Solomon Builds the Temple: The preparations for building the temple are complete, and we now move on to a detailed description of the building itself. Much is obscure to us as readers who stand at such a distance from the authors of the text, and we shall not pause at any length to puzzle over the architectural detail or marvel at all the glitter and the gold. Little that is important for interpreting the book of Kings hangs on any such detail.

6:1–13 After a notice about the dates involved (v. 1), the description begins, as we might expect, with the external structure of the temple. We are told of its overall proportions (v. 2) and its basic form (a tripartite arrangement, comprising the portico or entrance hall, main hall, and inner sanctuary, vv. 3–5). We hear of its windows (v. 4) and o…