And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long.

1 KINGS 6:17KJV
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1 Kings 6:17 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 6:17 mean?

1 Kings 6:17 states that the main room of Solomon’s temple, called “the house” or “the temple before it,” was forty cubits long. This verse gives a specific measurement for the central part of the temple building.

In this passage, the writer is describing the construction details of the temple that King Solomon built in Jerusalem. The “house” refers to the main sanctuary area, and “forty cubits” is an ancient measurement (about 60 feet or 18 meters). This detail helps readers picture the size and layout of the temple’s main room, which was a significant part of Israel’s worship life.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 6:17

  • בַּיִת (bayith, H1004): This word means “house” and is used here to refer to the main structure of the temple, not just any house. It emphasizes the temple as God’s dwelling place among the people.
  • הֵיכָל (heikal, H1964): Translated as “temple,” this word often means a large, important building. In this context, it highlights the grandeur and sacred purpose of the space.
  • אַרְבָּעִים (arba‘im, H705): This is the Hebrew word for “forty.” The use of a precise number shows the careful planning and significance of the temple’s design.
  • אַמָּה (ammah, H520): This word means “cubit,” an ancient unit of length based on the forearm. Knowing that forty cubits equals about 60 feet gives a clearer sense of the temple’s scale.

Why 1 Kings 6:17 matters

  • This verse helps clarify the actual size of the temple’s main room, which is important for understanding the structure’s design and the scale of ancient Israelite worship.
  • By naming both “the house” and “the temple,” the verse shows that these terms can refer to the same central space, helping readers avoid confusion about different parts of the building.
  • The specific measurement connects this verse to the broader context of 1 Kings 6, where the careful and detailed construction of the temple is emphasized as a significant accomplishment in Israel’s history.

Where else these words appear

“temple” Hebrew H1964 · used in 76 verses

  • 1 Samuel 1:9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.
  • Nehemiah 6:11 And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.
  • Ezekiel 41:1 Afterward he brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle.

“forty” Hebrew H705 · used in 124 verses

  • Genesis 5:13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
  • Deuteronomy 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:36 And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, forty thousand.

“cubits” Hebrew H520 · used in 132 verses

  • Genesis 6:15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
  • 1 Kings 6:16 And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place.
  • Ezekiel 40:11 And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits.