I Kings 6:5-8 · Bible study
1 Kings 6:5-8 Commentary: The Side Chambers and Silent Builders
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore the design and purpose of the temple side chambers, the silent construction from pre-quarried stones, and its theological meaning.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The side chambers were a three-story structure attached to the temple using offset ledges, built silently from pre-quarried stones to maintain sanctity.
- Key words: yatzia ('extension'), migra'ot ('ledges'), shelema ('perfect/prepared'), lulim ('winding stairs').
- Main debate: Whether the chambers symbolise the church and individual believers (typological reading) or are simply functional rooms for priests and storage.
- Theological theme: Holiness, order, and the quiet preparation required for dwelling with God.
- Best use: Teaching on reverence in worship, God's hidden work of formation in believers, and the peace that characterises His household.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
5Against the walls of the temple and the inner sanctuary, Solomon built a chambered structure around the temple, in which he constructed the side rooms.
6The bottom floor was five cubits wide, the middle floor six cubits, and the third floor seven cubits. He also placed offset ledges around the outside of the temple, so that nothing would be inserted into its walls.
7The 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.
8The entrance to the bottom floor was on the south side of the temple. A stairway led up to the middle level, and from there to the third floor.
WEB World English Bible 2000
5Against the wall of the house, he built floors all around, against the walls of the house all around, both of the temple and of the inner sanctuary; and he made side rooms all around.
6The lowest floor was five cubits wide, and the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house all around, that the beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house.
7The house, when it was under construction, was built of stone prepared at the quarry; and no hammer or ax or any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was under construction.
8The door for the middle side rooms was in the right side of the house. They went up by winding stairs into the middle floor, and out of the middle into the third.
KJV King James Version 1769
5And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about:
6The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad: for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house.
7And 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.
8The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
5And against the wall of the house he built stories round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle; and he made side-chambers round about.
6The nethermost story was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house round about, that the beams should not have hold in the walls of the house.
7And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready at the quarry; and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.
8The door for the middle side-chambers was in the right side of the house: and they went up by winding stairs into the middle story, and out of the middle into the third.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
5And he buildeth against the wall of the house a couch round about, even the walls of the house round about, of the temple and of the oracle, and maketh sides round about.
6The lowest couch, five by the cubit is its breadth; and the middle, six by the cubit is its breadth; and the third, seven by the cubit is its breadth, for withdrawings he hath put to the house round about, without--not to lay hold on the walls of the house.
7And the house, in its being built, of perfect stone brought thither hath been built, and hammer, and the axe--any instrument of iron--was not heard in the house, in its being built.
8The opening of the middle side is at the right shoulder of the house, and with windings they go up on the middle one, and from the middle one unto the third.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
5And against the wall of the house he built floors round about, [against] the walls of the house, round about the temple and the oracle; and he made side-chambers round about.
6The lowest floor was five cubits broad, and the middle one was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad; for in the [thickness of the wall of] the house he made resets round about outside, that nothing should be fastened in the walls of the house.
7And the house, when it was being built, was built of stone entirely 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 being built.
8The entrance to the side-chambers of the middle [floor] was in the right side of the house; and they went up by winding stairs into the middle [floor], and out of the middle into the third.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
5And upon the wall of the temple, he built floors round about, in the walls of the house, round about the temple and the oracle, and he made chambers in the sides round about.
6The floor that was underneath was five cubits in breadth, and the middle floor was six cubits in breadth, and the third floor was seven cubits in breadth. And he put beams in the house round about on the outside, that they might not be fastened in the walls of the temple.
7And the house, when it was in building, was built of stones, hewed and made ready: so that there was neither hammer nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house when it was in building.
