The exact location of the windows is not stated. Since the Temple itself was about 15 meters (45 feet) high, and the three-storied annex built around the outside of the Temple was about 7.5 meters (22.5 feet) high, the windows were probably cut into the wall above the annex. The walls of the Temple were apparently thick, and the windows were narrower on the outside than on the inside, so not much light would have entered through these windows. The translation windows may give the incorrect impression that the Temple had panes of glass in it. The windows would have been simply a hole in the wall.

The meaning of the three Hebrew words translated windows with recessed frames is uncertain as the variety of following translations for the whole verse makes clear:
Revised English Bible: “and he fitted the house with embrasures.” (“Embrasures” is a technical term referring to an opening with the sides wider on the outside than on the inside.)
New Jerusalem Bible: “He made windows for the Temple with frames and latticework.” (“Latticework” refers to a structure consisting of pieces of wood placed in a crisscross shape.)
New American Bible: “Splayed windows with trellises were made for the temple.” (“Splayed” means “slanted.”)
New International Version: “He made narrow clerestory windows in the temple.” (“Clerestory” refers to windows that are high up.)
Contemporary English Version: “The windows were narrow on the outside but wide on the inside.”
New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh: “He made windows for the House, recessed and latticed.”

Some scholars think that the reference is not to windows at all but rather to some kind of structure standing at the entrance to the Temple. It seems best, however, to understand the first of these three words to mean windows, as elsewhere in the Old Testament. The meaning of the noun rendered frames is likewise uncertain. It seems to have something to do with windows, and may mean “slatted,” “latticed,” or “embrasured [with sides widening in].” The participle rendered recessed comes from a Hebrew root meaning “to stop up [one’s ears].” It may be a technical architectural term referring to a partly closed, barred, or framed window.

The above translations and comments show that there are basically two ways in which the Hebrew rendered windows with recessed frames has been interpreted: (1) these windows (or, “openings”) were cut into the walls at angles so that they were narrower on the outside of the wall than they were on the inside (Contemporary English Version, Good News Translation) or vice versa (Revised English Bible); or (2) these windows had latticework or trellises covering the openings (New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh; Moffatt says “windows with gratings”). The trellises may have been of wood (so Maredsous) or of metal. It is possible that both (1) and (2) are included in the meaning, as in New American Bible and Anchor Bible (“splayed and latticed”).

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 .