King Solomon’s temple was the first temple built by the Israelites to honor their god, the Bible tells us. It’s also where the Jewish people are said to have kept the mythical Ark of the Covenant holding the 10 Commandments. But was the temple of Solomon actually a real place?
King David, King Solomon, and the First Temple
Solomon was the son of King David, the Biblical figure who killed Goliath. Tradition says that when David died, Solomon inherited his father’s kingdom and extraordinary wealth. Within just four years, Solomon had marshaled those resources and built the First Temple.
Everything historians know about the so-called “First Temple” comes from the Bible. Thankfully, it offers a surprisingly detailed description of what King Solomon’s temple looked like — including its supposed exact dimensions. According to the Bible, the temple was built from masterfully quarried stone blocks, with a roof and interior lined with lavish wood planks. Solomon used pure gold to overlay the temple’s holy inner sanctum, where he also placed a pair of 15-foot-tall gold cherubims — sphinxes — to guard the Ark of the Covenant.
