- Dedication:
- 1 Kings 8:26-66; 2 Chronicles 7:4-11
- Solomon offered 220,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep.
- A 14-day feast was held.
- Construction:
- Built by 30,000 Israelites and 150,000 Canaanites, with Phoenician artists and craftsmen from Tyre.
- The Temple faced east and was built to a plan similar to the Tabernacle but was twice its size.
- Dimensions: 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, 45 feet high.
- Interior Dimensions:
- Holy Place: 60 feet long by 30 feet wide.
- Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies): 30 feet by 30 feet.
- Historical Context:
- Israel’s first Temple.
- The Tabernacle was used for 400 years prior.
- David desired to build the Temple but was forbidden due to being a man of war (1 Chronicles 22:8).
- David provided the architectural design (1 Chronicles 28:11-12) and accumulated treasures and materials (1 Chronicles 29:2-6).
- Cost and Timeline:
- Estimated cost in today’s money: $3 to $6 billion.
- Construction began 490 years after Israel’s exodus from Egypt (2 Chronicles 3:2).
- Location:
- Situated on Mt. Moriah, where Abraham offered Isaac (Genesis 22:2).
- Materials and Construction:
- Built with great stones, cedar beams, and gold overlay.
- Construction took 7 years.
- Temple Furnishings:
- Holy Place:
- Golden Altar of Incense.
- 10 golden candlesticks (5 on each side).
- 10 tables of showbread (5 on each side).
- Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies):
- The Ark of the Covenant.
- Bronze Altar: 30 feet square by 15 feet high.
- Brazen Laver (called a “sea”): 15 feet in diameter, 8 feet deep, resting on 12 bronze oxen.
Interesting Facts About Solomon’s Temple
Faith & Reason Nexus 
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