groups of *chains, which made the shapes of cups on the tops of the *pillars more beautiful
· 400 *pomegranates for the 2 groups of *chains. There were two groups of pomegranates for each chain. They made the shapes of big cups on the tops of each *pillar more beautiful.
· 10 *carts with their 10 buckets
· the Sea and the 12 male cows under it
· the pots, small *shovels and small cups.
The metal that Hiram used for all these things was *bronze. He made them for King Solomon, (who wanted them) for the *temple of the *LORD.
v46 The king made them in sand *moulds. He did it near the (River) Jordan, between Succoth and Zarethan.
v47 Solomon did not weigh any of these things, because there were so many (of them). They did not discover the weight of the *bronze.
v48-50 Solomon also made everything that was in the *LORD’s *temple. (He made these things):
· The *altar (which he made) out of gold.
· The table (which he made) out of gold. On it was the (special) bread. That bread showed (that God) was there.
· The things that held the lights. He made them from *pure gold. There were 5 on one side and 5 on the other side of the *sanctuary.
· The flowers (that he made) from gold.
· The lights and the tools that held things (for the *altar).
· The *pure gold plates.
· The tools that (they used) for the lights.
· The cups (with water in them).
· The spoons and the baskets (which made smoke).
· Also, the places that held the doors of the *sanctuary. (This is) the Most *Holy Place.
· Also, the places that held the doors of the important *hall of the *temple.
v51 Solomon brought (into the *temple) all the things that David his father had put to one side for the temple. (Solomon) did this after he had finished all the things that he had made for the temple of the *LORD. They were the things that they made out of wood, *silver and gold. He put these things in safe places in the LORD’s temple.
Verses 1-12. A palace is the house of a king. This palace had 5 parts:
· the House of the Forest of Lebanon (verses 2-5)
· the *Hall of *Pillars (verse 6)
· the room for the king’s special seat (verse 7)
· Solomon’s own house (verse 8)
· Solomon’s wife’s house (verse 8).
Bible students do not agree about Solomon’s *palace. This is because the *Hebrew words are very difficult to translate. A *cubit is about 18 inches long. So 100 cubits is about 50 yards (or 46 metres). The pillars were tall pieces of wood. The wood came from trees called cedars. The word ‘rectangular’ means ‘like a square, but with two sides longer than the other two’.
The cedar wood came from the forests in Lebanon. This is why it is called the House of the Forest of Lebanon. It was perhaps where Solomon met important people, like the Queen of Sheba in chapter 10. Bible students think that the other 4 buildings were behind the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Solomon had a large family and many servants. So, we think that his house was very large. Perhaps his wife’s house and Solomon’s house joined together.
Verses 13-22. This part, to the end of the chapter, is again about the *temple. The tribe, or large *family group, of Naphtali was in the north of Israel. It was very near to Tyre. They made the *pillars in verses 1-12 from wood. But, for the temple, Hiram made pillars from metal. He mixed two metals to make the pillars. We call the result bronze. The chains were lines of metal; each piece of metal fastened to the next.
Verse 21. The names mean:
· Jakin: he will prepare.
· Boaz: in him (you will be) strong.
Perhaps ‘he’ and ‘him’ mean God.
Verses 23-26. The Sea was something special. It was full of water. The *priests used this to wash themselves when they went into the temple. In the *Hebrew Bible, 44 000 litres is 2000 baths. We do not really know how big a bath was.
Verse 27. A cart is like a small truck that people or horses pulled. They used these carts to take water to the Sea (verses 23-26).
Verses 29-31. Lions are wild animals, like large cats. Oxen (plural of ox) were farm animals, like cows. Cherubs were special angels, servants of God in his home, called heaven. Hiram made the ‘pictures’ with a hammer and pieces of metal.
Verse 33. Hiram cast the *axles and *wheels to make them. This means that he made the metal very hot. Then he poured it into shapes. The shapes were called moulds. These shapes were usually in sand. When the metal became cold, it became hard again. It was the same shape as the mould. This is called ‘casting’. The worker has cast the metal.
Verse 40. The pots, small shovels and cups were for the *priests to use. A shovel is a tool that people use to dig with. They also use it to remove ashes from fires.
Verses 41-51. The lists here include things that are not in chapter 6.
v1 Then Solomon said that all the leaders of Israel must come to him in Jerusalem. The king wanted all the leaders of the *tribes and families of Israel to (do this. He wanted them to) bring the *ark of the *covenant of the *LORD (to the *temple). (The ark) was in David’s part of the city, called Zion. v2 So all the men from Israel came together, to King Solomon. It was the 7th month, called Ethanim. There was a *festival (at this time). v3 When all the leaders of Israel had arrived, the *priests lifted up the *ark.
v4 Together with the *ark of the *LORD, they brought (these other things):
· the *tent where people met.
