What is the meaning of 1 Kings 6:1? In the four hundred and eightieth year • Scripture dates real history, not myth. By giving “the four hundred and eightieth year,” the writer ties the temple’s construction to a concrete point on God’s calendar. • This number is literal: 480 actual years have elapsed since the Exodus. The careful count echoes similar chronological notices (e.g., Numbers 1:1; 1 Kings 14:25) and underscores God’s faithfulness through centuries. • Acts 13:17-20 describes roughly “about four hundred and fifty years” from Egypt to the judges, harmonizing with this count when one includes the final years under Samuel and Saul before David’s reign. • Judges 11:26 shows an awareness of elapsed centuries even within Israel’s own testimony, reinforcing historic continuity. after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt • The Exodus remains the defining salvation event for Israel (Exodus 12:40-42; Deuteronomy 6:20-23). By measuring time from it, Scripture reminds readers that everything—including temple worship—rests on God’s redemptive act. • Psalm 105:37-45 looks back to the Exodus as proof of God’s covenant love; now, four-plus centuries later, that same love brings His people to a permanent worship center. • The mention links Solomon’s project to Moses’ tabernacle (Exodus 25-40): both structures exist because God delivered His people. in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel • 1 Kings 2–3 records Solomon securing the throne and asking God for wisdom; by year four, the kingdom enjoys peace on every side (1 Kings 4:24-25). • David reigned forty years (2 Samuel 5:4-5); Solomon’s early obedience fulfills David’s charge in 1 Kings 2:3-4. • The date anchors the temple within Solomon’s 40-year reign (1 Kings 11:42), reinforcing that the project occupied his prime years. in the month of Ziv, the second month • Ziv falls in April-May, the lush springtime when the land bursts with life—fitting for a house dedicated to the living God. • 2 Chronicles 3:2 repeats this timing, confirming the detail. • The second month also recalls when the tabernacle census was taken (Numbers 1:1). Both tabernacle and temple begin significant stages in the same month, hinting at purposeful parallel. he began to build the house of the LORD • Solomon’s first great public act is spiritual, not political. 1 Kings 5 shows him gathering cedars from Lebanon and skilled laborers; all creation’s resources converge for God’s glory, echoing Genesis 2:11-12 and Exodus 35:30-33. • The “house” fulfills God’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-13—David’s son would build a temple for God’s Name. • 1 Kings 8 records the cloud of God’s glory filling that house, confirming divine approval. The temple stands as the symbol of God dwelling among His people, anticipating the greater fulfillment in Christ (John 2:19-21) and ultimately in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:22). summary 1 Kings 6:1 places the start of the temple on a firm, literal timeline: 480 years after the Exodus, in Solomon’s fourth year, during the spring month of Ziv. The verse roots worship in history, ties the temple to God’s past redemption, and shows Solomon faithfully advancing the covenant promises given to David. God’s precise timing and sovereign guidance undergird every detail, assuring readers that His purposes unfold exactly as He has declared. |
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