“Seek Yahweh while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to Yahweh, and He will have compassion on him. Turn to our Elohim, for He will abundantly pardon.”
Isaiah 55: 6-7
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Yahweh’s Temple was Very Near Gihon Spring in the City of David
The Bible presents intricate details about the construction of Yahweh’s Temple. Everything about the Temple, large or small, is discussed. It begins by telling us that King David wanted to build the Temple, but Yahweh wouldn’t let him. Yahweh allowed David to accumulate the materials needed for the construction project, but He told David that his son Solomon would build the Temple.
Three Bible chapters in particular are devoted to the construction of Yahweh’s Temple: 1 Kings 5, 6, and 7. The discussion of the construction project in those chapters provides meticulous details, but nothing is said about getting water to the Temple. That’s a telling point.
If Yahweh’s Temple had been on the Temple Mount as most Jewish people believe, 1 Kings would have included a detailed presentation of the things Solomon did to guarantee that a ready supply of water was available, because there is no water on the Temple Mount. Gihon Spring is the only water source in the vicinity, and it’s at the northern end of the City of David.
The Bible clearly says that Yahweh’s Temple was in Jerusalem, and Jerusalem during Solomon’s day was called “the City of David”. The Temple Mount was not in Jerusalem. It was north of the city. Using contemporary language, the Temple Mount area was outside the city limits of Jerusalem when Solomon was King of Israel.
Then Solomon began to build the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where Yahweh had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. (2 Chronicles 3: 1)
Despite what the Bible says, most Jewish people believe that Yahweh’s Temple was on the Temple Mount somewhere. Three locations on the Temple Mount are mentioned most frequently as possible sites for Yahweh’s Temple: The site where the Dome of the Spirits is located, the site where the Dome of the Rock is located, and the site where Al-Aqsa Mosque is located.
Below are two pictures. I took both of them in 2014 on the Temple Mount. The first picture shows the Dome of the Spirits on the left and the much larger Dome of the Rock on the right. I was facing south when I took the picture. The second picture was taken from south of the Dome of the Rock facing Al-Aqsa Mosque. You can see Al-Aqsa Mosque in the center of the picture and the mosque’s dome. Al-Aqsa Mosque is at the far south end of the Temple Mount.
An overwhelming majority of Jewish people believe that the site where the Dome of the Rock is located is the place where Solomon built Yahweh’s Temple, but there is a serious problem with all 3 sites. All of them are north of Gihon Spring, and the slope is steep and the terrain is rugged all the way:
- The Dome of the Spirits is about 580 yards north of Gihon Spring.
- The Dome of the Rock is more than 500 yards north of Gihon Spring.
- Al-Aqsa Mosque is about 300 yards north of Gihon Spring.
Because of the slope and the terrain, getting a vast quantity of water to any of those locations would have been very difficult. The Sea in front of Yahweh’s Temple contained the water that was used to wash away the blood from animal sacrifices. It held 2,000 baths of water. That’s about 11,600 gallons of water and about 1,550 cubic feet of water. That’s a lot of water, but it’s not nearly enough. The Sea is discussed in detail in 1 Kings 7.
Below is a picture that I took in 2019. When I took it, I was standing very close to where Yahweh’s Temple was located. You can see how steep the slope is. The dome you see in the picture is the dome of Al-Aqsa Mosque at the southern end of the Temple Mount.
Yahweh required animal sacrifices for many things and on special occasions. Those sacrifices had to be made by the kohanim (Aaron’s descendants) at the altar in front of Yahweh’s Temple. Thousands of animals were sacrificed during the High Holy Days (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah) and especially at Pesach (Passover).
It was a sacrilege to make animal sacrifices anyplace else besides Yahweh’s Temple. To wash away all the blood, Yahweh’s Temple had to have easy access to vast quantities of water. Hauling water 300 to 580 yards uphill across rugged terrain to refill the Sea would have been a serious problem.
The availability of water isn’t mentioned in 1 Kings 7 as a problem to be solved. If the availability of water had been a problem, it would have been mentioned. That’s strong evidence that access to water was not a problem. Therefore, Yahweh’s Temple must have been very close to Gihon Spring.
The sacrificial system ended abruptly in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed Yahweh’s Temple by razing it to the ground. It has not been reinstated to this day:
“Do you see all these things?” He asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another. Every one will be thrown down.” (Matthew 24: 3)
The Temple Mount has never been destroyed. It remains intact to this day. The Romans removed any vestige of Yahweh’s Temple. That’s compelling evidence that Yahweh’s Temple was not on the Temple Mount.
