Bible Strands
1 Kings 6:18
The cedar paneling inside the temple was carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; not a stone could be seen.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator describes Solomon’s temple construction to the reader at the moment the main hall’s interior paneling is detailed, immediately before noting the preparation of the inner sanctuary.
The words — מִקְלַ֣עַת (mik.La.'at) denotes carved relief, and פְּקָעִ֔ים (pe.ka.'Im) refers to gourds or buds, describing the specific botanical patterns applied to the cedar interior.
The thread — This carved cedar motif parallels the ornamental buds encircling the bronze Sea in 1 Kings 7:24.
Why it lands — The text states that cedar covered every surface so completely that no stone was visible, which establishes the exclusive use of wood for the interior finish and demands recognition of the material substitution.
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 cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 7:24 Below the rim, ornamental buds encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea.