The inner sanctuary …: The beginning of this verse in the Masoretic Text reads “and in front of the inner sanctuary….” This Hebrew text is difficult grammatically, and most translations (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible) follow the Septuagint, which lacks the words “in front of.” Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {D} rating to the Masoretic Text and admits that the Hebrew text may not be what was written originally. If the Masoretic Text is followed, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible provides a useful model: “In front of the sacred room, whose length was twenty cubits and whose width was twenty cubits and whose height was twenty cubits, which Solomon had overlaid with pure gold, was found the altar which had been paneled in cedar” (similarly Nouvelle Bible Segond). La Bible de Jérusalem: Nouvelle édition revue et corrigée likewise reads “In front of the Debir which was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and twenty cubits high, and which he had covered with pure gold, he covered the cedar altar with gold.” Translations such as Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Nouvelle Bible Segond and New Jerusalem Bible make it clear that the altar of cedar was not in the inner sanctuary but in the room in front of it. Translations such as Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, following the Septuagint, do not make this clear.

Twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high: As in verses 2, 3, and 16, the equivalent of twenty cubits is about 10 meters or 30 feet. It has already been noted in the comments on verse 16 that the inner sanctuary was cube-shaped.

He overlaid it with pure gold: The gold that is used today to overlay items is a very thin gold leaf. The gold used to cover the walls was not this thin gold leaf but rather was thick enough that it could be stripped off (see 2 Kgs 18.16). In this verse the writer says that the gold was pure. Revised English Bible translates this as “red gold,” meaning that it was the best quality gold. In other languages the idea of purity in this sense is expressed by the adjective “true.”

He also made an altar of cedar: Revised Standard Version follows the Septuagint here in reading the verb made (also Revised English Bible). The Hebrew verb in the Masoretic Text is the same as the previous verb, which is translated overlaid. So according to the Masoretic Text, the altar was not made only of cedar; rather it was made of cedar and covered with gold. Verse 22 says that the altar was covered in gold. New Living Translation says “He also overlaid the altar made of cedar”; and this may well be the intended meaning. In addition to having the verb made, the Septuagint does not have the words of cedar. De Vries follows the Septuagint in this last sentence with “And he constructed an altar.” This altar is probably the altar on which incense was burned (Exo 30.1; see also 2 Chr 26.16). It was located in front of the doors that separated the Most Holy Place from the nave.

A possible model for this verse is:

• This inner room was ten meters long, ten meters wide, and ten meters high. Solomon lined it with pure gold. He also made an altar covered with cedar paneling in front of the inner room.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .