Summary

1 Kings 6:2 gives us the overall dimensions of the temple. As Davis points out, the measurements do not include the exterior courts. When you compare the measurements of the temple to those of its predecessor, the tabernacle, you find that in area, the temple was twice the size of the tabernacle, and in height it was two and one-half times as high. Converting cubits into metres, we find that the dimensions were approximately 27.5 x 9 x 14.

1 Kings 6:3 tells us that added to the building it on its front was an unroofed addition (also un-walled in front) called a vestibule by the ESV and a porch by other English versions. The area of this addition was 9 meters wide (equal to the width of the building) and 4.5 meters in depth. Since some people think of a vestibule as an enclosed entryway, the translation of porch is probably the better one. It is noteworthy that this vestibule or porch has no counterpart in the plan of the tabernacle as it was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. This is perhaps explainable by the fact that the tabernacle was a moveable structure, while the temple was not.

Worthy of notice also is the observation that these overall dimensions of the temple, including the Holy of Holies, sanctuary, and porch, speak of a building of modest size. This is in contrast to the size of the palace that Solomon built for his use. The glory of the temple consisted in other things.

1 Kings 6:4 speaks of the windows that were set in the wall of the outside perimeter of the temple proper (the Holy of Holies and the sanctuary). The description of these widows is somewhat problematic because of the uncertain nature of the Hebrew original. Our ESV version has chosen to call them recessed window, but it puts the phrase blocked lattice windows as an alternative. The New American Standard Bibles gives the phrase artistic windows. Here again is a feature that has no counterpart in the tabernacle, which had no windows, being a tent.