An Aqueduct?
Some have suggested that Solomon constructed an aqueduct to bring water from north of the Temple Mount to the site of Yahweh’s Temple on the Temple Mount. That would have been an enormous undertaking. If Solomon had constructed an aqueduct, it would have been mentioned in 1 Kings 7. The fact that it isn’t mentioned is strong evidence that Solomon did not build an aqueduct.
In this SnyderTalk editorial, I will present what the Bible says about building Yahweh’s Temple. Read it carefully. Nothing in the Bible suggests that Yahweh’s Temple was on the Temple Mount, and everything in the Bible suggests that it was very close to Gihon Spring in the City of David.
Also, you should read or reread “Yahweh’s Temple was not on the Temple Mount”. It provides strong support for the fact that Yahweh’s Temple was not on the Temple Mount.
Yahweh Would not Let David Build His Temple
1 Chronicles 22 says that King David wanted to build Yahweh’s Temple and that he accumulated the gold, silver, bronze, and other necessary materials to complete the project. But Yahweh would not let David construct the Temple, because he had killed so many people. Then, the Bible says that Yahweh gave Solomon the job of building His Temple:
1 Then David said, “This is the house of Yahweh Elohim, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”
2 So David gave orders to gather the strangers who were in the land of Israel, and he set stonecutters to cut out stones to build the house of Elohim. 3 And David prepared large quantities of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gates and for the clamps, and more bronze than could be weighed; 4 and timbers of cedar beyond number, for the Sidonians and Tyrians brought large quantities of cedar timber to David. 5 David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for Yahweh shall be exceedingly magnificent, famous, and glorious throughout the lands. Therefore, I now will make preparations for it.” So David made ample preparations before his death.
6 Then he called for his son Solomon, and commanded him to build a house for Yahweh Elohim of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon, “My son, I had intended to build a house for the Name of Yahweh my Elohim. 8 But the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars; you shall not build a house to My Name, because you have shed so much blood on the earth before Me. 9 Behold, a son will be born to you, who shall be a man of rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10 He shall build a house for My Name, and he shall be My son and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’ 11 Now, my son, Yahweh be with you that you may be successful, and build the house of Yahweh your Elohim just as He has spoken concerning you. 12 Only Yahweh give you discretion and understanding, and put you in charge of Israel, so that you may keep the Law of Yahweh your Elohim. 13 Then you will prosper, if you are careful to follow the statutes and the ordinances which Yahweh commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed. 14 Now behold, with great pains I have prepared for the house of Yahweh a hundred thousand talents of gold and a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond measure, for they are in great quantity; I have also prepared timber and stone, and you may add to that. 15 Moreover there are many workmen with you, stonecutters, masons of stone, and carpenters; and all of them are skillful in every kind of work. 16 Of the gold, silver, bronze, and iron there is no limit. Arise and work, and may Yahweh be with you.”
17 David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon, saying, 18 “Is Yahweh your Elohim not with you? And has He not given you rest on every side? For He has handed over to me the inhabitants of the land, and the land is subdued before Yahweh and before His people. 19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek Yahweh your Elohim; then arise, and build the sanctuary of Yahweh Elohim, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and the holy vessels of Elohim into the house that is to be built for the Name of Yahweh.” (1 Chronicles 22)
1 Chronicles 28 says that King David assembled dignitaries in Jerusalem and explained to them that Yahweh had given the job of constructing His Temple to Solomon:
1 Now David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the leaders of the tribes, and the commanders of the divisions that served the king, the commanders of thousands, and the commanders of hundreds, and the overseers of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, with the officials and the mighty men, all the valiant warriors. 2 Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people; I had intended to build a permanent home for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and for the footstool of our Elohim. So, I had made preparations to build it. 3 But Elohim said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for My Name, because you are a man of war and have shed blood.’ 4 Yet, Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel, chose me from all the household of my father to be king over Israel forever. For He has chosen Judah to be a leader; and in the house of Judah, my father’s house, and among the sons of my father He took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel. 5 Of all my sons (for Yahweh has given me many sons), He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of Yahweh over Israel. 6 He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon is the one who shall build My house and My courtyards; for I have chosen him to be a son to Me, and I will be a Father to him. 7 I will establish his kingdom forever if he resolutely performs My commandments and My ordinances, as is done now.’ 8 So now, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of Yahweh, and in the presence of our Elohim, keep and seek after all the commandments of Yahweh your Elohim so that you may possess the good land and leave it as an inheritance to your sons after you forever.