8The door, for the middle side, was on the right hand of the house: and by winding stairs they went up to the middle room, and from the middle to the third.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · I Kings 6:5
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the chambers described in 1 Kings 6:5-8 formed a three-storied structure built against the outer walls of the temple on three sides, north, west, and south. Barnes and Gill note that the beams supporting each floor rested on offset ledges (migra'ot) cut into the masonry, so that no beam was inserted into the sacred walls themselves. The lowest story was five cubits wide, the middle six, and the third seven, a widening made possible as the temple wall grew thinner with height. The stones were shaped and finished at the quarry, as Jamieson-Fausset-Brown and the Cambridge Bible observe, so that no hammer, axe or iron tool was heard at the building site. The entrance to the chambers was on the south side of the house, and a winding stair (the Hebrew lulim) gave access to the middle and upper floors. Clarke and others see a typological meaning here: the silent, prepared stones prefigure Christians fashioned for their eternal place in the heavenly temple.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The side chambers were a three-story structure built around the temple on three sides, supported by offset ledges so that no beams entered the holy walls, and the entire construction was done with stones pre-cut at the quarry in complete silence, accessed from the south side by winding stairs.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose of side chambers | All commentators agree the chambers provided storage and living space for priests serving the temple. | Some (Clarke, Poole) see the chambers as a clear type of the church or individual believers being prepared for heaven. Others (Barnes, Keil) emphasise the practical/functional role without pressing a symbolic meaning. |
| Meaning of the silent construction | The silence reflects reverence for God's holy house, as no iron tools were used on site (following Exodus 20:25). | Interpreters differ on whether this silence primarily teaches about peaceful order in the church (Poole, Matthew Henry) or simply describes a remarkable architectural achievement (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown). |
| Location of the door | All note the entrance was on the south (right) side of the house, accessed by winding stairs. | The Hebrew text says 'the entrance of the middle side-chamber' (v8), but the LXX and Targum read 'lowest' instead of 'middle,' leading to uncertainty about which floor had the outer door. Cambridge Bible suggests the lower chambers may have been reached directly, while the middle required the stairs. |
| Definition of 'quarry' | The stones were fully prepared before being brought to the building site. | The Hebrew <em>massat</em> is disputed: it may mean 'quarry' (Cambridge, JFB, modern translations) or 'place of hewing' with the sense of 'totally finished' (Gill). Both agree the stones were ready for placement upon arrival. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Solomon's temple was not simply a large worship hall; it was the earthly residence of Yahweh, the God of Israel. The building's design intentionally echoed the Tabernacle, but now in permanent form, with rooms for storage and for the priests who served daily. The side chambers (Hebrew yatzia, 'extension') attached to the main structure served as treasuries and living quarters, functionally necessary but also architecturally subordinate to the holy house itself.
Every architectural feature served a theological purpose. The offset ledges (so that 'the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house') preserved the sanctity of the temple building. No profane materials or attachments were allowed to penetrate God's house. This separation echoes the wider biblical pattern of holy and common, set apart for God.
The stones were 'made ready at the quarry' (the Hebrew massat likely means 'quarry' or 'place of hewing,' according to the Cambridge Bible). Jamieson-Fausset-Brown notes that a subterranean quarry discovered near Jerusalem may have been the very one used. There the stones were dressed, measured and numbered for their exact position. Transported to the temple mount on rollers, they were lifted into place without the noise of cutting or shaping. The absence of iron tools served both practical reverence (iron was associated with tools of war in other ancient Near Eastern contexts) and silence before the holy God. As Barnes observes, the spirit of the command in Exodus 20:25, that no iron tool be used on the altar, was extended to the whole building.
The winding staircase (Hebrew lulim) on the south side provided access. The word suggests a spiral or enclosed stairwell, common in ancient architecture. This arrangement kept the chambers functional while maintaining the main sanctuary as a place of unbroken reverence.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants affecting the passage's meaning. One minor variant appears in verse 8: the Hebrew text reads 'the door of the middle side-chamber,' while the Greek Septuagint (LXX) and the Targum read 'lowest' in place of 'middle.' The Cambridge Bible suggests the Masoretic reading is likely original, since the lower chambers probably had more than one exterior door and the text is specifying how the upper floors were reached. Regardless of this difference, the overall description of the three-story structure and winding staircase remains stable across manuscripts.
Reception History
Early Christian interpreters such as Origen and Augustine read the temple's silent construction allegorically: the stones cut at the quarry represented souls shaped by grace before being fitted into the spiritual temple of Christ. The absence of iron tools was seen as a figure of the peace and harmony that should mark the church. Medieval exegetes often linked the three stories to three stages of spiritual growth (purgative, illuminative, unitive), with the winding stairs symbolising the ascending path of prayer. Reformers like Matthew Henry and the Geneva Bible stressed the practical lessons of reverence and order, applying the silence to the conduct of worship. Modern historical commentators (Keil, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Barnes) focus on recovering the architectural reality, though typological readings continue to appear in devotional and pastoral literature.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Orderly design. The offset ledges show that every part of God's house was planned with care. Nothing was improvised. God's dwelling demands thoughtful preparation.
- Silent preparation. The stones were cut and shaped away from the building site. Noise and effort happened out of sight. This pictures the quiet, hidden work God does in individual lives before they are placed into His church.
- Access to presence. The winding stairs led from ground level to the higher chambers. There is an ascent in the life of faith, a movement from the outer courts toward deeper communion with God.
Five-point outline
- Attached yet separate (the chambers touched the temple but beams did not pierce the walls)
- Widening as it ascends (the rooms grew broader, suggesting growth in capacity)
- Prepared at the quarry (the work of formation happens before placement)
- Silence in the house (God's work can be done without frantic noise)
- The door on the right side (there is a single, clear entrance to the higher life)
Illustration hooks
- Think of a family that spends weeks packing and preparing for a move. By the time the moving truck arrives, every box is labelled and ready. The actual moving day is quiet and orderly, all the hard work already happened. The temple's silent assembly points to a God who prepares His people in advance.