· the *holy tools that were in the tent.
The *priests and the *Levites carried them up (to the *temple).
v5 While they did this, all Israel’s people were with King Solomon. They *sacrificed sheep and *oxen in front of the *ark. (There were) more than they could count. v6 Then the *priests brought the *ark of the *covenant of the *LORD to its place. That place was the inside *sanctuary of the *temple, called the Most *Holy Place. They put it under the *wings of the *cherubs. v7 The *wings of the *cherubs were over the place where the *ark was. The ark and the handles to carry it were in the shadow (of the cherubs). v8 The handles were very long. (The *priests) could see their ends from the *Holy Place outside the Most *Holy Place. They could not see them from outside the Holy Place. And they are still there today. v9 There was nothing in the *ark, except two flat stones. Moses had put them there at Horeb. That was where the *LORD made a *covenant with the *Jews. He did that after they came out from Egypt. v10 And when the *priests came out from the *Holy Place (in the *temple), the cloud filled the *LORD’s temple. v11 And the *priests could not do their work, because of the cloud. Then something like a very bright light filled the *LORD’s *temple to show that the LORD was there.
v12 Then Solomon said, ‘The *LORD said that he would live in a dark cloud.
v13 I have built a beautiful *temple for you. It is a place where you can always live.’
v14 While everybody in Israel stood there, the king turned round. He prayed that God would be good to them. v15 And he said, ‘*Praise the *LORD, (who is) the God of Israel. With his own hand he has done what he promised with his own mouth to do for my father David. This is what (God) said: v16 “I brought my people Israel out from Egypt. Since then, I have not chosen a city in any *tribe of Israel, to build a *temple for my Name. But I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.” v17 My father really wanted to build a *temple for the Name of the *LORD, (who is) the God of Israel. v18 But the *LORD said to my father, David, “It was good that you really wanted to build a *temple for my Name. v19 You will not build the *temple. But, instead, your son will build it. He is (from) your own body and blood. He is the person who will build the temple for my Name.” v20 The *LORD has done what he promised to do. I am (king) after David (who was) my father. Now I sit on the *throne of Israel. This is what the LORD promised. Also, I have built the *temple for the Name of the LORD, (who is) the God of Israel. v21 I have made a place there for the *ark. In it, is the *covenant of the *LORD. He made it with our *ancestors, when he brought them out of Egypt.’
v22 Then Solomon stood in front of the *altar of the *LORD. He was in front of all Israel’s people.
He lifted up his hands towards the skies.
v23 And (Solomon) said,
‘*LORD, (you are) the God of Israel. There is no God like you, (either) in the skies above (us) or in the earth beneath (the skies). You continue to do what you have promised to do for your servants. (Your servants are the people) to whom you are always very kind. (Your servants) continue to obey your words as well as they can. v24 You have done what you promised to do for your servant, my father David. Your mouth spoke the promise. Then your hands did (the work, as we see) today. v25 Now, *LORD God of Israel, there is (another) promise that you spoke to your servant, my father David. (I pray) that you will do that also. You said to (David), “There will always be a man to sit on my behalf on the *throne of Israel. But for this to happen, your sons must always obey me like you did.” v26 So now I pray (to you), God of Israel, “Cause what you promised to your servant, my father David, to happen.”
v27 But surely God will not really live on the earth! Even *heaven, the highest heaven of all the heavens, cannot contain you! How much less will this *temple that I have built (contain you)! v28 But listen (to me) while I, your servant, pray (to you), my *LORD and my God. I am asking you for *mercy. Hear me, while I, your servant, am praying to you today. v29 Watch over this *temple day and night. This is the place about which you said, “My Name will be there.” (So,) you will hear your servant (the king) when he prays towards this place. v30 Hear the words of your servant, and of your people Israel, when they pray towards this place. Hear (us) from the place called *heaven, where you live. And when you hear us, then *forgive us.
v31 Sometimes, a man does something that is wrong to somebody else. The man must come to this *temple. He must promise in front of the *altar that his words are true. v32 Then, listen from *heaven. And say who is right. If the man really has done something wrong, *punish him. But if he has not done anything wrong, be good to him.
v33 Perhaps an enemy will win a war against your people, Israel, because (Israel) has not obeyed you. (Your people) may then turn back to you. (They may do these things:)
· (They may) say that your name (is the name of their God).
· (They may) pray to you.
· (They may) ask you (to *forgive them) in this *temple.
v34 If they do that, hear them from *heaven! *Forgive the *sin of your people, Israel. And bring them back to the land that you gave to their *ancestors.
v35 Sometimes, the skies will become dry and there will be no rain. This will be when your people have not obeyed you. (Then, they may do these things:)
· They may pray towards this place.
· They may say that your name (is the name of their God).
· They may turn from what they have done wrong. (This is) because you have hurt them.
v36 If they do that, hear (them) from *heaven. *Forgive your servants, your people Israel, for what they have done wrong. Teach them the right things to do. Send rain on to the land, which you gave as a gift to your people.
v37 Sometimes, (these things will happen) in the country:
· There will not be enough food.
· The (animals and plants and people) will be ill.
· There will be (insects called) locusts and grasshoppers.
· There will be an enemy all round one of their cities.
· Illness (will hurt people) and (enemies will) kill people.
v38 Then, perhaps, only one person from among all of your people Israel will pray to you. He may feel that his heart hurts inside him. So, he will lift up his hands towards this *temple. v39 (If he does that,) hear (him). Hear him from *heaven where you live. *Forgive (the people) and do something. Do to each person what should happen to them. Only you can know what everyone is thinking. v40 So, everybody will be afraid of you, (*LORD), while they live in the country. (This is the country) that you gave to our *ancestors.
v41 Strangers, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come far from other countries. (They will do this) because (they will hear about) your name. v42 People will hear about your great name and about your strong hand and about the arm that you lift up. The stranger will come and he will pray towards this *temple. v43 (When this happens, God,) hear him from your home in *heaven. Do what he asks you to do. So, all the people in the world will know your name. They will be afraid of you, as your own people Israel are. And they will know this. The *temple that I have built is for you.
v44 Sometimes, your people will go to fight against their enemies. (They will go) to where you send them. And when they pray to the *LORD, they will look towards the city (Jerusalem). You chose (this city). And I built the *temple in it for you. v45 When they pray (to you), listen to them (from your home) in *heaven. Do what they ask. And give them help.
v46 There is nobody that does not *sin (against God). When (your people) sin against you, you will become angry with them. You will give them to their enemies. (The enemies) will take them to their own country. Perhaps it will be far; perhaps it will be near. (Your people will be) in the enemy’s prisons. v47 Then, they may become sorry that they have *sinned. They may change their minds and they may pray to you. They will be in the country of the people who put them into prisons. In that country, they may pray (these words): “We have sinned. We have done what is wrong. We have been very bad.” v48 They may turn back to you in the country of their enemies, who put them into prisons. (They may want to obey you) with all their minds and bodies. They may pray to you. And they will look towards the country that you gave to their *ancestors. (They will look) towards the city that you have chosen. (And they will look) towards the *temple that I have built for your Name. v49 Then hear them from your home in *heaven, when they pray to you. Do what they ask you to do. And give help to them. v50 And *forgive your people who have *sinned against you. *Forgive all the wrong things that they have done against you. And cause their enemies to have *mercy on them. v51 (Do this) because they are your people. They belong to you. You brought them out of Egypt. And Egypt was like a very hot fire that could make iron like water.
v52 I pray that your eyes will always be open (to two things):
· to what your servant (Solomon) asks you.
· to what your people, Israel, ask you.
I hope that you will always listen to them. (Do this) when they pray to you.
v53 (Do this) because you chose them from all the countries in the world, to be your own people. This is what you promised to your servant Moses. You did it when you, *Lord, our *LORD, brought our *ancestors out of Egypt.’
v54 So Solomon finished praying about everything that he wanted to ask the *LORD for. He stood up in front of the *altar of the LORD. He had been on his knees with his hands lifted up to the skies. v55 But now he stood up (and he asked God) to do good things to all the people in Israel. He said with a loud voice, v56 ‘*Praise the *LORD! He has given rest to his people Israel. This is what he promised (to Moses). Every good promise that (the LORD) gave to his servant Moses has really happened. v57 The *LORD our God was with our *ancestors. I pray that he will be with us like that. I pray that he will never leave us by ourselves. v58 I pray that (the *LORD) will cause us to love him again. So we will do what he wants us to do. And we will obey everything that he asked our *ancestors to do. v59 All these words of mine I have prayed to the *LORD. I pray that these words of mine will be near to the LORD our God day and night. I want him to help me in what I do. And I pray that he will help (me), his servant. Also, his people, Israel, need his help every day. I pray that he will help them. v60 So, all the people on the earth will know that the *LORD is God. And they will know that there is no other (God). v61 But you (people) really must want to be servants of the *LORD our God. You must do what he *orders you to do. And you must obey his words, as you do now.’
v62 Then the king, and all Israel’s people with him, offered *sacrifices to the *LORD.
v63 These are the *sacrifices that Solomon offered to the *LORD:
· 22 000 cows
· 120 000 sheep and goats.
