By bringing the Ark of the Law to Jerusalem, Emperor David made it the religious center of Israel. To this end, he set out to build the house of the Lord, for the ark was in a modest tent. But God reserved this temple building for his son and his son-in-law in the reign of Solomon (II Sam. 7:13). So the construction of Solomon’s Temple began.
According to Old Testament accounts, Solomon’s Temple, also known as the Temple of Jerusalem, was the first Jewish Temple. Whose construction lasted from the fourth to the eleventh year of King Solomon’s reign.
Regarding the location of the Temple in I Paral 22. After building an altar on the area purchased from the Jesuit Arava, we learn that David destined this place for the future “house of the Lord.” Here Solomon built his Temple (II Paral. 3, 1). Specifically, it is Mount Zion, with the hill of Moriah, which rises to the north of another mountain – Ophel, where the ancient city was built.
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Why did God choose Solomon to build the Temple?
The width of the Temple was 20 cubits. Dividing walls is not mentioned, but they certainly existed. One such barrier was between the porch and the shrine. A cedar wood wall separated the Holy of Holies and the Holy of Holies. A marked door of wild olive wood was two cubits thick in the middle of this wall, which opened in two parts.
God chose Solomon to build the Temple because of his wisdom and because he was the only one who had the necessary resources. The Temple was a rectangular building divided inside into three parts:
- The vestibule (at the east), called Ulam, was ten cubits long
- The first room was called Helical (palace or Temple), and later – the Holy, 40 cubits long
- The second room, called Debir, and after the Holy of Holies, 20 cubits long
The height of the porch and the Saint was 30 cubits. And the size of the Holy of Holies was only 20 cubits. The difference in space was ten cubits. That exists between the ceiling of the Holy of Holies, and the roof of the Temple was set up as a room where the temple treasury was kept.
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How many years did it take Solomon to build the Temple?
The Temple built by Solomon has stood for more than four centuries without having undergone any significant changes. The Temple also suffered from conquerors of the Holy Land. Who plundered the treasury, as was the case with King Sesonk of Egypt (I Kings 14:26). But even a king of Israel – Joash – did not hesitate to strip the Temple of all its treasure after a victory he had won over Amasis (II Kings 14:14).
According to biblical accounts, it took Solomon 7 years to build the Temple, lasting from the fourth to the eleventh year of King Solomon’s reign.
In 586 BC, the Temple was plundered and destroyed to its foundations by Nebuchadnezzar. Everything was transported to Babylon, the holy vessels and all the ornaments of gold, silver, and brass. The Temple was rebuilt between 516 BC and 70 AD, known as the “Second Temple.” It was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, during the Jewish revolt of 66-70 AD against Roman rule.
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When was Solomon’s Temple destroyed?
Three thousand years ago, Solomon, King of Israel, built a great temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem to worship the God of the Jews. In the middle of the Temple was the Holy of Holies, the holiest place in the sanctuary. The Ark of the Covenant stood on the cornerstone, where the Shekinah, the light of God’s presence, is said to have appeared.
Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC by Nebuchadnezzar. But the Jews built a second temple from 515 BC until 70 AD when the Romans tore it down.
Many Jews and Christians still believe today that the building of the third Temple will mark the beginning of a messianic age. At the same time, fundamentalist Christians think it will bring about the Apocalypse, the Last Judgement, and the world’s end.
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Who destroyed Solomon’s Temple?
After destroying the second Temple, the Romans built a temple to Jupiter in its place. While Jerusalem was under the rule of the Byzantine Empire, the rulers allowed rubbish to be dumped in the area to insult the Jews.
The Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonians, after the Jews were released from captivity.
After the Muslims conquered Jerusalem, they built several shrines and mosques on Mount Moriah. The area was known in the Arab world as Al-Haram al-Sharif (The Noble Sanctuary). Joel Levy records that they are becoming Islam’s third holiest site in his paper. The Temple Mount today is a broad plateau. The ancient area of the Roman city of Antonia on the north side and the well-known Wailing Wall on the west side are believed to have been part of the retaining wall of the second Temple, which is the last remnant of the original Temple.
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What is Solomon’s Temple in the Bible?
According to biblical accounts, while he was king, David made numerous preparations for the building of the Temple. He left Solomon with vast gold, silver, iron, and bronze supplies. The Phoenicians brought him wood from the famous cedars of Lebanon by Sea. The king chose the most skilled workers to bring the building stones. David bequeathed the kingdom and the building of the Temple to Solomon. And commanded all the rulers of Israel to contribute to this grand plan.
The Bible says that the majestic Temple of Solomon is a monumental place that was created to be the House of God. And it was built during the period of the Jewish people’s national flourishing and prosperity – as was the reign of King Solomon.
Shortly before his death, David gathered all the nation’s representatives and proposed. That they donate to the building of the Temple. Solomon began building the monument in the fourth year of his reign.
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Representation of Solomon’s Temple
What does Solomon’s Temple represent?