- When a skilled carpenter pre-cuts every piece of a frame in the workshop, the job site stays clean and calm. He measures twice, cuts once. The silence on the temple mount reflects the precision and reverence of God's work.
- A winding staircase in an old building forces you to slow down. You cannot rush. The path to the higher chambers in the temple suggests that drawing near to God takes deliberate, steady steps.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why would God care about silence during construction? Does noise dishonour Him, or is there a deeper point about reverence?
- What do the side chambers symbolise for believers today? Are they just storage, or do they represent the broader community gathered around God's presence?
- How does the pre-quarried stone image apply to my own spiritual formation? Am I being 'shaped' now for a future place in God's dwelling?
Leading a Discussion
This passage describes the side chambers and construction of Solomon's temple in careful detail. The builders did everything possible to preserve the holiness of the house and to avoid any disruption during its assembly. As you read these verses together, notice both the practical decisions and the reverence that guided them. Use these questions to move from what the text says to what it asks of us.
Discussion questions
- What details stand out to you most in the description of the side chambers? Why do you think the author included these measurements?
- Why was it important that the beams 'should not be fastened in the walls of the house'? What does this say about how God's holiness was understood?
- The stones were prepared at the quarry so that 'no hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house' while it was built. What does this silence communicate about the nature of God and the work of worship?
- How does the idea of stones being cut and shaped off-site before being brought to the temple apply to the way God prepares His people for their roles in the church?
- In what areas of your life might you need to do the hard, quiet work of preparation before the 'house' of your faith is assembled?
- The winding staircase gave access to the upper chambers. How does the notion of ascending into higher fellowship with God match your own experience of faith?
- If the temple points forward to the church and ultimately to the new creation, what hope does the silent, orderly building give you about God's work in the world today?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 25:22 | There I will meet with you, and I will tell you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the covenant, all that I command you for the children of Israel. |
| Leviticus 16:2 | and Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Most Holy Place within the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark; lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud on the mercy seat. |
| Numbers 7:89 | When Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Yahweh, he heard his voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; and he spoke to him. |
| I Kings 6:16 | He built twenty cubits of the back part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling. He built this within, for an inner sanctuary, even for the most holy place. |
| I Kings 6:19 | He prepared an inner sanctuary in the middle of the house within, to set the ark of Yahweh’s covenant there. |
| I Kings 6:21 | So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold. He drew chains of gold across before the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold. |
| I Kings 6:31 | For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made doors of olive wood. The lintel and door posts were a fifth part of the wall. |
| I Chronicles 9:26 | for the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were in an office of trust, and were over the rooms and over the treasuries in God’s house. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke sees the silent construction of the temple as a picture of how souls must be prepared for heaven. The absence of hammers and tools symbolizes that all shaping and fitting for our eternal place must happen in this life, not the next. There, no preaching or repentance is needed; the work is complete.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that Solomon designed the temple's side chambers with step-like rebatements in the wall, so supporting beams rested on these ledges without piercing the sacred stonework. This preserved the temple's sanctity by keeping the secular annex structurally independent. The entrance stairway was placed in the outer wall, not the temple wall, avoiding direct contact.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator emphasizes that Solomon's builders avoided cutting into the temple walls to support the surrounding side chambers. Instead they carved ledges into the thickness of the wall itself so the floor beams could rest on them without being fastened. This careful design preserved the sanctuary's holiness.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes highlight the reverence shown in the temple's construction: stones were fully shaped off-site so that no hammer or iron tool was heard at the building site, and the galleries were designed with rests in the outer wall to avoid fastening beams into the temple walls themselves.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights the architectural detail that the temple's side chambers were supported by narrowed rests carved into the wall, avoiding any need to fasten beams into the stone. He sees this as a type of the church's peaceful, gradual enlargement toward heaven, and the pre-cut stones laid without hammer sounds signify believers shaped by grace and built up without contention.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB points to a recently discovered subterranean quarry near Jerusalem as the likely place where the temple stones were cut and shaped. This archaeological evidence explains why no hammer or tool was heard at the building site: the stones arrived fully dressed, having already been prepared underground.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch see the temple as a decisive turning point in Israel's history, ending the provisional stage of their possession of Canaan. They insist the 480-year date given for its construction is not a symbolic round number but a reliable historical figure, carefully calculated from the exodus onward.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights that the temple was called the house of the Lord because God himself directed and designed every detail. The stones were cut and shaped away from the site so that no sound of hammer or tool was heard during construction, showing that God's house is built in quiet reverence and not by human noise or effort.