1 Kings 7:11 kjv
And above were costly stones, after the measures of hewed stones, and cedars.
1 Kings 7:11 nkjv
And above were costly stones, hewn to size, and cedar wood.
1 Kings 7:11 niv
Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams.
1 Kings 7:11 esv
And above were costly stones, cut according to measurement, and cedar.
1 Kings 7:11 nlt
The blocks of high-quality stone used in the walls were also cut to measure, and cedar beams were also used.
1 Kings 7 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference ||--------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|| Exo 25:1-9 | Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering...gold, silver, and brass, and blue...costly stones...for the tabernacle. | Materials for God's dwelling (Tabernacle) || Exo 31:3-5 | And I have filled him with the spirit of God...in all manner of workmanship; to devise cunning works...to cut stones... | God's empowerment for skilled craftsmanship || Lev 14:40-42 | ...take away the stones...cast them into an unclean place...other stones...instead. | Importance of clean/undisturbed stones || Deu 27:5-6 | And there shalt thou build an altar...of whole stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them. | Contrast: Unhewn stones for sacred altar || 1 Kgs 5:17 | And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones... | Initial preparation of costly hewn stones || 1 Kgs 6:7 | And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before... | Stones precisely prepared off-site (Temple) || 1 Kgs 6:38 | So was he thirteen years in building his own house. | Time spent on temple vs. palace || 1 Kgs 10:23 | So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. | Solomon's unprecedented wealth and grandeur || 1 Chr 29:2 | Now I have prepared with all my might...onyx stones...all manner of precious stones... | David's lavish provision for Temple materials || 2 Chr 3:6 | And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim. | Temple's use of precious stones || Job 28:1-6 | Surely there is a vein for the silver...The earth hath dust of gold...The stones of it are the place of sapphires... | Effort and value in mining precious materials|| Psa 118:22 | The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. | Significance of prepared stones (Messianic) || Isa 28:16 | Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone... | Foundation stone for God's ultimate plan || Isa 54:11-12 | ...I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles... | Heavenly Jerusalem's magnificent materials || Hag 1:4 | Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? | Critique on prioritizing personal dwellings || Matt 24:1 | ...and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. | Disciples marvel at the Temple's grandeur || Lk 9:58 | And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. | Contrast to worldly grandeur, humility of Christ|| Eph 2:20 | And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; | Spiritual temple's foundation || 1 Pet 2:5 | Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices... | Believers as living, prepared stones for God's house || Rev 21:18-21 | And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold...And the foundations of the wall...were garnished with all manner of precious stones. | The New Jerusalem's ultimate magnificence || Ez 28:13 | Thou hast been in Eden...every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx... | Describing ultimate beauty, often related to God's dwelling or high creation. || Job 19:24 | That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever! | Persistence and permanence through cutting stone for inscription. |
1 Kings 7 verses
1 Kings 7 11 Meaning
1 Kings 7:11 describes the superior quality and meticulous preparation of the stones used in the construction of Solomon's royal palace complex. It indicates that the stones for the upper sections and visible parts were not just expensive and quarried, but were also precisely cut and finished on all sides using saws, showcasing an extraordinary level of craftsmanship and immense expenditure for royal splendor.
1 Kings 7 11 Context
This verse appears within the description of King Solomon's construction projects, specifically his royal palace complex (1 Kgs 7:1-12). This complex, comprising the House of the Forest of Lebanon, the Hall of Pillars, the Hall of the Throne, and his own residence, took 13 years to build, nearly twice the time it took to build the Lord's Temple (1 Kgs 6:38, 7:1). This detail highlights the immense scale and extravagance of Solomon's personal domain. Verse 11 describes the materials, emphasizing their exceptional quality and the advanced techniques used, such as sawing stones on all sides, to achieve precise finishes for an unparalleled level of grandeur. Historically, large, precisely cut stones were a hallmark of major monumental architecture in the ancient Near East, symbolizing power, permanence, and wealth. The dedication of such resources to his own dwelling underscores the immense prosperity and luxury that characterized Solomon's reign, facilitated by a powerful central government and access to skilled labor, often through foreign alliances and forced labor.
1 Kings 7 11 Word analysis
- And above: Implies placement in the upper structures or the superstructure of the building, not just the foundations. It suggests that these expensive and precisely prepared stones were highly visible parts of the palace.
- were costly stones:
- Hebrew: אֲבָנִים יְקָרוֹת ('ăbānîm yeqārōth) - "stones precious" or "valuable."
- Significance: These were not ordinary building blocks but materials of significant worth, possibly rare, imported, or requiring great effort to acquire, emphasizing the immense wealth dedicated to the project.
- even after the fashion of hewed stones:
- Hebrew: כְּאַבְנֵי־גָזִית (ke'avnēy-gāzîth) - "like stones of hewing" or "cut stone."
- Significance: "Hewn stones" refers to quarried stones that have been dressed and shaped to fit perfectly together, indicating precise masonry work common in monumental architecture.
- sawed with saws:
- Hebrew: בְּמַגֵּרָה (bəmagēyrāh) - "with a saw."
- Significance: This adds an extraordinary level of precision beyond mere dressing. Saws allowed for very smooth surfaces and exact angles, suggesting the stones were not just shaped but given a fine finish, perhaps for intricate veneers or extremely tight, almost invisible joints. This implies advanced tooling and technical skill.
- within and without:
- Hebrew: מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ (mib'bayit u'michutz) - "from inside and from outside."
- Significance: This phrase most likely refers to the prepared surfaces of the stones themselves, meaning they were meticulously sawed and finished on all their relevant faces (both interior and exterior) for a uniform, excellent appearance. Alternatively, it could denote stones used for both interior and exterior components of the complex. The former is often preferred, emphasizing thoroughness of preparation of each stone.
- Costly stones, even after the fashion of hewed stones, sawed with saws: This phrase highlights a hierarchy of preparation: costly (value), hewed (basic shaping), and then sawed (supreme precision). The combined description stresses the unparalleled quality and labor invested.
- Sawed with saws, within and without: This phrase emphasizes an obsessive attention to detail, implying that no visible surface of these costly stones, whether internal or external to the stone's own mass, was left unpolished or uneven. This speaks to the sheer perfection sought in Solomon's palace, requiring immense resources.
1 Kings 7 11 Bonus section
The scale and precision of the stone work for Solomon's palace complex were a hallmark of great kings in the ancient world, like those of Egypt and Mesopotamia. Solomon's ability to undertake such a project signified his position as a preeminent monarch. The difference in construction time—seven years for the Temple versus thirteen for the palace—is a significant point of emphasis throughout Kings, revealing a proportional difference in investment and focus, which often draws theological scrutiny from biblical scholars and prophets (e.g., Haggai). The mention of "saws" is notable, as while iron tools were available, such precise stone cutting often indicates specialist Phoenician craftsmanship or the apex of Israelite stoneworking developed under Solomon's reign, leveraging technology and labor at an unprecedented level.
1 Kings 7 11 Commentary
1 Kings 7:11 underscores the opulence and meticulousness involved in the construction of Solomon's palace. While the Temple's construction showcased divine standards and dedication to God, the detailed description of the palace materials emphasizes human ambition and earthly grandeur. The use of "costly stones" meticulously "hewed" and even "sawed with saws, within and without," signifies an investment in precision and aesthetic perfection far beyond mere functionality. This points to the peak of Solomon's earthly splendor, funded by vast wealth and supported by highly skilled craftsmen. This description serves as a testament to the organizational capability and the availability of resources during Solomon's reign, yet it also subtly hints at the transient nature of such earthly magnificence compared to God's enduring Kingdom. The human striving for architectural perfection with the finest materials foreshadows the spiritual dwelling where believers, as "living stones," are prepared by God's hand for an eternal, perfect dwelling not made with hands.