(Solomon) offered these because he and the *LORD were friendly. So the king, and all Israel’s people, gave the *temple to the LORD.
v64 On that same day, the king gave the *courtyard in front of the *temple to the *LORD. There, (Solomon) offered *sacrifices (to the LORD). He burned animals and he offered *wheat and fat (material from inside animals). The fat was the *fellowship *sacrifice. The *bronze *altar was too small to contain all the animals, the wheat and the fat of the friendly sacrifice. So Solomon burned all these things in the *courtyard and not on the bronze altar. v65 So Solomon had a *festival at that time. Everybody in Israel was there. So, there was a very big crowd. There were people from everywhere from Hamath to the Valley of Egypt. Hamath was in the north and the Valley of Egypt was in the south (of Israel). The festival continued in front of the *LORD our God for 7 days. Then it continued for another 7 days. So it was 14 days long. v66 The day after (the party, Solomon) sent the people away. They all said good things about the king and then they went home. They were very happy and they felt good inside themselves. This was because the *LORD had done so many good things for his servant David and for his people Israel.
Verses 1-13. The ark was a box. It was important to God’s people, the *Jews. It was called ‘the ark of the covenant’. The covenant was what God and his people agreed to do. They would love and obey him. If they did that, he would be their God.
Before they built the *temple, the *ark was in a *tent. This was a house that they made from the skins of animals. In the tent were the things (‘*holy tools’ in verse 4) that they used to sacrifice animals to God. ‘Sacrifice’ here means to kill the animals and to burn them. They did this outside God’s house, the temple, after they had built it. They put the ark in the inside part of the temple, called ‘The Most *Holy Place’, or ‘the sanctuary’.
Only the leader of the priests went into it, and that only on one day every year. The priests were God’s special servants in and round the *temple. They all came from the tribe (large *family) of Levi. Those who were not priests were called *Levites.
A festival (verse 2) was like a big party outside the *temple.
Verses 6-7. They put the *ark under the cherubs. The cherubs were like pictures that they had made out of wood. They were like pictures of God’s special angels. His angels are his servants in heaven, where God lives. Wings are what a bird, and a cherub, flies with.
Verse 15. ‘Praise’ means ‘tell someone that they are good and great’.
Verse 20. A throne is a special seat that a king sits on.
Verse 22. The altar was where they *sacrificed animals. It was outside the door of the *temple. We could translate ‘skies’ as ‘heaven’, which is the home of God.
Verse 24. The mouth of God means what he said. The hands of God mean his power.
Verse 25. This verse means that the king would rule on behalf of God in Jerusalem.
Verse 28. Mercy is a very important Christian word. When God has mercy towards someone, it means this. He is kind when he does not have to be kind.
Verse 29. ‘My Name’ really means God Himself. ‘Pray towards’ the *temple means pray to God.
Verse 30. ‘Forgive’ means excuse. But for Christians, it means excuse in a special way. It means this. ‘For us, give the wrong things that we have done to Jesus.’ Read 2 Corinthians 5:21. Solomon could not read 2 Corinthians but we can!
Verse 34. Here (and in verses 40, 48, 53, 57 and 58) the word ‘ancestors’ means all the *Jews that lived before Solomon.
Verses 37. Locusts and grasshoppers are insects that eat every green plant.
Verse 39. ‘Forgive’ is an important Christian word. The note on verses 27-36 explains it.
Verses 41-43 are important for people who are not Jews. They tell us this: God will answer them too, when they pray.
Verse 42. The name, the hand and the arm are three things about God. Some Christians think that they mean the Father (name), his Son Jesus (the arm) and the *Holy Spirit (the hand). Solomon perhaps meant that God was very strong and powerful.
In verse 43, the *Hebrew Bible has, ‘The *temple that I have built has your Name’. Our translation says, ‘The *temple that I have built is for you.’ Also, in verse 44, we have ‘for you’, but the Hebrew Bible has ‘for your Name’. We have put capital Ns because God’s name means God himself.
