Interactive experiences
The TabernacleExperience I · Exodus 25–40 Solomon’s TempleExperience II · 1 Kings 6–8 · 2 Chronicles 3–7 The Temple Ezekiel SawExperience III · Ezekiel 40–48Story in Glory presents
Walk through the house of the LORD that Solomon built on Mount Moriah, reconstructed from the measurements of 1 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles and the rest of Scripture.
“…that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.”
Psalm 27:4
The Guided Tour
A narrated tour in sixteen chapters, from Mount Moriah to the Most Holy Place. Every frame is drawn live in your browser with JavaScript and Canvas, to the measurements given in the Bible.
Station by Station
Scroll through fifteen stations. The model moves to each place as you read. Drag to look around, and pinch or scroll inside the viewer to zoom.
The Pattern
“All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.” 1 Chronicles 28:19
East is to the right: the entrance faced the sunrise. Hover over or tap any part of the plan. The size of the courts is not given in Scripture and is shown as an estimate.
Reading Carefully
Kings and Chronicles describe the same temple from different angles. Where their numbers differ, we show both verses side by side, with the explanations Bible teachers have commonly given, so you can read and weigh them for yourself.
By the Numbers
A cubit was the length from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, about 18 inches (45 cm). 2 Chronicles 3:3 says these were cubits “after the first measure”, possibly an older cubit about 20½ inches long. Use the Cubits / Feet / Metres switch at the top of the page.
| Item | Measurements | Reference | Notes |
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For Young Explorers
How much do you remember from the tour? Answer the questions, then try measuring the temple with your own arm!
Measure from your elbow to the tip of your middle finger.
Grown-ups' cubits were about 45 cm (18 in), so the temple measured with a child's arm would be smaller!
The Story of the House
Dates are approximate and follow a commonly used chronology.
A Greater Temple
1 Corinthians 3:16
The temple of gold and cedar pointed beyond itself: to God who dwells with his people, to Jesus, who “spake of the temple of his body”, and to the day when “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple” of the holy city.
