1 Kings 6:30
ESV
The floor of the house he overlaid with gold in the inner and outer rooms.
NIV
He also covered the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of the temple with gold.
NASB
And he overlaid the floor of the house with gold, for the inner and outer sanctuaries.
CSB
He overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and the outer sanctuaries.
NLT
He overlaid the floor in both rooms with gold.
KJV
And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.
NKJV
And the floor of the temple he overlaid with gold, both the inner and outer sanctuaries.
What does 1 Kings 6:30 mean?
The description of the temple has been careful to repeatedly note that everything is covered in gold. The walls and the altar of incense and the giant cherubim figures (1 Kings 6:20–21, 28). Now, we learn that the floor is also covered in gold.Second Chronicles 3:6 says the gold is "of Parvaim." Scholars debate about what Parvaim means. Some say it refers to a particularly refined type of gold. Others say the word is Sanskrit for "east," and the gold comes from Arabia or Yemen.
This isn't the only account of a gold floor. The street of the New Jerusalem will be "pure gold, like transparent glass" (Revelation 21:21).
Solomon can use so much gold for the temple largely because David and the elders donated it (1 Chronicles 29:4–7). The gold serves as a reminder of God's holiness and the honor He deserves. It's also a practical way to store the temple treasury.
But it won't last. Because of Solomon's idolatry (1 Kings 11:1–8), the nation will split during his son Rehoboam's reign. Rehoboam will only rule Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin (1 Kings 12). In the fifth year of his reign, Shishak, king of Egypt, will arrive. He will take "the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house" (1 Kings 14:26).
In the middle of the temple's construction, God reminds Solomon that He will continue to bless the nation only if Solomon obeys the Mosaic law (1 Kings 6:11–13). The gold-coated temple is impressive to human eyes, but it means nothing to God without the love that leads to obedience (1 Samuel 15:22).