Verses 46-50. We *sin when we do not obey God.
Verse 47. ‘Become sorry’ in the *Hebrew Bible is ‘have a change of mind’.
Verse 50. ‘To have mercy’ means ‘to be kind when you do not have to be kind’.
Verse 53. ‘Lord’ in this verse, is not the same Hebrew word as *LORD in the same verse. ‘Lord’ means someone with authority.
Verse 56. ‘Praise’ means ‘tell someone that they are very good and great’.
Verse 61. In the *Hebrew Bible, in verse 61, ‘you really must want to be servants of the *LORD’ is ‘your hearts must belong to the LORD’.
Verses 62-64. A sacrifice was an animal that the *Jews killed for the *LORD. This obeyed his words in Leviticus. Maybe the *courtyard was the one for men only. In verse 64, there were 3 kinds of sacrifice. Leviticus chapters 1, 2 and 3 tell us about them. The fat was from inside the animal. It is what we have called the friendly sacrifice. It tells us that God and his people are friends.
v1 Solomon had finished building the *temple of the *LORD and the king’s *palace. He had built everything that he had wanted to build. v2 Then the *LORD appeared to (Solomon) a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.
v3 The *LORD said to (Solomon),
‘I have heard what you have prayed to me. And (I have heard) what you have asked me. I have made this *temple special, which you have built. I have put my Name on it for all time. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
v4 (I will do good things) for you, if you (will do these things):
· You must be my servant, as your father David was (my servant).
· You must do everything that I ask you to do.
v5 Then I will make someone from your *family king over Israel for all time. This is what I promised to your father David. (I said,) “You will never fail to have a man (from your *family) on the *throne of Israel.” v6 But you and your sons must not turn away from me. You must not become servants of other gods and you must not *worship them. You must not refuse to obey the *laws and rules that I have given you. v7 If you do, I will remove Israel from (their) country. (It is the country) that I have given to them. Also, I will destroy this *temple that I have made special for my Name. Israel will then become something that people say bad things about. They will all *laugh at (Israel). v8 This *temple now is really beautiful. Then, everyone that sees it will be surprised. (They will think that) it seems very bad to look at. They will laugh about it! They will ask, “Why has the *LORD done this to this country and to this temple?” v9 And people will answer, “He has done it because they have not obeyed the *LORD their God. He brought their *ancestors out of Egypt. But they have chosen other gods. They have become their servants and they *worship them. That is why the LORD has caused such bad things to happen to them (and to their *temple).” ’
v10 Solomon was building the *temple of the *LORD and the king’s *palace for 20 years. After this, v11 he gave 20 towns in Galilee to Hiram, the king of Tyre. (He did this) because Hiram had given him all that (Solomon) needed. (He had given him) *cedar and *pine wood and gold. v12 So Hiram went from Tyre (to Galilee), to see the towns that Solomon had given to him. But Hiram was not happy with them. v13 ‘These are not very good towns that you have given to me, my dear friend!’ he said. (Hiram) called them the Land of Cabul. They are still called that today. v14 Hiram had sent to king (Solomon) 120 *talents of gold.
v15 Solomon caused slaves to work for him. They built the *LORD’s *temple, (Solomon’s) *palace, the *Millo and the wall round Jerusalem. (They) also (built) (the towns called) Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer. v16 Pharaoh was the king of Egypt. He had attacked Gezer and it had become his. He had burnt it. He had killed the *Canaanites that lived there. He gave it as a gift to his daughter, when she married Solomon. v17 So Solomon built Gezer again. He also built (the town called) Lower Beth Horon. v18 (He also built) Baalath and Tadmor. They were in his country, (in places) where there was much sand. v19 And (Solomon) built cities and towns where he could store things. He also kept his *chariots and horses in them. He built everything that he wanted (to build), in Jerusalem, Lebanon and everywhere in his *kingdom. v20 Some people who were not *Jews lived in Israel. They were called Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. v21 The *Jews had not been able to kill all of these people. So Solomon made them his slaves, as they still are today. v22 But Solomon did not make any of the *Jews into slaves. They became his soldiers, and they became the people in his government. (Some of the soldiers) were army leaders. Other soldiers told the people that drove *chariots what to do.
v23 And 550 people were leaders of the people that built things (for Solomon). They told the men that did the work what to do.
v24 Pharaoh’s daughter came up (from where she lived) in the City of David. She came up to the *palace that Solomon had built for her. After this, he built walls (that people could walk on) round it.