Bible Strands
1 Kings 5:17
And the king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — King Solomon issues a command to his workforce to quarry large, costly stones for the temple foundation, following the supervision of 3,300 foremen noted in the preceding verse. This directive occurs during the active preparation phase of the temple's construction, which Solomon and Hiram's builders will execute alongside the Gebalites.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַ/יְצַ֣ו (va/y.Tzav) means "and he commanded," establishing the king's direct authority over the labor. The phrase אֲבָנִים יְקָר֛וֹת ('a.va.Nim ye.ka.Rot) translates literally to "costly stones," specifying the material quality required for the foundation.
The thread — This focus on prepared, costly stone for sacred architecture reappears in 1 Kings 6:7, where finished stones cut at the quarry eliminate iron tools on site. It also echoes in 1 Chronicles 22:2 and 1 Kings 7:9, both of which record the gathering of stonecutters and the use of trimmed, costly stones for temple structures.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that temple construction requires deliberate, high-quality material preparation under royal command. It asks the reader to observe how physical labor and specific resource allocation directly enable the building project.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 6:7 The temple was constructed using finished stones cut at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any other iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.
- 1 Chronicles 22:2 So David gave orders to gather the foreigners in the land of Israel, from whom he appointed stonecutters to prepare finished stones for building the house of God.
- 1 Kings 7:9 All these buildings were constructed with costly stones, cut to size and trimmed with saws inside and out from the foundation to the eaves, and from the outside to the great courtyard.
- Isaiah 28:16 So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.
- 1 Corinthians 3:11 For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
- 1 Peter 2:6 For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
- Revelation 21:14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.