9 “As for you, my son Solomon, know the Elohim of your father, and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind; for Yahweh searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. 10 Consider now, for Yahweh has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be courageous and act.”
11 Then David gave to his son Solomon the plan of the porch of the temple, its buildings, its storehouses, its upper rooms, its inner rooms, and the room for the atoning cover; 12 and the plan of all that he had in mind, for the courtyards of the house of Yahweh, and for all the surrounding rooms, for the storehouses of the house of Elohim and for the storehouses of the dedicated things; 13 also for the divisions of the priests and the Levites and for all the work of the service of the house of Yahweh and for all the utensils of service in the house of Yahweh; 14 for the golden utensils, by weight of gold for all utensils for every service; for all the silver utensils, by weight of silver for all utensils for every service; 15 and the weight of gold for the golden lampstands and their golden lamps, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for the silver lampstands, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps according to the use of each lampstand; 16 and the gold by weight for the tables of the showbread, for each table; and silver for the silver tables; 17 and the forks, the basins, and the pitchers of pure gold; and for the golden bowls with the weight for each bowl; and for the silver bowls with the weight for each bowl; 18 and for the altar of incense, refined gold by weight; and gold for the model of the chariot, and the cherubim that spread out their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of Yahweh.
19 “All this,” said David, “Yahweh made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, all the details of this pattern.”
20 Then David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for Yahweh Elohim, my Elohim, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of Yahweh is finished. 21 Now behold, there are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of Elohim, and every willing man of any skill will be with you in all the work for all kinds of service. The officials also and all the people will be entirely at your command.” (1 Chronicles 28)
Building Yahweh’s Temple was a Complex Undertaking
Constructing Yahweh’s Temple was a complex undertaking that required large quantities of materials and thousands of people. Intricate details about the construction project are presented in 1 Kings chapters 5 through 7:
1 Kings 5
1 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always been a friend of David. 2 Then Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, 3 “You know that David my father was unable to build a house for the Name of Yahweh his Elohim because of the wars which surrounded him, until Yahweh put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now Yahweh my Elohim has secured me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune. 5 So behold, I intend to build a house for the Name of Yahweh my Elohim, just as Yahweh spoke to David my father, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, he will build the house for My Name.’ 6 Now then, issue orders that they cut cedars from Lebanon for me, and my servants will be with your servants; and I will give you wages for your servants in accordance with all that you say, for you yourself know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”
7 When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he greatly rejoiced; and he said, “Blessed be Yahweh today, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.” 8 So Hiram sent word to Solomon, saying, “I have heard the message which you sent me; I will do everything you wish concerning the cedar and juniper timber. 9 My servants will bring the timbers down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will have them made into rafts to go by sea to the place where you direct me, and I will have them broken up there, and you will carry them away. Then you shall do what I wish, by giving food to my household.” 10 So Hiram gave Solomon all that he wished of the cedar and juniper timber. 11 Solomon then gave Hiram twenty thousand kors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty kors of pure oil; this is what Solomon would give Hiram year by year. 12 And Yahweh gave wisdom to Solomon, just as He promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a covenant.
13 Now King Solomon conscripted forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered thirty thousand men. 14 Then he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts; they were in Lebanon for a month, and two months at home. And Adoniram was in charge of the forced laborers. 15 Now Solomon had seventy thousand porters, and eighty thousand stonemasons in the mountains 16 besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies who were in charge of the project and ruled over the people who were doing the work. 17 Then the king issued orders, and they quarried large stones, valuable stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones. 18 So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites cut the stones, and they prepared the timbers and the stones to build the house. (1 Kings 5)
1 Kings 6
1 Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, that is, the second month, that he began to build the house of Yahweh. 2 And the house which King Solomon built for Yahweh was sixty cubits [90 feet] in its length, and twenty cubits [30 feet] in its width, and its height was thirty cubits [45 feet]. 3 The porch in front of the main room of the house was twenty cubits [30 feet] in length, corresponding to the width of the house, and its width along the front of the house was ten cubits [15 feet]. 4 Also for the house he made windows with artistic frames. 5 Against the wall of the house he built stories encompassing the walls of the house around both the main room and the inner sanctuary; so he made side chambers all around. 6 The lowest story was five cubits [7½ feet] wide, the middle was six cubits [9 feet] wide, and the third was seven cubits [10½ feet] wide; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house all around so that the beams would not be inserted into the walls of the house.
