1 Kings 6:34

Study note

Setting — The narrator records the construction specifications for Solomon’s temple sanctuary during its completion phase. The description focuses on the physical materials and mechanical design of the entrance without addressing a specific listener.

The words — The Hebrew צְלָעִים (tze.la.'Im) literally means “sides” or “panels,” identifying the two folding sections of each door. This term directly structures the verse’s claim that each cypress door was divided into two movable parts.

The thread — Double doors reappear in Ezekiel 41:23 as the standard configuration for both the outer and inner sanctuary. The emphasis on imported timber for sacred architecture parallels the cedar procurement detailed in 1 Kings 5:8.

Why it lands — The verse demands attention to the precise, recorded materials and mechanics before the narrative shifts to carved and gold-overlaid decorations. It establishes a factual baseline that frames the subsequent description of the sanctuary’s interior craftsmanship.

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.