Bible Strands
1 Kings 6:29
Then he carved the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator describes the temple’s interior decoration during Solomon’s reign, placing the action immediately after the gold overlay of the cherubim and before the gold covering of the sanctuary floors.
The words — קָלַע (qaLaʿ) means “he carved,” and פִּתּוּחֵי (pittuḥê) translates literally to “openings” or “open flowers,” denoting the raised relief patterns applied to the walls.
The thread — This decorative motif recurs on the olive wood doors in 1 Kings 6:32 and echoes the tabernacle’s woven curtains in Exodus 36:8, while the temple’s cedar paneling in 1 Kings 6:18 uses gourds and open flowers rather than cherubim.
Why it lands — The text records a specific architectural detail that requires the reader to distinguish between the distinct botanical and angelic motifs assigned to different temple surfaces without conflating them.
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 he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 6:32 The double doors were made of olive wood, and he carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold.
- Exodus 36:8 All the skilled craftsmen among the workmen made the ten curtains for the tabernacle. They were made of finely spun linen, as well as blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, with cherubim skillfully worked into them.
- 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.
- 2 Chronicles 3:14 He made the veil of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim woven into it.
- 2 Chronicles 4:2 He also made the Sea of cast metal. It was circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim, five cubits in height, and thirty cubits in circumference.
- Psalms 92:12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
- Psalms 103:20 Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command.
- Psalms 148:2 Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His heavenly hosts.
- Luke 2:13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying:
- Ephesians 3:10 His purpose was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,