Prayer Before the Temple

After completing the construction of the Temple, Solomon held grand ceremonies, sacrifices, and other celebrations. Solomon knew that the Temple was merely a symbol of God’s presence among His people. He also understood that prayer must hold firmly to God’s promises. Therefore, the seven petitions he made before God were all based on God’s promises. […]

Copper Mines in the Time of Solomon

1 Chronicles 18:8: “From Tebah and Cun, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, David took a large quantity of bronze. Solomon used it to make the Bronze Sea, the pillars and all the bronze articles.” 1 Kings 7:13-47: “King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram, whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali […]

The Queen of Sheba

The Queen of Sheba (Hebrew: מַֽלְכַּת־שְׁבָׄא‎; Ancient Greek: βασίλισσα Σαβὰ) is a figure recorded in the Hebrew Bible. She was a queen who ruled the East African kingdom of Sheba and lived during the same era as King Solomon. Sheba’s location roughly corresponds to modern-day Ethiopia. At its peak, her power in Africa extended across […]

A Palace Greater Than the Temple

Solomon spent thirteen years building his own palace (1 Kings 7:1). The royal complex included the House of the Forest of Lebanon, the Colonnade, the Throne Hall, the King’s private residence, and Pharaoh’s daughter’s palace. This project took nearly twice as long as building the Temple. The construction of both the Temple and the palace […]

Building the Temple in Quietness

Zedekiah’s Cave, also known as Solomon’s Quarries, is a 20,000-square-meter underground quarry located beneath the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, dating back thousands of years. The Meleke limestone extracted from here is strong and corrosion-resistant, making it ideal for carving. When first cut, it is relatively soft and can be smoothly sawn. Upon exposure […]

Labor in the Time of Solomon

1 Kings 5:13, 15-16: “King Solomon conscripted laborers from all Israel—thirty thousand men… He had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills, as well as three thousand three hundred foremen who supervised the project.” This marks the first time in the Bible that Israelites were conscripted for forced labor. At that time, […]

The Cedars of Lebano

1 Kings 5:6: “So give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My servants will help your servants, and I will pay your servants whatever wages you set, for you know that we have no one among us as skilled in timber cutting as the Sidonians.” The cedar trees that grow in the […]

Solomon’s Warhorses

1 Kings 4:26, 28: “Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariots and twelve thousand horses. The officials supplied the king and all who came to King Solomon’s table with food, each in his turn. They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.” […]

Solomon’s Twelve Administrative Districts

1 Kings 4:7: “Solomon also had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied food for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year.” “All Israel” refers to the territories of the eleven tribes outside of the tribe of Judah. The northern tribes, led by […]

Solomon’s Judgment

Before David died, he appointed his son Solomon to succeed him as king. Solomon had a dream in which God asked him what he wished for. Solomon asked God for wisdom and knowledge to govern his people fairly and to act wisely. The Lord was very pleased and granted Solomon a wise and discerning heart. […]