7 The house, while it was being built, was built of stone finished at the quarry, and neither hammer, nor axe, nor any iron tool was heard in the house while it was being built.
8 The doorway for the lowest side chamber was on the right side of the house; and they would go up by a winding staircase to the middle story, and from the middle to the third. 9 So he built the house and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar. 10 He also built the stories against the whole house, each five cubits [7½ feet] high; and they were attached to the house with timbers of cedar.
11 Now the word of Yahweh came to Solomon, saying, 12 “As for this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will fulfill My word with you which I spoke to David your father. 13 And I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and will not abandon My people Israel.”
14 So Solomon built the house and finished it. 15 He built the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the ceiling he paneled the walls on the inside with wood, and he paneled the floor of the house with boards of juniper. 16 He also built twenty cubits [30 feet] on the rear part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling; he built them for it on the inside as an inner sanctuary, as the Most Holy Place. 17 The house, that is, the main room in front of the inner sanctuary, was forty cubits [60 feet] long. 18 There was cedar inside the house, carved in the shape of gourds and open flowers; everything was cedar, there was no stone visible. 19 Then he prepared an inner sanctuary inside the house in order to place there the ark of the covenant of Yahweh. 20 The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits [30 feet] in length, twenty cubits [30 feet] in width, and twenty cubits [30 feet] in height; and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also paneled the altar with cedar. 21 So Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold. And he extended chains of gold across the front of the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold. 22 He overlaid the entire house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also, the entire altar which was by the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.
23 And in the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits [15 feet] high.24 The one wing of the first cherub was five cubits [7½ feet], and the other wing of the first cherub was five cubits [7½ feet]; from the end of one wing to the end of the other wing were ten cubits [15 feet]. 25 The second cherub was ten cubits [15 feet]; both of the cherubim were of the same measurement and the same form. 26 The height of the one cherub was ten cubits [15 feet], and so was that of the other cherub. 27 He placed the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, and the wings of the cherubim spread out so that the wing of the one was touching the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub was touching the other wall. And their wings were touching end to end in the center of the house. 28 He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.
29 Then he carved all the surrounding walls of the house with engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, for the inner and outer sanctuaries. 30 And he overlaid the floor of the house with gold, for the inner and outer sanctuaries.
31 And for the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood, the lintel, and five-sided doorposts. 32 So he made two doors of olive wood, and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he overlaid the cherubim and the palm trees with gold.
33 So too he made for the entrance of the main room four-sided doorposts of olive wood, 34 and two doors of juniper wood; the two leaves of the one door turned on pivots, and the two leaves of the other door turned on pivots. 35 He carved on it cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold plated on the carved work. 36 And he built the inner courtyard with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.
37 In the fourth year the foundation of the house of Yahweh was laid, in the month of Ziv. 38 And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, that is, the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts and in accordance with all its plans. So, he was seven years in building it. (1 Kings 6)
1 Kings 7
1 Kings 7 talks about the house that Solomon built for himself in the City of David and the work that a man named Hiram did in Yahweh’s Temple. Hiram’s work is discussed in 2 Chronicles 4: 2-5 as well.
There is a discrepancy between 1 Kings 7 and 2 Chronicles 4 concerning the number of baths of water held by the Sea in front of Yahweh’s Temple. 1 Kings 7 says that the Sea held 2,000 baths of water. 2 Chronicles 4 says that the Sea held 3,000 baths of water. The 2 Chronicles 4 version reflects a scribe’s error. The number of baths presented in 1 Kings 7 is correct.
Below is a detailed description of Hiram’s work that is included in 1 Kings 7:
13 Now King Solomon sent word and had Hiram brought from Tyre. 14 He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, an artisan in bronze; and he was filled with wisdom, skill, and knowledge for doing any work in bronze. So, he came to King Solomon and performed all his work.
