1 Kings 6:3 kjv
And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house.
1 Kings 6:3 nkjv
The vestibule in front of the sanctuary of the house was twenty cubits long across the width of the house, and the width of the vestibule extended ten cubits from the front of the house.
1 Kings 6:3 niv
The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits, and projected ten cubits from the front of the temple.
1 Kings 6:3 esv
The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house, and ten cubits deep in front of the house.
1 Kings 6:3 nlt
The entry room at the front of the Temple was 30 feet wide, running across the entire width of the Temple. It projected outward 15 feet from the front of the Temple.
1 Kings 6 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 25:8 | "And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." | Divine command for a dwelling place. |
| Ex 26:18 | "You shall make twenty frames for the south side..." | Tabernacle dimensions/details parallel temple precision. |
| 2 Sam 7:13 | "He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." | Davidic covenant promise fulfilled by Solomon's temple. |
| 1 Kgs 6:2 | "The house that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide..." | Overall dimensions of the main temple structure. |
| 1 Kgs 6:17 | "The main hall of the temple was forty cubits long." | Dimensions of the Holy Place within the temple. |
| 1 Kgs 7:12 | "and the great court all around..." | Temple had outer courts leading to inner areas. |
| 1 Kgs 7:19 | "The portico for the house was forty cubits long..." (likely a different porch/context or text variant) | Other significant temple porches/dimensions. |
| 1 Chr 28:19 | "All this he made clear to me in writing from the hand of the Lord..." | David received divine blueprint for the Temple. |
| 2 Chr 3:4 | "The portico in front of the nave was twenty cubits long..." | Parallel account confirming portico dimensions. |
| Eze 40:7 | "The guardroom was one reed long and one reed broad..." | Ezekiel's visionary temple also had detailed entryway dimensions. |
| Eze 40:48 | "Then he brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the uprights..." | Specific details about the visionary temple's portico. |
| Mt 23:35 | "from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah...whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar." | Implied parts of the temple complex in Jesus' discourse. |
| Jn 10:23 | "It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon." | Mention of 'Solomon's Portico' in the Second Temple complex. |
| Acts 3:11 | "While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's..." | Significant location for early Christian gatherings and teaching. |
| Acts 5:12 | "Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico." | Apostles frequently used Solomon's Portico as a meeting place. |
| Heb 9:1-2 | "Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. For a tent was prepared, the first section..." | Tabernacle layout (precursor to temple) illustrating separation of holy spaces. |
| Heb 9:8 | "the Holy Spirit indicating that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first tent is still standing." | Limitations of the earthly sanctuary for access to God. |
| Rev 21:22 | "And I saw no temple in the city, for its Temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb." | The ultimate dwelling place of God requires no physical temple. |
| Psa 27:4 | "One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life..." | Desire for presence in God's dwelling place. |
| Isa 2:2-3 | "It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established..." | Prophetic vision of a future spiritual Temple and gathering of nations. |
1 Kings 6 verses
1 Kings 6 3 Meaning
1 Kings 6:3 describes the dimensions of the portico ('ûlām) at the entrance of Solomon's Temple. This vestibule stood immediately in front of the main sanctuary or Holy Place (hêkāl). It was twenty cubits long (across the width of the temple's main structure) and ten cubits deep (extending outwards from the main hall). This precise architectural detail emphasizes the ordered and deliberate nature of the Temple's construction, designed according to divine instructions for the dwelling place of God's presence among His people.
1 Kings 6 3 Context
1 Kings chapter 6 details Solomon's construction of the Temple for the Lord, initiated in the fourth year of his reign. Following the promise to David that his son would build God a "house" (2 Sam 7), this chapter provides intricate architectural specifications. The previous verse (1 Kgs 6:2) establishes the overall dimensions of the main temple building, serving as a basis for understanding subsequent specific measurements. Verse 3 then immediately focuses on the entrance, the "portico," defining its precise dimensions relative to the main structure. Historically, this Temple represented the zenith of Israelite worship, centralizing their devotion to Yahweh and signifying God's covenantal presence among them after the nomadic tabernacle. It stood as a permanent testimony to God's faithfulness and Israel's prosperity under Solomon's reign, built in a period of relative peace and extensive resources.
1 Kings 6 3 Word analysis
- The portico (אולם - 'ûlām): This Hebrew term refers to a vestibule or entrance hall. In Temple architecture, it serves as the antechamber to the main sanctuary, preceding the Holy Place. Its purpose was to provide a transitional space, allowing entry into the sacred areas. It highlights the progressive revelation of sanctity as one moves deeper into God's dwelling. This structural element is a common feature in ancient Near Eastern temples, often serving as a preparation area before encountering the deity.
