The Jerusalem of Solomon During the reign of Solomon, Jerusalem doubled in size as the remaining area on the summit of the eastern ridge, the "hill of Ophel" (meaning "hump"), was incorporated into the city; and walls were built to defend the whole area. The most reliable estimates suggest that the population of the city more than doubled during Solomon's reign, to about 5,000. Archaeological finds related to the time of Solomon The First Temple Also under Solomon, the Temple conceived by David as a home for the Ark of the Covenant was built on the small hill some 762 feet north of the original north wall of the City of David. On the highest point of this hill was the threshing floor purchased by David from Araunah (or Ornan) the Jebusite; now it is the holy rock under the Dome of the Rock, which, in turn, was probably the bedrock on which the Temple foundations were laid. The Temple was part of a royal precinct that included lavish palaces for Solomon and his wives, along with government buildings: the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon (named in honor of Phoenicia, the source of timber; 45 cedar columns supported its roof); the Hall of Pillars; the Hall of Justice (where Solomon administered justice from his ivory throne) and a special palace for Pharaoh's daughter, his most illustrious wife. Nothing has survived of these structures; even their locations are uncertain. No architectural fragments of Solomon's Temple have ever been found. But descriptions in 1 Kings 6-8 and 2 Chronicles 2-5 tell us just enough about its construction to imagine what it looked like. It took seven years to complete and, in addition to skilled craftsmen, involved the forced labor of some 30,000 Israelites. If you were a Canaanite or Phoenician looking at the outside you would probably think it had been built to house images of their own divine pantheon: El, Baal, Anath and Astarte. The Bible does not hide the fact that the artisans and materials for the sophisticated work were provided by Hiram, king of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre. Borrowing from a more advanced, if pagan, neighboring culture was often standard procedure in the ancient world. But the Jerusalem Temple was designed according to a different concept. No physical image could adequately represent God; idols were abominations. This temple would serve as a house of the Word, not of the deity. No man-made building could hold the One True God. As Solomon said:
The Temple itself was fairly small, only about 100 feet long, 30 feet wide and 45 feet high, double the size of the Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary of the Israelites in the desert, yet average by Phoenician standards, and quite small when compared to the contemporary religious structures of Egypt or Mesopotamia. The parts were all prepared away from the building site, and when they were brought together the whole structure was erected without using iron tools. The main doorway, facing east toward the rising sun, was flanked by two mysterious bronze pillars six-feet in diameter and about thirty-five-feet tall, including their beautiful capitals decorated with lilies and pomegranates. They were named Jakin ("He will establish") and Boaz ("fleetness"), perhaps as visible symbols to the stability of the Davidic dynasty.
The Temple had three rooms: To the east was a shallow entrance porch called the heykal (from the ancient Semitic word for "palace"). Next came the main hall, known as the ulam (meaning "dumb"
or "put to silence"), the largest of the rooms at roughly 60 feet
long by 30 feet wide. This was dimly illuminated by light from a series
of narrow windows just below the ceiling. It is here that most of the daily
rituals were performed by the priests and it contained an altar for incense,
a table for the "bread of the Presence," twelve seven-branched
candlesticks (menorot, plural of menorah), and other implements,
all of
gold. The floors and walls of cedar were
overlaid with beaten gold sheeting depicting cherubim, flowers and palm
trees. The knot-free cedar from Leba From the main room, a flight of stairs led to the next chamber, the debir or Most Holy Place (NIV), a windowless cube, 30 feet on each side. Here rested the sacred Ark of the Covenant containing the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, protected by two gold-plated olive wood cherubim, 15-feet-high with outstretched wings spanning fifteen feet to touched each other above the Ark and at each side wall. According to archaeological research, these cherubim resembled Egyptian-type sphinxes, i.e., human headed winged lions. The meaning of the word debir is intriguing; it is derived from the root meaning "speak," "declare" or "converse" suggesting that this was not only the room where the Divine presence resided, but where God "spoke" to the High Priest. Right, possibly the only object associated with Solomon's Temple: a small, thumb-size, ivory pomegranate (now in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem). A hole in the base indicates it was originally the head of a scepter used by a priest. The inscription carved in old Hebrew on the shoulder reads: "Belonging to the Temp[le of Yahw]eh, holy to the priests." It should be noted that the Toronto-based The Globe and Mail (issue dated December 27, 2004), reported that the Israel Museum in Jerusalem has concluded that the ivory pomegranate, long-accepted as belonging to Solomon's Temple, was a fake! Below, looking south from the summit of the eastern hill—the "the City of David"—where Solomon resided. On the far left, across the Kidron Valley, is the "hill east of Jerusalem," now known as the Mount of Offense (1 Kings 11:7-8), and site of the Arab village of Silwan, where the "wise" king "built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites." (1 Kings 11:7)
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In front was a large courtyard
which contained the the great horned altar for burned sacrifices—30-feet
square and 15-feet high— presumably with steps. Nearby stood an immense
bronze basin, 7 1/2 feet high and 15 feet in diameter (called the "bronze
sea") supported by 12 statues of oxen and most probably holding ten-thousand
gallons of water for cleaning the courtyard after the sacrifices. There
were also ten bronze basins on wheeled pedestals, each containing some 200
gallons of water for washing burnt offerings.
non, insect-repellent and rot-resistant,
is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament as the best wood for construction.