Bible Strands
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.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator describes Solomon’s temple construction to the reader during the architectural inventory in 1 Kings 6. This moment follows the specification of the temple’s three floor widths and offset ledges, and immediately precedes the description of the south-side entrance and stairway.
The words — The phrase אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה (even shelemah) translates literally to "complete stone" or "perfect stone." It describes the quarried material (מַסָּע, massaʿ) that was fully shaped before reaching the construction site.
The thread — The restriction against iron tools on sacred stone directly parallels the altar commands in Deuteronomy 27:5 and Exodus 20:25. The motif of stones prepared off-site later provides the structural imagery for the New Testament metaphor in 1 Peter 2:5.
Why it lands — The text states that the building site remained silent because all cutting and fitting occurred at the quarry. Readers must observe how this deliberate separation of noisy labor from the sanctuary establishes physical order before any theological application is drawn.
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 house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 27:5 Moreover, you are to build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. You must not use any iron tool on them.
- 1 Peter 2:5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
- Exodus 20:25 Now if you make an altar of stones for Me, you must not build it with stones shaped by tools; for if you use a chisel on it, you will defile it.
- 1 Kings 5:17 And the king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones.
- Proverbs 24:27 Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house.
- Isaiah 42:2 He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the streets.
- Acts 9:31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced a time of peace. It grew in strength and numbers, living in the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.
- Romans 9:23 What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory—
- 2 Corinthians 5:5 And it is God who has prepared us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a pledge of what is to come.
- Colossians 1:12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.