The chronology of ancient history mentions that many of the architectural details of the Temple of Solomon are also found in the Temple of Deir el-Bahri. According to biblical sources, Solomon’s Temple existed on Moriah Hill from 22-29. And was one of the most significant Jewish buildings of antiquity.
Solomon’s Temple, or the First Temple in Jerusalem, was the holy place of the ancient Jews. And is the exact biblical location where the Revelation described by John will begin. According to biblical sources, Solomon built it on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, identified with the Temple Mount of today. According to the biblical account, the Temple was destroyed during the Babylonian conquest of the kingdom of Judea in 587-586 BC.
The Temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem differed radically from those produced earlier in Jewish history. For the first time, a building of this kind was made of stone in a particular place. And had a permanent character. The Temple’s sacred grounds comprised the courtyard and the Temple itself. And the yard was huge and had an inner and outer area.
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What is the significance of the Temple in the Bible?
The sanctuary of the Temple was divided into three parts: the “tent” or vestibule; the “Holy of Holies,” where only the priests entered; and the “Holy of Holies,” where only the high priest entered once a year. On the day of renewal or Atonement. In the “Holy of Holies,” Zechariah had a vision of the angel when he entered the Temple of the Lord to light the incense (Luke 1:9). Also, here was the table of “shewbread” (Matthew 12:4; Mark 2:26; Luke 6:4; Hebrews 9:2). Which was changed every Saturday and which only the priests were allowed to eat.
In the Bible, the spiritual significance of Solomon’s Temple is that it was the holy house of God (Matthew 23:21), “the Father’s house” (John 2:16). Believers were not allowed to enter, even when they brought offerings (Matthew 5:23-24) to the altar. But remained in the tabernacle.
The Mother of God, when she was taken to the Temple at the age of three, “not only entered the Holy of Holies and found a dwelling place there. As one who God worshiped, not for a few years, the heavens will open at the proper time through her. And be given for an eternal dwelling place to those who believe in her wonderful birth.”
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You might also want to know.
The Second Temple in Jerusalem was built by Jewish exiles returning from Babylon during Persian rule in Palestine. Or ancient Judea, on the site of Solomon’s Temple, some 70 years after the destruction of the First Temple, so around 516 BC. The Temple was then restored and enlarged in the 1st century BC. During the reign of King Herod the Great of Judea. Herod’s Temple consisted of three concentric areas. That gradually rose from the esplanade level to the Holy of Holies.
Destroying the Temple and the Wailing Wall
Immediately after the Arabs conquered Palestine, they turned the Temple esplanade into a Muslim holy place in memory of Mohammed’s journey to Jerusalem.
As the Saviour had prophesied (Matthew 24:2), the Temple was about to be destroyed and burnt down by the Roman soldiers following the Jewish revolt of 0066 AD. From then on, the sacrifices ceased forever. After the second revolt, in 135, Hadrian turned Jerusalem into Aelia Capitolina. And two statues were built on the Temple esplanade: one in honor of Adrian, the victor. And the other in honor of Jupiter Capitolinus.
Today, the ancient Temple’s Western Wall, or ‘Wailing Wall,’ is a national memorial to the Jewish people. A place of daily prayer, the Wailing Wall brings together large crowds of worshippers on the occasion of the Mosaic holidays.
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Primary Takeaways
- Two courtyards surrounded the Temple. The first, which covered the Temple, was called the inner priests’ or high court. The second courtyard, called the outer or high courtyard, was for the believing people and was on a lower level than the first courtyard. It would follow from this that, seen from a distance, the Temple appeared to be set on the terrace. In the first and the second courtyard, there were apartments for the priests appointed to the weekly service. The dimensions of the courtyards are not known.
- As in the Holy Tabernacle, the Temple also housed several objects. The ancient Ark of the Law from the Holy Tabernacle was deposited in the Temple of Solomon. In the Temple was: the altar of incense made of cedar wood. Overlaid with gold (I Kings 6:20-21; 7:48), the table is set before it and made of the same materials and ten golden candlesticks (I Kings 7:48-49).
- In the inner courtyard, in front of the entrance to the Holy Temple of Solomon, is the altar of the sacrifice made of bronze. And on its southeast side is the “Sea of brass, that is, the basin for the ritual washing of the priests. Set on the backs of twelve bulls, seated in threes. With their heads towards the four cardinal points.
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Conclusion
Solomon’s Temple was one of the most sophisticated temples on Earth. There has been a lot of speculation and ideas surrounding this Temple, but it was undoubtedly the first Temple in Jerusalem. According to biblical sources, it was built by Solomon on Mount Moriah, identified with the Temple Mount of today.
This first Temple of Solomon was built around 3000 BC or 950 BC. NS. According to modern chronology, nothing remains. But the Wailing Wall, built in 19 BC, still exists. Well, the stones in the Wailing Wall are much smaller than those used in Solomon’s Temple.