15 He fashioned the two pillars of bronze; eighteen cubits [27 feet] was the height of each pillar, and a line of twelve cubits [18 feet] measured the circumference of both. 16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze to put on the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was five cubits [7½ feet] and the height of the other capital was five cubits [7½ feet]. 17 There were lattices of latticework and wreaths of chainwork for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital. 18 So he made the pillars, and two rows around on the one lattice to cover the capitals which were on the top of the pomegranates; and so he did for the other capital. 19 The capitals which were on the tops of the pillars in the porch were of lily design, four cubits [6 feet]. 20 So there were capitals on the two pillars, also above and close to the rounded projection which was beside the lattice; and the pomegranates totaled two hundred in rows around both capitals. 21 And he set up the pillars at the porch of the main room: he set up the right pillar and named it Jachin, and he set up the left pillar and named it Boaz. 22 On the top of the pillars was the lily design. So, the work of the pillars was finished.
23 He also he made the Sea of cast metal ten cubits [15 feet] from brim to brim, circular in shape, and its height was five cubits [7½ feet], and it was thirty cubits [45 feet] in circumference. 24 Under its brim gourds went around encircling it ten to a cubit [1½ feet], completely surrounding the Sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast with the rest. 25 It was standing on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; and the Sea was set on top of them, and all their rear parts turned inward. 26 And it was a hand width thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom; it could hold two thousand baths [approximately 11,600 gallons of water].
27 Then he made the ten stands of bronze; the length of each stand was four cubits [6 feet], its width four cubits [6 feet], and its height was three cubits [4½ feet]. 28 This was the design of the stands: they had borders, that is, borders between the crossbars, 29 and on the borders which were between the crossbars were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the crossbars there was a pedestal above, and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. 30 Now each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and its four feet had supports; beneath the basin were cast supports with wreaths at each side. 31 And its opening inside the crown at the top was a cubit [1½ feet], and its opening was round like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half [2¼ feet]; and on its opening also there were engravings, and their borders were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were underneath the borders, and the axles of the wheels were on the stand. And the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half [2¼ feet]. 33 The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel. Their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. 34 Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; its supports were part of the stand itself. 35 And on the top of the stand there was a circular form half a cubit [¾ of a foot or 9 inches] high, and on the top of the stand its stays and its borders were part of it. 36 And he engraved on the plates of its stays and on its borders cherubim, lions, and palm trees, as there was clear space on each, with wreaths all around. 37 He made the ten stands like this: all of them had the same casting, same measure, and same form.
38 And he made ten basins of bronze, each holding forty baths; each basin was four cubits [6 feet], and on each of the ten stands was one basin. 39 Then he placed the stands, five on the right side of the house and five on the left side of the house; and he set the Sea of cast metal on the right side of the house eastward toward the south.
40 Now Hiram made the basins and the shovels and the bowls. So Hiram finished doing all the work which he performed for King Solomon in the house of Yahweh: 41 the two pillars and the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the two pillars, and the two lattices to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; 42 and the four hundred pomegranates for the two lattices, two rows of pomegranates for each lattice to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the tops of the pillars; 43 and the ten stands with the ten basins on the stands; 44 and the one Sea and the twelve oxen under the Sea; 45 and the buckets, the shovels, and the bowls; indeed, all these utensils which Hiram made for King Solomon in the house of Yahweh were of polished bronze. 46 The king had them cast in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 However, Solomon left all the utensils unweighed, because they were too many; the weight of the bronze could not be determined.
48 Solomon also made all the furniture that was in the house of Yahweh: the golden altar and the golden table on which was set the bread of the Presence; 49 and the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary; and the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; 50 also the cups, the shears, the bowls, the ladles, and the firepans, of pure gold; and the hinges both for the doors of the inner house, the Most Holy Place [the Holy of Holies], and for the doors of the house, that is, for the main room, of gold.
51 So all the work that King Solomon performed in the house of Yahweh was finished. And Solomon brought in the offerings vowed by his father David, the silver and the gold and the utensils, and he put them in the treasuries of the house of Yahweh. (1 Kings 7)
Yahweh’s Temple was Not on the Temple Mount
Building Yahweh’s Temple was a complex project. It took Solomon 7 years to complete his work. He started the project in 964 BC, and he finished in 957 BC. Intricate details about the construction project are presented in the Bible. Not once is easy access to water discussed or even hinted at as a problem to be solved. If easy access to water had been a problem, it would have been discussed in 1 Kings 7.
Therefore, Yahweh’s Temple must have been very close to Gihon Spring in the City of David. That fact among others rules out the possibility that Yahweh’s Temple was on the Temple Mount.
See “Yahweh’s Temple was not on the Temple Mount” for more details.
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“I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know me—just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father—and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.”
John 10: 14-18
