1 Kings 6:15-38
Inside the Sanctuary
15He lined the interior walls with cedar paneling from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and he covered the floor with cypress boards.
16He partitioned off the twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.
17And the main hall in front of this room was forty cubits long.
18The cedar paneling inside the temple was carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; not a stone could be seen.
19Solomon also prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there.
20The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.
21So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold.
22So he overlaid with gold the whole interior of the temple, until everything was completely finished. He also overlaid with gold the entire altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.
23In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim, each ten cubits high, out of olive wood.
24One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing was five cubits long as well. So the full wingspan was ten cubits.
25The second cherub also measured ten cubits; both cherubim had the same size and shape,
26and the height of each cherub was ten cubits.
27And he placed the cherubim inside the innermost room of the temple. Since their wings were spread out, the wing of the first cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the second cherub touched the other wall, and in the middle of the room their wingtips touched.
28He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.
29Then he carved the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.
30And he overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and outer sanctuaries.
31For the entrance to the inner sanctuary, Solomon constructed doors of olive wood with five-sided doorposts.
32The double doors were made of olive wood, and he carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold.
33In the same way he made four-sided doorposts of olive wood for the sanctuary entrance.
34The two doors were made of cypress wood, and each had two folding panels.
35He carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and he overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings.
36Solomon built the inner courtyard with three rows of dressed stone and one row of trimmed cedar beams.
37The foundation of the house of the LORD was laid in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, in the month of Ziv.
38In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in every detail and according to every specification. So he built the temple in seven years.
Berean Standard Bible
The inside of the temple is lined with cedar, and the floor is covered with boards of juniper. The innermost room is prepared as a sanctuary for the ark of the covenant. The walls, floor, and ceiling are covered with gold, and an altar of cedar stands before the inner sanctuary.
The inner room is separated by a partition, and cherubim are carved overlaid with gold. The entire house is covered with gold, including the floor of the inner sanctuary. The material richness is intentional, but the text never says that gold makes God more present or more controllable.
Solomon makes doors of olive wood and carves cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers on them. The images are part of the temple's appointed design. They do not turn worship into an attempt to make a visible image of the invisible God.
The temple is completed in the eleventh year, after seven years of building. The long project reaches its end through patience and detailed labor. The sanctuary is set apart, but its holiness will still depend on the people's faithfulness to the LORD who chose to dwell among them.
How We Know
This account is best tested by reading it alongside the surrounding witness. The events in 1 Kings 6:15-38 are part of the royal history that 2 Chronicles also summarizes. The temple, succession, and court details are presented within Israel's continuing covenant story, giving the reader internal points of comparison rather than an isolated legend.
Questions
1 What materials line the temple interior?
AnswerCedar, juniper boards, gold, and olive wood are used throughout the interior and its furnishings.
2 What room is prepared for the ark?
AnswerThe innermost room is prepared as a sanctuary for the ark of the covenant before it is placed inside.
3 What designs are carved on the doors?
AnswerCherubim, palm trees, and open flowers are carved on the olive-wood doors and overlaid with gold.
4 How long does construction take?
AnswerThe temple is completed in the eleventh year, after seven years of detailed construction from the foundation onward.
What This Means for Us
The temple's beauty expresses reverence, but it does not make worship automatic. Our outward arrangements can support attention to God while still needing the inward faithfulness He asks for.
Create spaces and habits that help your household pray and listen, but do not confuse religious surroundings with a changed heart. The room can be beautiful while the people inside still need grace.
Prayer
Holy God, receive the work of our hands without letting us hide behind appearances. Make our homes places of reverence, and make our hearts more faithful than any decoration could suggest. Amen.