- in front of (פני - pəne): Literally "face of" or "before." This denotes its spatial orientation directly preceding the main hall, emphasizing its role as the entry point to the temple proper.
- the main hall (היכל - hêkāl): Refers to the Holy Place, the first major division of the sanctuary entered from the portico. It was the place where daily priestly duties (like tending the lampstand, altar of incense, and table of showbread) were performed. It was distinct from the Most Holy Place (Debir), which housed the Ark of the Covenant. The Hekal signifies the primary sacred space where access was limited to priests, demonstrating a graded holiness.
- of the temple (בית - bayit): "House." This term generally refers to the entire sacred complex, or specifically to the entire structural building constructed for Yahweh. It conveys the concept of God's dwelling or habitation among His people.
- was twenty cubits long (עשרים בארך - ‘esrîm bā’ōrekh): This dimension (approximately 30 feet, given a cubit of ~18 inches) refers to the portico's width, mirroring the width of the main temple building it stood in front of (as specified in 1 Kgs 6:2). The number "20" represents symmetry and proper scale, matching the breadth of the Temple. In ancient Near Eastern architectural planning, numerical harmony often carried symbolic weight, emphasizing order and perfection.
- across the width of the temple (על־רחב בית - ‘al-rōḥav bêt): This clarifies that the "long" dimension of the portico spanned the entire breadth of the temple edifice itself. It was as wide as the
hêkālanddevîrcombined, signifying a unified facade. - and ten cubits deep (עשר ברחב - ‘eser bārrōḥav): This refers to the depth of the portico, projecting outwards from the face of the main temple building. "10" is a number often associated with completeness or divine order in biblical contexts (e.g., Ten Commandments). A cubit being approximately 18 inches, this depth would be about 15 feet. This dimension indicates the vestibule's role as a defined, substantial transitional space, not merely a thin facade.
- from the front of the temple (מפני הבית - mippəne habbāyit): Reaffirms that this depth extends directly from the temple's main front, emphasizing the portico as an integrated but distinct extension of the sacred structure.
1 Kings 6 3 Bonus section
The measurements given in 1 Kings 6 are based on the common cubit, an ancient unit of length, approximately the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, varying slightly by region (generally 18-21 inches or 45-52.5 cm). This relative measurement ensured proportional accuracy in a time before standardized metric systems. The Temple’s outer courts and chambers around the main building (1 Kgs 6:5-10) further amplified the sacred space and its auxiliary functions. This portico, being a specific architectural feature, distinguishes the Temple's frontality and grand entry. While specific, it sets the stage for the rest of the intricate descriptions, emphasizing that no part of God's house was left to arbitrary human design but reflected a divine standard.
1 Kings 6 3 Commentary
1 Kings 6:3 provides specific architectural measurements for the ulām, the portico or vestibule that served as the grand entrance to Solomon's Temple. This precise detailing underscores the meticulous care given to the Temple's construction, not merely as a royal building project but as God's designated dwelling place. The dimensions—20 cubits wide and 10 cubits deep—reflect a consistent scale and proportional harmony with the larger temple structure mentioned in the preceding verse (20 cubits wide for the main building).
The portico was a crucial transitional space. It was not the outer court accessible to all, nor was it the inner sanctuary. It served as a sacred threshold, leading worshippers from the mundane into a progressively holy environment. This tiered access, moving from the courts through the portico to the Holy Place and ultimately to the Most Holy Place, visually represented the increasing sanctity as one drew near to God's direct presence. This design principle reflects an ordered understanding of divine holiness, emphasizing reverence and the need for proper approach.
Historically, this precise description is often compared to other ancient Near Eastern temples, revealing similarities in general layout (courtyard, vestibule, main hall, inner sanctuary) but distinct differences in internal focus—the absence of pagan idols in the Holy of Holies of the Israelite Temple. The Temple's precise dimensions also speak to a deliberate divine blueprint (1 Chr 28:19), stressing that Solomon was not merely building a structure of his own design but faithfully executing God's revealed plan. The existence of such a majestic, permanent dwelling place signaled the stability of God's covenant with Israel and the fulfillment of earlier promises made to David. In the New Testament, elements like "Solomon's Portico" in the Herodian Temple become significant gathering places for early Christians, highlighting continuity and the transformation of the 'house of God' into a gathering place for His people.