The temple
The Hebrew word for "temple" is "הֵיכָל" (heikal), which signifies a large and magnificent building, often used to describe a palace or sanctuary. In the context of 1 Kings 6:2, it refers to the sacred house of worship dedicated to the LORD. The temple was not merely a physical structure but a symbol of God's presence among His people, a place where heaven and earth met. It was a fulfillment of God's promise to dwell among the Israelites, reflecting His desire for a relationship with His chosen people.

that King Solomon built
Solomon, the son of David, was chosen by God to build the temple. His reign was marked by peace and prosperity, allowing him the resources and time to undertake such a monumental task. The Hebrew root for "built" is "בָּנָה" (banah), which implies not just construction but also establishing and making something permanent. Solomon's building of the temple was an act of obedience and devotion, fulfilling his father David's vision and God's command.

for the LORD
The temple was built "for the LORD," emphasizing its purpose as a dwelling place for the divine presence. The Hebrew name for the LORD here is "יְהוָה" (YHWH), the covenant name of God, signifying His eternal, self-existent nature. The temple was a testament to God's faithfulness and His covenant with Israel, serving as a constant reminder of His holiness and the need for His people to live in accordance with His laws.

was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high
The dimensions of the temple are given in cubits, an ancient measurement roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 centimeters. The specific dimensions—sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high—reflect the grandeur and majesty of the temple. These measurements indicate a structure of significant size and importance, designed to inspire awe and reverence. The precise dimensions also suggest order and intentionality, reflecting God's nature as a God of order and beauty. The temple's size and proportions were not arbitrary but divinely inspired, ensuring it was a fitting place for the worship of the Almighty.

(2) The length.--By comparison with Exodus 26:16-23, we find that the Temple itself was in all its proportions an exact copy of the Tabernacle, each dimension being doubled, and the whole, therefore, in cubical contents, eight times the size. It was, therefore--whatever measure we take for the cubit--a small building. Taking the usual calculation of eighteen inches for the cubit, the whole would be ninety feet long, thirty feet wide, and forty-five feet high--not larger than a good-sized parish church, and in proportion not unlike a church of Gothic construction. It is, indeed, curious to note that this likeness is carried out in the existence of the porch (which is even represented in 2Chronicles 3:4 as rising into a lofty entrance tower), the division of the house into two parts, like a nave and chancel, the provision of something like aisles (though opening outwards) and of clerestory windows, and the high pitch of the roof. This resemblance is probably not mere coincidence; for in the old Freemasonry, which had a great influence on mediaeval architecture, the plan of Solomon's Temple was taken in all its details as a sacred guide. The "Oracle" or Most Holy place, was lower than the rest, forming an exact cube of thirty feet; the height of the Holy place (sixty feet long and thirty feet wide) is not given, but was probably the same, so that there would be an upper chamber over the whole under the roof--which, like that of the Tabernacle, appears to have been a high-pitched roof--fifteen feet high along the central beam, with sloping sides. This is apparently alluded to in 2Chronicles 3:9, and possibly in 2Kings 23:12, and in the remark of Josephus, "There was another building erected over it, equal in its measures." The Temple was, in fact, only a shrine for the ministering priests--the outer court, or courts, being the place for the great assembly of the congregation--and it relied for magnificence not on size, but on costliness of material and wealth of decoration.

Verse 2. - And the house [i.e., not the whole structure, but the main building, exclusive of porch (ver. 3) and side chambers (ver. 5)] which king Solomon built for the Lord, the length thereof was threescore cubits [But what was the length of the cubit? (אָמָהֹ) This unfortunately is by no means certain, as the Jews would seem to have had three different cubits. All the ancient measures, both Jewish and Gentile, were taken from parts of the body. Thus we find a "finger-breadth" (Jeremiah 52:21), "hand-breadth" (1 Kings 7:26), "span" (1 Samuel 17:24), and the Greeks had their δάκτυλος πούς and τῆχυς, and the Romans their cubitus, pes, digitus, etc. אָמָה is used in its proper sense (ulna) Deuteronomy 3:11. Probably at first it signified, like πῆχυς, the length from point of elbow to tip of little or middle finger. But it is obvious that this was an uncertain measure, and hence perhaps arose cubits of different length. According to Gesen. the cubit here mentioned, which was the older or sacred Mosaic cubit (2 Chronicles 3:3), was six palms, while that of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 40:5; Ezekiel 43:13), the royal Babylonian cubit, was seven, but on this as well as other points the authorities are very far from agreed. "The length of the cubit is one of the most knotty points of Hebrew archaeology" (Dict. Bib. 3, p. 1736). There is a general consensus of opinion, however in favour of understanding the cubit here mentioned as measuring 18 inches. Fergusson (Dict. Bib. 3:1451) considers this to be beyond question. It is certainly noteworthy that the measurements of Kings and Chronicles, of Ezra and Ezekiel, of Josephus and the Talmud, all agree, and we know that Josephus always uses the Greek cubit of 18 inches. Mr. Conder, however, maintains that the Hebrew cubit amounts to no more than sixteen inches. He says, "Maimonides tells us that the temple cubit was of 48 barleycorns, and any one who will take the trouble to measure barleycorns, will find that three go to the inch" - which gives 16 inches for the cubit. To this argument, which is not perhaps of much weight, he adds, what is of much greater moment, that "the Galilean synagogues, measured by it, give round numbers" (pp. 187-8)] and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits. [It thus appears that the temple was but a small - compared with many churches, a very small - building. But its purpose and object must be considered. It was not for assemblies of the people. The congregation never met within it, but the worship was offered towards it. It was a place for the Holy Presence, and for the priests who ministered before it.]

Parallel Commentaries ...


The house
וְהַבַּ֗יִת (wə·hab·ba·yiṯ)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1004: A house

that
אֲשֶׁ֨ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

King
הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

Solomon
שְׁלֹמֹה֙ (šə·lō·mōh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8010: Solomon -- David's son and successor to his throne

built
בָּנָ֜ה (bā·nāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1129: To build

for the LORD
לַֽיהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

[was] sixty
שִׁשִּֽׁים־ (šiš·šîm-)
Number - common plural
Strong's 8346: Sixty

cubits
אַמָּ֥ה (’am·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 520: A mother, a cubit, a door-base

long,
אָרְכּ֖וֹ (’ā·rə·kōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 753: Length

twenty [cubits]
וְעֶשְׂרִ֤ים (wə·‘eś·rîm)
Conjunctive waw | Number - common plural
Strong's 6242: Twenty, twentieth

wide,
רָחְבּ֑וֹ (rā·ḥə·bōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7341: Breadth, width

and thirty
וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים (ū·šə·lō·šîm)
Conjunctive waw | Number - common plural
Strong's 7970: Thirty, thirtieth

cubits
אַמָּ֖ה (’am·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 520: A mother, a cubit, a door-base

high.
קוֹמָתֽוֹ׃ (qō·w·mā·ṯōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6967: Height


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OT History: 1 Kings 6:2 The house which king Solomon built (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)