Solomon’s Temple

In the fourth year of his reign, 480 years after the exodus from Egypt, Solomon begins to build the house of the LORD: sixty cubits long, twenty wide, thirty high. The stones arrive already cut, so that no hammer, axe, or iron tool is heard in the house. The interior is paneled with cedar and overlaid with gold; in the Most Holy Place, two cherubim ten cubits high spread their wings. At the entrance stand two bronze pillars, Jachin and Boaz. After seven years of work, the priests carry the ark, which contains only the two tablets of stone, into the Most Holy Place. At once, the cloud fills the house: the glory of the LORD is there, and the priests cannot stay to minister. With his hands spread toward heaven, Solomon prays: “the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee.” Then all Israel celebrates the dedication with joy.