The Temple of Solomon

Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever ( 1 Kings 8:1213).

Solomon declared that he would complete the temple that his father David had decreed (1 Kings 5:5; cf. 2 Samuel 7). The temple was exactly double the dimensions of the Tabernacle. It took 7 years to complete the structure, and an additional 13 years to finish the surrounding court and Solomons adjoining palace. The primary building material was finely hewn stones, prepared in an off-site quarry. The entire inner building was lined by cedar, then covered with gold. Gilded olive-wood doors formed the entrances to both the hkl (Holy Place) and dbr (Most Holy Place, or Oracle). The dbr housed the ark of the covenant; the hkl housed the altar of incense, ten tables of showbread, and ten golden lampstands. The temple of Solomon was completed approximately 953 B.C. and destroyed by the Babylonian army under Nebuchadnezzar in 587. After the Jewish return from Babylonian captivity, it was rededicated in 516 by Zerubbabel. The temple and surrounding courts were dramatically expanded during the reign of Herod the Great, beginning in 20 B.C. The entire site, except for a portion of the courts western wall, was destroyed by the Romans under Titus in A.D. 70.